How much does it cost to live aboard while cruising the Caribbean Islands ?

[Rachael]

My husband and I are trying to come up with a budget for living aboard a 47 foot sailboat and cruising around the Caribbean Islands. Also, trips up and down the East Coast of the U.S. in summer. Any sage advice appreciated, and specific examples most welcome.

[Sandero]

This is a question which gets asked forever and never answered with certainty. Provisions depend on how you eat... how much and if you eat ashore and consume lots of booze. Water fuel and landing entry etc fees are hardly deal breakers. But what are you going to do ashore? Rent cars and so forth?

The big unknown is marine repairs. You will have maintenance but could lose an autopilot or an inject pump or radar, refrigeration... outboard... They're spendy and will crash your budget.

Without detailing it.. I think a couple can live well on $1,000/mo and scrape by on $300. That's a big range. But $12,000/ for a year is not a lot of cash.

[skipmac]

Really an open ended question. The answer very much depends on how you want to cruise.

Anchor out always, eat beans and rice, sail everywhere to save fuel you could go as low as the famous $500 per month (see the thread on this forum http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...nth-40051.html)

Or you could spend every night in a fancy marina, eat out at the fancy restaurant with a nice bottle of wine, run generator and air conditioner 24/7 and spend $5000 per month.

The cost is totally up to you, your budget and your lifestyle.

So, maybe a little more information. Are you an anchor out cruiser or stay at the nice marina cruiser? Do you cook on board with locally available ingredients or go to the nicest restaurant in town?

Maybe another way to look at it, how much do you want to spend per month? With that information you can work backwards to determine what cruising style you can afford on that budget.

[Dennis.G]

The official budget developed by the national association of those who know and see all, is $2,000 USD a month for a couple.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Really an open ended question...
...Maybe another way to look at it, how much do you want to spend per month? With that information you can work backwards to determine what cruising style you can afford on that budget.

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Rachel.

[ASIMPLELIFE]

We are on a 47 Gulfstar and have been for about a yr now. We just returned from the islands and currently at Palm Beach,Fl. All I can say is stock your boat before you leave. Food in the out islands double the prices in the states but you can dive daily for fish ect ect.if your down in these parts look me up

[jpsgirl96]

ASimpleLife - assume you are talking about cruising the Bahamas? Definitely agree that provisioning is expensive and more difficult there, but we have found provisioning in the Caribbean (Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia and most especially Grenada and Trinidad) to be reasonable and generally a delight.

Rachael - As everyone says, cruising budgets are highly individual and depend on so many factors. I am personally highly skeptical of the $500 a month thing, in large part because my health insurance alone is more than that, but you will find folks out there doing it at many different cost points. The "real" money comes in with boat maintenance (DYI versus get out the checkbook), storage if and when you leave, insurance both personal and property - in our two seasons so far, food/provisioning is not a lot different from what we spend "at home" and not a huge percentage of the cruising budget.

Welcome aboard!

[Aslan]

The best way to find out is get underway and see. If you're concerned about expenses then go extreme. Ramen noodles and vitamins. If you have money left over at the end of the month then splurge on a hamburger or something. The Bahamas are expensive as hell though. Next time I go I don't plan on eating off the boat at all.

[skipmac]

Interesting. According to her profile the OP joined, posted once a month ago and has not logged into the forum since.

Lost interest or maybe reading anonymously?

[TomandAnitas34]

The OP may be long gone. I have no clue why a person would join a forum, ask a question and never return. The question is an important one though and I for one am always looking for new data regarding the on going costs of cruising. I am planning a water retirement myself. I want to know as much as I possibly can about the expenses associated with being on the water. Places not to go, lists of hurricane holes, routes to take, the quality of guide books you can buy, the best insurance companies, lists of what to take... anything relevant to ensuring a successful cruise.

[wayina]

Because most people want an answer now. Not in 2 days.now

[GaryMayo]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Interesting. According to her profile the OP joined, posted once a month ago and has not logged into the forum since.

Lost interest or maybe reading anonymously?

The Internet is a big place. Most likely stumbled in, and got lost somewhere else. I signed up to a camera site a few years ago, and discovered I already joined ten years earlier. In my posts, it looked like I was a charter member that posted very seldom. People thought I was an undercover admin. Lol

Kids also join with a big question post, and go away all tickled they got one over. How many people with a 47 foot sailboat neglect to say what brand it is? I vote a kid pranking us.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by TomandAnitas34

The OP may be long gone. I have no clue why a person would join a forum, ask a question and never return. The question is an important one though and I for one am always looking for new data regarding the on going costs of cruising. I am planning a water retirement myself. I want to know as much as I possibly can about the expenses associated with being on the water. Places not to go, lists of hurricane holes, routes to take, the quality of guide books you can buy, the best insurance companies, lists of what to take... anything relevant to ensuring a successful cruise.

Same here. Even having done it before I still have thousands of questions and love benefiting from the experience of other cruisers, especially on this forum.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by wayina

Because most people want an answer now. Not in 2 days.now

Ah but if you look at the time/date stamp on the posts you will see the first reply to the OP came from defjef in just 31 minutes. Maybe in these days of instant gratification even that is too long.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by GaryMayo

The Internet is a big place. Most likely stumbled in, and got lost somewhere else. I signed up to a camera site a few years ago, and discovered I already joined ten years earlier

Could well be. Now that you mention it I have lost track of web sites I found that I really wanted to revisit and never found again. Have to remember to save to favorites. But doesn't signing up with CF automatically default to email notification of replies to your posts?

Originally Posted by GaryMayo

Kids also join with a big question post, and go away all tickled they got one over. How many people with a 47 foot sailboat neglect to say what brand it is? I vote a kid pranking us.

That also could be but the tome and grammar to me sounded proper for who the OP claimed to be.

If she is real I do wish her and her hubby fun and safe travels.