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From: Rit (no email)
Date: Fri Oct 05 2007 - 07:44:40 EDT
More thoughts………… One practice many cruisers are following these days is to
cruise until the kitty needs milk, then putting the boat on the hard and
returning to a country where they can work legally, and then heading back
out.
Having a floating machine shop is a wonderful thing. However don’t
underestimate the observational powers of some officials in the foreign
ports you call into. They are not dummies.
A machine shop will attract attention when you are boarded for customs and
immigration and if they don’t “flag” you, those officials will keep an “eye”
on your activities.
They can and will confiscate your tools, boat and passports. I can’t say
this strongly enough, working in a country, without proper work permits,
either on the land or sea can have severe penalties. Most cruisers are
perceived as being very rich and in some places officials are geared up to
separate as much of your cash as possible from you. With that in mind,
perhaps you can pay a backhander or find your way into a working permit, but
please be careful.
I’ve found that a smaller vessel (33 Cape Dory) and a frugal budget to be
the best way to go. One can cruise for years on a limited budget.
When arriving in a foreign port I often find a “non-profit” organization and
volunteer my/our services. Registering with some international aid agencies
is a good way to go. Then you’ve already got friends in your new country.
Through this kind of volunteer work I have met some wonderful people and
made some lasting friends. Many of the volunteer jobs have come with offers
of food and sleeping quarters and tons of free laughter.
It’s our practice to “pay forward” and keep our cruising budget low and
within our means. It lets us enjoy our life without having to look over our
shoulders. The upside to this practice, outside of the good feelings one
gets helping another, is several times I’ve been offered legal work in the
commercial diving field and have made some very good money.
Rit
-----Original Message-----
From:
[mailto:]On Behalf Of Jeff
Sent: Friday, October 05, 2007 6:03 AM
To:
Subject: [world-cruising] Re: New "world Cruiser" and some questions
Mike,
You're thinking right. Get a bigger boat to fit the tools, if
necessary. A floating engine shop is the way to go. I like the
idea of a steel boat with an aft cabin....lots more boat for a lot
less $$ invested. Some more maintenance, yes, but you can make it
happen, it sounds like.
I would say that a 36 foot boat with some capacity to make an
engine room/workshop would be perfect for you.
I lack mechanical skills, and we will suffer dollar losses
because of it. However, wife and I do have an ace up the sleeve: We
are both nurse practitioners. Our plan is intermittent work back in
the USA. We can start and stop high paying jobs anytime we
want "back home", but our services are worth MUCH MUCH less other
places in the world. If we can get to any US port city (Boston to
Baltimore, Washington to Miami, Seattle to San Diego, Hawaii) we can
get a transient slip in a marina and have a job, over the phone,
before breakfast. The job may be a hospital RN job, which we HATE,
and not an NP job using our education. The job may not be in our
specialty (occupational health for me, dermatology for wife), but it
will let us work for 3 to 6 months and quickly fill up the cruising
kitty again, keep health insurance, and contribute to 401K each
year.
If a couple has a 4 year horizon, forget Spanish lessons as a
priority. Become a diesel mechanic, refrigeration technician, or a
registered nurse.
Jeff, NP, Tampa
Elise, NP, Tampa
=============================================================
Greetings
The more I read this thread the more encouraged I
become about our own plan as we too intend to try to work
a bit as we go.
I feel good about this because I happen to be the
diesel mechanic, machinist,welder,fabricator of which you
all speak, AND I happen to have a mobile A/C and
refrigeration certification as well, with heat exchanger
repair experience on top of that.
Sounds like the biggest problem I have now is finding
the right boat to haul all my tools.. We now have a 30
foot cutter that looks much like a West Sail but are
shopping for a larger boat.
We are so determined to go in 08 that we have decided
to just go with the 30 ft boat if we have to, if it
doesn't sell, but I don't know what to do with my
stuff. I cant imagine parting with so much as one wrench as
this seems to be the ticket to success.
Mike D. S/V Halcyon
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