Becoming a Liveaboard Cruising Sailor

[zeehag]

Originally Posted by sailgalkaty

Sailing lady in West Coast Canada dreaming of becoming Liveaboard in the Caribbean...retired nurse in late fifties, attractive, slim, fit, active, easy-going.

Currently living on Vancouver Island, Canada.
It's cold, and it's old. (retirement mecca)

Searching for compatible Skipper I can be 1st mate for.

(Yes, I am the elusive, fabled, 'nurse with the purse'....but before you cunning Captains think I will come aboard just to be the sculley maid, cook and sex-kitten as well as provide the funds for following your dreams only, I have to tell you, I'm no fool....though am willing to fulfill these duties for good match)

Past experience of sailing/racing on Lake Ontario, have co-owned a 24ft. Shark, crewing here around the West Coast Islands. In 2012 spent three weeks sailing/crewing in the Grenadines-have always wanted to return and try this lifestyle. Feel I require a partner to do so. Suspect that living aboard/cruising for single female has overwhelming challenges....besides, am NOT that experienced to do it on my own.

Ideas anyone? Other avenues to explore to make my dream a reality?


Thanks!
sailgalkaty

figure what you need to carry with ye.
as an rn ye can even get travel jobs out and away from coldville, your current residence!
find a guy with a boat he wants to sail and needs crew.
chuck it all and go sailing for a bit on his boat.
work from there-branch up and out or whatever suits you best.
there are no rigid regulations other than the country in which you live places on you. the rest is on each of us who chooses to live this vagabond cruising life.
check out travel gigs and companies for nursee work (you may get bored, and work helps, also fattens wallet for cruising. never know when ye may need a bit more pocket change without disturbing the principal in savings)....

as for merely living aboard--that is simple.. find a boat and move in and live life..figure how you want to do it.
each of us is different, and each of us adapts differentlly to our individual lifestyle......
heck i was intensive care, emergency room, triage, investigative cardiology, and pacu manager, among other reg. nurse intensivist gigs...while living on a boat... isnt difficult.. is all in the adapting and growth.

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by FamilyVan

Fun thread. Here was my approach:
I had a Grampian 30, bare bones, I purchased her to sail her, not live aboard her. It occurred to me I spent a lot of my free time staying on the boat, so I asked myself "Why am I paying $1600/month for this apartment when I prefer being on the boat." So I moved everything into storage and moved aboard the boat full time, the same bare bones boat that I enjoyed sailing. Eventually my partner moved in with me, and we decided that we were going to start doing winters on the boat too (Great Lakes), so for every ones comfort (more hers than mine, I was happy as a lark on the 74 Grampian 30 with basically no systems- except a good head). So we moved over to the mainland and bought a fantasia 35. Which we also loved living on (even at 20 below). Then mini me came along, and we continued living on the Fantasia. He moved aboard at the salty age of 23 hours.
This winter we decided to rent a house, mostly for my wife's sanity with the little guy. I'm going to take the time to upgrade the already well equipped boat for a 6 month trip to the Bahamas next winter. Adding a wood stove, new fuel tank, new outboard for the Zodiac and figuring out whats wrong with my windlass.
As I'm still in my 30's and she in her 20's we can't afford to cruise full time, so we do live aboard when it's practical and cruise in pockets when we can.

I am sure you gone have great stories to contribute once you do go cruising.

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by sailgalkaty

Sailing lady in West Coast Canada dreaming of becoming Liveaboard in the Caribbean...retired nurse in late fifties, attractive, slim, fit, active, easy-going.

Currently living on Vancouver Island, Canada.
It's cold, and it's old. (retirement mecca)

Searching for compatible Skipper I can be 1st mate for.

(Yes, I am the elusive, fabled, 'nurse with the purse'....but before you cunning Captains think I will come aboard just to be the sculley maid, cook and sex-kitten as well as provide the funds for following your dreams only, I have to tell you, I'm no fool....though am willing to fulfill these duties for good match)

Past experience of sailing/racing on Lake Ontario, have co-owned a 24ft. Shark, crewing here around the West Coast Islands. In 2012 spent three weeks sailing/crewing in the Grenadines-have always wanted to return and try this lifestyle. Feel I require a partner to do so. Suspect that living aboard/cruising for single female has overwhelming challenges....besides, am NOT that experienced to do it on my own.

Ideas anyone? Other avenues to explore to make my dream a reality?


Thanks!
sailgalkaty

The nurse with the purse convinced me to invite you Seriously you got the right attitude, body too it seems! I have a wife who liveaboard with me and wouldnt take to competition.

[impi]

Originally Posted by Goosebumps

after reading many postings on CF, reading all sailing related literature I could get my hands on, and being a liveaboard in the East African tropics on a small old sailing cat since 2007, I am interested to get the view of others how best to become a liveaboard. First I do think there are many different types of liveaboard and it might help to create categories, i.e. marina based, on the hook, retired, monohull, dat, size of yacht, former experience, cruising areas planning to visit, passagemakers, circumnavigators.... you get my drift. This might help aim advise at right people.


Sent from my iPad using Cruisers Sailing Forum

Hi Goosebumps

I have not read all the replies here but will offer some advice from our own perspective.

I would assume here that you are asking how one becomes a successful 'live aboard'! In that I mean a 'happy one'.

Of course the first thing to look into is ones financial ability to get into a vessel that appeals to you in the first instance.

Secondly, if you have a mate (a wife / girlfriend) - one needs to establish the things that will be important for her in this venture ... what will make her life comfortable and what are the things she will find important on the boat. After all, relationships can be tough on a boat and it is important to keep your woman happy ... otherwise life onboard will become unpleasant for both of you.

Of course discuss the things that are important to you ... build a concept together ... don't be male about it and go solo on the boat thing if you intend for a happy partner on the boat ...

For us ... we felt it was important in setting up the boat, to have at least the usual basic homely comforts we have on land ... good electricity, plenty fresh water, great music, cool air, hot water showers, washing / drying machine to name but a few.
With that in mind, we had at least one aspect of a basis to consider when searching for a boat that was to become our home. This was important for us as a basic requirement!

A simple example of a very basic thing about our choice in boat was 'Light' ... yes .. you got that right ... light. Ana loves sunlight ... she does not want a dark environment locked up behind curtains and so forth. The vertical windows on our boat, although perhaps not sexy looking, certainly provide an environment where light streams into the boat ... this already was quite a 'plus' in our decision making.

Another thing important to Ana was to have a boat not too large for us to handle, but one with a lot of space and different areas to be seated and to relax in. This way she felt she could hive off into a spot and read her book in peace without my intrusion And so we looked at this on different model boats ... space is important ... even the clearance between the mattress and ceiling was important for her. Our previous boat had low clearance between the bed and ceiling ... it stifled her! SPACE was a big issue for us.

Combined with the need for all homely comforts and a limited size in boat, Ana felt it would be nice to have a boat that was 'minimalistic' in appearance ... she does not like a 'clutter of things' ... so we needed great packing space ... also hidden space to install items that would produce these homely comforts like water makers, air conditioners, generator and so on.

I wanted a boat with a bit of vooma ... we are not racers but we like to get across oceans with a bit of speed and of course a huge feature is safety.

I could go on and on here, but the message I am trying to share, is that becoming a 'live aboard' is easy ... just get a boat! Becoming a HAPPY live aboard requires planning and consultation with ones partner (wife).

This way, when the wish list is made and some items one by one are removed because of financial implications for example, you are making the decisions jointly! In the end one looks for a vessel that can be equipped to meet what things are important to you as a team!

We hear so many sailors competing against each other to show their boats to be better, but in the end, there is no such thing! The best boat, is the one that makes you as a person / couple happiest ... has the makings in it to bring you the joy that cruising life, indeed 'live aboard life' should bring.

We have seen couples in great expensive boats being miserable at each other ... grumpy old farts ... and some couples in tiny boats with little being ever so content and happy (people who count their blessings in life) ...

These to me are important facts to consider when wanting to become a 'live aboard'

I posted these videos on another post recently ... but will do so here too ... it shows our personal choice in boat with some of the things we list as being important for us ... and Ana and I are indeed .. happy little campers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDCsPPecGEQ

And ... I am happy to get some performance out of her (Impi) too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs3kpZpBaiw

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by impi

Hi Goosebumps

I have not read all the replies here but will offer some advice from our own perspective.

I would assume here that you are asking how one becomes a successful 'live aboard'! In that I mean a 'happy one'.

Of course the first thing to look into is ones financial ability to get into a vessel that appeals to you in the first instance.

Secondly, if you have a mate (a wife / girlfriend) - one needs to establish the things that will be important for her in this venture ... what will make her life comfortable and what are the things she will find important on the boat. After all, relationships can be tough on a boat and it is important to keep your woman happy ... otherwise life onboard will become unpleasant for both of you.

Of course discuss the things that are important to you ... build a concept together ... don't be male about it and go solo on the boat thing if you intend for a happy partner on the boat ...

For us ... we felt it was important in setting up the boat, to have at least the usual basic homely comforts we have on land ... good electricity, plenty fresh water, great music, cool air, hot water showers, washing / drying machine to name but a few.
With that in mind, we had at least one aspect of a basis to consider when searching for a boat that was to become our home. This was important for us as a basic requirement!

A simple example of a very basic thing about our choice in boat was 'Light' ... yes .. you got that right ... light. Ana loves sunlight ... she does not want a dark environment locked up behind curtains and so forth. The vertical windows on our boat, although perhaps not sexy looking, certainly provide an environment where light streams into the boat ... this already was quite a 'plus' in our decision making.

Another thing important to Ana was to have a boat not too large for us to handle, but one with a lot of space and different areas to be seated and to relax in. This way she felt she could hive off into a spot and read her book in peace without my intrusion And so we looked at this on different model boats ... space is important ... even the clearance between the mattress and ceiling was important for her. Our previous boat had low clearance between the bed and ceiling ... it stifled her! SPACE was a big issue for us.

Combined with the need for all homely comforts and a limited size in boat, Ana felt it would be nice to have a boat that was 'minimalistic' in appearance ... she does not like a 'clutter of things' ... so we needed great packing space ... also hidden space to install items that would produce these homely comforts like water makers, air conditioners, generator and so on.

I wanted a boat with a bit of vooma ... we are not racers but we like to get across oceans with a bit of speed and of course a huge feature is safety.

I could go on and on here, but the message I am trying to share, is that becoming a 'live aboard' is easy ... just get a boat! Becoming a HAPPY live aboard requires planning and consultation with ones partner (wife).

This way, when the wish list is made and some items one by one are removed because of financial implications for example, you are making the decisions jointly! In the end one looks for a vessel that can be equipped to meet what things are important to you as a team!

We hear so many sailors competing against each other to show their boats to be better, but in the end, there is no such thing! The best boat, is the one that makes you as a person / couple happiest ... has the makings in it to bring you the joy that cruising life, indeed 'live aboard life' should bring.

We have seen couples in great expensive boats being miserable at each other ... grumpy old farts ... and some couples in tiny boats with little being ever so content and happy (people who count their blessings in life) ...

These to me are important facts to consider when wanting to become a 'live aboard'

I posted these videos on another post recently ... but will do so here too ... it shows our personal choice in boat with some of the things we list as being important for us ... and Ana and I are indeed .. happy little campers

And ... I am happy to get some performance out of her (Impi) too

The points you are making are very spot on and have to be mentioned and understood by all who want to become liveaboard. The issue of getting a partner female or male to accept the liveaboard style of life is very acute.I love your ship! I am sure it would have been a breeze getting my wife to accept liveaboard life if I had your ship rather than my small catalac, but it is true that sunset on deck small yacht in the tropics looks the same from 30 footer as from larger yacht.

[impi]

Originally Posted by Goosebumps

The points you are making are very spot on and have to be mentioned and understood by all who want to become liveaboard. The issue of getting a partner female or male to accept the liveaboard style of life is very acute.I love your ship! I am sure it would have been a breeze getting my wife to accept liveaboard life if I had your ship rather than my small catalac, but it is true that sunset on deck small yacht in the tropics looks the same from 30 footer as from larger yacht.

Hey Goosebumps ... ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON ... the sunsets look the same from whichever boat one is on! As I mentioned elsewhere, we see many happy cruisers on very small yachts and we regularly visit couples on these yachts. By the same token we see some miserable folks on large yachts .... its not the yacht that counts ... its how happy one feels on the yacht and with the lifestyle! Big yachts can also become a noose around the neck for some ... thats not pleasant sailing!
Being an unhappy cruiser is probably worse than being an unhappy land dweller in my opinion ...
Ana and I were cruising around the Whitsundays off Oz years ago ... pulled into a really lovely anchorage (I think it was called Sid Harbour or something ... was anything but a harbour) ... we sat there in the most beautiful sunset ever ... a couple on their small yacht behind us were snuggled on the foredeck with a bottle of wine and strumming a guitar ... the couple ahead of us on a spectacular looking vessel were fighting so loudly that we thought someone was going to commit murder that night ... sound travels over water and we hear the words .. 'I hate you ' screamed out several times! Ana and I were so shocked ... I mean they literally had everything going for them and this was their lot in sailing life. So yeah buddy ... be on whatever yacht tickles your fancy ... but be happy !!! And that sometimes requires a bit of upfront thought, discussion and planning!

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by impi

Hey Goosebumps ... ABSOLUTELY SPOT ON ... the sunsets look the same from whichever boat one is on! As I mentioned elsewhere, we see many happy cruisers on very small yachts and we regularly visit couples on these yachts. By the same token we see some miserable folks on large yachts .... its not the yacht that counts ... its how happy one feels on the yacht and with the lifestyle! Big yachts can also become a noose around the neck for some ... thats not pleasant sailing!
Being an unhappy cruiser is probably worse than being an unhappy land dweller in my opinion ...
Ana and I were cruising around the Whitsundays off Oz years ago ... pulled into a really lovely anchorage (I think it was called Sid Harbour or something ... was anything but a harbour) ... we sat there in the most beautiful sunset ever ... a couple on their small yacht behind us were snuggled on the foredeck with a bottle of wine and strumming a guitar ... the couple ahead of us on a spectacular looking vessel were fighting so loudly that we thought someone was going to commit murder that night ... sound travels over water and we hear the words .. 'I hate you ' screamed out several times! Ana and I were so shocked ... I mean they literally had everything going for them and this was their lot in sailing life. So yeah buddy ... be on whatever yacht tickles your fancy ... but be happy !!! And that sometimes requires a bit of upfront thought, discussion and planning!

By the way absolutely love your blog. The quality of your film and photos is amazing to say the least. I would advise all who visit this thread to visit.

[FamilyVan]

I can't say I really subscribe to the big expensive yacht philosophy (although mine is a decent size and quality vessel). I grew up learning to sail on non profit tall ships. It was about self sufficiency and adventure.
A big boat mortgage means your boat owns you. If you can step out and buy a half million dollar yacht, it means one of three things. Your boss owned you for the last 30 years, you were incredibly lucky or you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Where's the self sufficiency.
I've been following a great thread about a regular guys yacht buying adventure. He got an old Newport 28 with no engine for $2500. He seems happy to me.
I even noticed a significant drop in use when I upgraded from my old Grampian 30 to my Fantasia 35. Way more time maintaining her, and she's more difficult to handle. Very rarely do we go out for a 30 minute sail after dinner now.

Sent from my SGH-I547C using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Goosebumps]

Originally Posted by FamilyVan

I can't say I really subscribe to the big expensive yacht philosophy (although mine is a decent size and quality vessel). I grew up learning to sail on non profit tall ships. It was about self sufficiency and adventure.
A big boat mortgage means your boat owns you. If you can step out and buy a half million dollar yacht, it means one of three things. Your boss owned you for the last 30 years, you were incredibly lucky or you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth. Where's the self sufficiency.
I've been following a great thread about a regular guys yacht buying adventure. He got an old Newport 28 with no engine for $2500. He seems happy to me.
I even noticed a significant drop in use when I upgraded from my old Grampian 30 to my Fantasia 35. Way more time maintaining her, and she's more difficult to handle. Very rarely do we go out for a 30 minute sail after dinner now.

Sent from my SGH-I547C using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Sure enough small is great, beautifull, easy handling, less bank. I got 34 ft catalac and dont see how larger would improve my cruising style, gunkholing, passage netween Mozambique, Comores, Mayotte, Madagascar, Tanzania, Seychelles! I do love the design cats, to see, abd dream, but sure I am more than happy with what I got. Also the unique access to this area I managed to have after 10 years working towards it. Go cruise you will love it.

[DSDman]

I have always preferred to wade into the cold water verses jumping in. My dream has been to retire to a boat and follow the 78 degree thermocline up and down the East coast for a few years and then set off to places unknown. Convincing my wife to do the same is a multi year process. Convincing is probably the wrong word... conditioning is probably better. She is all for the idea, the practical application she is a bit worried about.
I started my boat search a few years back and at the time was looking for something as large as I could afford for as inexpensive as I could find. Once I purchased that boat I started out "living Aboard" by working on it every free minute I had. 12 months later I was able to Move aboard "alone" because of a job relocation, and the wife and kids were able to "visit" on the weekends and pretty much stayed with me through the summer. We were marina queen/dock bound mostly but did manage to go sailing almost every weekend even if it were just for a few hours. The work continued always as the boat needed quite a bit of repair. So I did work full time and used the boat just like an apartment basically but I had the added benefit of having a sailboat on the weekends to tool around the Chesapeake bay. It was a great learning experience for both myself and the Admiral. We learned so much about sailing and boat handling and systems and maintenance, it truly was an invaluable experience. As luck would have it someone came along and bought the boat from me but that is OK and I don't regret buying the boat or later selling it. I did learn a few things that apply to me and me alone.

1. I like BIG sail boats.
2. I can fix just about anything.
3. Anything that increases her comfort level on the boat is worth it.
4. Don't scrimp on safety items.
5. Redundancy on navigation and communication and steering is a must.
6. Being close to the bathhouse while at a dock makes a world of difference.

I have started looking at boats again and will probably purchase my next boat in a couple of years. Until then I keep reading and preparing and learning all I can. I now at least have a frame of reference and a basic understanding on which we can build as we get closer to the next phase of life post kids in school. Until then I observe!

[Beatnickbiker]

RE : becoming the best sailor:
Im certenly not the best sailor but i do have 35 years as a sailor and liveaboard. If you want to speed up the process of gaining experience i would try for a crew position on deliveries. Lots of blue water deliveries by licensed capatians , in my opinion there the best