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From: Lance Gray (no email)
Date: Thu Oct 04 2007 - 11:13:35 EDT
Just some thoughts on getting started cruising.
First thing is to know the boat you are in. Time spent sailing it, working on it, and understanding it thoroughly will help wherever you end up cruising.
As a starting point, cruising the east coast of the US is a good place in my opinion. There is a combination of short offshore stints as well as the ditch (ICW).
Beware, cruising the east coast will be more expensive per mile than anywhere else you cruise.
As far as pay as you go, people with boat skills - wood working, electrical,
refrigeration, fiberglass, etc have it easiest. Then come short term skills that
are needed/wanted everywhere - nurses, seasonal skills at resorts, etc.
Most of us, myself included, have to put it on the hard and go work for a year as though I am going to be ashore forever. Then go back to cruising.
If I were younger and about to start, I would go to deisel school and work
part time at a good marina to hone the skills. EVERYONE seems to have a deisel.
Lastly, the Cornell books - Cruising Handbook, World Cruising routes, Cruising Survey, and even his newest one - Passion for the sea" are basic reference books and motivators.
joe_mapango <> wrote: Hello All. I am primarily a "lerker" on this list, until now. I had
not been commenting due to the fact that I normally sail boats less
than 25 feet on a large inland lake. Like many others, I have/had
dreamed of sailing off and experiencing the cruising life.
After a few years of my wife hearing me lamenting about cruising we
were recently discussing selling our house in the country and (I
thought) moving into town. She asked me "are we selling to move to
town, or to buy a boat and go cruising". Up until that point, I had
no idea that cruising was even an option for our family (I was stunned
to say the least!).
So here I am today, planning to put my house on the market in the
spring. Planning on leaving my business and town the following year
and taking my entire family with me. We are not independently
wealthy, but my wife has a "di-gree!" and I have a very sell-able
skill (computer "systems" engineer). We are currently planning on
taking the money we get from our house and splitting it three ways. A
third for the boat (and outfitting it), a third for cruising, a third
as a failsafe if we decide cruising is not our thing. We wanted a
"fund" to start over with if we decided cruising was a failure.
We would like to start on the ICW/eastern shore. As someone who has
very little time on a larger vessel, I was thinking that the ICW would
be good training grounds. Once our skills improve, head down the the
Caribbean. If we still enjoy the process head down to South America,
and possibly beyond.
My wife and I are in our mid 40's. We have two children, 7 and 9. I
grew up overseas (Africa) and traveled extensively as a child (with my
parents of course!). I feel like the contact with other cultures
will be critical to our kids up-bringing, after all, it did not damage
me too much ;0).
My biggest issues of concern are financial (who would guess!). I
think we will have enough to cruise for 1.5 to 2.5 years at a minimum.
I have ready probably all of the Parde's books. They seem to feel
that one can find work along the way. I'm wondering if others on this
group feel that "working as you cruise" is actually a viable way to
go. I'm wondering how other non wealthy cruisers do it, and if
stopping every now and then to work is actually a viable way to go.
What do you in the group think? Does one have to me rich to cruise?
Are the Parde's correct in that you can work and cruise?
Comments, encouragement, or outright flaming all OK.
Chris Curtis
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