Month 7 Expenses & Costs of Cruising

[goat]

Thanks again for posting Don. I'm on the other side; sea of Cortez and only 5 months in. So far costs have been lower, but they're a lot less places to spend money here and you can nearly live on fish. Best advice I can give anyone; plan your costs down to the nickle, double that and you're close.

goat

[RTB]

Exactly what are you doing for internet? We used an AT&T international plan for the phone. Used that as a hotspot for wifi if there was a BTC tower nearby. Cost us about $300.00 a month to mainly get daily weather, occasionally check email, and rarely to update our blog. Definitely looking for a more reasonable alternative for our next trip over.

Funny thing....to me at least....my picture of the Bahamas was the blue water (true), the white sandy beaches (true), and gentle breezes for sailing (not true all the time). Definitely lost sleep many nights while at anchor. In the winter, you gotta find a spot to hide from west winds as a front approaches. In the spring, unsettled weather, and June on, nice usually, but the fierce thunderstorms are a real threat. Just like in Florida.

Personally, I get out of the Bahamas by April 1, and get north of Florida ASAP. We just had winds in the 40's here in Georgia back on April 6th (I think it was). You probably saw some nastiness from the same system?

Keep on truckin, Don!

Ralph

[IdoraKeeper]

For those of us who have followed SB from the beginning, it's great to see him make it it real. I don't care how much it costs... It's cool that it's really happening.

[crawdaddy282]

Yes! Keep going and keep us informed. I do love following someone who is sailing about and me living vicariously. Thanks for the update and safe travels.

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Sometimes

Great answer -- as it should be

cruising is not what the glossy pubs would like to believe. --

life is not always a bowl of cherries

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

Remember that Sailor-Lil-Boy is still just starting. He's through 7 months of the most expensive cruising year: the first year. And this is his first real month away from marinas and from adding junk and extra provisions on his boat.

So if we graphed his 7 months you would see his total expenditure has plummeted and some of the catagories. Some will have remained fairly constant.

Did you Excell Spreadsheet your expenses? Can you get it to knock up a graph? You could average the maintenance stuff too to give a better idea. I think it will confirm to you that you are doing very well.


Mark

Mark -- I might disagree with the 1st year being the most expense. When you leave, if you do it right, the boat is in as perfect condition as one can get it and the maintenance and work on the boat are little in comparison to later years when the boat gets used a lot. Our first couple of years were about what he is spending then we did a ton of upgrades and maintenance before extending our range and again our costs dropped for a year or so then went back up. Of course some of that was where we sailed but also the use on the boat. As the boat is getting older and we use her harder the maintenance cost goes up and we still spend over 25% on keeping the boat in great condition.
just our thoughts.

[h2ojunke]

Originally Posted by hamburking

This is very interesting info, very real. Thank you for posting the numbers, and the stories that go with them.

I find it interesting that the bulk of your costs are food/diningout/entertainment/Communication
...these total almost $1800 out of a $2400 month. I mention it because I am thinking of doing a similar trip...but on a shoestring budget.

I would think that as a single person, rather than a couple, my food costs would be half of yours. And a smaller boat (maybe 35 feet) would have slightly lower costs.

I'm just wondering if I could realistically manage on $1000 per month.

Hamburking,

Wife and I did 5 months at about 1k a month in the Bahamas. Only time we broke budget was for boat stuff (shipped in and upgraded solar while there.) She is a chef and made a lot of our basics like bread, tortias, etc. Any type of packaged/processed foods are expensive there (chips, cereal, boxed meals). Don't get me started on beer costs either. Provision wisely and you'll have money left over.

[Dadrock33]

Thanks, SB1!! . . . I, for one, truly appreciate the time and effort that you put into your postings (and keeping track of all the "ins and outs") . . . it's lent a bit of credence to MY anticipated voyage . . maybe soon, maybe never . . . . still appreciate your efforts . .

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by chuckr

Mark -- I might disagree with the 1st year being the most expense. When you leave, if you do it right, the boat is in as perfect condition as one can get it and the maintenance and work on the boat are little in comparison to later years when the boat gets used a lot.

Yes I agree.
I have been out 9 years and the last 3 years heavily upgrading and replacing stuff. New rigging, new dodger and all covers, new davits, 13 new through hulls and new Genoa and main. Ouch!

Fingers crossed the next few years should be cheaper

[MV Wanderlust]

Thank you for continuing to post and share your numbers and stories. This is valuable information to many of us as we plan to follow in your wake in the near future.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by chuckr

Great answer -- as it should be

cruising is not what the glossy pubs would like to believe. --

life is not always a bowl of cherries

Perhaps I should have asked this question instead:

Now that you are actively cruising do you wish that you had not made the move from land based life?

Having fun is a kinda amorphous concept, and sure enough, I think no one, cruising or otherwise, could honestly answer other than "sometimes"

For myself, after 30 years of cruising I can not remember ever wishing to be back "ashore". There have been times I wished I was cruising somewhere other than the stormy seas I was experiencing at the moment, there have been times I was staring at big repairs and expenses and wished to not have to face them, and we've sailed to a few places where I wished that I'd made other destination choices, but never have I regretted the base decision to go cruising.

So, I was wondering how SB1 felt along these lines. He agonized about these issues for a long time before leaving, he's been very forthcoming about the monetary aspect of his cruise... I guess I asked the wrong question!

Jim

[a64pilot]

Jim,
I'm having trouble sleeping worrying about this very issue myself. It used to be financial concerns that worried me, but I now think we will be OK. Not rich, but OK.
However I now worry that after a few months that I will become bored and wish I hadn't gone cruising.
However I am a worrier, I would worry that I wasn't worried if that makes sense. I'd worry that I had missed something important.
Cruising can't be for everyone, nothing is, however we only hear from those that like it, People that quit are unlikely to be here, wonder what the failure rate is?
Last day at work is May 31, then a couple of weeks to pack things away and we are gone, at least to have the chainplates replaced, then go aground until after Hurricane season.

[Luther]

Thank you so much for posting, I've followed you since the beginning.
I've been able to make useful comparisons (although I'm singlehanding)

I knew a couple years ago who sailed a folding, trailerable trimaran from California to Vanuatu (& beyond). They pretty much lived on the fish they caught & coconuts. They bought the boat & crossed the Pacific for<$1,000

A $1,000/month is certainly doable but I think should exclude major repair jobs.

[dennismckim]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Month 7 Expenses and Costs of Cruising

Thank you very much for continuing to share this information.

[wayne.b]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

Been a gale every week for the past 7 weeks

Sometimes is pretty good considering

===

Absolutely right, hiding out from storms rarely qualifies as fun but it is most definitely a part of cruising. We've been to Georgetown a few times but have never stayed long enough to call ourselves experts. From what we've experienced however, I'd venture the opinion that there are better places in the Exumas to ride out gales. Of course a lot depends on wind direction and protection from "wrap around" swells. Probably the worst part is being stuck on the boat if it is too rough to use the dinghy.