The point obviously is, how do you earn money to pay off a mortgage
while cruising?

Pension? Christmas club payout? Investment income? Odd jobs
around the anchorage?


"Wayne.B" wrote
No one should ever get the idea that cruising is free once you have
the boat, far from it. You're going to need cash for a lot of other
things, so build up that nest egg or whatever.


No one should get the idea that cruising is no work, either.
We have a number of freinds, longtime weekend sailors, who
have tried to retire & cruise but thought it meant sitting
around getting drunk & listening to Jimmy Buffet albums all
day. Needless to say they were bored & sick & didn't get to
go anywhere fun, and soon gave it up.


We've got some folks here in Florida who tried to go cruising on
little or no cash. You can spot their boats a mile away because of
the decrepit condition, and they are usually huddled together with
other like minded folks to form what resembles a floating trailer
park. The whole thing is giving liveaboard cruisers a bad name and
towns are passing ever more restrictive ordinances to prevent it.


Unfortunate, because those of us who are not bag ladies
afloat get lumped in with them.


KLC Lewis wrote:
Outside of the US -- particularly non-tourist areas of Mexico, Central
America, parts of South America -- it is simple to live on MUCH less than is
required back home.

Heck yeah! Of course, it helps to speak the language.

... But no money at all? Well, it all depends on whether or
not one is willing to accept "poverty" conditions. The human animal CAN live
with no money, and it happens all over this planet to one degree or another.
But it ain't pretty.

Yep. People can eat seaweed & make soup from barnacles. Heck
you can probably make clothes from seaweed too.


... At the very least the boat requires maintenance, as do
the people living on her.


Unless your idea of "indoor plumbing" is having the tide
wash out your bilges twice a day.

One of the key things that people grasp late in the game (or
never) is the degree to which knowledge & skill can
substitute for money.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King