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From: Peter Ogilvie (no email)
Date: Thu Oct 04 2007 - 17:25:07 EDT
Work outside the US is problematical. Most cruisers
aren't in one place long enough to to find or do work.
There is also the problem of a work permit. Most
countries like to save their jobs for their citizens.
So you either have to have a critical skill or work
under the table and be willing to hang out longer than
you'd like. We worked under the table small carpenty
jobs, for short periods of time. Not enough money to
get ahead but paid enough, often in food, to keep us
from dipping into the Kitty.
As others have stated, those with critical skills like
diesel mechanic, electronic trouble shooting and
repair, shipwright, refrigeration, etc never went
hungry. There was a Minnesota Farm Boy out cruising
with us who actually earned a new Swan 48 doing
contract elctronic engineering design when he wasn't
fixing the locals outboards, chainsaws, generators and
just about anything the first world could supply as
well as introducing useful farming techniques to
increase the local food supply.
Your computer skills might be included in the above if
you are good at networking. There is also the
possibility of working via the internet.
By all means get you ham license. It's great for
communication either by voice or email. It's also
free which isn't the case for marine SSB.
Keep the boat as small and easy to maintain as
possible. Money not put into the boat can extend your
cruise by years. We lived aboard and cruised a
Westsail 32 for 4 years and found it to be very
comfortable, a fast passage maker and capable of
holding all the gear that a long range cruiser
accumulates. It's a 20,000#+ boat so don't be fooled
by the 32' hull length. Lots of people cruising in
30'-40' boats and doing it very happily. Believe
there is a survey that the vast majority of long
range/time cruisers are doing it in boats under 40'.
The plan sounds good. Just remember, the hardest part
about going is untieing the dock lines. There seems
to be a magnetic attraction to the dock that keeps
most would be cruisers either permanently tied up or
way too long delayed at the dock.
Aloha
Peter O.
pango <>
wrote:
> Thanks to all who chimed in. I was aware that
> trying to make money in
> a foreign country can often be difficult or illegal.
> My hope was to
> potentially occasionally work while on the east
> coast (or west) of the
> US. Before I moved to a very small rural town, I
> worked in a field
> that typically paid very well. I also used to "job
> shop" in the old
> days (be a contractor) and am starting to
> investigate doing that once
> more. It was very helpful to hear from so many of
> you to go small.
> I have read that many times on books I have read
> from the Parde's,
> Neale, Roth, and others. At the same time, it is
> never bad to be
> reminded again from others on this list. Keeping
> the boat purchase
> small will definitely give us more options.
>
> Secondly, I used to be a ham. I let my license
> expire when I had a
> family, and started my business. I'm thinking that
> getting my license
> again might be a good idea.
>
> I'm giving myself two years. In that time I need to
> sell my house,
> get my business partner ready to assume my business,
> learn to swim
> MUCH better, learn spanish, prep to home school my
> kids, buy a boat,
> this list goes on and on.
>
> Thanks to all for your encouragement!
>
>
> Chris Curtis
>
>
>
>
>
>
> --- In , Lance Gray
> <akilter001 at dot dot dot > wrote:
> >
> > 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
> <ccurtis-keyword-kjjdksfbgbsld dot ec21fa at dot dot dot > 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
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ---------------------------------
> > Catch up on fall's hot new shows on Yahoo! TV.
> Watch previews, get
> listings, and more!
> >
> > [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
> >
>
>
>
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