Hello,
I am new to this forum, and have actually only been sailing a few times, but really enjoyed it. I love the open
water, and I love to travel. So I figure sailing would be a good hobby to get into. My ultimate goal is to one day be able to sail 3-6 months out of the year, and
work 6-9 months out of the year.
Anyways, I am 26 years old and have one year of
school left. I am getting my degree in Construction Management. Unfortunately, this is not a career where I can come and go as I please. Since I only have a year of
school left, and I am interested in the field, I am going to stick with it.
But I can't help but romanticize about sailing the open seas when I please.
I don't plan on
buying a boat for a loooooong time (maybe 15 years). This is because I can't afford it, and most of the
money I earn/save in the future will go towards loans.
Since I have awhile until I plan on owning my own
boat, what sorts of things can I do in the meantime to help prepare for
ownership? Joining a sailing club and
learning how to sail would be the obvious choice. Are there other things you all can think of? Maybe
learning a set of skills like rebuilding a ship (Would I be able to learn something like that?) Or learning a new set of skills that would one day allow me to be employed when I want, so I could sail half the year and
work half the year. What sorts of things do you wish you'd done to prepare for owning a
live-aboard boat.
Let it be said that my ultimate goal is to own a boat, and actually have the time to use it. I don't want to wait until I'm retired to do so. I want to stick with my
current career long enough to pay off my loans, buy a boat, and save a little bit of
money. After that, I want to do what so many of you on this board do. I know this is some serious long term planning, but I figure you can never start planning too early for a dream.
Thanks so much for any
advice you can offer!
-Casey