Is liveaboard lifestyle a dying lifestyle

[Pelagic]

[QUOTE=pbmaise;2956359]I include my "rant" here as I view the paying guest to have been one of the major sources of revenue that used to enabled many extended cruisers. /QUOTE]

Interesting point pb.

Many here criticise the UTUBE Bloggers with their Patreon requests as a form of begging.

Others just love it and support them.
Perhaps the new charter market prefers to sail "virtually" [emoji20]

The first boat I bought when I was 21 could only be sustained by doing dive charters and I struggled.
Luckily the marina where I was drydocked set the wooden boat on fire and I managed to get out of it!
Key lesson learned was that it was better to captain other peoples charter boats and get paid for it.

[Chotu]

Somewhat shocked at all the talk of illegal charters I'm seeing on this board in the last couple days.

[Pelagic]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Somewhat shocked at all the talk of illegal charters I'm seeing on this board in the last couple days.

I think that was pb point
It used to be ok for a sailor to bring on paying guests to help with costs.
Nowadays, every PC person, sits at their keyboard and gets shocked!

Less Rules.... Rule[emoji106]

[Franziska]

Exactly. Few fearing for their own benefit point fingers at others.

I'm not against regulating big scale commercial charters, but to punish the single cruiser who takes once in a while someone on a bunk to help with running costs is just ridiculous.

We live in overrgulated times where states feel the need to protect adult people non stop from themselves. Unfortunately plenty of lawyers make a living out of this.

Unfortunately there are also people going on budget bunk charters without understanding that they will get a liveaboard experience rather than a a full service hotel vacation.

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I think that was pb point
It used to be ok for a sailor to bring on paying guests to help with costs.
Nowadays, every PC person, sits at their keyboard and gets shocked!

Less Rules.... Rule[emoji106]

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Pelagic

I think that was pb point
It used to be ok for a sailor to bring on paying guests to help with costs.
Nowadays, every PC person, sits at their keyboard and gets shocked!

Less Rules.... Rule[emoji106]

I've been away from land for about 4 months now on this particular trip and have spent more nights sleeping at anchor than in a house im my life. Hardly sitting at my keyboard. I'm on a phone right now posting. From my boat. At anchor. Pulling the anchor and getting underway as soon as the fog burns off a bit.

What I'm shocked at is that as someone who provided legal charters on a small boat and who has complied with all the BS over regulation (some of it warranted because plenty of people die due to bad boats/captains), I am not well enough protected from these rogue illegal charters.

It's basically like the citizenship/immigrant debate.

If I immigrate somewhere and spend years, hours and thousands of dollars to do it legally, I'm going to be shocked when some mofo jumps a fence and gets the same things I worked my ass off for.

So yeah. I'm shocked.

[LauraleeG]

This is a fascinating discussion. Reminds of the age old discussion about being a 'traveler vs a tourist" Traveling is somehow better and invokes images of backpacking and communing with the locals. Being a tourist is in contrast...BAD and that invokes images of cruising on a big f%$k off ship and being herded onto a bus.
I say--call yourself whatever you want, live your life however you want.
If you want to live like its 1922 on your boat with no modern conveniences--have at er! It doesnt make you tougher or smarter or a better person.
If you want to live on a 56 ft boat with all the modern stuff--even a washing machine...ok, so go do that...doesnt make you a tougher or smarter or better person.
To the OP...not sure why it matters? If you want to do it--do it!!
Over time, you will find whatever version works for you.

[Franziska]

While some with fairly new boats have a fairly easy path to charter out some bunks others amongst us, with older boats without shitloads of money get regulated out of the game.

Coincidentally it's the guys with the newer boats making much more money from it and complaining later about mom and dad when they charter out a bunk on the odd occasion.

I am not against some regulation, but a lot is way over the top and some guys seem to like it most to make sure no-one else has a chance to have a small bite of the same cake.

Get over it.

Originally Posted by Chotu

I've been away from land for about 4 months now on this particular trip and have spent more nights sleeping at anchor than in a house im my life. Hardly sitting at my keyboard. I'm on a phone right now posting. From my boat. At anchor. Pulling the anchor and getting underway as soon as the fog burns off a bit.

What I'm shocked at is that as someone who provided legal charters on a small boat and who has complied with all the BS over regulation (some of it warranted because plenty of people die due to bad boats/captains), I am not well enough protected from these rogue illegal charters.

It's basically like the citizenship/immigrant debate.

If I immigrate somewhere and spend years, hours and thousands of dollars to do it legally, I'm going to be shocked when some mofo jumps a fence and gets the same things I worked my ass off for.

So yeah. I'm shocked.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Exactly. Few fearing for their own benefit point fingers at others.

I'm not against regulating big scale commercial charters, but to punish the single cruiser who takes once in a while someone on a bunk to help with running costs is just ridiculous.

We live in overrgulated times where states feel the need to protect adult people non stop from themselves. Unfortunately plenty of lawyers make a living out of this.

Unfortunately there are also people going on budget bunk charters without understanding that they will get a liveaboard experience rather than a a full service hotel vacation.

No whining? Do you have a mirror aboard?

Take a look in it.

[LauraleeG]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Not all harbors are alike.


I agree with you about the U.S. style marinas which are just big floating RV parks.



But I love Northern European guest harbors, town quays, fishing harbors. I love the ancient town quays in the Greek and Turkish islands. I love taking a shower, putting on clean clothes, and going to a nice restaurant once in a while, and I love exploring some of these places by land. You meet interesting people in some of these places, too. Solitude all the time is boring for some people, like me.



I don't have any particular preference for anchoring or using a harbor; not all anchorages are as cool as others, nor is every harbor necessarily good or bad. An ideal cruise for me contains a mix of anchoring in beautiful spots, and tying up in nice harbors.

Yep!! me too.

[Mike OReilly]

Seems to me the broader point in connection with small charters is the apparent growth of rules and regulations around the whole cruising/liveaboard lifestyle. This certainly seems to be the case just about everywhere that is densely populated, and/or where tourists throng.

Gotta love the free living up here in Newfoundland . Much more like how Dockhead describes the guest harbours. Nearly every semi-safe nook has a public wharf. And there is plenty of anchoring available, free of any rules, regulations or people bothering you.

[Gerrit Coetzee]

Be it a dying lifestyle or not, be it temporary or for the longhaul, what others do or don't, does not measure up to what it means to me.

For me it is a (costly) escape from which was my previous line of existence.

Affordability is a concern. Commercialization is a huge concern. Environmental protection is a necessary evil.

Storms and inclement weather I wish I could go without.

I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to experience, not just living onboard, but the travel opportunities embedded.

And herein lies the challenge: let's be responsible sailors, because malicious acts of others tightens the noose around this escape.

[sailorboy1]

The past 3 years I've gone up/down the whole US East Coast 3 times, the west side of Florida and into the Gulf of mexico to Mississippi, and I've been to the Bahamas. Now that's not really all that far as the world is a BIG place, but I can say:

There are free anchoring places all over if you chose to do so. If that's all you want to do then just do it instead of whining.

[Glassgow22]

For those of you living the (awesome) anchoring lifestyle, what is your monthly budget? I figure it's just the repairs/maintenance/food/emergency issues if you have a self sufficient boat. I'm looking into getting a sailing catamaran, rice and beans, do all the repairs myself, fishing, and avoiding marinas as much as possible. Any advice or tips would be much appreciated!

[SV THIRD DAY]

Originally Posted by Glassgow22

For those of you living the (awesome) anchoring lifestyle, what is your monthly budget? I figure it's just the repairs/maintenance/food/emergency issues if you have a self sufficient boat. I'm looking into getting a sailing catamaran, rice and beans, do all the repairs myself, fishing, and avoiding marinas as much as possible. Any advice or tips would be much appreciated!

4 Years of Cruising/Anchoring with a family of 4.
No Marinas but eating out all the time in Mexico, including boat insurance payment ($80K hull value) and we averaged $1400/Mo. Could we have shaved off $400 and got it below $1000/mo? Maybe but we didn't have to and if there is ONE IMPORTANT Reality of a monthly Cruising Budget.....it is this!
You will Spend what you have to spend.

[B23iL23]

Best post I've seen all day on this thread!

Originally Posted by Gerrit Coetzee

Be it a dying lifestyle or not, be it temporary or for the longhaul, what others do or don't, does not measure up to what it means to me.

For me it is a (costly) escape from which was my previous line of existence.

Affordability is a concern. Commercialization is a huge concern. Environmental protection is a necessary evil.

Storms and inclement weather I wish I could go without.

I don't know what tomorrow holds, but I am thankful for the opportunity to be able to experience, not just living onboard, but the travel opportunities embedded.

And herein lies the challenge: let's be responsible sailors, because malicious acts of others tightens the noose around this escape.