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From: Rosalie B. (no email)
Date: Tue Dec 14 2004 - 16:37:30 EST
On Mon, 13 Dec 2004 09:57:28 -0800 (PST), you wrote:
>
>This last weekend I think I heard that the USD is now
>converting at the rate of $2.00USD to 1 Pound and
>$1.40USD to 1 Euro. It wasn't so very long ago that
>the Euro cost $.86USD when it came into being (as I
>remember) and the Pound was about $1.50USD. People in
>the US are no longer said to be going to Europe or
>buying goods from there as they once were (unless they
>are independently wealthy). I can only think that the
>rapidly declining USD is also having a similar effect
>in the Carribean, Central America, South America, the
>South Pacific, and just about every other place in the
>world.
>
>Certaily _not_ everyone on this list is U.S. american
>and certainly some of you U.S. americans are cruising
>in other parts of the world than the U.S. My question
>is: how has/is the rapidly decling USD effected(ing)
>your cruise and cruising plans? How are you coping?
>Only anchoring and just taking in those
>businesses/sights immediately available on shore or
>what?
>
<snip rest of long post>
We are in the situation of already being retired. We bought our boat
in 1998, and learned (mostly I learned as Bob pretty much knew) how to
sail. Bob retired from state service in June 1999 when he was 63, and
I retired in Feb 2000 after I turned 62.
We both have state pensions and social security, and Bob is retired
military. We also put away the maximum amount allowed per month in a
deferred comp plan for the last 5 or 6 years that we worked. We never
intended to sell the house and move exclusively onto the boat.
Our original plan was to sail to Bermuda and down to the Virgin
Islands for the winter. But after the first season in the ICW, I
decided that was not for me. I'm perfectly happy to live on the boat
and cruise around in the US, but any trips that involve more than
overnight will be by air or car.
We did three out of the last 4 winters down the ICW and to the
Bahamas, but on the trip home in the spring of 2004, Bob said that he
felt that it was too much stress to do that anymore, so our revised
plan is to sail in the summer when we can, and then travel via other
means to warm places in the winter.
Our daughter is a pilot for AA and we can get free or low cost plane
tickets. We went on a trip to England (by plane) in the summer of
2002 when another daughter was over there on a job exchange, and
managed to do it quite inexpensively, even in London.
We prioritize what we spend our money on - we don't have a lot of
expensive habits. We don't drink (not even coffee or soft drinks), we
don't smoke, we don't spend much money on clothes, our mortgage on the
house is paid off, and except for the boat and photography, we don't
have a lot of expensive hobbies.
One reason that we didn't contemplate selling the house is that Bob is
really into antique and specialty cars of which he has several. He
does almost all the work on the house, cars and boats.
When we are on the boat, we spend about $155/day, and we stay in
marinas most nights, and also eat out most nights. We do mostly walk
to things in town, although occasionally we will take a trip past
walking distance to see something special. We rent a car in
Charleston and Miami (where we have children and grandchildren living)
and usually see some sights of that area when we are there.
I'm not really concerned about the $$ in relation to the Euro. I'd
like to visit some areas of Europe again sometime, but there's plenty
for us to see and do in the US (on and off the boat) if we don't get
to do that. We are currently in New Orleans where it is really
colder than I like it to get in the winter.
grandma Rosalie
S/V RosalieAnn, Leonardtown, MD
CSY 44 WO #156
http://home.mindspring.com/~gmbeasley/id1.html
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