So, I've got this crazy thought to retire and then go sail and dive the
Caribbean. I really enjoyed sailing/boating when younger, and recently took up
diving again. My most recent dive trip (diving the
bahamas on a sailboat... albeit motoring most of the travels) really reminded me how much I enjoy being out on the
water and how much I enjoy
diving.
There's a couple problems with my plan currently however, so I'd love to get feedback on my plans to address those problems.
1. I don't know how to sail. I've been out on 3 sailboats, but never as anything more than a passenger. I figure this one is the easiest to remedy. I actually started re-reading a book on sailing I bought a long time ago (in my 20's) that I never got around to finishing - The Handbook of Sailing by Bob Bond. Additionally, not too far away is Lake Lanier which has some sailing. I figure this year or next I'll get over there and do the
ASA 101 course, then progress to the 103 and 104 courses on vacations sometime in the next 2-4 years. Add in some local sailing with one of the clubs (probably?) for practice and I should be confident in my basic skills long before I face my #2 problem...
#2. I can't afford to retire (with my
current comfort levels/lifestyle) yet. I have, however, been diligently saving/investing and planning for an early
retirement anyway, so I should be able to afford to retire sometime in my late 40's to early 50's (turning 41 this year). I "could" go more spartan I'm sure and retire earlier, or maybe shift to doing part-time
work, but that's not really my preferred plan (unless situations change significantly).
#3. Is a whole different issue, that I imagine is far from unique here. I'm
single. That's great for being able to do what I want, but it doesn't necessarily lend itself to good "long-term" plans of being on the
water... no one else to help crew the
boat, no dive buddy (except when friends/family visit), no one to do long-term travel with etc.
So #1 seems like it won't be terribly hard to overcome, and #2 just needs more time. #3, however, I'm not sure how to completely deal with it. I'd be fine enjoying the calm bays and gorgeous waters for a while by myself and, I'm guessing, talking with other people cruising the same areas from time to time, but I'm not sure how I'd get/find any company outside of family/friends coming to visit for short vacations. I'm okay being "alone" quite a bit of the time, but I'm not sure how "lonely" such a life would really be or how hard it would be to find people to go diving with etc?
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