Retiring... where?

[model 10]

Land travel is expensive when you are cruising because you don't have your home but wow such amazing places. There are a bunch of boats in the Rio just sitting because the people have just wandered off somewhere and only come back every once and a while to check on the boat. Same with Bocas Del Toro, Panama. Problem with Panama is there is no really cheap place to leave your boat so you need to sell it where in Guatemala it is cheap so you keep it and it dies a slow death. There are some good deals down there.

[StuM]

Originally Posted by DDup

I'm looking specifically at countries that seem to very much welcome foreign pensioners / retirees, like Panama and Mexico. What I understand thus far is that there is a well established path to residency in these places, though I'm pretty sure it does involve giving up Canadian citizenship. I do love Canada, but not enough to keep paying taxes and remain landlocked and cold for half the year.

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[Hudson Force]

Originally Posted by DDup

Yes! Single handed is crucial to the whole plan! Thank you for pointing that out.

Because I am in awe: Daytona, FL to Panama City, in 10 days? That is a long way to go, with a short time to get there. Wow. (So, as I'm typing this, I'm realizing that there is a Panama City, Florida... and that you probably didn't mean Panama City, Panama. )

I can understand this quite well. Years ago I was arranging to buy an airplane flight from Jacksonville, Florida to Panama City and came up with one unusually low price. It turned out that that was an in state flight instead of my trip to Panama!

Retiring on a sailboat means selecting a retirement cruising area and not one location. 15 years ago we retired to the cruising range from Maine to the Bahamas and it's suited us well by allowing us to pass by our children's location twine each year.

I admire those that are world cruising on their own boats, but we keep to our cruising range and take added trips to other worldwide locations on charter boats or paid cruises.

You don't need to select one place.

[Sea Dreaming]

We met a retired couple in LaPaz Mexico, the gentleman told us, with a look of wonder on his face, said "you can live very well here on Social Security."
He looked like he was utterly smitten with Mexico.

This fellow liked the living standard and that he could easily return state side to see family.
There are a lot if beautiful places though where you can do just as well.

[chuckr]

We will just put in our 2cents for what it is worth and probably less than 2cents. We sailed the entire Carib - east and west - Panama is great and a lot of folks head there especially the San Blas as it is cheap and a lot of full time folks seem to be down there. Want to get away go to Cartagena for a month or so and get the bottom painted and head back.

While we were on the south side of the DR there were a lot of expats there just hanging out - Boca Chica I think -- and really nice place where you can put a boat but not sure on the cost.

Hudson also has it right - we know a lot of folks who follow the weather north in the summer - all the way to Canada and back to the Bahamas in the winter - put an ssb on and you can more friends than you can imagine.

As for the Med - If you can learn how to deal with Schengen it is ok and relative ok on price. We wintered over in Tunisia and Turkey - both reasonable in cost.

Good luck

[Morgan Sailor]

What about the Azores? It's not the Caribbean, but you did say you weren't ruling anything out. Summer's are hot, and winters are like Southern Ontario spring/fall weather. Coldest it gets is 11 degrees Celsius. It's an entire new culture to immerse yourself in.

The conversion rate to the Euro isn't very appealing, but the cost of living on the islands is cheap, especially if you buy local food and wine/beer. I was there in March with the family. We popped into a local cafe for a drink. A beer (local), a latte, and two cokes cost me 3 euros, and the two cokes were the most expensive items. Obviously things are even cheaper at the grocery store.

There is a marina in Ponta Delgada with very reasonable rates, and down right cheap rates if you are a resident. Don't know what proof that requires but for a 75% discount, it sure is worth the effort to find out. A boat between 12-15 meters long will cost you about 3400 euros for the year, and that includes water, electricity, and garbage disposal. If you're a resident, the cost is about 850 euros for the entire year. Obviously, a smaller boat will be even cheaper. It puts you right in the heart of the city, and within walking distance of everything you will ever need.

As for sailing, you have nine islands at your disposal to sail and explore.

Down side is that you need to get your boat there, and once you're there, it's another voyage to get anywhere else.

I know you said you don't care about your OHIP, but just so you are aware, the Canadian Government doesn't keep track of its citizens. They have no idea if you are in or out of the country. Once your plane lands safely, the manifest is destroyed. Therefore, OHIP has no idea what your travels have been, and thus your coverage is not interrupted, unless you volunteer the information. Even if they do cut you off, once you're back in the country for 6 consecutive months, your coverage is reinstated.

However, this is changing in the near future if you travel to the USA. There's an agreement in the works between the two countries to share info on each other's citizens who cross the border. Just don't visit the US and you should be fine.



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[tomfl]

One thing not mentioned so far is hurricanes. It was mentioned that some folks sail the Bahamas (and South) in season and go North in the summer. Part of the problem with that is things like Sandy and some of the bad storms in the North Atlantic. Not saying this is the worst weather in the world, just that weather is definitely a consideration for me. Of course folks live year round in hurricane zones and many keep their boats their year round. But for me it is a consideration. I have friends on the West Coast of Mexico and they have been hard hit by hurricanes recently. In fact the Pacific in general seems to be getting worse ones than the Atlantic. From what I understand the DR is probably the best bang for your buck and for a real exotic experience Chile is fairly cheap and unspoiled and some great sailing as long as you don't go too far South.

[Kenomac]

Why settle for living on fried beans and worrying about someone stealing your dinghy every night? Eastern Europe is cheaper than Mexico and there's more culture and places to explore. Plus the food is far better.

[chuckr]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Why settle for living on fried beans and worrying about someone stealing your dinghy every night? Eastern Europe is cheaper than Mexico and there's more culture and places to explore. Plus the food is far better.

yep sure is and we are having a great time here. sailing is good in the summer if you can read the weather and avoid the big blows and the winters in Turkey are mild.


As for someone who suggested the Azores - yep great place but it is Schengen so you only get 90 days - same as the Med but working it a bit, in and out of the EU, and Eastern Europe you can have a great time.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by chuckr

yep sure is and we are having a great time here. sailing is good in the summer if you can read the weather and avoid the big blows and the winters in Turkey are mild.

Plus, Canadian is the common language!

[DDup]

Thank you so much, everyone for the suggestions and ideas!

I've realized that my thinking may be too uptight about moving permanently to someplace conducive to sailing. I may do exactly that, but I guess there's no reason to make emigrating to some country the focal point of my retirement, when all I really want to do is go cruising for as long as I'm able or willing.

I'm going to look more into Eastern Europe and the Med, too. I have this preconceived notion that the Mediterranean is an exclusive club for millionaires and mega-yachts. Clearly that can't be true everywhere. I mean, the area I'm dismissing as "the Mediterranean" is bigger and more diverse than my mind can even grasp.

Even with all this "investigating", I feel it beginning to dawn on me just how big the world is. The sheer scale of things seems beyond my reckoning. For now. Maybe once I've declared myself king of the world, poised arms wide on my own bowsprit, I'll know exactly how big the world is

[Kenomac]

Send me a PM if you need some help or ideas. Why settle for one or two countries when you can enjoy twenty or more here in the Med?

[hoppy]

Why restrict yourself to one location?

If you buy the boat in Florida or the Caribbean, cruise there during the winter, migrate to the islands or central/South American countries that are out of the hurricane zone for the summer then repeat until you are bored. Then hit the Pacific, Asia etc... And follow the seasonal migrations there....


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[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by hoppy

Why restrict yourself to one location?

If you buy the boat in Florida or the Caribbean, cruise there during the winter, migrate to the islands or central/South American countries that are out of the hurricane zone for the summer then repeat until you are bored. Then hit the Pacific, Asia etc... And follow the seasonal migrations there....


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In Central America you can also choose your climates within one country, just by changing elevation. For example, we are here in Volcan, Panama at 4,500', there is cool spring like weather year round. Jacket temps in the early AM and evening, blankets at night...great sleeping weather, never actually gets cold unless you go further up the mountain.

In 30 minutes, I can be down the mountain in hot humid tropical Pacific lowlands. Another 30 minutes to 1 hour I can be at the beach (duration depends on which beach). A bit longer travel time, about 4.5 hours driving, I can go over the central mountain ridge (beautiful drive) and drop down to the Carib side lowlands.

For the past several years we've spent the dry season cruising Panama, mostly the San Blas, and the wet season up in the highlands. Nice combination.

[1Sunseeker]

Well.....I am retired on a 32' Sloop have a $2200/month income and $3500. in the Bank. The only think missing is a second mate. Seems 32' in the NW just isn't big enough. Or I just ain't pretty enough. Who knows? I think you will do just fine, so go man go.!