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Old 06-04-2015, 15:57   #46
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

Yesterday is history tomorrow is a mystery.......today is all any one has. I have friends all over the world and have hiked the wilds, sailed the ocean....I live life with the knowlage that everything I need will always be there. Give, learn, love and live. Every thing in life cost - that's not always money - " Freedom is another word for nothing left to loose.." Janis Joplin. the only thing I'll ever truly own are Memories. Live today, make memories today, life will be good. unless you choose to be sad.
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Old 06-04-2015, 16:09   #47
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Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

We've been in nonesuch bay antigua for a week earlier this year and now here for another week. It's a great kiting spot, totally protected by the outer reef. Mooring is free and there not really anywhere to go to spend money. The boat near us has been her for 4 months and kiting most days. Good snorkelling and pretty easy to grab a lobster or 3 for dinner. You can sail south an hour or two for provisions when they run out...
Just had a nice fire on the beach with fresh lobster. What else do you need? :d
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Old 06-04-2015, 16:22   #48
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

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Yup ... when you have no choice, then the choice is easy. . I'm sure you won't miss those mochalattayappaclappchinnios



My spouse and I both own motorcycles, although "real" bikers laugh at ours. Mine is a big, honkin Yamaha Majesty -- 400 CCs of raw power Ann's is even bigger; a 500 CC Piaggio. We're hanging on to these for the next year or so while we're still dealing with Canadian winters. Our plan is to cruise through the warm months, then camp out of the bikes while we stay ahead of the frost line. We'll head for southern USA and Mexico, then toodle our way back north via the west coast. All part of the fun of being homeless .



Sounds absolutely enlivening. Go for it . Hope we see you out there some year. We'll likely head towards the Caribbean eventually ... although Ireland tugs. Who knows...
In my 30's I rode my ol Yamaha 750 over most of the USA west of the Rockies. Just never seemed right to stop. I still have a Buell M2 that lures me out for an afternoons entertainment. You will enjoy all of the ride I am sure. Just watch out for the western deserts...they eat small motors. Sounds like a good trip though.
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Old 06-04-2015, 16:43   #49
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

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(...)

the impression that quite a lot of people who took the decision to live on board and cruise around the world, did that after a major life event

(...)

It'd be great to hear from people who gave up a good and well paid job, a career and a comfortable life on shore.
In case of sailors effectively sailing around the world? It is just an impression. Most of those we have met were actually people driving along their very well set up road-plans.

In case of liveaboards, you may be closer to some truth. It seems many liveaboards are people who either did not make it in the society (dropouts, misfits, etc.), or else those who are no longer asked by the society to provide services (retirees, rentiers, etc). Both misfitting and retiring are in fact seen as major life events by many psycho- and sociologists.

We had comfortable lives on shore. We stopped working and went on to sailing and then on to living aboard. There was no "giving up" of jobs or "careers" much as they were seen by others as "well paid". We simply stopped doing what we were doing and started doing something else.

If I were to go now, I would not. I think 40 and above is not the time to change things. Nor do I think that special life events like disappointment in work, family or society are a good reason to start cruising/sailing/starting an organic food business. If your (it is a generic, not personal, your) life, family or society are not like what you want them to be, go ahead and change them. Show what you are made of. Running away is easy, and so repetitive.

15 is too young. 25 is about the best time. At 35 you will know what you want and you will have 15 maybe 25 years to get there. Then you will be old and wise and retired and you will have the second chance. That's to say, if you live that long, and if your health and stamina let you go. For very often, it is too late: you are dead or you are spent.

You do have persistence and you do have sense of humour. That's two assets already. If you add some wise financial decisions and some perseverance, you will have a hell of a time cruising, one day.

Listen to everything. Then make your own decisions. Remember you will not be living our lives, you will be living yours. Look at your circumstances, finances, skills and dreams. Live your life. If you are looking for, you have already given yourself the license to try.

Burn no bridges. Abuse the gaps in the system. Sail your own wind.

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Old 06-04-2015, 16:47   #50
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

Thank you everyone!

In May I will go on a motorcycle adventure trip on my Adventure bike that I built from the ground up for this purpose. 4 States, 3,000 miles, 80% off pavement. 2 weeks riding and camping every day. When it gets too hot in the desert, I'll think about the rum punch I had a month ago at Happy Island, while kiteboarding...

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Old 06-04-2015, 17:14   #51
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

Good advice Nick
Getting back to the OP, you motioned being able to cruise around the Caribbean for 20 yrs and still have some spare $$$
Also mentioned spending 6 months on the boat and 6 off
My point is, you ( and me) don't really know what we want or will be doing after the next stage of our lives which might be a 2 yr stage or 20 yr stage. So don't make a 20 yr plan before you know what you will want to be doing in 20 yrs. it might be cruising, it might be part time or it might be owning a winery in New Zealand. It sounds like you have the means to do it now so I'd suggest...doing it!
Get your ducks in a row, rent out the house, buy the boat, quit the job and try it out for a year or two (or 20)
I'd suggest the Caribbean is a great place to start, it there are a lot of other places as well. For us it was Atlantic France. So the hurricane season ends in November so that's the best time to plan to move aboard and spend 6 months getting a handle on things, gaining experience and living the dream. By the end of June you will know if you want to haul out and take a land break for 6 months, or stay on board or a combination of both.
If you decide it's not for you you're not likely to have lost any substantial amount of savings, can return to your house and land life easy enough and chalk one up for experience and a great adventure.
Same advice goes for the boat, don't overthink it. You can't go wrong with a L380 and again it's not forever. A year or two down the track you will still be able to sell and buy another if you find it's not the perfect boat for you.
So if seems you have 7 or 8 months to do some research on the whole shebang and make it happen. Definitely do as much study and sailing as you can in the mean time as it will help a lot and make a lot of other opportunities available. Eg, we met quite a few skippered charter skippers and hostesses in the BVIs that seem to have a pretty good mix of pleasure, income and variety of lifestyle. They mostly seemed to enjoy the time with charter guests, as well as having a decent amount of time off between charters to do basically the same as us, without the expense of owning a boat.
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Old 06-04-2015, 17:20   #52
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

I adamantly disagree with Barnakiel's suggestion:

"If I were to go now, I would not. I think 40 and above is not the time to change things. Nor do I think that special life events like disappointment in work, family or society are a good reason to start cruising/sailing/starting an organic food business. If your (it is a generic, not personal, your) life, family or society are not like what you want them to be, go ahead and change them. Show what you are made of. Running away is easy, and so repetitive.

15 is too young. 25 is about the best time. At 35 you will know what you want and you will have 15 maybe 25 years to get there. Then you will be old and wise and retired and you will have the second chance. That's to say, if you live that long, and if your health and stamina let you go. For very often, it is too late: you are dead or you are spent."

I set sail the first time when I was 33 after building a boat (didn't have enough money to buy one) and planning for seven years. There was no reason to leave except the desire to go cruising. The second time I/we left I was 51, and did it because my wife told me either we were going cruising or we were getting a divorce. We both had good jobs. Now at the tender age of 71, I/we will be off again, and again to meet my wife's interest. We aren't running away from anything, and seek only the joy of being out there while taking sole responsibility for our own welfare.

Money was never an issue - when we didn't have any, we worked. I taught school in New Zealand and both my wife and I taught school in the Marshall Islands. Ultimately, we had to borrow money to finish the circumnavigation, but once back in the States, worked again and paid it off.

We all make mistakes, but for me going cruising, at any age was not one of them.
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Old 06-04-2015, 17:58   #53
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

Lots of great advice, thank you guys!

Well, my sabbatical is coming up in October, I will be able to take 4 weeks off work and add another week of PTO.

I suggested to my wife that I could be spending 5 weeks out at see, my dream would be crossing from California to Hawaii and back. I don't have the license for Offshore Passage Making, and more importantly, I don't have that kind of experience yet. I would certainly die if I tried on my own. But perhaps I could go as a crew member. I will talk to my local sailing club to see if there are opportunities. Perhaps not crossing to Hawaii, just doing some costal passage.

She said it's a great idea, and that if I'd do that she would feel much more comfortable with me skipping our own cat in the Caribbean. I need to build some experience.

What do you guys say?
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Old 06-04-2015, 18:23   #54
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

You have some good sailing schools on SF Bay and that would be more "active sailing" than sailing a boat to Hawaii. I don't know, why not get your Bareboat cert up there on a very challenging piece of water.
San Diego sailing is often 'finesse sailing', eking out the most of gentle puffs, while SF Bay is strap yourself in and hang on for dear life.
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Old 06-04-2015, 18:31   #55
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

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I suggested to my wife that I could be spending 5 weeks out at see, my dream would be crossing from California to Hawaii and back. I don't have the license for Offshore Passage Making, and more importantly, I don't have that kind of experience yet. I would certainly die if I tried on my own. But perhaps I could go as a crew member. I will talk to my local sailing club to see if there are opportunities. Perhaps not crossing to Hawaii, just doing some costal passage.

She said it's a great idea, and that if I'd do that she would feel much more comfortable with me skipping our own cat in the Caribbean. I need to build some experience.

What do you guys say?
DANGER....DANGER....WARNING>>>>
If you want to quash the dream sure, make a big jump to Hawaii with you, your wife, and crew as your Introduction into the Cruising Lifestyle! It's the common mistake of Go Big and scare the **** out of the crew.
Start out easy and don't scare the dream out of your wife and even YOU.
There are cruising couples that cruiser for years without ever make the type of serious crossing like CA to Hawaii. The myth is that most cruisers do the big off shore passages....BS....most cruisers are coastal types that never make more than a few night passage at a time. You wouldn't get that feeling from reading all the cruising mags and listening to the dock and chat room experts rattle on about Blue water this and that...but the truth is most cruisers are coastal cruisers where it's much easier on the crew especially a NEW crew.
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Old 06-04-2015, 18:31   #56
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

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You have some good sailing schools on SF Bay and that would be more "active sailing" than sailing a boat to Hawaii. I don't know, why not get your Bareboat cert up there on a very challenging piece of water.
San Diego sailing is often 'finesse sailing', eking out the most of gentle puffs, while SF Bay is strap yourself in and hang on for dear life.
Good advice, as always!

I already belong to a sailing club and I'm taking my certifications. I already have BK and BC. Next up is Bareboat, I'll take it probably in June. Then Costal navigation and Celestial navigation.
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Old 06-04-2015, 18:37   #57
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

You're probably already more prepared than most, having re-read your initial post. The 'problem' with sailing is that there's absolutely always something else to learn and discover.
I was reflecting on the Canadian guy who bought a ferrocement boat in Vancouver and sailed it to Hawaii and back. Interesting read! You have way more experience than he did.
You're already doing all the right things. You'll do fine when you finally decide to take off on an extended cruise.
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Old 06-04-2015, 20:06   #58
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

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DANGER....DANGER....WARNING>>>>
If you want to quash the dream sure, make a big jump to Hawaii with you, your wife, and crew as your Introduction into the Cruising Lifestyle! It's the common mistake of Go Big and scare the **** out of the crew.
Start out easy and don't scare the dream out of your wife and even YOU.
There are cruising couples that cruiser for years without ever make the type of serious crossing like CA to Hawaii. The myth is that most cruisers do the big off shore passages....BS....most cruisers are coastal types that never make more than a few night passage at a time. You wouldn't get that feeling from reading all the cruising mags and listening to the dock and chat room experts rattle on about Blue water this and that...but the truth is most cruisers are coastal cruisers where it's much easier on the crew especially a NEW crew.
Couldnt agree more. For some cruising is about the big bluewater passage, and for others it's the near shore exploring. If the second resonates with you, you can ship your boat across the big ponds for less money and time than it will take to outfit it for ocean crossings. If cruising is about enjoying anchorages, and beaches, and snorkeling. and the 4-8 hours sails it takes to get to the next one, so be it. If you crave the adventure and exhilaration of nonstop sailing in open water, despite the constant motion, dampness, fatigue, and stress of hitting things in the dark....

Of course you can do both, but it is correct that many more cruisers do the near shore thing. There may be a good reason for it beyond sailing skills.


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Old 06-04-2015, 20:42   #59
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

Totally agree with Third Day -- you need to figure out if you like cruising. Which, to us, is a kind of slow and wet RV travel to random coastal towns and cities. Long passages are a small part of that.

If you have 5 weeks (what a luxury!), maybe spend the whole time chartering a boat in the Caribbean, Tonga, or French Polynesia. Do it and imagine yourselves doing it for years. See if that thought makes you happy or not.

For your earlier question -- I absolutely loved my job. It was hard to quit. I did give up something fun. I miss it. I doubt I will ever be able to go back the ideal situation I walked away from. But ... I feel too mortal to spend my whole life living only one way. Even if I know I like it and am good at it. There are so many other things I want to do and try and experience. So that thought is what drove me towards another kind of life.
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Old 06-04-2015, 20:51   #60
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Re: Quit your job and live on a boat in the Caribbean

I'm on the exact same wavelength as you are. The vast majority of my friends think I'm crazy for wanting to do it but that doesn't deter me; I just smile and tell them that it's not for everyone. I can't say it enough though, life is short and you never know how long you have so rather than planning to live to the ripe age of 105 live now. Go sailing, have a few drinks, smoke a cigar, etc. At least that's the way I justify it. Hope you see you out on the water someday when I finally get going!

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