Any early retirees turned cruisers with big careers have regrets?

[theDangerz]

Originally Posted by Benjamins

I am 30 years old. Leaving for long term sailing in a couple of weeks. We live on board since May last year. I own a steel long-keeled cutter of 36 ft / 12 ton. YB 1976 put new rigging, electronics, shotblasted painted etc last winter while saving up some cash.

I have saved up a relative small amount, but enough to last me for 5-10 years, depending on lifestyle. The ship obviously bought in cash. maybe i'll work for a couple of months or a year when cash level (hopefully) gradually goes down.

One thing i realized reading this thread that the more money is involved, the less interesting the stories seem. Live-aboard / cruising is a life style. If you do it because you love traveling, sailing, challenges and like to endlessly think about improving your ship, you wont get bored or get regrets so quickly in my opinion.

I always lived my life following my heart. I brought me many places and left me a lot of lessons learned. If you follow your heart most of the time you don't have regrets. I've lived in several countries in Africa, North and South America and Europe. And traveled many more. AND exactly those adventures are the ones i remember and cherish.

1. The boat is never big enough. Just buy a smaller ship and keep the change for your travels.
2. The cash is never enough. Just come back to make more later.
3. There is so much more to life than the trap of always making more money. How Much is enough?
4. If at some point i will not see the fun of it anymore i am sure ill find an an another purpose.
5. I am trying to listen to all you guys whom say do it while your young.

By the way. so much fun reading this tread.

See you all somewhere around the world.

YES!!!!
An on-topic post related to the OP's original post and question - rather than a non-cruiser repeatedly telling their life story and a bunch of second-hand accounts they've heard (also from other non-cruisers) as a reasons why the OP shouldn't cruise.

GOOD FOR YOU for following your heart and your dreams.
It won't lead you astray and you'll never regret it!!

Give us a shout if you make it to the eastern caribbean (or wherever we happen to be by then) and sundowners are on us!

[CloveHitched]

Originally Posted by ol1970

So with that, anybody regret going, regret walking away from a gig that you enjoyed. Any marital tips for the cruisers to be?

A little late to the party but ...

Have a plan for how you want to live your retirement. My husband's biggest complaint, by far, was boredom. He craves mental stimulation that he enjoyed during his career. He would clean his boat deck every other day, took meticulous care of his vessel, daysailed, planned multi-day cruises along the Florida coast, went on week long excursions with his friends. He enjoyed the planning part of his trips more than the actual trip. It wasn't until he found something to engage the part of his brain that he used in his career (by volunteering with SCORE) that the boredom lifted. We moved to New England and sold the boat last year (sob!) and I miss it way more than he does. He was a boat owner for over 40 years.

As far as marital tips go, respect and listen to each other and you'll be fine.

I'm much younger than my husband and not ready for retirement. But when I'm ready, I'm not going to dither about. I'm going to buy a boat, hoist the main, and take off while I'm still healthy and spry.

[sailjumanji]

Originally Posted by theDangerz

YES!!!!

An on-topic post related to the OP's original post and question - rather than a non-cruiser repeatedly telling their life story and a bunch of second-hand accounts they've heard (also from other non-cruisers) as a reasons why the OP shouldn't cruise.



GOOD FOR YOU for following your heart and your dreams. :

While i appreciate the young man"s post, i think you are a little overboard with your enthusiasm for it. The original poster was looking for feedback from people who have left jobs regarding whether they miss it. You are going gagga over a post from a guy that hasnt left yet!

[Benjamins]

You know what?! Non of that matters. (I hope) we all have a dream. If the OP has a dream he should just follow it.

Oh yeah I have a nice job. I love doing it. I made tons of money. This job is also one of my dreams. Sometimes you have to choose. On dream or the other.

[Group9]

I think we all recognize that this site provides two very different services to two very different groups of people.

One, is it provides actual information and experience to the people who really want to take a boat, and go cruise on it to places.

Two, it provides a pleasant and harmless diversion to those who dream of doing the same thing, but for a myriad of different reasons, don't ever really either expect to do it, or in many cases, don't even really want to do it.

We've taken two pretty long cruises, and the reality is much less than the dream in many ways. When we sit at our computers, we dream of warm, clear blue waters, and sandy unspoiled beaches; of tiki beach bars, and rum punches.

Not many dream of malfunctioning toilets, balky engines, crappy and, yet, still expensive, produce, or sitting for hours in an un-air conditioned laundry, wondering how we are going to get all our linen back to the boat without getting it wet.

But, the reality is, that you experience both, but not in the ratio we would probably all hope for.

And, for those of us who have done it, and who often left at the peak of our earning power, then yes, if we are honest, there are days, when we look at our IRA or stocks funds, and visualize where they would be if we had just kept sailing a desk, instead of a sloop.

And, then a pod of dolphins comes up and the sun sets, and you try to remember what chest crushing stress felt like, and then you think, nah, I'm good.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Group9

I think we all recognize that this site provides two very different services to two very different groups of people.

One, is it provides actual information and experience to the people who really want to take a boat, and go cruise on it to places.

Two, it provides a pleasant and harmless diversion to those who dream of doing the same thing, but for a myriad of different reasons, don't ever really either expect to do it, or in many cases, don't even really want to do it.

We've taken two pretty long cruises, and the reality is much less than the dream in many ways. When we sit at our computers, we dream of warm, clear blue waters, and sandy unspoiled beaches; of tiki beach bars, and rum punches.

Not many dream of malfunctioning toilets, balky engines, crappy and, yet, still expensive, produce, or sitting for hours in an un-air conditioned laundry, wondering how we are going to get all our linen back to the boat without getting it wet.

But, the reality is, that you experience both, but not in the ratio we would probably all hope for.

And, for those of us who have done it, and who often left at the peak of our earning power, then yes, if we are honest, there are days, when we look at our IRA or stocks funds, and visualize where they would be if we had just kept sailing a desk, instead of a sloop.

And, then a pod of dolphins comes up and the sun sets, and you try to remember what chest crushing stress felt like, and then you think, nah, I'm good.

Once again, you do not have to retire to do most of this.

Here along the Chesapeake Bay South you can see the Dolphins as you sail North (away from the city) across the Bay at the Approach from the Atlantic.

Once across, many times Dolphins will be cruising along inside the sunken ships at Kiptopeke and you can see them as you are having your morning coffee at anchor

You can sail out in the ocean as far as your heart desires.

Sometimes it's just about location. A few days off work and some solitude at anchor or just crisscrossing the bay under sail can to wonders for the spirit

When you return after a few days or a couple weeks you are ready for something different ........while at the same time getting the boat cleaned up and ready for the next trip

[Group9]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Once again, you do not have to retire to do most of this.

Here along the Chesapeake Bay South you can see the Dolphins as you sail North (away from the city) across the Bay at the Approach from the Atlantic.

Once across, many times Dolphins will be cruising along inside the sunken ships at Kiptopeke and you can see them as you are having your morning coffee at anchor

You can sail out in the ocean as far as your heart desires.

Sometimes it's just about location. A few days off work and some solitude at anchor or just crisscrossing the bay under sail can to wonders for the spirit

When you return after a few days or a couple weeks you are ready for something different ........while at the same time getting the boat cleaned up and ready for the next trip

I think by now, that you have made it very clear, and we all realize, that you have a very different vision, and it does not involve extended cruising. And, that you really don't understand what those of us who do do it, get out of it, exactly.

That's okay.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Group9

I think by now, that you have made it very clear, and we all realize, that you have a very different vision, and it does not involve extended cruising. And, that you really don't understand what those of us who do do it, get out of it, exactly.

That's okay.

Actually that's not the point.

The point is don't retire too early.

Some folks circumnavigate the world on a sailboat then go back to work.

Others retire in their 50's to sit around at anchor being glad they aren't at work. To me this isn't a good idea, but it works for some

Matt Rutherford rounded the Americas on a borrowed boat and did it in just under a year for around $7,000 then came back and gave the boat back since he was through using it.

As for me, I've been lucky.

I got to live and sail along the Gulf Coast for many years much of it living at an apartment on the water. Many times I sailed after work plus the weekend races

Now I'm back up here but still maybe a mile from the bay and 5 from the Atlantic Ocean.........which is a slight improvement from growing up 5 miles from both.

[SSgtPitt]

Excellent post Group9.
And I also agree there’s a monster difference between a weekend, week or couple of weeks out.
Some of us, maybe most of us don’t have big IRA’s and stock portfolio’s or income producing properties. Some of us see our parents die at the kitchen table with unfulfilled dreams and full bank accounts and take a different path. Better to leave this world with empty bank accounts, wore out and tired bodies, a ton of great memories and only a few regrets. That’s us, a little money and building a lot of memories.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by thomm225

Actually that's not the point.

The point is don't retire too early.

Some folks circumnavigate the world on a sailboat then go back to work.

Others retire in their 50's to sit around at anchor being glad they aren't at work. To me this isn't a good idea.

Matt Rutherford rounded the Americas on a borrowed boat and did it in just under a year for around $7,000 then came back and gave the boat back since he was through using it.

I don't think you have as good a handle on all of this as you think you do.

And, if there is a more abstract phrase in financial planning, than "don't retire too early", someone will have to show it to me. Too early to do what exactly?

I think you have made it crystal clear that you have different life goals than a lot of us here. Maybe, you might want to think about recognizing that many of us, have very different life goals than you do.

I don't care if you want to work the next ten, twenty, or thirty years, or right up until the point you drop dead at your desk. It's your life, dude. But, don't think everyone wants to do that, or will do that.

You come across as wanting it all. You want to think you can have the rewards of extended cruising, without the sacrifice. Hey, I would, too. I'm pretty sure I did, too, at one time. At this point in my life, though, with a lot of years under my belt, I just know better.

The one thing I have learned is that no matter what a person's financial income stream is, we all have the same time income stream. At least on a recurring basis.

We all get 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. And, just like financial income, we don't know how long that time income will keep getting deposited.

One of the funny things you see, when cruising, is people trying so hard to do both, and looking for that 25th hour in the day to do it with.

One year, we were tied up at Staniel Cay. We just were ready for a break, and so we tied up to the pier there for a couple of weeks. The day after we arrived, an 86 foot sport yacht tied up next to us, with a crew of three. We got to know them and they told us about the owner, a very wealthy stock broker, about 60, from New York. We had a great time that week.

Then he flew in, with his 22 year old super model girlfriend (who although I appreciated the fact that she went topless almost the entire time, the Bahamians, and my wife, did not). Every time I saw him, the two days he was there, he was on the phone. At one point, he and I ended up alone at the bar together for lunch one day. I never saw a more miserable looking guy in my life. He appeared to be surprised to find (from looking at me, I think), that my mother had graduated from the same college his daughter was attending, and I was amused by that.

At the end of the two days, they drove him back to the airport. I guess he got "Bahama weekend vacation" checked off on his to-do list, as he and his super model girlfriend headed back to New York. An hour later, his crew were unloading the jet skis from the garage in the back of his boat, and told us they were off to see if they could find Johnny Depp's place.

He certainly appeared to be very wealthy. I'm sure you and him, both think he's got the better deal over his crew, or me. That's okay. I don't want to be him or you, any more than he, or you wants to be me.

[thomm225]

Originally Posted by Group9

I don't think you have as good a handle on all of this as you think you do.

And, if there is a more abstract phrase in financial planning, than "don't retire too early", someone will have to show it to me. Too early to do what exactly?

I think you have made it crystal clear that you have different life goals than a lot of us here. Maybe, you might want to think about recognizing that many of us, have very different life goals than you do.

I don't care if you want to work the next ten, twenty, or thirty years, or right up until the point you drop dead at your desk. It's your life, dude. But, don't think everyone wants to do that, or will do that.

You come across as wanting it all. You want to think you can have the rewards of extended cruising, without the sacrifice. Hey, I would, too. I'm pretty sure I did, too, at one time. At this point in my life, though, with a lot of years under my belt, I just know better.

The one thing I have learned is that no matter what a person's financial income stream is, we all have the same time income stream. At least on a recurring basis.

We all get 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. And, just like financial income, we don't know how long that time income will keep getting deposited.

One of the funny things you see, when cruising, is people trying so hard to do both, and looking for that 25th hour in the day to do it with.

One year, we were tied up at Staniel Cay. We just were ready for a break, and so we tied up to the pier there for a couple of weeks. The day after we arrived, an 86 foot sport yacht tied up next to us, with a crew of three. We got to know them and they told us about the owner, a very wealthy stock broker, about 60, from New York. We had a great time that week.

Then he flew in, with his 22 year old super model girlfriend (who although I appreciated the fact that she went topless almost the entire time, the Bahamians, and my wife, did not). Every time I saw him, the two days he was there, he was on the phone. At one point, he and I ended up alone at the bar together for lunch one day. I never saw a more miserable looking guy in my life. He appeared to be surprised to find (from looking at me, I think), that my mother had graduated from the same college his daughter was attending, and I was amused by that.

At the end of the two days, they drove him back to the airport. I guess he got "Bahama weekend vacation" checked off on his to-do list, as he and his super model girlfriend headed back to New York. An hour later, his crew were unloading the jet skis from the garage in the back of his boat, and told us they were off to see if they could find Johnny Depp's place.

He certainly appeared to be very wealthy. I'm sure you and him, both think he's got the better deal over his crew, or me. That's okay. I don't want to be him or you, any more than he, or you wants to be me.

My situation is a bit different.

I plan to retire and cruise one day but not yet.

I have observed the cruises at anchor.

I've observed them when their boats are perfect and they are searching around for something else to clean, shine up, or repair.

I've observed them hammered drunk and still trying to dance on the board walk with the younger crowd.

I've been on the water in boats since maybe 6 years old and I'm sort of addicted but that doesn't mean I want to be stuck on a boat 24/7/365

My goal is to still be able to run my 2.5 - 3 mile runs at 70 and to do 6-8 pulls ups and 20-25 pushups before the run. Plus hiking and normal workouts with weights on other days.

Then go crusing.........for a few weeks to a couple months then come back and restart for a longer time out

Then decide from there. I might want to get 6 or 8 old hound dogs and take them out periodically and watch them scare up a rabbit or two.......

But back to the boats, I just now got AIS displayed on a monitor with OpenCPN on my boat with a small Raspberry Computer off my SH GX2200. Now that was fun and interesting........plus I have GPS and the boat shown on there as well

This is very nice. No more guessing on the Container ships and tankers as far as speed, course, and how many are coming as I'm headed out of coming back in and crossing the two shipping channels

[sailorboy1]

So far it doesn't seem many of us early retiree cruisers are rushing to rejoin the work force.

Surely that is a MUCH bigger thread takeaway than the guy working and reliving days of beach cats who rarely passes up a chance to tell cruisers how to do it.

[thomm225]

Your choice when to retire.

Like I said, I was lucky and sort of have gotten to live in areas many cruise to when they retire.

So I don't need to retire early to go there.

The beautiful beachs and Carribean Blue/Green water along the Gulf Coast was a joy to be around ...... for a while.

Racing beach cats was fun as well to a point.

Group Cycling (with the trathletes and bike racers) along the Gulf Coast from Mobile to Navarre and North 70 miles or so was nice too.

Now though it's all about this old cruising boat I have and exploring the Bay and approaches to it in the Atlantic.

The goal now is to overload it with electronics so I can "see" better which means boat/shipping traffic, weather, and up to date chart information

All which will come in handy when I do leave the area again

[Group9]

Originally Posted by thomm225

There's always the alternative of doing both......working and cruising.

Some jobs allow you to take off for extended periods while with others location is the most important thing so you can sail/cruise after work, on long weekends, and vacations. Plus visiting the boat most days .....

For some, this allows you to quench that thirst to sail/cruise and to escape the working/city life until such time as you retire full time say in your mid to late 60's or at 70 years of age while also giving you something to look forward to and to plan for

In this area and some others, you can be totally away in a few hours sailing.....

Long weekends and vacations versus full time cruising.

I know you are hung up on this, but take it from someone who has done both. It's not the same thing. If you ever get to do the latter, you will see that for yourself.

As to which one is better, well, that is definitely in the eyes of the doer.

[BlackHeron]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

So far it doesn't seem many of us early retiree cruisers are rushing to rejoin the work force.

Surely that is a MUCH bigger thread takeaway than the guy working and reliving days of beach cats who rarely passes up a chance to tell cruisers how to do it.

I'm going to be 53 this September, after two years of full-time cruising the last thing I would ever want to do is go back to work, ever! -or be beholden to any job or career pinning me down like a butterfly in a case.

No urge to race beach cats either. Not now, not when I'm 65+ and have nothing but regrets for the decades of freedom and autonomy I sold for 30 pieces of silver and can never have back again.