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fSymo · 19-01-2017, 22:21

Hello All,

I'm just an IT guy that is growing weary of today. I have never married or had kids, so I'm negatory toward buying 'land'. I did serve in the Navy, so... here we are. I figure I can survive on 1k/mo, but I have bigger plans. I have been thinking about my 'retirement' home being a small yacht. I'm 47 now, and well... my father passed away when he was 67. I don't want to retire at 65 to have never seen anything and die 2 years later because I didn't chase a feasible dream.

Grew up in a canoe. Have a small boat who's motor will be the dingy motor. Drove an Aircraft Carrier once. Attended many vessels, but no expert. Great with a line. Love to fish, can't wait to do it offshore more often!

Taking sailing lessons while I'm still working on land. It's funny that even with all my Navy training, I still know so little about 'sailing' (I did apply to work on the Constitution). I have read a lot on sailing/rigging/etc so the concepts will not be foreign, I just need practical experience. I am handy with tools, can work on engines, wiring, most everything on a boat. Engineer mind, artist philosophy, Get 'er done mentality. Troubleshooter extraordinaire.

Like writing a novel, I gotta get it all from the get-go when/if I buy my first boat. I just hope I can get the ducks in a row. Dreams are a fickle thing.

Ultimately, I have to. Sick of the taxes. Sick that I have to pay thousands of dollars a month just to literally have a place to live in that I don't own. Cars suck. Traffic sucks. I can't ride my Harley.

Screw this. I can feed/water/take care of my damn self. It's the only house that makes sense, in my mind. Rock me to sleep, sea...

-Francis

brianlara 3 · 20-01-2017, 01:22

And a bit of a poet too.
Gonna do well Boy !
Think about cutter rig and full keel if you are blue water intent.
Just depends where you want to cruise. For coastal a Catalina 30 is good kit. Thousands were made & for good reason.
Written any books yet young timer?

**GordMay** · 20-01-2017, 03:00

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Francis.

fSymo · 20-01-2017, 07:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianlara 3

And a bit of a poet too.
Gonna do well Boy !
Think about cutter rig and full keel if you are blue water intent.
Just depends where you want to cruise. For coastal a Catalina 30 is good kit. Thousands were made & for good reason.
Written any books yet young timer?

Thank you!

I have not written anything substantial, but I will if I make it to the water! Gotta do something on those longer legs, no?

Funny that you mention the Cat30. That's at the top of my list for a used boat, and the stories seem to line up to my needs well. I do have blue water aspirations (have to cross 'karaoke in Japan' off the bucket list), and am arrogantly thinking the Cat would take me wherever I had to get to. Mostly touring the states, get all the way around to Alaska, etc (bro lives up that way).

Thank you for the tips. More to read about (while I'm daydreaming at work)!

Speaking of which, I should probably get back to work...

Cheers!

Shrew · 20-01-2017, 07:25

Same age, same profession...........same boat.

Few people can respect the stress that is involved in this business. many, many years ago a friend in the same business summed it up nicely.

"We read massive volumes of technical documents and manuals, and have to constantly keep up with ever changing technology. At the end of the day, we're at least as well read as your typical PhD, however we have no 'real' credentials. We're typically far smarter than most of the people around us. Those people (frequently with much higher clout and title) tend to kick us in the ass for it. Despite all of that we're treated like we're pushing a broom with a name tag on our shirt. If things are working, we're a bunch of A-holes in the backroom doing nothing. If things are not working, we're a bunch of A-holes in the backroom not doing anything. When things are fixed, there is no 'thank you'. The justification is, if we were doing our job things wouldn't go down to begin with."

People have no idea the hours and pressure on us. When things go sideways, you're there until it's fixed. I had someone say to me "Didn't you wear that shirt yesterday?" My reply was "It's still yesterday to me, I've been here for 29 hours".

fSymo · 20-01-2017, 08:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shrew

Same age, same profession...........same boat.

Few people can respect the stress that is involved in this business. many, many years ago a friend in the same business summed it up nicely.

"We read massive volumes of technical documents and manuals, and have to constantly keep up with ever changing technology. At the end of the day, we're at least as well read as your typical PhD, however we have no 'real' credentials. We're typically far smarter than most of the people around us. Those people (frequently with much higher clout and title) tend to kick us in the ass for it. Despite all of that we're treated like we're pushing a broom with a name tag on our shirt. If things are working, we're a bunch of A-holes in the backroom doing nothing. If things are not working, we're a bunch of A-holes in the backroom not doing anything. When things are fixed, there is no 'thank you'. The justification is, if we were doing our job things wouldn't go down to begin with."

People have no idea the hours and pressure on us. When things go sideways, you're there until it's fixed. I had someone say to me "Didn't you wear that shirt yesterday?" My reply was "It's still yesterday to me, I've been here for 29 hours".

Holy Moses, this is spot on. Had a mail server go down at a hospital... spent 4 16 hour days, sleeping in my office, rebuilding and restoring, migrating to new. They did promise me some comp time that I never took.

Now I'm a glorified babysitter of hardware. Everything else is outsourced to contractors because nobody wants to be liable for anything. Freaking "engineers" and sales guys that get 6 figures, yet don't know how to set up their own email.

The siren... she calls...

Larry Florida · 20-01-2017, 08:54

G'Day Francis

I'll be sailing on the Long Island Sound this summer in my 1984 30 foot Tartan. It's a nice coastal cruiser also. Welcome you to hook up for a sail.

In my opinion, karaoke is overrated ��

fSymo · 20-01-2017, 09:13

I can't argue with 'overrated', lol... it's true! If I'm not burning my vacation days on my own boat, I'd like to take a sail. Ping me this summer!

Gone2long · 29-01-2017, 04:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by fSymo

Hello All,

I'm just an IT guy that is growing weary of today. I have never married or had kids, so I'm negatory toward buying 'land'. I did serve in the Navy, so... here we are. I figure I can survive on 1k/mo, but I have bigger plans. I have been thinking about my 'retirement' home being a small yacht. I'm 47 now, and well... my father passed away when he was 67. I don't want to retire at 65 to have never seen anything and die 2 years later because I didn't chase a feasible dream.

Grew up in a canoe. Have a small boat who's motor will be the dingy motor. Drove an Aircraft Carrier once. Attended many vessels, but no expert. Great with a line. Love to fish, can't wait to do it offshore more often!

Taking sailing lessons while I'm still working on land. It's funny that even with all my Navy training, I still know so little about 'sailing' (I did apply to work on the Constitution). I have read a lot on sailing/rigging/etc so the concepts will not be foreign, I just need practical experience. I am handy with tools, can work on engines, wiring, most everything on a boat. Engineer mind, artist philosophy, Get 'er done mentality. Troubleshooter extraordinaire.

Like writing a novel, I gotta get it all from the get-go when/if I buy my first boat. I just hope I can get the ducks in a row. Dreams are a fickle thing.

Ultimately, I have to. Sick of the taxes. Sick that I have to pay thousands of dollars a month just to literally have a place to live in that I don't own. Cars suck. Traffic sucks. I can't ride my Harley.

Screw this. I can feed/water/take care of my damn self. It's the only house that makes sense, in my mind. Rock me to sleep, sea...

-Francis

Sounds like you're from down Bruce Willis way. Used to fish pickerel from a canoe in the Mullica, but I was born and raised in Newark. Left in '71 when the mayor and nine city council men were indicted by a Federal Grand Jury. Been back maybe 4 times since.

Hitched across US and Canada 'til I ran out of land. Started playing around with sailboats while earning two graduate degrees, the thesis for one of them being a novella. Paid my tuition working summers as a deck ape in the US merchant marine and later earned my way around the world teaching bone-head comp aboard US navy vessels. Got more sea time than most navy chiefs.

The son is a degreed, computer engineer, who is soon leaving for Australia, most likely to babysit hardware. I now teach online from my own boat, hang out with the SE Asian wife, and, oh well, I actually enjoy Karaoke when I'm the one singing (spent my first year at Montclair State in the Music Dept. and spent a bit of time touring Canada, singing backup and playing blues harp for a country-rock band.)

Boat is leaving for a tour of the S. Philippine Visayan Islands on April 1. Send me a PM me if interested in talking more and/or spending a couple of weeks in pristine tropical waters.

As Jimmy Cliff once said, "Hold your head high, and hold onto your dreams."

G2L

PS - Also suggest you trash your Facebook account and spend your comp time more creatively : )

Larry Florida · 29-01-2017, 05:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gone2long

Boat is leaving for a tour of the S. Philippine Visayan Islands on April 1. Send me a PM me if interested in talking more and/or spending a couple of weeks in pristine tropical waters.

G2L

G'Day G2L

Would be interested in chatting with you about your Visayan tour in April. Sign me up for a crew spot if available

Larry