Planning Ahead

[Amapola]

Greetings from SW Florida. We also had a 10 year plan and are living it now!

[Bash]

I'm going to buck the trend here and contend that long-term planning is helpful in many situations.

I decided that I wanted to cruise when I retire, and that the boat I had at the time wasn't the boat I wanted to cruise. So on my 50th birthday I bought the boat I really wanted on a 15-year mortgage. The day I turn 65 the boat is paid for, and I'll be off to warmer climes.

We're now at the halfway point in the plan. I know that I'll qualify for sabbaticals twice more before retirement, and I've planned them in such a way that I can shift my research to something I'll be able to continue to write about once I retire.

Meanwhile, the cruising kitty is becoming robust. By living a bit more simply now, we'll be able to cruise more extravagantly when retirement finally comes.

I like having a plan, and I like knowing that I've got seven more years to work. I enjoy my work enormously, and with the cruise looming it's nice to now that I won't stay on the job longer than I ought to.

[Eeyore0072]

I don't know how to sail yet, but I'm eager to learn. I do know for sure that I want to sail rather than go with the power boat option.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Eeyore0072

I don't know how to sail yet, but I'm eager to learn. I do know for sure that I want to sail rather than go with the power boat option.

Get out there and do it. Good family activity too...no need to wait until the kids are gone.

And you will enjoy cruising a lot more w 10 years of sailing experience.

[SeaSiren]

I have similar plans, however, my situation is different. My boys are in college, and I am ready to move into a liveaboard lifestyle. It's very exciting, and a bit scary at the same time. For my plan, I have long term strategy to meet my goals, ie. an Island Packet, and Caribbean island hopping, but want to gain the experience in the meantime. So, the plan is to keep working while I transition to a liveaboard and take weekend excursions. Baby steps. But it's all good mate! Keep the dream alive and keep that singularity of purpose, and you will get there.

[Abrain]

Good luck on the plan but why exclude the kids?

My wife and I have children and still went ahead with the liveaboard plan. It took about two years to do so and we did not even know how to sail. We have learned a lot in two years but that's part of the fun.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Abrain

Good luck on the plan but why exclude the kids?

My wife and I have children and still went ahead with the liveaboard plan. It took about two years to do so and we did not even know how to sail. We have learned a lot in two years but that's part of the fun.

I think it's their "empty nest" plan.

It's great to include your children if they want to sail, but maybe it's not for all of them.

My parents weren't passionate about sailing. They were passionate about fishing. Somehow they managed to produce not one but three children who couldn't have cared less about fishing.

We didn't have a lot of money, and at Christmas we would get one "nice" present and then things like socks, PJ's and underwear. It didn't bother us.

But I'll never forget the Christmas I was seven, my sister ten, my brother six. What was under the tree but THREE red fishing rods! Each had a little brass button on the end, and my dad had carefully carved our first initials in so we could tell them apart. I don't think people returned presents then anyway, but certainly not seven year old girls. The three of us looked at each other helplessly and the mind meld said "What the heck do we do NOW?"

They couldn't make it stick. We all just didn't care.

As kids grow, they quite naturally want to be with their peers and what their peers are doing. Some of the families in my sailing club are lucky. Their kids love sailing and are becoming active Sea Scouts as they get old enough. But others aren't as engaged in it, and want to spend their time on soccer or softball teams, or in the band, or any other number of things instead of sailing.

I say great, expose the kids, make it as much fun as possible, but don't make the kids having to like it part of your life plan. Have an idea of what you're going to do after the kids grow up and move out.

[Eeyore0072]

I'd love to include the kids however at the moment finances and my ex wife are preventing that. My 10 year plan should provide sufficient time to overcome the finances issue. Also at that time the kids will be old enough to make their own decisions so the ex will be removed from the equation.

[Abrain]

Well I fully understand the financing part of the equation but I also feel that a child should live where the parents live regardless of if they like it or not. Children these days are far to spoiled, are out of touch with the real world and need to live with less wants and more doing!

Back on topic and sorry if I got off track but how's the plan gong to take shape? What's the twelve steps if you will?

[Eeyore0072]

At the moment I'm reading about the lifestyle, and continuing to pay off the mortgage in order to build equity in my house. I expect by the 10 year, I should have enough equity to sell the house and comfortably but a boat. At that time it should be just myself and my youngest daughter at home (she'll be 18). We can move onto the boat locally since I'll still be working and we can enjoy short trips for vacations. Then when I'm ready to retire, it'll just be a matter of casting off. During the 10 years leading up, I plan to learn to sail and then take some family vacations sailing to be sure that it's really something I'll enjoy.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Abrain

Well I fully understand the financing part of the equation but I also feel that a child should live where the parents live regardless of if they like it or not. Children these days are far to spoiled, are out of touch with the real world and need to live with less wants and more doing!

Back on topic and sorry if I got off track but how's the plan gong to take shape? What's the twelve steps if you will?

I guess I know different kids, but truly, if one spouse wants to move the kids onboard and take off, and the other wants them to live on land, attend an organized school, have the option of neighborhood friends and sports teams, someone's gonna win, and someone's gonna lose.

I don't think anything the OP has said has suggested that his children are spoiled. He's only mentioned the *reality* of divorce -- he can't call all the shots.

He's not making a plan for now. He's making a plan for 10 years for now, and in the middle of some unpleasantness in his life, he's thinking and planning positively.

I say good for him!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Eeyore0072

At the moment I'm reading about the lifestyle, and continuing to pay off the mortgage in order to build equity in my house. I expect by the 10 year, I should have enough equity to sell the house and comfortably but a boat. At that time it should be just myself and my youngest daughter at home (she'll be 18). We can move onto the boat locally since I'll still be working and we can enjoy short trips for vacations. Then when I'm ready to retire, it'll just be a matter of casting off. During the 10 years leading up, I plan to learn to sail and then take some family vacations sailing to be sure that it's really something I'll enjoy.

I'm behind you 100%. As you explore this you'll see what your options are, etc. For instance if you belonged to my sailing club, you could take our sail school for $250. Your kids could take youth sailing for 3 weeks in the summer for free -- and they would each be in their own Opti-Pram (with lots of coaching, in a safe, secluded cove, etc.) You'd all come out knowing how to sail ... and then you could take out our instructional boats any time you and they were free.

Mine can't be the only club like that.

[bobconnie]

Ive got to vote with Abrain on this one ! we raised our kid's on our boat ! really never asked them what they thought about the Idea ! They are kid's not adults, and it's the parents job to raise them with as good of ideals and education as they can ! Not ask them what they want to do ! all 4 of ours turned out well, are well educated, and contribute to the world in each of there endevers! I think any parents who let there kid's tell them how to live, are raiseing kid's who will try to tell everybody how to live !! We did let them pick there own board games LOL We have asked them since they became adults what they thought about there life aboard, all there answers were that they would not trade there memorys of cruiseing, or the places and cultures they saw over the years we were all together ! so for us at least, takeing our kids cruiseing worked for us !! All 4 kids still sail when they can both with us or on others boats! just our 2 cents

[Kenomac]

We started planing long term 20 years ago. Now living the dream 6 months of the year at 55. Will be living the dream 12 months per year within five years. Nothing wrong with that.

[Eeyore0072]

It's not a matter of asking my kids what they want. I'm sure they would love the idea of life on a boat. It their mother that's the problem. Unfortunately that's not a court battle I'm likely to win. It's the shared custody agreement that's keeping us in the same municipality at the moment.