Can We Make it Happen ?

[wlboyer]

Hi to all on CF,

We are a family of 5 (all girls ages 12, 9 &5) and live in Dallas. My husband and I have been sailing on and off all our lives. Recently we started sailing with the whole family. We charted in the San Juan Islands last summer and will do a little sailing on Lake Michigan this summer. We plan to do a 3 week trip next summer in the Caribbean. The girls seem to really like it! They look forward to swimming in warmer water!

My husband and I have a dream of taking the family cruising. We'd like to do it before our oldest gets into high school (only 2 years away). Can we prepare for a year long cruise in 1 year. Any advice would be much appreciated.

I can't get enough of this forum....love reading for hours! Thank goodness the kids are at camp!

Thanks - WLB

[capttman]

Yes you can, if you already sail the most difficult part is finding the right boat.. I would suggest you buy a boat near where you want to spend the year sailing.. A year sure does go by fast.

[zeehag]

if you have boat and is ready you can leave tomorrow.... is all up to you. i got my formosa ready for deep water in 3 months, including deck backing plate and some other stuff..... and fix the rest as i go...

[maytrix]

Obviously the other major thing to consider is schooling while cruising - You'd need to home school clearly. And do you have the money and job flexibility to take a year off to cruise and then get back to work when you return?

I'd say the biggest factor I'd consider in this economy is getting a job when you get back.

[roverhi]

We built a Westsail 32 from a bare hull and launched it in less than a year after we started. A few more months for fitting out and we were off. The biggest problem with going cruising is untying the dock lines. Seems you find excuse after excuse not to leave that really have nothing to do with the success of your cruise. The simpler the boat is, the faster you'll get underway and the more you'll enjoy it. Yes you can survive nicely without refrigeration. In todays world, it's really hard to get far enough away from civilization where you'll have to be self sufficient. If you bought a boat in Texas, cruised it up along Louisiana and down the Florida Coast, making the necessary additions and modifications as you progress, you'd have the boat ready for further adventures by the time you get to south Florida.

As far as schooling, there are a number of correspondence courses that will handle that. As long as you keep the girls on task, they will get a better education than any expensive private school you could enroll them in.

[Unicorn Dreams]

Welcome Aboard Cruisers Forum

Yes, you can do it as long as you really want to.

For the most part Caribbean cruising is "almost" like coastal sailing.
Leaving from Galveston, you can coastal sail th coast to the Fl. Keys, or sail a straight shot there.
Cruise the Keys
Overnight to the Bahamas
And island hopping the whole way down.


'

[SV.Maverick]

Welcome to another person from the metroplex. I agree you can do it since you refereed to "your husband" I take it your the wife. Sorry to say most times your the reason this would not happen. Most times it's the man trying to drag you on board. Since you seem open to this I think you have a shot here to do something that your kids and even someday grandkids would talk about for the rest of their lives. No doubt the list of reasons not to might be long but if you can work out even half of them than GO!

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by wlboyer

Can we prepare for a year long cruise in 1 year. Any advice would be much appreciated.

We did it in 14 months from decision to GO. So you can do it in 12 months.
you just need to make the decision and then plan, goal-set and knock those goals down

By the way, there are 3 14 year old girls here on boats, plus a whole swag of younger kids. But I do agree with you that older students may need to be at a regular high school in their own country for the final demanding years. But that doesn't mean you have to stop cruising

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Yes, you can.
kind regards,

[roverhi]

Have you left yet????

[Adelie]

What would your budget be, to buy, outfit and live on for the 12mo? It really affects the kind of boat you can get and where you go.

[shadow]

Yep, we did it in less than 12 months.. Even though, to be fair, we have been searching for yachts for years but didn't actually put plan to paper until less than a year ago... All things are possible when you really want it bad enough..