Hello from Marika and Tristan, Australia

[mareecar]

Hi everyone,

My name is Marika and together with Tristan we are about to take the risky plunge of starting our new lives, doing the full-time cruising dream!

After painfully saving our guts out for quite a long time & having done a crazy amount of planning (I'm a project manager, unfortunately I seem to be genetically programmed to create 'to do lists' and schedules!), we have quit out office jobs (totally HATE being in an office, but has allowed us to save dosh), sold almost everything we own and will be leaving Melbourne (Australia) in a few weeks on 17 September 2010. With our few belongings packed into our trusty old Volvo stationwagon, we will make slowly make our way North looking for a yacht to make our own.

Not being independently wealthy nor having any kind of inheritance to wait for, we still have to crack the "income" nut. However with a bit of creative thinking and an attitude that we can learn to do a lot of different jobs - I am sure we figure it out.

I'm sure we will be asking for a lot of help and advice & hopefully providing some of that in return as we learn along the way.

"It is better to regret something you have done, than to regret something you haven't done."


Marika

[matauwhi]

G'day, Marika, Welcome aboard. Maybe we will share an anchorage one day on this side of the Tasman. All the best with your dream. I remember those "lists" well and still use a few today. Cheers.

[serah]

Hi Marika,

Best of luck - your plan sounds much like ours. Limited funds, but a willingness to find a way to make it work. Like that good, yet overused cliche "Where there's a will, there's a way." We plan on working along the way, especially once we make it to Australia. Where's your first destination, assuming all goes to plan?

[James S]

Welcome to CF Marika.
You sound committed and I believe that will translate into success.
Good luck with the boat search....and keep us posted.

[emmo]

Hi. Iam in Perth and definitly operate on a low budget, but I have recently upgraded to a Hartley 38.
There are plenty of good buys around over east. Good luvk,
Cheers, Emmo

[mareecar]

Thank you everyone for your welcoming responses! At this stage we aren't completely sure where we will start but probably in Queensland. After reading a lot of negative experiences from cruisers getting into issues with customs, we may look at going somewhere a bit easier going! The reason we are starting in Queensland is we have family there.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good luck in your pursuit.
kind regards,