Charlie Morgan wrote in
:

On 13 Feb 2007 10:36:06 -0800, "Frogwatch"
wrote:

OK, we see that the "Dream" of cruising isnt too realistic, so, is
there a solution? A solution that allows people to go for awhile
without cutting ties to their lives? A solution that allows people to
keep theri homes ashore etc in case the boat thing doesnt work out?

It seems to me that there are a lot of old boats out there and a lot
are in reasonable condition to coastal cruise. How about a cruising
coop that fixes em up just enough to be somewhat spartan cruising
boats, leases em long term to members with lease payments going into
an option to buy.

For myself, I'd really like to sail my boat over to the bahamas but
from here in N. Fl it is a long way there and I've done that crossing
to Sarasota too many times. Sure wish I could find someone reliable
to sail her to Ft Myers and he could cruise her around Pine ISland
Sound or even to the Keys. I'd pick her up there and go on. Trouble
is, who is reliable enough? Who would agree to my spartan
accomodations?

I've heard countless stories that are prefaced with: So we sold our
house and everything we owned to buy a boat and go cruising.

That's the poorest plan I've ever heard. For those who are math
impaired, let me simplify. NEVER sell an appreciating asset to
purchase a depreciating asset.

If the percentyage of people who go cruising is tiny, then the number
who cruise for the remainder of their lives is miniscule. Keep the
house and rent it out. Hire a management company to manage it. If you
do it right, you may even have an additional income stream while
cruising. The best part is that when you are done cruising, whether in
1 week or 10 years, you aren't homeless, even though real estate
prices may have quadrupled in your absence.

CWM

I completely agree with Charlie. I'm amazed at the number of people who
sell everything and head off cruising when the most that they've ever done
is to spend weekends off cruising or tied to the dock. What's even more
amazing is when you meet people who have never sailed before and have done
this. What! Put on the brakes and think about what you're doing!

The reality of cruising is a lot different than what the pamphlets show.
If I believed that myth I'd find myself anchored along palm tree lined
beaches sipping umbrella drinks watching naked native girls frolick in the
the surf.

The reality of cruising (especially outside of the US) is that you spend a
lot of time doing maintenance, hauling groceries a long way down dusty
roads, kept awake by some weird swell that wrapped around the island during
the middle of the night, theft (many times from other cruisers),
belligerent immigration agents, having things break at the worst possible
time, spending a fortune shipping parts in and a bunch of other stuff that
you never thought about.

On the flip side you can see beautiful places from the privacy of your own
boat and you meet lots of great people. Every night I sit in the cockpit
and thank God and all of the people who made it possible for me to do what
I do.

I'm lucky in that I can maintain a house and a boat. I know that many
people can't do that, but I agree with Charlie that you're much better off
keeping your house (which hopefully is appreciating and doesn't begin to
have the maintenance costs of a boat) and renting it.

I've watched a lot of people decide that the cruising life isn't for them
and then they go back and try to start all over again. They can't sell the
boat for the amount that they purchased it for and property values have
shot up. They've sold everything or given it away and they're screwed!
Don't do it without having spent a lot of time on the boat.

I personally like "stuff." I love coming home and having a workshop full
of tools to play with. Sue loves her gardens and likes a big kitchen where
more than 1 person can fit. We like spending time with the friends that
we've built up over the years. Having a home base is a good thing for us.

Another problem is that sometimes the dream of cruising is the dream of one
of the couple. The other one gets convinced to give it a try and once they
get out there, they're not happy, especially if they don't have a home base
to return to. For us, spending 6-7 months a year on the boat works well.
We cruise during the winter and we're at home for the summer/fall.

Next week we're headed to the boat which is in Ft. Lauderdale. From there
it's down to the Turks & Caicos and then we'll work our way back through
the Bahamas. We'll end up back in the Chesapeake in mid-July and then it's
back home to the Boston area.

Anyhow, I strongly recommend that people try out the cruising life before
they take the leap. It's a lot different than you expect.

-- Geoff