Crew Available: Help me convince my family to live the lifestyle

[Steelbitz92]

Greetings awesome people,
Not sure if this is the place to post this but here goes. I am looking for an opportunity to spend about a week on boat with an experienced family. I have longed to live off the grid for about two years now, but my Wife is afraid of the unknown. Wondering if anyone would be willing to host a very inexperienced crew. We are hard workers and very eager to learn and can take directions well. It would be a family of 4. If interested in hosting would love to talk the logistics. We have priced this out for private charters', and it is way expensive to go that route. Please let me know.

[Jolly Roger]

It would be helpful to know where you can travel to, and when?

[Steelbitz92]

We live in Florida, so ideally around the Bahamas or Mexico. Looking around Late June or July.

[carlosproa]

Originally Posted by Steelbitz92

We live in Florida, so ideally around the Bahamas or Mexico. Looking around Late June or July.

So timing is everything. June and July are egg frying in the pavement months, as well as mosquito and humidity months, and risk of hurricane.

I will advice to do a controlled weekend in March to April timeframe. Make it fun to sell the lifestyle. Reality sailing of a week or more can be traumatic for those who have never rough out out there.

[chubby]

Originally Posted by Steelbitz92

We live in Florida, so ideally around the Bahamas or Mexico. Looking around Late June or July.

a quick look on borrowaboat shows sailboats that could accommodate your family for the less than the price of local hotel accommodations.


just ask the owner/booking agent to recommend a captain and pay a daily rate.. (i forgot what it is typically in bahamas).


if wanting to save on paying for a captain..



(you) read everything you can find on sailing and then volunteer for (multiple) deliveries to add experience to your new found knowledge.


(then) you can confidently take your own family out yourself to help them decide if its the lifestyle they desire.




and if wife says "no".. then divorce her immediately, find a new better wife and make a new family..
(i'm joking...a little)

[HeinSdL]

I hosted some guests on board from time to time in the Med, anchoring etc. It opened my eyes in terms of how well accustomed my family and I were to the experience of being on a boat and how thoroughly uncomfortable the guests found it: rolling at anchor, people packed close together, hot (also when in the harbour), not to mention the actual sailing experience which was... at best not that interesting (for novices).

So I am thinking that jumping right on a boat will be a super interesting experience for your family with the response thereafter being: once and once only...

If you're doing the convincing thing with no prior exposure, you may have better results starting with day trips, locally, on very nice days. And then build up from there.

[Steelbitz92]

Originally Posted by HeinSdL

I hosted some guests on board from time to time in the Med, anchoring etc. It opened my eyes in terms of how well accustomed my family and I were to the experience of being on a boat and how thoroughly uncomfortable the guests found it: rolling at anchor, people packed close together, hot (also when in the harbour), not to mention the actual sailing experience which was... at best not that interesting (for novices).

So I am thinking that jumping right on a boat will be a super interesting experience for your family with the response thereafter being: once and once only...

If you're doing the convincing thing with no prior exposure, you may have better results starting with day trips, locally, on very nice days. And then build up from there.

We have done some day trips with success. Now we want to try a longer experience

[Sailingallday]

Sounds like you want someone to gift you a holiday. Especially when you say the Bahamas or Mexico - when you live in Florida.

[Drunkonwatch]

Originally Posted by Sailingallday

Sounds like you want someone to gift you a holiday. Especially when you say the Bahamas or Mexico - when you live in Florida.

Bring laminate roller and tyvek suit.

[poopship]

three things Id recommend, and as a disclaimer, Im not anywhere close to experienced cruising as most people here :

- take ASA class(es) w the wife, get comfortable about the concepts and practice of sailing, depending on age of kids get them in a class too

- charter a boat in BVI with a captain.

- watch YouTube sailors like sv Delos , etc...

These are really chill ways to ease into it. My wife wasn't into all of this until I actually got some experience, rented some "larger" (Catalina 27./30) boats from my local yacht club and then purchased a boat. Now she's all about it and we take week+ trips to Catalina / channel islands etc , and thinking about Baja next... I got her to take her ASA 103 class and she loved it. She's more of a drink wine while I do all the work type, but she's feeling it. The draw of the ocean is deep set within us, it just takes a little coaxing out of us landlubbers...

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Sailingallday

Sounds like you want someone to gift you a holiday. Especially when you say the Bahamas or Mexico - when you live in Florida.

that is what it sounds like to. me also. Plus this week long experiment teaches you the same amount of what living aboard a boat is like as renting a condo does about owning a house

[Bowdrie]

"Help me convince my family to live the lifestyle".

You don't "convince".
Be the Alpha.
Get a cheap boat and a skipper's hat to wear at rakish angle.
Now you're the captain of your destiny.
You order them aboard.
"You will do this and you will like it."
"The floggings will continue until morale improves."

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[CrispyCringle]

What you want is to hire a charter. Discuss with the captain before the trip what your goals are. If you find one that is interested, go for it.

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by CrispyCringle

What you want is to hire a charter. Discuss with the captain before the trip what your goals are. If you find one that is interested, go for it.

This is the best answer. It may be pricey, but that’s nothing compared with boat ownership. Even worse, would be to buy a boat and then find out your family doesn’t like it.
Local day charters in FL would probably be better for you, as you could pick your weather. If you commit to a week in a travel destination, you get what you get.
On further thought, that might be good too, to have a dose of reality. It’s not always fair weather, especially if it’s a lifestyle decision.

[Drunkonwatch]

Building up a series of smaller experiences might work better the charter or other families boats it’s an overwhelming experience. The draw back is when things go wrong or break the problems won’t seem so catastrophic with built up experience the charter captain won’t ask you to fix anything most likely. And I have to admit I can’t allow inexperienced people to tackle the intricacies of my boat. If your in Florida why not take advantage of all the nice little cheap boats to learn on. It was a hard transition for my wife and I and we were both lifelong professional mariners. Adding potential personality problems to your family’s decision could back fire.