# What did you do with your property before you left for the horizon?



## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

I'm dangerously close right now to just selling off all my things and loading the family (my wife and a 3yr old) onto our Mirage 33 and heading south for the Erie Canal, ICW, then the Islands. That's a whole ball of wax on it's own, and I need some tips for the big pieces of this puzzle...



So what did everyone do with their property when they left? How did it work out? Why did you do it that way?



I'm in a weird position. I know sailing (especially forums) has alot of dreamers, maybe I'm one, who knows. I have a successful career in the government as a manager. I have extensive experience in emergency response and management as well, so I have many transferable skills that should either get my job back or at least a decent job should this all fail. My wife is a nurse and I think it goes without saying she can work almost anywhere, especially in Canada, should this fail. My daughter is only 3 so she wouldn't be missing school yet.

We own a beautiful home on a spring fed lake. We paid 135k for it, and I expect with the reno's and current market we could get 250k for it now. We owe 90k, which in block numbers to keep it simple would net us 160k in the pocket if we sold and it worked out well. So if we did sell we would have a decent cruising kitty (not to mention selling the rest of our belongings would probably add 30-50k to the number). However, it would mean we would have nowhere to "return" to if this failed a week after we left.

Our other option is to look for renters. We could probably get between 1500$-2000$ a month for it, but then I would be a Skipper AND a landlord. Services in my area (very rural) are extremely limited so it's not like I could easily just sat-phone a plumber if something went wrong with our tenants bathroom. Also the issues of finding long term tenants, and also if we failed and had to return it may be hard telling them "yep sorry, we're baaaaack". Lease Vs. Rent Vs. Rent to Own. Idk there's so many options.

I'm leaning towards the "all in" sell it all and hope that 200k in our pocket could sustain us on a 33ft boat for a while until we either decided to settle somewhere else or return home. The other option is just sail and sail forever and hope for the best. I'm rambling. Thoughts on property?


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

Kinda impossible for anyone to say. It’s a very personal choice that can only be made by you and your family.

We divested of all real estate (not that we ever had much). But this was the result of a 10-year plan that eased us into the vagabond/cruising life. We spent increasingly long periods cruising the Great Lakes, so when the time came to make the leap we already knew we could live happily on our boat. But we are only two — no kids, and probably a bit older than you and yours. 

If you haven’t spent a lot of time cruising with the whole family — and by that I mean spending months at a time living and travelling on the boat — then I’d think keeping the land home for now is the wisest move. Unless you need the cash to make the transition, I think it smart to ensure this is going to work for all of you.

Can you just close it up, or get a house sitter to look after it without the worry of finding renters?


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## kenr74 (Oct 13, 2012)

We sold our house. We closed three weeks ago, and have one week left until we have to be out. We are storing a few things in a cube van since this is a sailing sabbatical, not a rest of our life move. We should have about 100K, and hope to be out for two years. As we are just beginning, I can’t give you too much knowledge from experience. My one caution would be to not overestimate what “stuff” besides real estate is worth. I thought we would make quite a bit of money selling things, but I ended up giving a lot of it away as the pittance people were willing to pay was hardly worth the hassle. If you make the jump, maybe we will see you along the way.


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

MikeOReilly said:


> Kinda impossible for anyone to say. It's a very personal choice that can only be made by you and your family.
> 
> We divested of all real estate (not that we ever had much). But this was the result of a 10-year plan that eased us into the vagabond/cruising life. We spent increasingly long periods cruising the Great Lakes, so when the time came to make the leap we already knew we could live happily on our boat. But we are only two - no kids, and probably a bit older than you and yours.
> 
> ...


Hey Mike, thanks for the reply as always. I am 37 and she is 36, so we are somewhere in the young to middle aged range. Probably about due for a career change as per the "real world" standards. I think you're idea is spot on, and I may explore it more if I start a (I'm sure already overdone) "I wanna leave now, what do I do" thread. We don't have a ton of upfront capital as we run our mortgage as a "one" account (like a giant line of credit) so it shows me as 90k in the hole, but it's really just the remaining house principal. Finding renters would be a pain but would most likely afford the cost of continuing to pay down the mortgage, along with house insurance and incidentals\repairs as needed for the tenants. So I would look at the rental income as something that would put a hold on our home while we were gone and not necessarily paying INTO the sailing life. Which would then reduce our overall available liquid funds to that grey zone "30-50k" range (selling our 2019 truck, 2015 car, motorcyle, 25ft sailboat, tools, furniture, etc etc etc).

I have been waiting to speak to my wife tonight. I'm thinking we should just tell work we are taking all our vacation upfront, which for her is damn near impossible... and then sail the great lakes with our daughter for a couple weeks and see how it goes. I'm sure we can fit and live on our M33, she lacks tankage for a proper ocean crossing of course, but I think she's a well founded coastal cruiser. I'm also floating the idea of asking for a 1 year leave of absence from work and doing it that way. It just seems hard to line up the stars with a renter, and a leave of absence, and still sell most of our belongings.

If I was single I know what I would do in a heartbeat today lol. Not that I'm wishing I was single of course...


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

kenr74 said:


> We sold our house. We closed three weeks ago, and have one week left until we have to be out. We are storing a few things in a cube van since this is a sailing sabbatical, not a rest of our life move. We should have about 100K, and hope to be out for two years. As we are just beginning, I can't give you too much knowledge from experience. My one caution would be to not overestimate what "stuff" besides real estate is worth. I thought we would make quite a bit of money selling things, but I ended up giving a lot of it away as the pittance people were willing to pay was hardly worth the hassle. If you make the jump, maybe we will see you along the way.


Thanks Ken, congrats on your big move. I hope it works out well for you and yours. I agree that "stuff" isn't worth alot these days. The number I'm quoting is in Canadian funds so immediately hack 30% off it to compare to USD lol. I think 30-50k is a fair range right now because it includes selling our old boat at quite the loss, and also selling our $60k 2019 Ram with only 5000miles on it for what I assume would be a bath as well lol (we didn't finance 60k worth, only about 30k~). Other vehicles and items in the mix there as well.

My scary thought is when it's time to come back. I guess there's family we may be able to move in with until we get jobs and get back on our feet. I also have not taken into account the 15yrs of pensions we have been paying into. I'm sure there is some capital to be had there, or we leave it in those government coffers for now in case we return to jobs in the same field again.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

I think it's an easy mathematical solution to your situation. As it's finance & mathematics it falls exactly into the expertise of a local accountant.
I say local because they will know the real estate value, price a tenant would pay, estimated maintenance costs etc. They stick those numbers into some thingy and turn the handle and your answer pops out. 

I kept my property and it pays my cruising. My agents are excellent and have tradespeople on hand for problems. Their charges are low, the rents are high and there's a line-up of people wanting to rent it anytime. I have got myself into a great situation. 
Any accountant would agree. They would agree because the maths work in my situation. 

Go spend $200 on a local accountant who knows your area. Their forumulea will tell you exactly. 

 

Ps don't have storage. Reduce all junk to a shoebox of CD roms and leave it at a relatives house.


Mark


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

Guyfromthenorth said:


> Hey Mike, thanks for the reply as always. I am 37 and she is 36, so we are somewhere in the young to middle aged range. Probably about due for a career change as per the "real world" standards. I think you're idea is spot on, and I may explore it more if I start a (I'm sure already overdone) "I wanna leave now, what do I do" thread. We don't have a ton of upfront capital as we run our mortgage as a "one" account (like a giant line of credit) so it shows me as 90k in the hole, but it's really just the remaining house principal. Finding renters would be a pain but would most likely afford the cost of continuing to pay down the mortgage, along with house insurance and incidentals\repairs as needed for the tenants. So I would look at the rental income as something that would put a hold on our home while we were gone and not necessarily paying INTO the sailing life. Which would then reduce our overall available liquid funds to that grey zone "30-50k" range (selling our 2019 truck, 2015 car, motorcyle, 25ft sailboat, tools, furniture, etc etc etc).
> 
> I have been waiting to speak to my wife tonight. I'm thinking we should just tell work we are taking all our vacation upfront, which for her is damn near impossible... and then sail the great lakes with our daughter for a couple weeks and see how it goes. I'm sure we can fit and live on our M33, she lacks tankage for a proper ocean crossing of course, but I think she's a well founded coastal cruiser. I'm also floating the idea of asking for a 1 year leave of absence from work and doing it that way. It just seems hard to line up the stars with a renter, and a leave of absence, and still sell most of our belongings.
> 
> If I was single I know what I would do in a heartbeat today lol. Not that I'm wishing I was single of course...


Hard to know what the best answer is. Keep the house/sell the house; both options have plusses and minuses. If you do plan to come back to land life within the year or so, then keeping and renting is probably best, but only you (and yours) knows.

I do think it's important to really test out the life over a period of many weeks or months. Living permanently on a boat is not the same as vacationing for a few weeks each year. I've been on a M33 - she feels large for her size. She certainly seems livable to me, but you have two others who have to feel equally comfortable with the watery home.


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

MikeOReilly said:


> Hard to know what the best answer is. Keep the house/sell the house; both options have plusses and minuses. If you do plan to come back to land life within the year or so, then keeping and renting is probably best, but only you (and yours) knows.
> 
> I do think it's important to really test out the life over a period of many weeks or months. Living permanently on a boat is not the same as vacationing for a few weeks each year. I've been on a M33 - she feels large for her size. She certainly seems livable to me, but you have two others who have to feel equally comfortable with the watery home.


I know my wife is good with it, the little one doesn't have much of an opinion currently (a real one anyways..she'll tell you all kinds of opinions and they change with the wind). Already started selling some tools online, sold my press and going to dump some winter tires next. Whether I go or not I need to lighten my earthly possessions so at least I feel like I'm doing something towards my goal.


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> I think it's an easy mathematical solution to your situation. As it's finance & mathematics it falls exactly into the expertise of a local accountant.
> I say local because they will know the real estate value, price a tenant would pay, estimated maintenance costs etc. They stick those numbers into some thingy and turn the handle and your answer pops out.
> 
> I kept my property and it pays my cruising. My agents are excellent and have tradespeople on hand for problems. Their charges are low, the rents are high and there's a line-up of people wanting to rent it anytime. I have got myself into a great situation.
> ...


Thanks Mark, your advice always piques my interest lol. Unfortunately no accountants around here, although there is one shady realtor who prowls. I'm leaning more and more towards sell my dream house and try for the dream itself. Only because I live rural, no buses, no taxis, no way to walk to work. If I go and I only rent my house I won't have the capital to fund my trip unless I sell my vehicles and all my other possessions too, which means I'd be just as screwed coming home as I would be if I just sold my place regardless.

Still looking for real world experiences with selling Vs. renting though from anyone who has done so. I like the shoebox of CD-roms idea, the great news is MicroSD's are dirt cheap these days. Let's shrink down to a cigarette pack and call it even.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

Keep the property in case one of the three of you gets sick god forbid. Going all in couples with the Nevada mentality.


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## contrarian (Sep 14, 2011)

I can't resist the temptation to use idioms and metaphors here. Let me start by saying that I am a pragmatist by nature and the way I see this thing is that you are playing with a double edge sword here. I think it's human nature when one reaches a certain age, say about 30 years from now for you, to look back on ones life choices and reflect on what might have been. The dilemma is that there is no right or wrong choices. There are only different choices and we live with the consequences of those choices. Only you can decide which consequences that you are willing to accept. Now time for another metaphor that I am plagiarising in an abbreviated form: Some people just can't go to the edge of a cliff without jumping off. Myself, I'm perfectly happy to go to the edge of the cliff and admire the view. I don't have to jump off. Thing about jumping off is that you can't change your mind once you do it. You're life trajectory will have been changed. Whether it's in a good way or bad way is anybody's guess. There may be cool refreshing water below the cliff or there may be rocks, who knows?
You have been given good advise in previous posts by MikeO and MarkO (couldn't resist that one) and others, namely that it would be a good idea to get your feet wet so to speak before jumping in the deep end and once you do decide to jump in to turn the real estate over to a management company to handle. Selling it and burning through the funds is just not the pragmatic thing to do but then again I am a pragmatist..... well to a point. Just owning a boat is not a very pragmatic thing to do but some things you just have to do for your sanity.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Or sell the unrentable property and buy a rent able one.


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## Cassidy (Apr 13, 2019)

So the OP is 37 years old. Plenty of time to get back what you’re divesting yourself of. But it depends on circumstances that surround you.

For example, if you’re in IT, understand that the industry will move on while you’re cruising to a point where you become irrelevant. If you’re in law enforcement or a fireman, builder, insurance salesman, your reintegration may not be so problematic a few years down the line. 

If your home is in a market where capital growth is 2%pa, sell it and buy another when you get back. If it’s in a market where growth is 15%pa, hold onto it unless you’re moving to another area. You may never get back into the market you’re leaving.

Small stuff (cars, lawn mowers, furniture) can go because it can be replaced over time without stress. 

If you need to make money to support your cruising while you’re cruising, some serious decisions are required - you’re not going to make much money, if any at all.

We have a home in exactly the place we want to stay and it’s mortgage free. We have a house sitter to occupy our home while we’re away to keep it habitable and to take care of our dog (dogs are not welcome in South Pacific islands). She pays no rent, takes care of her own consumables and we pay the costs of running the home. Our cars stay in the garage. Our mooring goes out to rent with a proviso that the renter will be gone when we get back.

But then we’re only gone 6 months a year, it’s not a long term cruising commitment. Personally we would never commit to (e.g.) a circumnavigation because from most points of departure, going back is a mission and when it gets old, you’re buggered. There are probably hundreds of boats abandoned around the world bearing testament to this phenomenon. 

Certainly I agree with the “try before you buy” concept. If you sell everything and find it’s not your cup of tea, you’ll have no good memories of cruising and that’s not good. 

I guess in short, you need to look at what happens when it’s all over more than what happens during the next year. Because that’s what will make it worth while or not.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Sounds like you already have all the variables you should consider. The only one I would emphasize is that you WILL return to shore one day. Nearly everyone does. Have some plan for it. 

As only my personal point of view, it’s never made sense to me to spend one’s entire net worth to play, then return to shore penniless. The younger one is, the more theoretically recoverable it is. However, time, health and Murphy’s law are always looming around the corner. 

It’s certainly fine to change one’s lifestyle to a more simple life. However, if you are burning through all your savings and net worth, the unfortunate fact is you can’t afford it.


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Wife said “we can live on the boat I need a house to come home to. “ Nevertheless we sold the house and put most stuff into storage while renting a condo. Within a week or two we will move into a house we just completed building. That house was built with cash. It runs on solar and geothermal so occupied or empty it’s carrying costs are basically real estate taxes. That’s it other than getting someone to mow the lawn when we are gone and the security system monitoring fee. 
Having a land base has been key. I had an injury which was massively mismanaged in Grenada. Wife broke her heel bone in three places so is non weight bearing. Being able to come back to your own abode, docs, wound care etc with access to family for help as been huge.
If finances allow would keep some sort of dirt dwelling and not rent it. Just being able to come for Xmas and have a break from the boat keeps you on a even keel. 
Would also strongly suggest if you plan to sell the house first live on the boat for a few months. You may find your 33’ boat too small. You may find you want to add things to that boat that make no economic sense as they won’t increase the value of the boat much when you sell so really need a bigger or different boat to make it work. You may find the cruising life isn’t for you or isn’t for your wife. 
Have gotten friendly with a boat broker down here. He won’t even list many of the small boats brought down to islands and left by their owners when the dream turned into a nightmare. You see boats at anchor. Sails still on them but tattered. Grass surrounding the waterline. And barnacles on the chain. Just abandoned and left. Don’t be that person. Try out cruising first. Then if it makes sense sell or rent the house.


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

My plan is to finish building and paying off my home which is only a few years out. My home has been rented out for 17 years while I traveled the country following work. My home is in a very sought after community with a housing shortage. I should be able to live off the rent and can get a rental company to manage my home while away. So that is my plan, just need to figure out what to do with all my crap, when the time comes. The key for us is living frugally so we can save up for our boat and keep as much money in the bank. There is a whole bunch of info out there on how to retire early.


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## paulinnanaimo (Dec 3, 2016)

A lot of good info being provided regarding the house etc. Not much being said about your child. I have heard the stories about the well adjusted boat kids but I'm not convinced it's a great idea. You seem to have the attitude that her opinion doesn't count because of her age, she isn't going to stay 3. I wouldn't pretend to have the correct answer for your family but I hope that you think this part through very carefully, you are determining your daughter's future.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Getting rid of the furniture and everything else before you go... My story  

When the time came to Go Cruising my pan (with my GF at the time) was to fly out of Australia and buy a boat in the US or Caribeban and sail off into the sunset. So we could only take 1 suitcase each and carry-on luggage. And absolute total. Everything else had to go... except for a box or 2 of photos and personal tax records to be stored at my Sisters.

My whole house had been carefully furnished over the years.. Objects D'Art carefully selected, the best cooking equipment, best sheets, linen etc, nice furniture.

Plan:
1) EBay the lot.
2) Anything unsold given to a list of my Best Friends
3) Anything ungiven away offered to my second Tier friends 
4) The rest to Charity.

So, hardly nothing sold on EBay.
My Best Friends picked over my precious heirlooms and left taking little! 
Anyone else I had known for 1 second picked through and left almost everything 
I rang the Charity and they told me most they would NOT accept and I would have to pay for a truck to pick it up! 
So I binned/trashed my lifetimes precious possessions!!!!

But as we threw everything away, 13 huge garbage bags full on the last day, they weight fell off my shoulders!

We got on the plane with suitcases crammed with clothes and boat stuff feeling FREEEEEE. 

This sense of being free of all those possessions was like some Socialist yelling Materialism Is Bad.

Ive never looked back and never regretted one thing that went in the trash.
Now my only possessions are a few Hard Disk Drives with photos. And if I lose them I just go take more photos. 


So my experience is don't fear chucking all that good stuff away. If a few days you will have forgotten what you had, nor will you care.


Mark


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## polaris2.11 (Mar 21, 2012)

Everything I own is on the boat except a box of keepsakes for posterity... stored at a friend's house.

Gave it all away, even the car. Gave up on owning houses years ago. Easier that way and I dislike selling stuff.

Very liberating, esp. getting rid of the car


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

We gave up a land home in 2015. We sold, gave away, donated, and then disposed of almost everything we own. We did/do keep a small storage trailer that contains some family “heirlooms” — generally stuff my spouse could not part with (I could have got rid of it all). The trailer also contains some basic home essentials just in case we want/need to set up a land home quickly.

We’ve also retained a small car, and two small motorcycles, so we’re not fully disengaged from land life. It’s mainly b/c we are on the boat for about 1/2 the year. The other half we spend house sitting or (one winter) motorcycling. 

I love the freedom of not having a land home. I also appreciate the cost savings. Some folks manage to use their land home as a revenue generator, but don’t forget that land homes are also expensive. You can gain on the balance sheet by increasing revenue OR decreasing expenses — we’ve done the latter.

This is why I don’t advise NOT to sell the house. But I do think it’s important for the entire crew to live and travel on the boat for a few months (at the very least) before taking the full leap. In my experience, vacationing for a few weeks at a time is not the same as calling the boat your only home.


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

paulinnanaimo said:


> A lot of good info being provided regarding the house etc. Not much being said about your child. I have heard the stories about the well adjusted boat kids but I'm not convinced it's a great idea. You seem to have the attitude that her opinion doesn't count because of her age, she isn't going to stay 3. I wouldn't pretend to have the correct answer for your family but I hope that you think this part through very carefully, you are determining your daughter's future.


I appreciate this reply Paul, and I think I maybe mis-communicated my thoughts on her wants\needs earlier. I think I meant more that if I ask her right now "do you want to live on a boat?" she would say YES, if I asked her if she would like to live on a train she would say YES, if I asked her if she would like to live on the back of a gorilla in the jungle...ok well you get the idea.

I figured we could live for 2 years (assuming poor budgeting and all kinds of worst cases other than boat loss or death) if we cashed out now. At that point we would either know if we want to keep going, and figure out how to do it, or we would return and resume careers and also arrive in time for her to attend proper schooling. Her needs are of course first, which is why I think bringing her, at her current age, around the Caribb or South America may be a great beneficial early life experience, but is also why we don't plan on rounding cape horn or anything really risky with her onboard.

Everyone here has given some awesome advice. I appreciate it all and would respond to them all individually but don't want to post-bomb the thread.

My wife as a nurse can keep up her license while we cruise and can basically just walk into any hospital in Canada and get a job anytime she wants thanks to the medical staff shortages here. So that's no concern, at most she would lose a year or two of pensionable time and seniority.

Myself I am a manager within the provincial government which has all kinds of transferable skills to almost any management position private or government. My specialty is in emergency management and I've worked as a firefighter for my entire adult career in various positions and ranks. I have solid references and would be sorely missed by my field if I were to leave, so I do feel like I would be able to land on my feet upon returning, even if it wasn't at the same base in the same job as I left.

Due to both of our careers the option is simply not there to take a few months off to try it out. We have to either go all in or deal with a couple weeks vacation here and there. My only other option would be to try and ask for a 6 month leave of absence and try to do an Erie Canal\ICW\Caribbean run and back in 6 months but that already sounds pressured to me. I think a year would be minimum.


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## TQA (Apr 4, 2009)

We flew out of Heathrow with suitcases and a dog crate leaving a duffle bag of memories each with a relative. We were both newly retired.

It took us 6 months to dispose of all the stuff and two houses. Keep a car until you go. A low value van is a good choice.

It suited us to have nothing back in the UK to worry about.


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

Guyfromthenorth said:


> ...Due to both of our careers the option is simply not there to take a few months off to try it out. We have to either go all in or deal with a couple weeks vacation here and there. My only other option would be to try and ask for a 6 month leave of absence and try to do an Erie Canal\ICW\Caribbean run and back in 6 months but that already sounds pressured to me. I think a year would be minimum.


I hear you, but here's a thought (which may or may not be relevant); how about taking six months off and cruise Lake Superior? At the end of that you, and probably more importantly your family, will really know if they like this life.

The Bahamas ain't going anywhere. Is there any reason you must rush south? There's tons of good cruising right in your own back yard.


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## hpeer (May 14, 2005)

Too many variables to give any specific advice beyond this......

"Voyaging on a Small Income" by Annie Hill.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00B603S16/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

It will not tell you what to do or how to do it but it will help you in considering your path. From someone who did it pretty successfully.

It think is much more about financial management than anything else.

And one final thing, I assume you are Canadian. How do you retain your provincial health coverage or have you priced private international plans?


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## mbianka (Sep 19, 2014)

I agree with Contrian's comments. I had plans for me and my boat for years. A trip down the ICW, life in the tropics, a sail to the Dry Tortugas etc... Spending winters on board in the warm latitudes seemed very appealing. What to do with the house was a bugaboo of course. But, gradually the plans changed and became more clear as I retired. Helped in part by my girlfriend who prefers catamaran charters during the winter and spring. Through them I got my taste of life in the Caribbean and other places. Sailing in various locations during the best times of the year. Like the Bahamas in May. Maldives in January. I did a private charter out to the Dry Tortugas so I got that out of my system too. I keep enjoying these trips and locations so no longer feel need to visit them in my boat. On the other hand I now enjoy living aboard summers on my boat in the local waters even more these days. I no longer feel the need to sail very far to enjoy the benefits of sailing. I have become very content with this situation. As with many people caught in the work a day world it sounds like you really just need a Sabbatical in which case you might want to hold on to some of your investments in case you want to return to land at some point. I would also recommend a read of this article by the late Robert Pirsig regarding the "Cruising Dream" before you decide to make the leap:
Cruising Blues and Their Cure by Robert M Pirsig

_There is no way to escape the mechanism of depression. It results from lack of a pleasant stimulus and is inevitable because the more pleasant stimuli you receive the less effective they become. If, for example, you receive an unexpected gift of money on Monday, you are elated. If the same gift is repeated on Tuesday, you are elated again but a little less so because it is a repetition of Monday's experience. On Wednesday he elation drops a little lower and on Thursday and Friday a little lower still. By Saturday you are rather accustomed to the daily gift and take it for granted. Sunday, if there is no gift, you are suddenly depressed. Your level of expectation has adjusted upward during the week and now must adjust downward.

The same is true of cruising. You can see just so any beautiful sunsets strung end on end, just so any coconut palms waving in the ocean breeze, just so many exotic moonlit tropical nights scented with oleander and frangipani, and you become adjusted. They no longer elate. The pleasant external stimulus has worn out its response and cruising depression takes over. This is the point at which boats get sold and cruising dreams are shattered forever. One can extend the high for a while by searching for new and more exciting pursuits, but sooner or later the depression mechanism must catch up with you and the longer it has been evaded the harder it hits. _

"Can one desire too much of a good thing?"
William Shakespeare


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

Thanks again everyone for the thoughtful insight.

Health coverage - we would look into a travellers plan.

The house for us seems like selling is the only option. The one real estate broker who works near me is dropping by tomorrow to give me his thoughts on value. He was pretty much salivating knowing I was selling this place though. Not to mention the few people I've thrown the idea by have already said let them have a shot at buying first.

I think we are more in the sabbatical group. We've talked and talked about it, we've considered this life for a few years now, just some events lately have pushed the agenda up front suddenly. We figure we could, if we get what we hope for the house, even being conservative on its value, sail at 2k a month for a year and still return to our home country with 50k leftover as seed money to buy a home\life back and get jobs again. A year would probably quench the thirst for this, and line our daughter up for school better. The only thing we would decide partway through the trip would be to:

1) Sail home with our boat and enjoy great lakes sailing during summers again.
2) Sell the boat down there (if legal) and fly home satisfied or broken (maybe both lol).
3) Store the boat in Trinidad and know that we can catch a flight, pay for a launch, and be back at the dream again...even if just for a couple weeks vacation a year.

There is something very primal in me that wants to sail MY boat from the frozen north down to South America. Not sure why, but it's there. Kind of like making it on your own. Not to knock charters. It's just my deal (and my wife's).

Either way we will see what the broker says tomorrow about the house and his estimate on what we could get. I know selling things still requires someone with the money to buy it for what you ask, but he can at least let me know if I'm out to lunch on it's worth or not. Step 1 (buying the boat was Step 0 lol).


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## rbrasi (Mar 21, 2011)

chef2sail said:


> Going all in couples with the Nevada mentality.


What is the "Nevada mentality"?


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

mbianka said:


> You can see just so any beautiful sunsets strung end on end, just so any coconut palms waving in the ocean breeze, just so many exotic moonlit tropical nights scented with oleander and frangipani, and you become adjusted. They no longer elate.


A Husband and Wife came on my boat the other night to discuss their world cruising plans to start in 3 years, 1 month, 3 days and 18 hours...

His dream, of course. She is a Paris Doctor, a Specialist. Her mind is like a bouncing ball of intelligence. Give her the worlds biggest medical problems and she could probably give you a good lecture on how all could be solved.
She will LOVE cruising for the first year... but I warned her that her brain needs to be fed. Maybe she can by doing a Thesis or meta analysis etc.

Most cruisers 'out there' have been successful enough in life to afford to cruise: Vis-a-vie Very smart people now not using their smarts ---> Boredom!!!!

So guard against it. Learn a culture, take a book, write a book, but do not just sit there and play Mexican Train Dominoes with all the brain-dead!

Mark


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

This is my Beware post 



Guyfromthenorth said:


> Health coverage - we would look into a travellers plan.


Beware! Check prices outside North America... Theres some Divers plan thats good.



Guyfromthenorth said:


> The one real estate broker who works near me is dropping by tomorrow to give me his thoughts on value. He was pretty much salivating knowing I was selling this place though.


Beware salivating real estate brokers! The value they give you will be what they thing you will say 'Yes, Ill sell!' not what someone will pay for your house.



Guyfromthenorth said:


> We've talked and talked about it, we've considered this life for a few years now,


Beware: Who has done all the talking? you or your wife? I bet its the guy who starts the conversations every time. And she who finishes them by saying 'lets think about that'



Guyfromthenorth said:


> 3) Store the boat in Trinidad and know that we can catch a flight, pay for a launch, and be back at the dream again...even if just for a couple weeks vacation a year.


You mean Grenada 



Guyfromthenorth said:


> Either way we will see what the broker says tomorrow about the house and his estimate on what we could get. .


Beware real estate brokers... oh, did I just mention it? Maybe its important: Beware Beware Beware Beware 

Sorry to sound like your parent :crying

Mark


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Be sure your budget has some serious contingency in it. Stuff happens. That remaining $50k evaporates and it sounds like you'd be in a real bind with a young child. 

It's only a parent's choice, but traveling that far with a 3 yr old isn't my idea of a pleasant cruise. I know many have done it, but I'm imagining the stress of keeping them aboard and safe from injury in rough weather. One of my kids also got seriously ill for a short period and they had a hard time figuring out what was wrong. I wouldn't have wanted to deal with that in the Caribbean. Why not take a leave of absence and cruise the Great Lakes for an entire summer first?

I know I'm being a buzz kill, sorry. I admit, I hate to see someone sell their house and spend the equity on a long vacation. I hate hearing people borrow against that equity too, just for perspective on my thought process. I can't say what's right for you, but be careful. 

Finally, you said "just some events lately have pushed the agenda up front suddenly". I've given the following advice to more people than I can count. Always run toward something, never away from something. If you quit, be sure to quit on a good day. 

Good luck sorting it out.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

I gave much of it to charity, Goodwill, relief organizations. Sold, stored, gave away my shop equipment. Stored art or one of a kind things in brother's attic. Gave bmw to best friend... records placed on the street in boxes with trash and they got taken (that was dumb of me).

I took what I thought I needed on board. Machinery I lent were then appropriated by what I thought had been a friend... because he wouldn't return them. That sucked. No house to sell.

Now I have an apartment, wife a garage and way way too much stuff. I will start selling / giving away on FB marketplace or some other sailor's web site.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Minnewaska said:


> traveling that far with a 3 yr old isn't my idea of a pleasant cruise.


Think of the benefits: A child in its most formative period in its life is exposed to the wonders of the world, nature, cultures, languages, people of different colours, races, beliefs. 
The kid will play on the beach with black kids, white kids, languages they all learn together... 
These things no education system can ever teach the dear brats.

To do it between 3 and 7 years old would be truly wonderful.

Yes, theres risks.. and parents trying to cotton coat their kids will hate it, but folks who let kids be kids will love it.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

I get the upside, but it doesn't eliminate the downside. 

I've raised several 3 yr olds. Personally, I would have found doing so on a boat to be very, very difficult. As I said, I know some do it successfully. Doubt all would have the same experience, because all the variables aren't manageable. Those formative years can also throw some curve balls that can either happen near appropriate care, or in a desolate anchorage. Parent's choice. Just beware.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

I haven't had kids. :grin :grin :grin


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Those were very thoughtful posts when discussing boredom. There’s another concern as well. Independence.
We have one dinghy. We have a 46’ boat. That means we are together just about 24/7/365. Almost always within visual sight of each other. Wife was a specialty nurse mostly working a pediatric step down unit in a tertiary hospital. Spent her days with very sick newborns in isolation most of the time . Calling for the NPs or MDs only when needed. She worked at a different hospital then me so her work friends were entirely different. Her work and mine was entirely different. We spent fewer waking hours together than apart. She was totally independent.
Now she is dependent. She doesn’t have my mechanical skills. If something breaks I fix it. She often helps but it’s on me. When we started cruising she had minimal exposure to coastal cruising. I taught her to sail having bought a psc34 to do so. So I’m the captain. 
She was a Chatty Cathy with friends and family. We both prefer anchorages devoid of services and manmade things so spend a lot of time with no cell or internet service. 
Both of us require intellectual stimulation. She requires social stimulation more than I. This is difficult in countries where your native language is not the native language or even working through local syntax and accent. 
She is way more important to me than the boat. So we take breaks from the boat. This year it’s leaving it on the hard for hurricane season in Grenada. Prior years it was a long break at home during the holidays and a short break at Easter.
Doing a few months cruising as a trial isn’t living your life cruising. It’s when it strikes you “this is what I’m doing for the foreseeable future. 
You see a lot of alcohol abuse. Some broken marriages. Some very depressed people. Quite a few single old duffers. But there are huge upsides. Big challenges. Great peace and harmony. Each day is new if you make it so. It’s attitude.
When things break or you’re dispensing boat units ($1000) need to repeat “it’s a boat” several times then get on with it.
We have a small placard “all you need is love and a sunset”.
Another by the companionway steps reads”whenever everything else fails try what the captain suggested”.
Find those who have humor and love succeed. Those who are egocentric, inattentive, demanding or rigid don’t.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

Before I left I sold everything except what was on the boat and 1 box of "history". I never worried about needing a "base" to come back to as I understand you can get a new "base" anywhere pretty easy. Plus why would I want to return to the old "base" when I can chose a new location if/when needed.


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

More great thoughtful replies, thank you everyone. I really do appreciate the nearly perfect split of go for it\don't go for it, each viewpoint are just as important as the other.

Grenada for hurricane storage, good to know, I've been told by alot of people Trin was a good place to use, but maybe that's dated now. Easily updated plan.

I think that to say there wouldn't be challenges cruising with a toddler would be silly of me and pure denial. However that's why taking a year or so to do it would be the best way to go. WX forecasts are never perfect (ask a Great Lakes sailor like me...) but having more than a week or two charter period means we could take our time and select weather windows. Yes there will be some bumpy rides but we can reduce the odds dramatically by adding patience time and planning. A big part of bringing her was the life experience as well, for her to meet foreign cultures when she will still consider them "just people" rather than being conscious of our differences, an unbiased mind of a child is a great thing to expose to the world I think. We did Costa Rica with her already and other than the 6hr flight it was great.

My wife has been very much into the sailing life as well. We have spent every night for years now watching youtube channels based on sailing (no, not just the pretty ones like vagabonde lol). We've talked for ages on retiring on a boat and sailing to Scotland (where my family is from) and then over to Greece (where her family is from). Retirement is far off, and with my years in as a Ranger I've had more than a few major injuries (a couple deaths I came back from too) that I have no doubt will haunt me in my 60's and make a north atlantic crossing....challenging. So why wait our entire lives to try living on a boat only to find out we missed "the window" possibly.

The issues that pushed the agenda up are real, and not so much "run away" material as much as "why not do it now" material. Her hospital is so woefully under-staffed that she cannot get time off. Taking a week, or 6 months off, is a non-option as they physically do not have enough nurses to cover shifts anymore and it's not getting better. She is the highest in seniority and is denied her vacation requests all the time. They are "letting her" plan vacation time in November currently...but it won't be guaranteed until about October so who knows...She's a prisoner of work, and with the shortage of staff she can leave anytime and return to a job with her employer holding open begging arms easily. Also as I mentioned, our daughter is old enough now to be mobile and can at least appreciate some of this type of trip, but isn't sold old that she would be missing proper school back home and stability in a house.

My work has been very busy. It is giving me burn out and I've been looking for a change for a while now. I'm in an acting assignment with a separate section of my division right now just to mix it up a bit. We were already planning a change anyways, just weren't really mobilized yet. We live 320km from my family (closest family) and my parents are at the age of failing health. Our services living here are limited and we want a brighter future for our daughter with better options for schooling when she's of age. To top it off our boat is 300km away as well just outside the city my family is all from. So everything is pointing us south. If we decided to sell and move we could pretty much walk into a new home and have it paid off (including what we sell ours for) in just a couple years. Our boat is paid off as well. So why not split the money we make selling the property and use half of it to sail our dream for a year or so and then return home for our daughter to get into school, for us to get new jobs with better "work\life balance", to be closer to family, to be closer to our boat and sailing grounds (assuming we don't leave her in Grenada), and we would still have the mortgage paid off 10years before we would retire. Hopefully that made sense lol, I know we are a bit way off topic here.

Don't worry Mark, I'm well aware of what the brokers\agents do! I'm curious of his assessment today if he makes it out. I will say that I am quite confident in my houses value because I've lived here so long and because land taxes are under 400$CND a year here so what most do who live near me is advertise their property for sale but in Toronto ads and people from down there JUMP to buy up here. Taxes are practically non-existent, and my house and location is worth in the $1,000,000+ range from Muskoka's south, so many of them buy here and keep it as a cottage. The day we bought back in 2007 I made up a down payment and contract and had my brother and wife RUN it out to the lake to get the sellers to sign (private sale) literally as I loaded on a helicopter to go to a fire. They got the signatures and when they were leaving someone pulled into the driveway asking to see the house. My wife told them we just bought it and the couple were disappointed and stated they drove all the way from Windsor to come and pay asking price for the house. Since then, because the house was a private sale, there's all kinds of websites the PO's had advertised on that I wasn't aware of. Literally over a decade of owning my place and I still get calls, emails, and the odd person wandering around my yard (yep) scoping things out interested in buying it lol. It's been hard finding all those ads and closing them down. I'm tired of strangers looking in my windows!

EDIT: some spelling


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Sounds like you're carefully considering all the factors. I wouldn't try to talk you into or out of it, just give you food for thought. Best of luck.


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

Already found 2 "wanted" ads from people down south looking for homes on my lake specifically. Meeting with the realtor in an hour, I'll see what he thinks.


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## scubadoo (Apr 5, 2014)

Liza Copeland thoroughly enjoyed cruising with her kids. Wish I had heard about them 25 years ago!

She has tons of ideas (in her books) to keep them occupied and educated. Link to their site below...

https://www.aboutcruising.com/


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Hook into the daily vhf webs as you cruise the islands. Some even have a section where the kids run it and talk between themselves.
George Town (chicken harbor) has the best home schooling support.


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## PhilCarlson (Dec 14, 2013)

On renting out the house:

I've in my 6th year as an absentee landlord of a house that used to be home. I had a bad property management company, now I have a good one. Night and day difference. And I've given your question a lot of thought.

To sail away and put it on auto-pilot you will need to set the rent to cover all probable expenses (changes in mortgage escrow (you'll lose homestead exemptions), regular maintenance not covered by the renter, major appliance failure, cleaning and painting if tennants change etc... You'll want to enable your property manager to make decisions and pay bills without your input, which will mean access to the bank account, maybe power of attorney (wht if the loan servicing company changes), etc... you get the idea. If all goes well, you come back in a few years with a surplus of contingency $$ in the rental account, use it to repair the house and live happlily ever after. 

The best way I've found to locate a decent property manager is to survey realestate agents. Some may want to do it for you, some won't touch it know someone who does. Their business runs on reputation so if you talk to enough of them, the good ones stand out.


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

rbrasi said:


> What is the "Nevada mentality"?


It's a joke...gambling term....all in


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## alanr77 (Jul 24, 2009)

I sold EVERYTHING except my Jeep, Boston Whaler and Kayak before buying the boat to explore on. By everything I mean house, appliances, clothes, Catalina 30 and everything in between. Then I set out on an Appalachian Trail adventure while looking for the boat I knew long ago I wanted. When I eventually found her, moving aboard was a serious “upgrade” from living in my Jeep, tents on the trail and the occasional hotel/motel. Not how most do it obviously, but whatever “fits” your situation best is what’s right for you. I run into too many “cruisers” who have the boat, but can’t sell the house so they’re trapped for now. Renting can be a serious hassle (BTDT) when you’re in another country. You can always buy another (house,car,clothes,kids (j/k) or whatever. You cannot buy more time. As I neared my eligibility for retirement (Army) I suddenly found myself in a wheelchair I couldn’t get out of. Dreams are painful when they become impossible. At that moment I had wished I had done more, sooner...and this coming from someone who has already been all over the world. It took years but I beat the odds for now and wasted no time in getting my dreams moving, all else be damned. I sold everything at break even for me prices to unload it all quickly. Took almost a year. I’m currently typing this from my cockpit a week and a half from launch and I’m totally on top of my own world. Regret nothing at this point. Again, do what fits your situation best. Hope that was helpful.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

alanr77 said:


> As I neared my eligibility for retirement (Army) I suddenly found myself in a wheelchair I couldn't get out of. Dreams are painful when they become impossible. At that moment I had wished I had done more, sooner...and this coming from someone who has already been all over the world. It took years but I beat the odds for now and wasted no time in getting my dreams moving, all else be damned. I sold everything at break even for me prices to unload it all quickly. Took almost a year. * I'm currently typing this from my cockpit a week and a half from launch and I'm totally on top of my own world. * Regret nothing at this point. Again, do what fits your situation best. Hope that was helpful.


LOL "Then I set out on an Appalachian Trail adventure while looking for the boat I knew long ago I wanted. When I eventually found her, moving aboard was a serious "upgrade" from living in my Jeep,"

What an inspiring story!
You write excellently and in a short post put us on a roller-coaster of emotion. Your ability to overcome adversity, physically and attitudinally is amazing.
Really lovely to read on this cold and rainy morning. You've brightened my day 

Mark


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

alanr77 said:


> I sold EVERYTHING except my Jeep, Boston Whaler and Kayak before buying the boat to explore on. By everything I mean house, appliances, clothes, Catalina 30 and everything in between. Then I set out on an Appalachian Trail adventure while looking for the boat I knew long ago I wanted. When I eventually found her, moving aboard was a serious "upgrade" from living in my Jeep, tents on the trail and the occasional hotel/motel. Not how most do it obviously, but whatever "fits" your situation best is what's right for you. I run into too many "cruisers" who have the boat, but can't sell the house so they're trapped for now. Renting can be a serious hassle (BTDT) when you're in another country. You can always buy another (house,car,clothes,kids (j/k) or whatever. You cannot buy more time. As I neared my eligibility for retirement (Army) I suddenly found myself in a wheelchair I couldn't get out of. Dreams are painful when they become impossible. At that moment I had wished I had done more, sooner...and this coming from someone who has already been all over the world. It took years but I beat the odds for now and wasted no time in getting my dreams moving, all else be damned. I sold everything at break even for me prices to unload it all quickly. Took almost a year. I'm currently typing this from my cockpit a week and a half from launch and I'm totally on top of my own world. Regret nothing at this point. Again, do what fits your situation best. Hope that was helpful.


THIS. All of THIS. Thanks Alan, I appreciate everything you wrote and it's exactly how I feel. I couldn't agree more with the fact that you cannot buy back time. I'm only 37 but I already feel like I'll be closing in on some limitations physically. Not that I'm in mid-life crisis mode here...yet. I've survived so much in my field as a Wildland Firefighter and have lots of scars, broken\healed bones, and torn apart\"healed" joints that I know the 60's won't be a great time for me until medical science gets alot better. I have spent so much time thinking and talking with my wife around the terrible thought of us planning to sail the world when "retired" only to wait 25 years and then find out we are too old and broken to do so. What a waste that would be and what a nightmare.

Made about 1k in the last couple days selling old tools and items from my house we don't use anymore on Facebook. Here's hoping we get good news on the home value next week when we hear back from the realtor. He seemed very excited and thought our house was not only very marketable but was one of the best he has seen in a very long time. In the end though I realize somethings worth is only whatever someone else will pay for it. Here's hoping we can cut loose and give it our best shot.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

For sure, we all face our own personal use-by dates. We have big plans too and already feel the weight of time on joints and other systems. On the other hand, we’ve grown our assets to afford a more comfortable ride. It’s the trade off. We have mentally prepared for the possibility of coming up craps, with our health, and never transiting the Panama Canal. If we’re confined to sailing New England’s coastal waters, in our older years, on fair days, and occasionally bareboating elsewhere with friends, we acknowledge we still won life’s lottery.


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

Guyfromthenorth said:


> THIS. All of THIS. Thanks Alan, I appreciate everything you wrote and it's exactly how I feel. I couldn't agree more with the fact that you cannot buy back time. I'm only 37 but I already feel like I'll be closing in on some limitations physically. Not that I'm in mid-life crisis mode here...yet. I've survived so much in my field as a Wildland Firefighter and have lots of scars, broken\healed bones, and torn apart\"healed" joints that I know the 60's won't be a great time for me until medical science gets alot better. I have spent so much time thinking and talking with my wife around the terrible thought of us planning to sail the world when "retired" only to wait 25 years and then find out we are too old and broken to do so. What a waste that would be and what a nightmare&#8230;.


Guy, I fully agree with you, and lets just say you and I are not far off in dealing with physical impacts from serious youthful injuries. All this has pushed me to go early instead of waiting for "retirement." I left when I was 48 when both of us (my spouse and I) were ready.

Just be aware (as I'm sure you are) that sometimes your dream is not her dream. And actually living on a boat is different than vacationing, and certainly different than what the videos make it out to be.

The cautionary voices here just don't want to see you become yet another solo male sailor out there. That story is all too common.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

I find the dream meme a bit silly. What people should have are goals... attainable goals. Dreams has a strong element of fantasy. I suppose to move to a boat and sail is a fantasy for many. But for those who are doing it many many methodical steps must be taken. Who dreams about all the steps to get from here to there?


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

S has it right. Think it through. Make sure everyone is on board. Try it out in some non irreversible way. Go for it.
This thing about age is a bit overblown in my view. I see people in their late 70s and 80s doing passages let alone cruising.
Reality is with a properly laid out boat neither strength nor agility come into play.
The best teacher I had on running a boat was the local librarian. She was in her 70s. I was mid 30s. She taught me “if it’s hard you’re doing it wrong “. She taught me the right way ergonomically to pull a line and such. She was maybe all of a 100lbs. soaking wet. Lose the macho. Get rid of the spinnaker 
It’s not in sailing a cruising boat but maintenance that agility and strength come into play. However you rapidly learn tricks to circumvent those limitations. And then again you can piss away a boat unit or two if necessary.


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## CrispyCringle (Jul 30, 2017)

I have been following this thread with interest. We are about 2 years from my retirement at 60 and setting sail. I love reading about the actual transition from land to boat life that folks have posted. Worth a thread by itself, I believe. In preparation, we are making house upgrades and fix-ups so they can be enjoyed for a few years before selling, and getting rid of what seems like an endless amount of stuff. As others have said, its amazing how little cash "good" stuff will actually bring in. The benefit is in shear numbers. A dollar here and a dollar there adds up when you have hundreds (?) of items. Yard sales, of what even I consider junk, brings in several hundred dollars. The last two times anyway. Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace are great for selling things of greater value. But we have given away lots of actual good stuff. Its just the way it is. The kids pretty much want nothing, except my sports car, tools, and gun. We plan to keep the truck, and furnishings for a small condo or such. But if all goes as planned we will be ditching that as useless if we dont look at it for a few years, or dont have cheap storage. 

I think the OP is making a wise choice to try this for a few years while the cash holds out. There's one thing that I always see as a problem (unless one has a pile of cash) with these "make the leap" plans, and that is I dont see how anyone can succeed without some income. I will have two retirement incomes to live on. I know everyone has their situation, but I cant see living comfortably without a source of income. Especially with family. 

On the flip side, the OP is young. I was divorced at 40 and pretty much started over financially. My point being, with a dual income, getting back in the game at 42ish and building up assets should not be an issue. And even if they drain their savings now- what an experience! Im in very good health right now. But its a mine field the older you get. I can totally understand the OPs desire to do it now. I say GO Forth and Adventure! You child will remember it for the rest of their life, as will you.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

CrispyCringle said:


> As others have said, its amazing how little cash "good" stuff will actually bring in.


It's because people aren't looking for "good deal" $500 sofa on craigslist. If they were they would just go buy a new one.

When I got rid of my "stuff" I got rid of all of it within a month by asking low prices. It didn't really matter what I thought it was "worth" because what was I going to do with it?????? If I didn't sell it I was just going to have to take it to the dump or try to donate it to something. Either of those choices would cost me money of out pocket. So instead I just looked at it as "someone paid ME to come haul my stuff away for me".

All the money spent in the past on that "stuff" is gone. You need to accept it.

BTW - I found it easier to sell something for $50 that to give it away free. People pretty much figure free = crap.


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Wish I had a link to Richard Pryors bit about “stuff”. Too funny.


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## CrispyCringle (Jul 30, 2017)

Don0190 said:


> It's because people aren't looking for "good deal" $500 sofa on craigslist. If they were they would just go buy a new one.
> 
> When I got rid of my "stuff" I got rid of all of it within a month by asking low prices. It didn't really matter what I thought it was "worth" because what was I going to do with it?????? If I didn't sell it I was just going to have to take it to the dump or try to donate it to something. Either of those choices would cost me money of out pocket. So instead I just looked at it as "someone paid ME to come haul my stuff away for me".
> 
> ...


Thats why Im getting rid of stuff over a period of years and not months. I dont mind giving it away. But why if I dont need to?


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## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

So the first time we went cruising we were 33 and 32 with a 6 month old. 

I kept the house, two cars ,the possessions and we tried to dip our toes into the cruising ocean while still maintain everything else. 

So......We loved cruising. My wife probably even more than me and my daughter was happy and healthy. The time of our lives. 

Except our 'have our cake and eat it too' approach meant that after a year of cruising the money was just too tight and we had to come back to work to cover the mortgage etc etc etc.

A cruising friend remarked ' you guys cut the docklines but tied them onto the other side of the boat'.

With whimsical hindsight I do wish we sold everything, packed a couple of bags and sailed off into the sunset. We would of kept going. 

Anyway, that was our experience and our situation. Everyones will be different. 

As it turns out we are about to go cruising now again. 40 and 39 with an 8 and 4 year old. 

This time my approach is a staggered exit from the rat race with a plan to sell the house, but not just yet.


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## caberg (Jul 26, 2012)

I probably could have written the same OP a few years ago. Who knows, maybe I wrote something very similar.

We are two parents, one kid age 10 years old, good jobs with good income, modest home with equity, rental property with equity, no debt other than mortgages on the real estate.

For quite a few years when our son was young, I was really fixated on the idea of chucking it all and taking off. My wife was/is very easygoing and was basically up for anything. But I just couldn't get past the idea of depleting all our assets at that age in life. If I could've had a better plan for the jobs/income thing, it would have helped a lot.

But you know what, zero regrets. We live a very comfortable, fun, easy life. (As an aside, part of that is from our decision to only have one child. Seriously, best decision we ever made!) We've been to Europe twice in the past year, four different countries in Europe, hiked through remote parts of Spain and Croatia on 2 of the trips, Mexico 3 times in the past 5 years, Martinique last February, going to Jamaica in November and looking at Greece for next spring. We spend our summers on the water 20 minutes from our home, our son loves his school and friends, we have lots of friends and family and enjoy those connections, while also having the ability to escape on the boat or with travel pretty much whenever we want. All of this is possible for us because we've stuck with the same jobs for the past 10+ years, built seniority and flexibility with our time and schedules, our incomes have grown, our savings and retirement accounts are doing well, we're close to having college savings complete to pay for our son's education (again, 1 kid is key!).

At present, we fully expect to have enough savings and assets to quit our current full-time jobs and do something different when our son is done high school (8 years in counting). Neither of us want to quit working entirely, but we both envision a mix of part time work and travel/cruising (we do have more solid plans than that, but that's the general outline). Yes, we could drop dead or have some terrible illness between now and then, but that's how it goes. Honestly, the idea of living like a miser on a small boat and watching our savings deplete does not sound appealing to me at all anymore. But 10 years ago, I thought that sounded like the dream.


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## alanr77 (Jul 24, 2009)

Don0190 said:


> CrispyCringle said:
> 
> 
> > As others have said, its amazing how little cash "good" stuff will actually bring in.
> ...


Difficulty getting rid of free-

Man you got that right. That actually surprised me the most when I cleared everything out. Not to mention, free stuff= a lot of "I'm on my way to get it" no shows. There is no stake in it so no one cares. List it for $10 and people are fighting to get there first.


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## alanr77 (Jul 24, 2009)

People were/are discussing budget so I wanted to add this based on my own actions. 

At the time I decided to “go” I had pretty substantial equity in a property I wasn’t even living in at the time. I could have easily refinanced and then rented again which would have added to my two retirement incomes. However, as I mentioned before, it would have added something that had the potential to cause problems down the road. 

All of this factored into my initial “budget” for the boat I needed. A common thing I’m seeing everywhere is a couple with no other people coming along buying massive boats to accommodate all the stuff they are bringing with them. When choosing between a couple different boats (my list was short) I had boats ranging from 27’ to 37’ laid out in front of me. I had to consider storage of my hiking/climbing/diving gear and conversely my ability to handle the boat in tight spaces and when I was tired or not feeling well. 27’ was great except my gear would intrude into living space too much. 37’ just proved to be too much boat for me to handle. I ended up at 34’ which was the perfect balance between large enough to be comfortable and still being small enough to handle alone. Being on the small side of the modern cruising boat trend, my incomes allow for nothing but the best for this boat and a comfortable cushion which allows me to continue saving and investing while living this lifestyle. As we all know well, every foot of LOA increases the cost exponentially, both in maintenance and berthing. When looking at this move over the long term, going with as small as you’re comfortable with has its merits. 

Regarding the “dreams” colloquialism-(goals,aspirations,plans whatever you’re good with)- one thing that many do not consider is that living on, maintaining, using and upgrading a cruising boat is WORK. Every day is not “kicking back with hot people drinking Coronas” like many YouTube stars would have you believe. Most days I’m “covered in boat” and the end of the day beer is more to smooth the aching body than to “party and be awesome”. I found trail life to be much much simpler but the sailing disorder must have its fix so here I am. Anyway, point is, most of this costs money one way or another even if you do your own work like I do. It’s all the little things that add up. Yeah, that new shower sump only cost $80....but while you’re in there consider new hoses, clamps, SS Hardware to attach it all, wiring, heat shrink terminals and connectors ect...next thing you know, that $80 project actually cost $200 plus hours of your time. 

All things to consider when deciding if selling vs renting your home makes sense for you. The extra income may be what keeps you out there and that alone may make the additional responsibility worth it.


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

outbound said:


> Wish I had a link to Richard Pryors bit about "stuff". Too funny.


I think it was George Carlin who said "Have you ever noticed that other people's stuff is ****, and your **** is stuff?"


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

Here you are


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## smaynard (May 22, 2012)

For my 2 cents. I am a property owner - and would make a suggestion based on 30+ years in investment RE. With that amount of cash - if you could add a bit it would be better - you could look at investing in a what we call a Single Tenant Net Lease property. There are many that would fit your profile. These properties require zero management, the Tenant is responsible for everything: Taxes, Repairs, Maintenance, Insurance etc. The Return varies depending on location - I some excellent mid-west contacts - your return would vary by location and Tenant but somewhere between 7-10% is reasonable.
I put my money where my mouth is and own a properties with Tenants: Dollar Tree (2) NAPA Auto, Pizza Hut and some others.
We have ordered an Outremer 51 for delivery next July and I can sail without worry from thereon out.
I would be glad to talk with you if you want to PM me.
Good luck


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## flyingriki (Sep 27, 2012)

Sold, donated and gave away. Stored the most important things but not a lot.
You can store a lot of things, as I did long ago, and in the end if several years, could have thrown it all away and bought new for the same cost as storing or close.


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## alanr77 (Jul 24, 2009)

flyingriki said:


> Sold, donated and gave away. Stored the most important things but not a lot.
> You can store a lot of things, as I did long ago, and in the end if several years, could have thrown it all away and bought new for the same cost as storing or close.


Definitely wisdom in this. It's surprising what you think you want to keep at the time, then months or years later wonder why. I kept only what I deemed more difficult to replace than just going to a store and buying new. I.E my fully restored by my own hands 13' Boston Whaler Super Sport, a restored by me old TOTL Technics Turntable and my Valley Aquanaut kayak-only because I really like it. All pictures/documents/ect except where originals are required were converted to digital. It's amazing the "crap" we keep in our homes for no reason at all.

Again, not suggesting anyone do it how I did it as my circumstances (health) +(expiration date) are a bit different than most. But I felt I had to "let go" and so I did. I talk to a lot of people who did all this in "baby steps" but ultimately they either go back to normal life or do in fact end up letting go of most of the things they thought were important at the time of departure.

It is a massive step though so as others have suggested, proceed with caution and diligence.

Oh and what's wrong with being a solo male sailor???? I'm not married anymore but I'm rarely alone unless I want to be. ? lol.


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## overthehorizon (Apr 7, 2018)

"There is something very primal in me that wants to sail MY boat from the frozen north down to South America. " What better reason does one need than that? Just like "Zanzibar" has an attractive ring to the name, now it is "Tierra del Fuego". Maybe we will see you there...oh, but you are getting away from the cold...maybe we will see you in Panama. Good luck on your adventure!


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## flitemdic (Aug 22, 2009)

Couldn't really comment on the "get away from the stuff" thing, I've never done it. However, on a couple of other practical things, I might be able to offer an opinion.

My career track is very similar to both yours and your wife's. I worked for the MOH Air Ambulance for a number of years, and rather than FF, I chose the paramedic route. After doing both ground and air, I went back and got the RN and proceeded through management, etc. Said that to say that your profession might not be as portable as hers, and you might be surprised the pay difference between Canada- especially Ontario, and the U.S. And offshore? Even worse. I found that I couldn't make a living as a medic here, which was my first love, and so had to stay in nursing. Not that nursing is a bad gig at all, and it is very portable in North America, and very lucrative. Just wasn't what I wanted to do. Even with the FEMA certs, the FF certs and emergency management under the belt, you may not be able to rely on your income to equate to what it contributes now. If you can do it on savings/selling stuff, and an RN wage- she can easily do short term contracts or PRN in any compact state- then you're all set. I just thought I'd throw in on that having made the move between careers and geography similar to what you are discussing.

Renting out the house, as others have said, is a difficult row to hoe unless you do the single tenant net lease as suggested above. I've got many paragraphs of horror stories on that one, and I'm in an urban environment and live in the same city- AND don't have to use a Sat phone, LOL.

Good luck to you and your family with whatever you decide, I'm jealous of the whole idea actually- it just wouldn't work for me, but I'd love to do it.


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## alanr77 (Jul 24, 2009)

Guyfromthenorth said:


> I'm dangerously close right now to just selling off all my things and loading the family (my wife and a 3yr old) onto our Mirage 33 and heading south for the Erie Canal, ICW, then the Islands. That's a whole ball of wax on it's own, and I need some tips for the big pieces of this puzzle...
> 
> So what did everyone do with their property when they left? How did it work out? Why did you do it that way?
> 
> ...


BTW, I'm from Florida but sitting in a marina on Lake Michigan ATM. I'll be doing EXACTLY what you're proposing first week of August. Up Michigan, down Huron, up Erie then out the canal and ultimately back to salt water. Sounds like I'll be sailing right past you. I had to switch boats and had to come to the Great Lakes to find what I wanted so......this place is incredibly foreign to me. Haven't seen this much fresh water other than a pool in 35 years. Lol. I want to hike/climb Patagonia while I can still walk so down I will go. Not interested in the Caribbean booze cruise as I don't have the time left. I want adventure and challenges and have been actively seeking and doing them (taking pictures too! My Instagram is my picture album lol) ever since getting a reprieve. Anyway, sounds like we're on the same path, for possibly different reasons but converging nonetheless. What marina are you at on Huron? Perhaps I'll stop for fuel on the way out and have a beer with ya.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

alanr77 said:


> sitting in a marina on Lake Michigan ATM. I'll be doing EXACTLY what you're proposing first week of August. Up Michigan, down Huron, up Erie then out the canal and ultimately back to salt water.


I did that trip a while ago, not on this boat, from a place called Muskegon on Lake Michigan. Great trip to the ocean.
Make sure you're up the front in the locks coming down into lakey bit before Montreal. The view is spectacular.

Mark


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## alanr77 (Jul 24, 2009)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> I did that trip a while ago, not on this boat, from a place called Muskegon on Lake Michigan. Great trip to the ocean.
> Make sure you're up the front in the locks coming down into lakey bit before Montreal. The view is spectacular.
> 
> Mark


Muskegon lol....quite familiar as I'm doing a short refit at Torresen's. Parts, convenience store and yacht club all within a five minute walk...not so shabby. Lol ? Freezing up here though. Sleep by a heater every night....in JUNE!!!


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

alanr77 said:


> Muskegon lol....quite familiar as I'm doing a short refit at Torresen's. Parts, convenience store and yacht club all within a five minute walk...not so shabby. Lol ? Freezing up here though. Sleep by a heater every night....in JUNE!!!


Ha! Very funny! We did work on the boat in Torrensens. 20 years ago exactly 
First day I got there it snowed. 

Its a great trip


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## alanr77 (Jul 24, 2009)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> alanr77 said:
> 
> 
> > Muskegon lol....quite familiar as I'm doing a short refit at Torresen's. Parts, convenience store and yacht club all within a five minute walk...not so shabby. Lol &#55358;&#56694; Freezing up here though. Sleep by a heater every night....in JUNE!!!
> ...


That is funny- it snowed the first day I got here too. I was standing there thinking- what the H am I doing up here????? I think it was eighty back home.


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

alanr77 said:


> That is funny- it snowed the first day I got here too. I was standing there thinking- what the H am I doing up here????? I think it was eighty back home.


Oh bah&#8230; Muskegon is way south compared to where I used to sail. Heck, it's way south compared to where I currently sail :ship-captain:.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

snow???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????


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## roverhi (Dec 19, 2013)

We sold our Triplex before embarking on the adventure. Keeping the unit would have given us a positive cash flow and the possibility of appreciation made it an attractive property to hang onto. The age of the house and especially the mechanicals, having little equity to add to the cruising kitty, management headaches, and that we had no intention of returning to even that side of the country dictated a sale. We moved to California to build the boat where we could have settled easily. A chance at a super deal came up on an acre lot that we could have moved the boat to, set up shop in the, literal brick **** house, garage and lived in the tear down house. Still kicking myself for not buying that property as we probably could have made enough money on the purchase to retire. It was probably a good decision though as we would have had to work for another year after finishing the boat to rebuild the cruising fund.

If you think you'd return to the area, the property is unique and hard to replicate, and doesn't 'eat', I'd hang on to it IF you can still cruise doing it. Delaying a cruise waiting for ideal times is a false idea. So many things can intervene that will dash your chances of cruising. For most people cruising isn't forever. You'll eventually be returning to terra firma so your decision needs to take that into account.


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## alanr77 (Jul 24, 2009)

MikeOReilly said:


> alanr77 said:
> 
> 
> > That is funny- it snowed the first day I got here too. I was standing there thinking- what the H am I doing up here????? I think it was eighty back home.
> ...


Lol ?


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

So the Realtor did the market analysis and I met with him today after he toured our house last week. He gave me some honest info on it and also gave a value that I would have guessed myself almost bang on. IF we did sell, including the commission cost and legal, we could indeed live for a year or two easily on the boat with, for where I live, a nice leftover nestegg to re-settle. My problem now is time by the looks of it. I thought maybe we could shoot to sell by August and be on our way South in Sept. (Erie Canal -> New York by Octoberish then ICW South Oct\Nov to be in FLA latest December) but some more experienced people are thinking that's way too late. So now I have a choice, sell now and just do it, or wait til next year and then list and try to sell and be on our boat by June~. Real estate (with the winter factor) and boat season just doesn't line up well where I live it seems. Best time to sell a house is late summer early fall, which is when I need to be sailing south lol.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

I left from the Boston area and got to St Augustine FL before Thanksgiving and didn't push it at all. I did start jumping out of the ICW at SC and GA


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## Andy Todd (Dec 2, 2018)

Guyfromthenorth... The economic decision is simple (a financial advisor won't tell you this and it's not in an accountants training).

Say the average individual has an investment life cycle of 35 years. In every 35 year period since the beginning of the 20th century the annualized returns from the major asset classes have been (rounding up the numbers):

Property 2%
Bonds 4%
Equities 6%

This is +or- a tiny 3% variation and they're all tightly correlated. This means that unless you need a house to live in you should not invest in property.

Our experience.... We bought a conservatively priced boat and put as much money as we could in a balanced global tracker fund. We manage this through a dealing only online broker. We buy as much as we can on a credit card. Once a month we get the card bill (about £2000 in English money). Before the payment's due we sell the required number of fund units to cover the bill and transfer the money into our bank account from which the card payment is taken. Search for 'low cost global trackers'

Now to be honest we still have the house, but that's because there's an issue with Brexit. But in the time we've been away the fund has made over 10% (annual). The house, rent plus capital gain would have made less than 5%.


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## roverhi (Dec 19, 2013)

Andy Todd said:


> Guyfromthenorth... The economic decision is simple (a financial advisor won't tell you this and it's not in an accountants training).
> 
> Say the average individual has an investment life cycle of 35 years. In every 35 year period since the beginning of the 20th century the annualized returns from the major asset classes have been (rounding up the numbers):
> 
> ...


Think your returns are low on Realestate at least by a factor of 5 as far as my family is concerned. Know things are cheap un almost any first world country and appreciation has been pretty healthy though not in a straight line and sometimes down but overall up. We've managed well over 10% and that seems to be the case for most of our extended family. Maybe owning property on the Left Coast of the US has something to do with a much better return than your figures.

As far as leaving from the frozen north for warmer climes, as long as you leave before it regularly freezes you should be fine. When I was living aboard in Norfolk boats were still heading south in December and really didn't start streaming south till late September/October. Seem to remember lower Chesapeake didn't get really cold till after Christmas. Even in the depths of winter temps were mostly above 40 degrees and it gets warmer the further south you go. Leaving from the Chesapeake, you can be in Miami in two weeks or less on the outside. You have to stay in close to shore to stay out of the Gulf Stream and keep an eye on the hurricanes but the sailing will be an easy reach. Biggest obstacle is getting around Cape Hatteras and you can do that on the inside. Highly recommend the Dismal Swamp Canal though it's been awhile since experiencing it. Wouldn't let an October departure deter me in the least if that's the earliest you can leave.


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## Andy Todd (Dec 2, 2018)

roverhi.... your family got lucky. And their case makes it an even more flawed decision to keep existing (not lived in) or be a new investor in property for rent. I.e. there are a small number of people that make a big return (often shouted about) offset by a large number of people that make a loss (and keep their mouths shut).

Also, know that property is very illiquid and more volatile than equities or bonds.

I can't give the OP more detail to make the right decision if he wants it??


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## JimsCAL (May 23, 2007)

Since you are going down the ICW, I don't think your are planning that a departure. The only offshore stretch is the NJ shore. Might have to wait for a weather window to do that. Once in the Chessie you have lots of places to wait out bad weather. Selling the house is the big question mark. Could happen quickly or take many months. Worst case it takes some time and its too late to leave. So you rent and prepare for leaving next year.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Why not cruise the heck out of the Great Lakes this summer, live ashore for the winter and grab an odd job to top the cruising kitty up a bit. If you’re still interested in your plan, over the winter, list the house and sell early next season. 

For whatever it’s worth, I agree with the pin to above that house are generally not great investments over the long term. Lots of folks hit a good short term appreciation cycle and shout it from the roof top. However, if you factor in real estate taxes, debt costs, repairs and all the discretionary spending one would never make on a smaller rental, it usually reduces the real return dramatically. 

What home ownership does best is force savings, by eventually paying off a mortgage and owning free and clear. Unfortunately, it’s all too common now for folks to leverage that asset (borrow against it) until the day they die.


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

I agree that most people have too much of their net worth in their house. Houses are an OK investment, but there are a lot of issues that make them less than ideal for your biggest investment.

In the US there are tax incentives that distort the market and make home ownership a better investment, of course. We're paying off our house aggressively and have a 2.875% fixed mortgage. When I did my taxes this year the tax preparer complained that we aren't paying enough interest...


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

Thanks again everyone, my wife and I talked over the last week about what we are going to do. We realize the internet is full of naysayers and dreamers, but also some realists in between. I've ordered all the charts and guide books, I spent this past weekend doing nothing but engine work to prep for alot of motoring, and I just reached out to the realtor with some interested buyers. If we can sell and be floating away by late august we are going for it.

We are in a VERY lucky position real estate wise. We purchased in 2007 when the market here was low. We bought premium waterfront property with a house that was built in 2001. I did the math on what the house is worth (not what the asking price would be, but realistically what it will sell for), what we paid, all the cost of renos we put in (sauna, drilled well, bathroom, deck, roof, dock, hvac, etc etc etc) and even after subtracting all our costs we are looking at a 66% return on our investment. The reason for that is because we live very rural and there wasn't much work here in 2007, however in the last 2 years a very productive gold mine has opened up and there is not a house available to rent, let alone premium waterfront to buy, so I've got a very strong window to sell and make alot of money for my pocket and cruising books.

Let's see what happens. If it ends up being 2020 so be it, but I'd love to rip this off like a bandaid and go now, my wife too. :ship-captain:


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

Minnesail said:


> When I did my taxes this year the tax preparer complained that we aren't paying enough interest...


Get rid of him then as he doesn't understand the differences between taxes, a tax deduction, and an income deduction.


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## roverhi (Dec 19, 2013)

Sounds like the best decision. Hopefully the market will get you on the way. If not, break out the down parkas and leave in the spring.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Minnesail said:


> ......When I did my taxes this year the tax preparer complained that we aren't paying enough interest...


Any accountant that recommends one spend a dollar in interest to save 30-40 cents of it in taxes is a moron.

If you had less of a deduction one year over the last, because you spent less in interest, it may explain your tax bill, but you're still ahead of the game.


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## outbound (Dec 3, 2012)

We’re at the other end of the spectrum. No longer have an income stream from employment of either of us. So the calculus shifts to cost of living v. income from investments. 
That being the case today wake up for the first time in our new home. It’s carrying costs are taxes, insurance, security monitoring and town water bill. No other utility bills as HERS rating is so low and solar production offsets costs of running geothermal pumps (in fact generates a small profit ). Only outstanding debt is boat mortgage which we would pay off depending upon market performance. 
House came in real handy this year. Wife broke her foot and I needed surgery to control a wound infection mishandled in Grenada. 
People forget having a paid off house with low carrying costs permits a certain freedom. Have several cruising couple friends who have had difficulties from being boat only. One from when the lady needed hip surgery and neither of their kids could put them up due to what was going on in their lives. Another gave up the full time cruising life when they couldn’t supply the educational support (OT, dyslexia, ADD meds) for a kid. They went the 6 month/6 month routine. 
The discussion here has been in the main about real estate as a income stream or asset. Just want to point out for some it allows freedom and security. Sail 1/2 the year. Ski or travel the other 1/2. Know if you’re injured or just need a break from there’s a place to rest and recoup. Would suggest for some it makes sense to have a home just sitting passively awaiting use at your pleasure or need. For three year now either due to our needs/desires or those of family we have come back for breaks varying from a few days up up several months. Glad to have a house to fall back on. Close friends have a similar setup using a long term lease on a condo. It’s not about ownership. It’s about your needs and responsibilities.


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## MikeOReilly (Apr 12, 2010)

We currently have no land home, but I can certainly see the day when we acquire one. Except in my case it will be closer to a cheap trailer in a trailer park, or perhaps a shack in some remote area. 

We already cruise for about 1/2 the year. So far we’ve either motorcycled south or (for the last three years) house sit. Right now I’d love to get a small RV, probably a camper van size thing, and use that as our mobile land home. But a fixed land home certainly is possible in our medium/longer term plans.


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## Minnesail (Feb 19, 2013)

Minnesail said:


> When I did my taxes this year the tax preparer complained that we aren't paying enough interest...





Don0190 said:


> Get rid of him then as he doesn't understand the differences between taxes, a tax deduction, and an income deduction.


I'm sorry, sarcasm doesn't come through on the internet. The tax preparer was joking, comparing us to most of his clients who have a lot more mortgage interest.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

I don't know why there seems a little bit of "competition" in answering the original question. Whether did/didn't and how they did/didn't get rid of their stuff was only right for them at that time.


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

In for a penny in for a pound. There's an accepted offer on our property, we've already been selling our belongings, I've submitted a 1 year unpaid leave request from work, and the boat is prepped. Closing date on the house is Aug 30th and that weekend I'll point Firefly south on Lake Huron and shoot for making Buffalo by Sept 12th so I can unstep the mast and start the canals by the 16th (we have a wedding to attend on the 14th).

One year for the ICW\Bahamas and back. Crossing my fingers all goes well! I'm sure I'll start a fresh thread on that at some point.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

All fine except this:



Guyfromthenorth said:


> ... and back.


Good luck :grin


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## CrispyCringle (Jul 30, 2017)

Sounds awesome! Have fun, have good winds. And start a new thread when you get going and keep us posted on your adventures. It’s still a few years away for us, so I watch with envy.



.


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> All fine except this:
> 
> Good luck :grin


Tnx Mark. You're right because in theory we have cash for 3 years on budget....lol


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## alanr77 (Jul 24, 2009)

Guyfromthenorth said:


> In for a penny in for a pound. There's an accepted offer on our property, we've already been selling our belongings, I've submitted a 1 year unpaid leave request from work, and the boat is prepped. Closing date on the house is Aug 30th and that weekend I'll point Firefly south on Lake Huron and shoot for making Buffalo by Sept 12th so I can unstep the mast and start the canals by the 16th (we have a wedding to attend on the 14th).
> 
> One year for the ICW\Bahamas and back. Crossing my fingers all goes well! I'm sure I'll start a fresh thread on that at some point.


I'm leaving Muskegon on Monday so I'll be a couple weeks ahead of you. Plan to explore S Man island a bit, hang out in Detroit and Cleveland for a minute but will clear the first lock by Sep 1-5 for sure. I'll be posting updates on lock issues/procedures ect. daily on my Instagram if you want a heads up as to what to expect. "Firefly", I'll keep an eye out for you between here and Florida.

Instagram name- Apparition.Ascendant


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## Guyfromthenorth (Jul 2, 2015)

alanr77 said:


> I'm leaving Muskegon on Monday so I'll be a couple weeks ahead of you. Plan to explore S Man island a bit, hang out in Detroit and Cleveland for a minute but will clear the first lock by Sep 1-5 for sure. I'll be posting updates on lock issues/procedures ect. daily on my Instagram if you want a heads up as to what to expect. "Firefly", I'll keep an eye out for you between here and Florida.
> 
> Instagram name- Apparition.Ascendant


Awesome! I'll look you up for sure 

If you're cruising S Manitoulin I'd recommend 2 spots. Great Duck Island (the only big island south of Mani). The north end has a beautiful beach with black striped sand and excellent holding. The East side between the main island and outer duck has shipwrecks in ~15ft of water you can free dive and a trail that walks to the Lighthouse\Ghost town on it's SW corner (less than 1mi walk on a trail). Burnt Harbor is great holding and protection as well and has a shipwreck in virtually no depth you can check out. My youtube channel is below and I've got footage of both these places.

I forgot to add in my original post we've begun selling out belongings a couple weeks back. So far we haven't sold big items like our car and pickup truck, but we are only a couple dollars short of making $12,000 in sales. We still have furniture to sell and some TV's so I'm putting a conservative estimate of about 18k-20k for our belongings (again minus vehicles).

EDIT: Corrected totals, forgot about another item I sold


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## snokid (Oct 25, 2016)

Congrats!
We are ahead of you.
sitting in catskills ny for about a month then i'm solo for another month.
Came down from Mackinaw city mi. The trip has been great so far.

Sold everything.... lol gave most of it away!
have 2 cars left and an apartment lined up (wife has to work sept and oct then she is free!)
anyone looking for a ford raptor? lol

For you people reading this in the future planning on sailing into the sunset... get rid of your crap(stuff) NOW! that by far has been the hardest part of becoming free! (as I type this on my computer that got a drip of water on the keyboard and now I have to use an on screen keyboard!)

Bob
Guppy


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

snokid said:


> Congrats!
> We are ahead of you.
> sitting in catskills ny for about a month then i'm solo for another month.
> Came down from Mackinaw city mi. The trip has been great so far......


I assume you're on the Hudson, south of the Erie Canal. Technically, it doesn't go through the Catskills, but I'm sure you can see them, if you're aboard. A bit further south, into the Hudson Highlands, is gorgeous. Our family's boat was there for a year, when I was a kid. It gets boring seeing the same old stuff on every cruise, but the first few times are truly spectacular. My Mother used to say to me and my siblings, this is the most beautiful river in the world. As a kid, that just caused an eye roll and I probably hadn't seen any others yet. She was right.

I think, somewhere in that stretch is the best place to be, until hurricane season ends. I'd say Sept and Oct are the months where most tropical impact has been felt in the Northeastern waters. Most often, thankfully, they've just been near misses, as the system turns east, before making landfall. However, the coastal seas become unpassable and winds ashore have seen 50kts. Of course, Sandy made landfall in late Oct.

Good luck on your respective passages.


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## snokid (Oct 25, 2016)

Im sure you know hop o nose thats where im at...

they stepped the mast. they had dock space so seemed like a good place to put a small pause on the trip.

cant leave for a few weeks.
skipper Bob and I don't agree on what a short walk is! lol got a folding electric bike on order!

new keyboard for the laptop is in soon I wont have to use this silly on screen keyboard much longer!

thank you



Minnewaska said:


> I assume you're on the Hudson, south of the Erie Canal. Technically, it doesn't go through the Catskills, but I'm sure you can see them, if you're aboard. A bit further south, into the Hudson Highlands, is gorgeous. Our family's boat was there for a year, when I was a kid. It gets boring seeing the same old stuff on every cruise, but the first few times are truly spectacular. My Mother used to say to me and my siblings, this is the most beautiful river in the world. As a kid, that just caused an eye roll and I probably hadn't seen any others yet. She was right.
> 
> I think, somewhere in that stretch is the best place to be, until hurricane season ends. I'd say Sept and Oct are the months where most tropical impact has been felt in the Northeastern waters. Most often, thankfully, they've just been near misses, as the system turns east, before making landfall. However, the coastal seas become unpassable and winds ashore have seen 50kts. Of course, Sandy made landfall in late Oct.
> 
> Good luck on your respective passages.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

snokid said:


> Im sure you know hop o nose thats where im at.......


I sure do. I had my mast stepped there many years ago, after transiting the canal. Truthfully, I met the boat there, as I could not get away for the canal transit. Big miss.

At the time, they didn't have anyone to properly tune the mast, so we motored back to RI.

You're going to enjoy the Hudson, as you head south. Gets much prettier, especially the stretch between the Newburg Beacon bridge and the Tappanzee bridge.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Minnewaska said:


> I sure do. I had my mast stepped there many years ago, after transiting the canal. Truthfully, I met the boat there, as I could not get away for the canal transit. Big miss.
> 
> At the time, they didn't have anyone to properly tune the mast, so we motored back to RI.
> 
> You're going to enjoy the Hudson, as you head south. Gets much prettier, especially the stretch between the Newburg Beacon bridge and the Tappanzee bridge.


I would think that if the rigging is tagged and the opening distance of the turnbuckles noted... the rig can be put together and the turnbuckles tightened back to the previous spacing/opening distance.

Every time I have unstepped my mast I have measured the turnbuckles with a micrometer, taken photos of each turnbuckle and recorded the measurements and dated the notes.

Head stay may be difficult because of the furler. In my case it is removed last and I believe they don't change the turnbuckle.

Selden has a good guide to how to tune masts.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

SanderO said:


> I would think that if the rigging is tagged and the opening distance of the turnbuckles noted... the rig can be put together and the turnbuckles tightened back to the previous spacing/opening distance..


That would certainly get one home safely enough, assuming it was tuned properly, before being disassembled.

This was the purchase delivery, so that was not certain. The delivery skipper did not mark them on the way out. Perhaps he should have, but there was quite an ordeal at the Buffalo end of the canal, which distracted everyone. The marina there was not being cooperative.

The three spreaders with independent shrouds and diagonals makes it more challenging too.


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## SanderO (Jul 12, 2007)

Minnewaska said:


> That would certainly get one home safely enough, assuming it was tuned properly, before being disassembled.
> 
> This was the purchase delivery, so that was not certain. The delivery skipper did not mark them on the way out. Perhaps he should have, but there was quite an ordeal at the Buffalo end of the canal, which distracted everyone. The marina there was not being cooperative.
> 
> The three spreaders with independent shrouds and diagonals makes it more challenging too.


For sure... but it's a good practice once tuned to record the settings. More spreaders does complicate tuning. But having a rigger tune the mast at dockside and then under sail is spendy too and more expensive then sending someone aloft with a smart phone camara and a micrometer


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Agreed, although, shrouds stretch, so it's not a permanent setting.


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## Sue (Aug 24, 2019)

From attending seminars at boat shows, we picked up the guidance to keep your home for the first year anyway to see how it goes. We plan to rent our home furnished for a year or more as we depart for Mexico next month. Fortunately our neighbor is interested in managing the property. However, I used thumbtack to search for property managers, and there are numerous options out there for various fees. We settled on a 6 percent fee when occupied. Good Luck!


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## mbianka (Sep 19, 2014)

Minnewaska said:


> I sure do. I had my mast stepped there many years ago, after transiting the canal. Truthfully, I met the boat there, as I could not get away for the canal transit. Big miss.
> 
> At the time, they didn't have anyone to properly tune the mast, so we motored back to RI.
> 
> You're going to enjoy the Hudson, as you head south. Gets much prettier, especially the stretch between the Newburg Beacon bridge and the Tappanzee bridge.


Took my boat up to Canada and back in 2004. Stepped the mast at Hop o Nose too. Boat has an unstayed mast so no issues with tuning. Loved the trip through the Erie and Oswego Canals would like to try it now with the Electric Propulsion I now have as opposed to the diesel I used back then. Had to dive several times in the darkest murky water I ever saw to clean the water intake of reeds after storms. Won't have that issue with EP. The Hudson River is always a nice cruise too.


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## mbianka (Sep 19, 2014)

snokid said:


> Im sure you know hop o nose thats where im at...
> 
> they stepped the mast. they had dock space so seemed like a good place to put a small pause on the trip.
> 
> cant leave for a few weeks.


I recommend anchoring under Hook Mountain just north of Nyack on the west side of the Hudson River. A good anchorage with great holding. If you happen to be their in late October it's a bonus as the sides of the mountain are awash in fall colors: https://biankablog.blogspot.com/2012/12/destination-hook-mountain.html


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