My wife is 2-4 years away from retiring and works in Colorado, but I'm able to
work from anywhere I can get an
internet connection, even if it is only a cellular data connection. Even then I don't need it 100% of the time. We want to
cruise on a
catamaran in
retirement (exact model to be determined, 40-47' in length) but are thinking about getting one before she can retire so we can build some experience, tweak the
boat to our liking and just generally
cruise on it when we can before she can go full time, or nearly so.
We would likely keep the
boat in the
Caribbean in the
winter then move it to the US
east coast for the
hurricane season. At least that's what seems logical at the moment. Moving it back forth would give us
passage experience without getting too far from land at first. I would spend a lot of time on the boat before my wife can retire, both summer and
winter, but not 100%.
As I look into this idea, the major issue I see is where exactly to go in the summer and where to keep the boat when I'm not on it, possibly for months at a time. Also, where to haul it out or find secure "in water"
storage when hurricanes approach. Do you have to make arrangements far in advance with marina's in order to secure a spot? Is this getting more difficult as the number of
boats continues to increase every year? If I register the boat in Delaware, or anywhere for that matter, I realize that I may have tax problems when I stay for a while in other states. To avoid this, I envision doing as much
anchoring out as possible when I'm on the boat but it seems that even
anchoring for more than a few days is becoming more of a problem in many places, if they allow anchoring at all. (referring to the
east coast areas of US).
We have even entertained the idea of
buying a
water front lot and building a concrete
hurricane dock in protected waters, perhaps in
North Carolina. I would prefer to skip that expense and not be tied so closely to one spot, but it's not ruled out.
I'm sure many of you have had these same questions so I hoping you can help us develop a "Plan" on how to deal with a boat for the next few years before we go off globe trotting. I'm open to any ideas you may have.
Thank you