The True Cost of Life Aboard? (not in $ ;) )

[Teknav]

You have worked hard all your life. You have sacrificed plenty for your brood and for everyone else. Come retirement time, don't look back...Tahiti or BUST! When in Tahiti, there's nothing you can do for the folks back home; might as well forward your incoming communications to your moon's PO Box address. Enjoy the moment, and don't forget to send everyone back home a postcard; "Not coming back...don't forget to bring ice cream for when we meet at the pearly gates."

Mauritz
Heaven and hell are on earth...choose your destination wisely!

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by nwdiver

What you kids wouldn't want a nice holiday at some warm island several times a year.................. bad kids

How are they going to get there? Suppose your child is 30, and on a career path. How does he or she get time off to travel to some warm island several times a year?

For me, getting back to see them would be part of the cost of cruising. The only people I know who feel they can just take off without considering their grown children (I can think of two) have completely fractured relationships with those children already. They could live 30 miles away (in one case they do) and they would not see each other.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

I have met many, many people who did not persue their cruising dreams because of children, grandchildren or parents.

Yes. And I've known plenty who went out for a year, maybe less, and discovered that they were too tied to a given locale to be happy anywhere else.

Happens all the time. Some spend more time getting the boat ready to cruise than they end up cruising it.

[boatsail]

Originally Posted by o_q

Kids are ANCHORS!

What type of anchor? Rocna? Danforth? Spade? Delta?

[Boracay]

If the kids aren't visiting then maybe drop a few hints about rewriting the will...

[zeehag]

my son has his own life, my sibs each has own life, and we are not that close--i was out of house by the time it was time to appreciate being sisters--lol i went to college for a few years... go figger.....lol
now we kinda speak but only on interwebz.
my brother i tried to kill with help of my irish twin brother when i was 4 years of age is now a good ally....helps me find stuff and helps with what he can...is a good kid after all...and my irish twin brother is in alaska.. he had a life changing motorcycle wreck and is a way different soul from before that event.
my momma knows what she raised for a kid---i wen tout and did that which she was envious of me for being able to go out and do.....i live to mortify her--awesome woman. she knows i aint going back as there is no back.
i was a land owner until the probate lawyers took my 42 acres from me---i have no homesick nor any land to protect--i have my boat and my gato. i have the world. i have lost nothing by sailing or cruising.
this is not a running away from kind of lifestyle--it is a running to kind of lifestyle. positive and dependent only on yourself and the boat and when the money comes in each month. oh yes and how much is it gonna cost to repair this thing we broke this time....lol.omg--no fancy feast--we aint comin back here again...lol

ask bubba daboat kat what it cost him to cruise with momms---he doesnt get fancy feast anymore that he likes--he has to make do with whatever i find..lol..cat litter is different, and so are the dry cat foods..

[Teknav]

..."my new hearing aid is great doc...I can now hear the sounds of chirping birds and the gentle rocking of waves which ease me to sleep...in addition, I have been hearing things that I could have never imagined...since I started wearing my new hearing aid, I changed my will three times, already"...

Mauritz
Laugh and the world laughs with you...

[anotherT34C]

I've observed that most problems in life can be solved by either more money or fewer children. So, the answer is: have more money, and/or don't have children.

[nwdiver]

Originally Posted by Rakuflames

How are they going to get there? Suppose your child is 30, and on a career path. How does he or she get time off to travel to some warm island several times a year?

For me, getting back to see them would be part of the cost of cruising. The only people I know who feel they can just take off without considering their grown children (I can think of two) have completely fractured relationships with those children already. They could live 30 miles away (in one case they do) and they would not see each other.

ahh, normally on an airplane, but maybe a boat, tickets too most Caribbean Islands are not very expensive.

[terminalcitygrl]

Our families are totally dysfunctional and no kiddos of our own = can not go sailing far away soon enough.

[SmartMove]

Originally Posted by boatsail

What type of anchor? Rocna? Danforth? Spade? Delta?

Very naughty, but funny!

[SmartMove]

Originally Posted by Boracay

If the kids aren't visiting then maybe drop a few hints about rewriting the will...

+1, but we made the mistake of telling them we were spending their Inheritance.

For Christmas every year we give the kids a free trip to visit where ever we are, this has worked well with one of the three. We manage to make it home twice a year.

We keep in touch every Sunday via phone and FaceTime with Skype. FaceTime is great because it lets our really young grandchildren have a connection with us in between visits.

[Caribsailors]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

Are you living your life for them? Or yourselves? Only you can decide. My own parents had me well informed id be on my own at 18. Therefore i have little sympathy for those who either cant kick the kids(more like adults) out or bear to leave them even if you only visit once a year etc.
Only you can decide, its a sacrifice, only you can decide if its one youre willing to make, that is before your too old to do it...

I Agree!!. The couple that inspired me were from a mountain locked lake in Southern Alberta. They told their kids "When your 18 you're out of the house and we're cruising, join us if you want"

We have no kids but, we worked 30 some years and lived frugally and stayed away from debt. If we couldn't pay for it, we didn't need it. Our boat is our own and we owe no one for it. We have education that we can find work anywhere.....so why not work anywhere... My mantra is..I'm retired and people are kind enough to pay me for something I can do so I don't get bored.....so far it's working out fine.

This summer we went and saw family and friends in two provinces in three weeks... THAT will never happen again. Because that is the lifestyle we left behind.

You want to see us, come see us....easy....direct flight from the centre of the universe, or I can guide you the best/cheapest route.

Just us.

Cheers

[onestepcsy37]

my friends spent seven years in the med, leaving from fort lauderdale. they each have four children (previous marriages) and plenty of grandchildren, to which they are fairly close.

their solution to the problem was to come home (florida) in november and go back to the med in march - cheaper out of tourist season flights. while home they visited everyone until everyone was happy to see them go. then seven months of cruising bliss. their reasoning was that the med is cold in the winter so who wants to hang out there when they could spend thanksgiving and xmas in florida.

[haiqu]

Originally Posted by o_q

Kids are ANCHORS!

Also good bait!