Good Advice from Old Salts

[w1651]

From someone who is at midway point in getting his boat ready to do what you want to do. STOP! get a really good job. Save as much and invest as much as you can now. Buy a plane and fly to where ever you want to go to later. Much much cheaper and faster as well as saner then sailing the deep blue sea.
But if you have to do it this way. Lots of good ole boats for sale now and buy one ready to go. You crazy kid!

[southpaw]

Might pay to crew on an ocean passage to see if you actually like it before you commit to buying. Also, helpx.net is a good organization similar to Workaway; we've hosted travellers in NZ. Sometimes charter boats are looking for crew on that site.

[Compass790]

Enjoyed these posts. I never did the buy a boat route to go cruising when young but can really recommend doing some crewing as others have suggested. You meet some really interesting people with many different ways of doing & will learn wether it's for you. Be warned it can become a life-long obsession !

[s/v Beth]

Read through all the posts- barny, you are quiet a softy! you old barnacle! Your nothing like the ones that cut my feet to pieces this summer!
And that is my point. Be prepared to work hard for what you get, and work hard with what you get (boat wise) and not be compensated for either other than beautiful sunsets and quiet adventure.
But for most of us that is enough.

[mpatter894]

South Paw hit it right on the head go crew on a sailboat that is actually cruising the carib or south pacific see if its for you. Don't be that guy for example that decides he wants to learn how to dive after he went snorkeling once and spends a few grand on dive gear and turns out it isn't what he thought it was going to be. I just retired form many years as a merchant marine captain for Maersk lines I have 2.5 million nm under my feet and I am still scratching my head as to why I just bought a sailboat and leaving for the south pacific via the carib on the first of Nov. this year its because of a great love and respect for the ocean she is a tough old broad that doesn't forgive you for mistakes, so date her for a while before you decide to start a long term relationship with her.

[Sea7King]

Nothing like experience...
Email me if you would like to spend some weekends on the east coast of Fl learning.