# Back Again, with bigger dreams



## jpbronco (Aug 5, 2017)

We sailed the Chesapeake Bay for a few years before the kids overwelmed our lives. Now that the last one is going off to college soon, we are back in. Starting slow on friend's boat, but loving the idea of cruising more long term.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Hey Mom, Dad! I'm home from my first day of college!

Mom? 

Dad? 

Where's the fricken furniture? 

Mooooooooom???


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

Good luck. Kids college was the second most expensive thing we ever paid for, after our house. Still have not recovered, but there is a window where you are still young enough to travel, and maybe at least have the time now and no reason to rush home anymore so why not sail?


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Some gags take a while to work.
I posted a day ago but it's just the last few hours that I got a few laughs.

Probably Sal's input.

😁😁😁


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> Some gags take a while to work.
> I posted a day ago but it's just the last few hours that I got a few laughs.
> 
> Probably Sal's input.
> ...


Mark that is why they always have one comedian warm up the crowd for another.


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> Hey Mom, Dad! I'm home from my first day of college!
> 
> Mom?
> 
> ...


It's more like:

Mom, Dad, I'm back and done with college. Is my room picked up and ready. Did you put clean sheets on my bed? What's for dinner?


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

More like, Mom here's my bag of laundry, what's for dinner? Dad, can I borrow the cars keys? A C note would be nice too.. My Grades? No worries..I'm 200K in debt with student loans with an art history degree..would really like to go to the local Uni for grad school..can I live with you guys until I'm 35...BTW..my girlfriends pregnant..seems they didn't fund planned parenthood for the last six months..should I get snipped on the ACA while I can?


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## Don L (Aug 8, 2008)

aeventyr60 said:


> More like, Mom here's my bag of laundry, what's for dinner? Dad, can I borrow the cars keys? A C note would be nice too.. My Grades? No worries..I'm 200K in debt with student loans with an art history degree..would really like to go to the local Uni for grad school..can I live with you guys until I'm 35...BTW..my girlfriends pregnant..seems they didn't fund planned parenthood for the last six months..should I get snipped on the ACA while I can?


I like my kids better than yours. :devil Thanks for putting into a more positive light.


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

I have one more round of flight school for my youngest, multi engine rating, and possibly multi engine instructor. 

Then I just have to pay off the debt I acquired putting all 3 through school. 
So far my 21 year old has been living at home and has gotten about 350 flight hours, and 
Private pilot
Instrument
Commercial
Commercial Seaplane
Tail dragger and complex endorsements
Certified Flight Instructor - Instrument.

He's making a little money as an instructor, but not that much and he is looking at a gig part time as a copilot in a King Air, and then a regional airline. At that point I can then ditch this little Catalina 22 for a 34 footer. But for right now, this cheap boat will have to do for me.... better than telling the kid to put his career on hold.


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

Sal Paradise said:


> I have one more round of flight school for my youngest, multi engine rating, and possibly multi engine instructor.


Let him build some flight time and instructor time before getting his next ratings. It will go easier and be cheaper. He won't be able to log the King Air time legally either way.

I imagine you've spent a 34 footer's purchase price on his current ratings already.


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## paulinnanaimo (Dec 3, 2016)

Hey Sal, I'm not convinced that spending large amounts of money on a bigger boat is as much fun as it is made out to be.


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

jephotog said:


> Let him build some flight time and instructor time before getting his next ratings. It will go easier and be cheaper. He won't be able to log the King Air time legally either way.
> 
> I imagine you've spent a 34 footer's purchase price on his current ratings already.


That's a good idea. You are a pilot I assume? And you are right, I think he said something that the KA is a one man crew and so unless he has the MI rating, he can't log it.If he was a MI, then he could technically? It all gets confusing to me, I'm not a pilot. I think the owner of the KA gets an insurance break for a second qualified pilot on board. The kid is working at the airport so he has a lot of contacts there. There is also a skydiving school there and he has a verbal invite to do some co pilot time this summer ( not sure of the type, some twin ) but he has to wear a chute too. His main thing is instructing in a 172.

For the price of all 3 kids training, I could have bought a beautiful used Lagoon 40 Catamaran. Maybe a new one. Instead I have a $2000 boat that I pull start the engine, but that's okay for now.


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

paulinnanaimo said:


> Hey Sal, I'm not convinced that spending large amounts of money on a bigger boat is as much fun as it is made out to be.


Hey Paul, care to elaborate? Speaking from personal experience??


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## jephotog (Feb 25, 2002)

Sal Paradise said:


> That's a good idea. You are a pilot I assume?
> 
> For the price of all 3 kids training, I could have bought a beautiful used Lagoon 40 Catamaran. Maybe a new one. Instead I have a $2000 boat that I pull start the engine, but that's okay for now.


Yes, and a former flight school owner. I will contact you online so not to drag the rest of this thread down an aviation hole.

I started flying in 2000 for the worst decade in aviation. I started in my 30s and spent money I had saved for a sailboat on an aviation career with great promise to see the career opportunities drop away for a decade. I often thought of the boat I could have had and the sailing adventures I would have taken.


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## paulinnanaimo (Dec 3, 2016)

I think big boats are beautiful and I sometimes I envy the owners. We all know the advantages. But you don't need a big boat to enjoy sailing and for many sailors, us included, it can be hard to justify the large investment when we spend about 50 to 60 days a year on the water. There are many reasons for owning a bigger boat, I just don't think that 'because it's bigger' is a very good one. I am not suggesting this fits you Sal, I don't have any idea what your intentions are.


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## jtsailjt (Aug 1, 2013)

Sal Paradise said:


> I have one more round of flight school for my youngest, multi engine rating, and possibly multi engine instructor.
> 
> Then I just have to pay off the debt I acquired putting all 3 through school.
> So far my 21 year old has been living at home and has gotten about 350 flight hours, and
> ...


Your kid has excellent timing because right now is about the best time ever to be getting into commercial aviation. Commuter/regional airlines used to make new hires pay for their own training and would deduct it from their extremely meager paychecks until paid off, and now they are starting to increase pay and of course once you're hired you get paid while at training and there's not even any talk of deducting it from your pay. But even with recent increases, commuter airlines still are paying too little and as a result they can't keep pilots around because the majors are hiring them all away as soon as they have adequate experience. And the pay and benefits have increased a lot since about ten years ago when everybody went through bankruptcy. The last bit of good news for him is there's a WHOLE bunch of old farts like me who will be forced (I'd go anyway) to retire in the next few years so the majors will be competing with each other to hire qualified young pilots and the best way to compete is to increase pay and working conditions so they will do that. I've been in the industry for 32 years and have seen quite a few ups and downs, but your boy has come along at just the right time for the supply and demand curve and he will do very well. Even if airline managers collectively all lose their brains like they did from 30-10 years ago, supply and demand, along with ever increasing demand for more flights will dictate that qualified pilots will be able to negotiate even better working conditions than we have now and more pay as well. All that money you spent on his flight hours will very soon become a VERY good investment. All he has to do is to keep his criminal record clean (anything more than 2 beers and you UBER home, and immediately RUN away when you even suspect that somebody there might possess or be using some illegal drugs) and he's in for a very fun and rewarding career! Good luck to him.


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## Sal Paradise (Sep 14, 2012)

Thanks. Sorry to hijack. 

In a way, I'm in a similar position to the OP, or will be. There is a short time after the kids graduation, and before your own old age. The age of adventure!


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