Transition plan to liveaboard and cruising

[PlaneSail]

Hello.

I am a 51 yr old CA working at a US airline. My wife is a RN and floor supervisor at a major hospital. We are in the process of creating a 3-5 year plan to sell our home and transition to a cruising lifestyle with the end goal of having circumnavigated the globe (slowly) in our own S/V before hitting the rocking chairs on a porch (or dock) somewhere.

Ideally, what I am hoping to do is connect with other pilots who have realized this dream and who may post in this forum, although anyone’s well-intentioned and experienced advice is welcome and appreciated.

I’ve learned that the best way to realize one’s dreams is to work backwards from the end goal, identifying key milestones along the way. So, here is the goal...

Circumnavigate the world in a bluewater cat over a period of at least 5 years. Maybe twice, in order to visit...once again...friends and favorite spots discovered along the way.

A little about me, boats, and water....

I can whitewater canoe Class IV rapids, learned to sail at age 13, I chase redfish and speckled trout in my bay boat on weekends, and have owned a variety of power boats over the past 20 years. I am also a certified rescue diver and have scuba dived worldwide. I have been in, on, and around water my entire life. However, I have never owned a sailboat, nor do I have any real bluewater experience. This is on my bucket list, and the time has come to seriously engage in getting this checkmark.

The above all said, we are not the types to undertake a goal of this scale without a detailed, well thought-out, and researched plan. We intend to be experienced, licensed bluewater crusiers who are fully self-sufficient before we pull anchor for our first crossing alone. We will take classes, testing, and be licensed. Volunteer crew to build time and experience. Be able to troubleshoot and repair most systems on the boat short of major repairs.

We do have a general outline of our plan, and are well aware of many of the different considerations and necessities in order to realize our dream. This forum is indispensable and we are very grateful for it.

At present, we feel it would be wise to actually live aboard a boat in a marina for a year or two. Ideally, this would be in SE FL with easy access to the Bahamas. But that is likely far easier said than done. Right now accomplishing this part is the biggest challenge. We would spend that time learning how to live aboard a boat, sail her, maintain her, the written and unwritten rules of the cruising community, volunteer crewing, and networking.

So....where should (can?) we find a slip in SE FL? How should we go about that? Also, what kind of cat should we be looking at for this first phase?

I can commute to work out of Miami, and my wife can easily find a job with a hospital there. We’re empty-nesters so no kids with us to worry about. Right now we’re trying to bring together a plan to find a marina at which we can live aboard a boat as well as ID a good boat to begin with. Ultimately we are setting aside $1-2m for a 5 year all-inclusive budget...the boat we live aboard to start will not be the boat we begin the true adventure in. For the curious, I have my eye on the Outremer models.

Looking for advice and suggestions on how to get this first phase accomplished. Rather than posting specifics here, I request that interested parties send me an email. It is accessible through my profile.

That all said, “paying it forward” is a well-established and time-honored tradition in both professional aviation and the healthcare world and we promise to do so when and as the opportunity presents itself to help others. We look forward to the new friends we will meet on this journey and hope you might be one of them.

Thanks for reading and wishing everyone a safe, prosperous, and happy New Year!

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by PlaneSail

Hello.

I am a 51 yr old CA working at a US airline. My wife is a RN and floor supervisor at a major hospital. We are in the process of creating a 3-5 year plan to sell our home and transition to a cruising lifestyle with the end goal of having circumnavigated the globe (slowly) in our own S/V before hitting the rocking chairs on a porch (or dock) somewhere.

Ideally, what I am hoping to do is connect with other pilots who have realized this dream and who may post in this forum, although anyone’s well-intentioned and experienced advice is welcome and appreciated.

I’ve learned that the best way to realize one’s dreams is to work backwards from the end goal, identifying key milestones along the way. So, here is the goal...

Circumnavigate the world in a bluewater cat over a period of at least 5 years. Maybe twice, in order to visit...once again...friends and favorite spots discovered along the way.

A little about me, boats, and water....

I can whitewater canoe Class IV rapids, learned to sail at age 13, I chase redfish and speckled trout in my bay boat on weekends, and have owned a variety of power boats over the past 20 years. I am also a certified rescue diver and have scuba dived worldwide. I have been in, on, and around water my entire life. However, I have never owned a sailboat, nor do I have any real bluewater experience. This is on my bucket list, and the time has come to seriously engage in getting this checkmark.

The above all said, we are not the types to undertake a goal of this scale without a detailed, well thought-out, and researched plan. We intend to be experienced, licensed bluewater crusiers who are fully self-sufficient before we pull anchor for our first crossing alone. We will take classes, testing, and be licensed. Volunteer crew to build time and experience. Be able to troubleshoot and repair most systems on the boat short of major repairs.

We do have a general outline of our plan, and are well aware of many of the different considerations and necessities in order to realize our dream. This forum is indispensable and we are very grateful for it.

At present, we feel it would be wise to actually live aboard a boat in a marina for a year or two. Ideally, this would be in SE FL with easy access to the Bahamas. But that is likely far easier said than done. Right now accomplishing this part is the biggest challenge. We would spend that time learning how to live aboard a boat, sail her, maintain her, the written and unwritten rules of the cruising community, volunteer crewing, and networking.

So....where should (can?) we find a slip in SE FL? How should we go about that? Also, what kind of cat should we be looking at for this first phase?

I can commute to work out of Miami, and my wife can easily find a job with a hospital there. We’re empty-nesters so no kids with us to worry about. Right now we’re trying to bring together a plan to find a marina at which we can live aboard a boat as well as ID a good boat to begin with. Ultimately we are setting aside $1-2m for a 5 year all-inclusive budget...the boat we live aboard to start will not be the boat we begin the true adventure in. For the curious, I have my eye on the Outremer models.

Looking for advice and suggestions on how to get this first phase accomplished. Rather than posting specifics here, I request that interested parties send me an email. It is accessible through my profile.

That all said, “paying it forward” is a well-established and time-honored tradition in both professional aviation and the healthcare world and we promise to do so when and as the opportunity presents itself to help others. We look forward to the new friends we will meet on this journey and hope you might be one of them.

Thanks for reading and wishing everyone a safe, prosperous, and happy New Year!

It's great that you have a well thought out plan and I wish you luck.

The thing that trips up more long distance cruising plans than any other is that people embark on the big cruise without solid sailing experience and they soon find out that it does not suit them. You'll find them all over the world parked in the first port they reach after leaving home, never to leave again (it's that bad). I'd recommend that you put 1-2 years in on living aboard and more than that: sailing every week, rain or shine. On your boat if possible or on other's boats if needed. Many people gain that kind of time on the water by joining a race crew, even if they never plan on racing. It's learning on steroids.

And be sure that your spouse is COMPLETELY included in that part of the plan.

We had an eleven year plan before going cruising (included paying off the boat) and we stuck to the plan. That was 25 years ago and we're still aboard.

[psk125]

What Wings said.

[nightowle]

I highly recommend reading this book (get it via kindle on amazon):

"The solitude of the open sea", by Gregory Newell Smith. His boat Atlantean is back in Seattle and I know the current owner who plans to circumnavigate this boat - as was done by Smith a couple of decades ago.


https://www.amazon.com/Solitude-Open.../dp/1892399229

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by wingssail

It's great that you have a well thought out plan and I wish you luck.

The thing that trips up more long distance cruising plans than any other is that people embark on the big cruise without solid sailing experience and they soon find out that it does not suit them. You'll find them all over the world parked in the first port they reach after leaving home, never to leave again (it's that bad). I'd recommend that you put 1-2 years in on living aboard and more than that: sailing every week, rain or shine. On your boat if possible or on other's boats if needed. Many people gain that kind of time on the water by joining a race crew, even if they never plan on racing. It's learning on steroids.

And be sure that your spouse is COMPLETELY included in that part of the plan.

We had an eleven year plan before going cruising (included paying off the boat) and we stuck to the plan. That was 25 years ago and we're still aboard.

Excellent advice.

Make sure to jump up to coastal cruising (not just living at a dock with occasional day sails) before heading out and make sure you are both on board. Maybe include a few overnight or 2-3 day passages with bailout points before heading off for a 3-4week passage.

Be prepared to modify the plan. It's surprisingly common for couples to break up over the transition when one has the dream and the other tries to just give in...until it gets too much. It's OK if you wind up island hopping in the Caribbean or running up and down the ICW.

We originally had similar plans but found we don't like long open water passages...just find them boring. Also, a few days anchored out is pleasant...weeks on end is a pain. We wound up adapting and do coastal cruising.

PS: Who is issuing a blue water cruising license? (just teasing) There is no licensing requirement for private cruising boats. Though it is a good idea to get some training and experience ahead of time.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, PlaneSail.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

Be prepared to modify the plan. It's surprisingly common for couples to break up over the transition when one has the dream and the other tries to just give in...until it gets too much. Remember, it's still OK if you wind up island hopping in the Caribbean or running up and down the ICW.

What Wings and Vahalla said. +1

I know of two Forum couples personally whose marriages have broken up since they bought the boat.

I'm becoming infamous for reposting this thread, but it's among the Forum's "top favs", informative and - hilarious:

Attempted Trip to Bermuda
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...uda-91566.html

LittleWing77

P.S. What does FL370 mean in your "location"...? (Remember, this is an international forum.)

[Bowdrie]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

P.S. What does FL370 mean in your "location"...? (Remember, this is an international forum.)

I think FL 370 means "Flight Level 37,000ft".
Some people live with their heads IN the clouds, some live ABOVE the clouds.

[captstu]

The way to learn to sail is to sail.

Living aboard in a tight space cruising and adapting to changing weather with a spouse is a separate skill that can be separately learned using the techniques described above although I would include chartering when you can afford it.

But it isn’t Sailing.

Sailing has a skill that is learned by Sailing. It doesn’t help to read a book about bicycling if you want a learned bicycle. Hang around the docks and crew for whoever will let you.

Most important, buy yourself a small boat with two small sales that either of you can handle on your own if necessary and go sailing. After a few hundred hours, You’ll instinctively know how to tack and Gabe safely. At that point you can safely crew with small racing skippers who will teach you how to get the most out of your sails.

This is not the same set of sales as cruising or living aboard in the dock. But it will give you the skill and confidence do you need to tack up a busy river years later when your engine won’t start on a cruise. It will also give you the skill you need to know and trim your boat safely for upcoming weather. If you work at small boat sailing you’ll know how to read the weather well enough to know exactly how to trim your boat and when to stay home.

The skills coupled with the skills others suggested will give you the ability to go sailing for months and never be concerned about the owner vagaries of the sailboat.

It is most important the both of you learn how to sail If you want to be comfortable sailing together.

11 watch ends and the other takes over both the person coming on watch and the person leaving watch should be comfortable with themselves and the other person so the off-watch person can get a good nights sleep.

As a retired US Coast Guard license captain and a former ASA instructor, I think classrooms are oversold except for the specific purpose of tuning up specialize skills. You don’t go to class to learn to make left turns on bicycles, your parent holds the seat while you practice over and over until it becomes second nature.

Good luck, is a skill worth pursuing because you’ll enjoy every minute of the practice.

[mvweebles]

I'll play devils advocate. Starting with end goal and working towards the beginning sounds logical but presupposes so many decisions. There are a zillion ways to live a cruising lifestyle - there is simply no way to know what will be the best fit. Best to start somewhere and keep moving forward until it stops being fun.

Two sayings come to mind. First, an old Chinese one about an ant ascending a large tree - he does not know what branch he will ultimately land on.

Second is more blunt from Mike Tyson. "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."

On short, OP is overthinking this.

Regardless, good luck and thanks for sharing.

Peter

[SV_FlyingTigress]

Originally Posted by PlaneSail

Hello.

I am a 51 yr old CA working at a US airline. My wife is a RN and floor supervisor at a major hospital. !

Hi PlaneSail,

My wife and I are on a similar plan, she is in medicine as well. I quit flying as of a year ago this month but have been very much enjoying moving over to sailing; a lot of the fundamentals translate decently aviation. I joined a great sailing group in my local and on advise here and from sailors in my circle, I got a Catalina 22 to learn the sail. It would be your C172 or taildragger, cheap sailboat equivalent and, as many told me, allowed me to learn the organic "feel" side of of sailing better. I am busy sailing and also completely refitting and restoring so am learning some foundational skills although I am also an A&P so a lot of that translates as well. I also have taken the first three ASA courses. While they were helpful, retrospectively, I think one would best benefit from those after sailing the paint off the bottom of your own sailboat as a member of a sailing club. I found a great sailing club and I live near Hannibal, MO ... you can't get much more land-locked than that. Where there is a will....

The wife and I are on similar timelines as you; would be happy to hang/chat/compare notes.
I'm: bitbucket4 at gmail

Stephen

[Chris Cringle]

Don't over-think it. Your "detailed, well thought out and researched plan" will fly out the cabin door as soon as you cast off your lines. The part you can control is actually very simple: Look at a lot of boats. Choose one. Call a lot of marinas. Choose one. Move your personal items aboard the boat and you are a 'live aboard, ' begin the steep learning curve. Learn all about every system on your boat. Sail her as often as possible. Then........decide on your first destination, cast off your lines and sail there (or somewhere else 'cause your plan just blew out the cabin door) when you get somewhere, talk to people there and decide on your next destination. And so on, and so on, until.....surprise! Circumnavigation complete!�� The difficult part is what you cannot control. Right now Covid is the big specter, but weather, political changes, and economic pressures are always in the wings, waiting to pounce. BUT go for it! Be prepared to 'roll with the punches' ENJOY! There is nothing like it.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by PlaneSail

Hello.

I am a 51 yr old CA working at a US airline. My wife is a RN and floor supervisor at a major hospital. We are in the process of creating a 3-5 year plan to sell our home and transition to a cruising lifestyle with the end goal of having circumnavigated the globe (slowly) in our own S/V before hitting the rocking chairs on a porch (or dock) somewhere.

Ideally, what I am hoping to do is connect with other pilots who have realized this dream and who may post in this forum, although anyone’s well-intentioned and experienced advice is welcome and appreciated.

I’ve learned that the best way to realize one’s dreams is to work backwards from the end goal, identifying key milestones along the way. So, here is the goal...

Circumnavigate the world in a bluewater cat over a period of at least 5 years. Maybe twice, in order to visit...once again...friends and favorite spots discovered along the way.

A little about me, boats, and water....

I can whitewater canoe Class IV rapids, learned to sail at age 13, I chase redfish and speckled trout in my bay boat on weekends, and have owned a variety of power boats over the past 20 years. I am also a certified rescue diver and have scuba dived worldwide. I have been in, on, and around water my entire life. However, I have never owned a sailboat, nor do I have any real bluewater experience. This is on my bucket list, and the time has come to seriously engage in getting this checkmark.

The above all said, we are not the types to undertake a goal of this scale without a detailed, well thought-out, and researched plan. We intend to be experienced, licensed bluewater crusiers who are fully self-sufficient before we pull anchor for our first crossing alone. We will take classes, testing, and be licensed. Volunteer crew to build time and experience. Be able to troubleshoot and repair most systems on the boat short of major repairs.

We do have a general outline of our plan, and are well aware of many of the different considerations and necessities in order to realize our dream. This forum is indispensable and we are very grateful for it.

At present, we feel it would be wise to actually live aboard a boat in a marina for a year or two. Ideally, this would be in SE FL with easy access to the Bahamas. But that is likely far easier said than done. Right now accomplishing this part is the biggest challenge. We would spend that time learning how to live aboard a boat, sail her, maintain her, the written and unwritten rules of the cruising community, volunteer crewing, and networking.

So....where should (can?) we find a slip in SE FL? How should we go about that? Also, what kind of cat should we be looking at for this first phase?

I can commute to work out of Miami, and my wife can easily find a job with a hospital there. We’re empty-nesters so no kids with us to worry about. Right now we’re trying to bring together a plan to find a marina at which we can live aboard a boat as well as ID a good boat to begin with. Ultimately we are setting aside $1-2m for a 5 year all-inclusive budget...the boat we live aboard to start will not be the boat we begin the true adventure in. For the curious, I have my eye on the Outremer models.

Looking for advice and suggestions on how to get this first phase accomplished. Rather than posting specifics here, I request that interested parties send me an email. It is accessible through my profile.

That all said, “paying it forward” is a well-established and time-honored tradition in both professional aviation and the healthcare world and we promise to do so when and as the opportunity presents itself to help others. We look forward to the new friends we will meet on this journey and hope you might be one of them.

Thanks for reading and wishing everyone a safe, prosperous, and happy New Year!

I have been sailing for 30 years but would not want to LIVE on a boat at a marina...there are people who do. I don't think you will learn much of any value living on a boat in a marina that will apply to your goal.

You and your wife have some good skill sets and income for a cruising couple. You need to build on those by first learning to sail. Taking lessons would be the fastest way to get started and would follow the learning method you both are accustomed to...I taught myself on my own little (22') boat. Then sail as much as you can which would probably be easier for you than your wife during this pandemic...God bless those nurses. But both of you would need to be able to handle your eventual boat solo while the other is resting/sleeping/incapacitated. Supplement this with as much reading as you can on true cruising stories...don't pay too much attention to sailing blogs as they are not realistic for the most part, just travel videos.

Beyong sailing is boat ownership...this is the "other side of the coin" to sailing, better known as "doing boat maintenance/repair in exotic places." When on an offshore passage there is no service or parts availability that you didn't bring with you; you must be self-sufficient and, I might add, creative. This area also includes insurance and their many requirements and restrictions which will change with locations and destinations.

As a pilot you know the importance of weather knowledge. However, flight planning for a 5, 6, or 8 hour flight at FL370 is of little comparison to weeks at sea and knowledge of a new dimension...the oceans and their preferred seasonal differences for travel. Sailing inland or coastal bares little resemblance. You should both experience a yacht offshore before buying that final boat.

Lastly, assuming you are now confident in your skills to go on a passage, comes buying the boat. There are many choices. I caution that you don't get so caught up on the inside of the boat to the point that you don't consider the outside. Sailing characteristics and handling are something you will need every day in good weather and the worst. Don't sell it short.

This is all doable but take it one step at a time.

Good Luck.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by captstu

The way to learn to sail is to sail.

Living aboard in a tight space cruising and adapting to changing weather with a spouse is a separate skill that can be separately learned using the techniques described above although I would include chartering when you can afford it.

But it isn’t Sailing.

This brings up an important distinction.

While cruising and sailing sometimes overlap...they are very different things.

As long as you can sail safely and reasonably competently, that can be more than sufficient from cruising (if you start the engine, you don't even need that though if you go beyond coastal cruising it can become problematic due to range limitations).

Being a top notch racing sailor doesn't make you a good cruiser. In fact, there are many stories of them being problematic as the obsessiveness that wins races becomes a hurdle to them (and more often those with them) enjoying cruising.

It certainly doesn't hurt to have good performance sailing skills but it certainly isn't critical to cruising.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

I'll play devils advocate. Starting with end goal and working towards the beginning sounds logical but presupposes so many decisions. There are a zillion ways to live a cruising lifestyle - there is simply no way to know what will be the best fit. Best to start somewhere and keep moving forward until it stops being fun.

Two sayings come to mind. First, an old Chinese one about an ant ascending a large tree - he does not know what branch he will ultimately land on.

Second is more blunt from Mike Tyson. "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."

On short, OP is overthinking this.

Regardless, good luck and thanks for sharing.

Peter

Peter, People have different ways of accomplishing goals. If the OP knows the end goal, the destination, there is nothing wrong with starting his planning with that goal in mind. That is the way a professional project planner does it. That is the way I did it. I knew what I wanted and I created a detailed plan, an 11 year plan, and then followed it. I made it to the goal and consider it successful.

That doesn't mean that when you get that first "punch in the face" you cannot re-asses the goal, or the steps you'll take to get there.

But just drifting along and seeing what happens, is not the way to accomplish a goal.

I think the OP's approach is perfect.