# annual cost of crusing Carib 2012?



## HAWESEMOTO (Nov 27, 2012)

Hello My wife and I are getting ready to cruise to the Bahamas in 93 Morgan Catalina 381cc . Spring of 2013 . We are selling our house storing memories and moving aboard. We are just guessing about the annual costs and wondering how long our money will last.We are just beginning our retirement at 55 are healthy and have about $800,000 to go through? My wife wants to retain the capital and live off the interest. any help undertstanding true costs would be appreciated.\

Apprehensive in Canada.
Thanks.


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## lajimo (Sep 5, 2011)

Recent book "a sail of two idiots" may be worth your while. Can get at practical sailor. The book tracks a couple who recently spent about three years doing the Carib as cruisers/liveaboards. Lots of good info on costs. I seem to remember them running through a total of $50k/year.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

The answer is enormously variable. There are cruisers that live without refrigeration on 25ft makeshift boats and I know of one that did so on a 60ft Gunboat catamaran with absolutely every luxury.

As general rule, $50k per year would be a nice budget, assuming none is taken up by a mortgage and its all cruising money. However, no way you can count on making $50k per year on $800k in this economy. If you start stealing principal early, it makes it even more difficult to catch up later.

Still, you have a nice nest egg.

Do your own budget.

Food
Clothing
Boat insurance (research this to be sure you can get it at all)
Medical insurance
Boat maintenance (you will be hard on her, so plan more than current experience)
Foreign country immigration fees (research here http://www.noonsite.com)
Travel home costs (most fly home for a holiday or respite)
Entertainment
Communication (email, cell phones, whatever)

If you are going to do this for an extend period, expect to budget upgrades in laptops, chartplotters, whatever. Can you imagine still sailing with the same stuff you had 15 years ago?

Best of luck....... Enjoy the cruise.


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## HAWESEMOTO (Nov 27, 2012)

Ok maybe not as clear as I could have been. I am looking for cost estimates to govern ourselves. ie $100.00 per day not including repair . Cost of Living recent experiences.


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## Bartasaurus (May 7, 2012)

HAWESEMOTO said:


> Ok maybe not as clear as I could have been. I am looking for cost estimates to govern ourselves. ie $100.00 per day not including repair . Cost of Living recent experiences.




```
www .bumfuzzle. com
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These folks sailed around the world over the course of about four years. Their blog is a good read of how a couple with virtually no experience got things done and learned along the way. Quick look at their site shoes they have a book for sale. Also, here is their monthly budget from the round the world sail:


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www .bumfuzzle. com/Pages/Main%20Pages/Cost.php
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A lot of reading (I'm only about 8 months into their first year) but it's a great read.

Note: You'll have to copy and paste the links and reassemble them, I only have a couple posts on sailnet so I can't post clickable links yet.


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## HAWESEMOTO (Nov 27, 2012)

I know I have heard it before " just go!"


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

HAWESEMOTO said:


> Ok maybe not as clear as I could have been. I am looking for cost estimates to govern ourselves. ie $100.00 per day not including repair . Cost of Living recent experiences.


$100 per day incl cost of repair is on the upper median for cruisers.

Some other forum did a good poll a while ago and the figures were aprox average was $20,000 pa
I think 16% were about $30,000 or more.

So $100 per day is good.

It gives some marina time, some rent a car, some restaurants, some inland travel, very few trips home by plane etc.

The biggest factors for Americans are all insurances. You guys love expensive insurance and some couples I know are $10,000 pa incl boat and health... That's a fair bit.
Medical in the Caribbean is cheap, compared. I don't have medical insurance, and only liability on the boat.


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## HAWESEMOTO (Nov 27, 2012)

WOW Thank you Bart. Just what I was looking for!


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## HAWESEMOTO (Nov 27, 2012)

Thanks all it does give me some confidence. Beer , rum and wine being a major expence.


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## killarney_sailor (May 4, 2006)

As was pointed out, it can vary enormously. We did it for about $1500 a month a few years ago on a 45' with full boat insurance and no health insurance (we are Canadians and paid as we go in the Caribbean and could fly home for major things. A lot depends on what you are after in terms of lifestyle - do you want expensive restaurants, visits to marinas (there aren't that many in any case). Can you do your own repairs of most things.

One good thing is that you have a large amount of capital if you need it - for example if you needed a major engine repair or a new piece of gear. Many folks have a monthly budget that is adequate but nothing in reserve and that would worry me.


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## maru657 (Aug 4, 2007)

Costs variables, wow, that's big. I've had friends who managed on as little as 300/month average.


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

Honestly, not to be rude, but why don't you get an annuity from an aaa rated institution?
Return from your 800g's would be about $5000.00 a month for the rest of your life!. Deposit 2g's a month and there's your $100.00 a day left, with a really nice emergency kitty.
But, as to your question; if you can do most of your own maintenance and minor repairs you'll be thousands ahead. The type of boat you pick will determine your expenses in that area. Air conditioning, watermakers, washer/dryer/, refrigeration, engine and generators, etc. all require regular maintenance.
Cost of living expenses will directly relate to your life style. If you want to eat steak and exorbitant specialty items, it'll cost you plenty down here. If you eat as the locals do, obviously it's pretty reasonable. If you eat in fancy 4 star restaurants versus local eateries; you get the idea. 
On $100.00 a day you will be some of the richer cruisers; many survive very well on a quarter of that or less (see the $500.00 a month cruiser posts). We like to travel on the local buses; we meet the locals and see things and places not on a high priced taxi tour, though we do those, too, from time to time. 
You can pretty much live as you choose with that kind of money, so it boils down to how adventurous your adventure will be.
Have a great time and Nikki and I will buy y'all a brew when we meet.


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## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

It's all about attitude and how bad you want it.

Rice costs about 1$us/pound.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

Restaurants in the Caribbean can be more expensive than home.

I bumped into the prices of a place in Grenada that cruises go... This is a very average pub style place with a band on Fridays, 5/10 pizzas and I would prefer Maccas for burgers.... But look at the prices!

Sandwiches and wraps
(All served with a choice of french-fries or traditional chips, garden fresh vegeta- bles or garden salad)
#1 Beef burger $25
Six ounces of freshly ground beef made with our secret mix of black pepper, rock salt and local herbs. Served open on a fresh, soft bap with
crisp lettuce, tomato, onion rings, dill pickles and a choice of toppings.
#1 Fish burger $25
Six ounces of freshly ground fish made with our secret mix of black pepper, rock salt and local herbs. Served open on a fresh, soft bap with crisp lettuce, tomato, onion rings, dill pickles and a choice of toppings.
B.L.T. Sandwich $20
Crispy fried bacon, fresh tomatoes and lettuce served between two layers of perfectly toasted bread
Club sandwich $28
Triple decker, brimming with chicken, bacon and salad.
Vegetable wrap $18
Warm wrap packed with freshly cooked garden vegetables. Chicken add $8
Prickly Bay Marina > Restaurant-Bar

In the USA you are getting a pretty good restaurant for those sort of dollars.
That's in Grenada, not St Barths!


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## Irideon (Dec 9, 2012)

If ou intend to sail away and never work again and 800k is all you have, no social security benefits to look forward to, no health insurance especialy, I would say it is not enough to live on for two 55 year old people until ...maybe 85? That is a total of 60 man years. As a nurse I see daily what happens to seniors that did not plan for their old age. Contrary to what people say...it is very rare for someone to live to an old age and not need some kind of health insurance. We all need it unless we die first. 

800 K is not alot of money these days. Figure for a couple making $25 an hour each(before taxes), that is roughly 8 years wages? To last 30 years for two people that is something like 
13K a year each? 

Someone posted about investing first and living off the returns. That is a great idea... possibly.


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## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

Cruising costs is a popular and controversial topic. The best answer I've seen so far is that cruising costs whatever you have. That may be an oversimplification, but it drives home the point that you can make it work with whatever you have if you want it bad enough.

I just blogged about cruising costs and included some real world examples from some well-known and experienced cruisers. Check it out here: What does it Cost to go Cruising?


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## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

It really does vary all over the place.

It is like asking how much it costs to live in a house in the Carib in 2012.

Depends!

If your wife is trying to complete her "Diamonds of the Carib" jewelry collection, probably quite a bit!


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## daydream sailor (Mar 12, 2012)

In the caribbean the people there see foreign tourist as a shaky moeny tree, and those with sailboats and big super yacht as trees with the money falling off even when i go home the prices goes up when they look at u ,stay away from those restaurants where the waiters are well dressed,eat at a local little place,when you go to the markets listen for the item price the vender give to the locals and don't pay no more than that, pretend you're not really interested in buying the price will drop right there, there are hustlers everywhere wanting to make you a deal,pretend you dont care and just brush them off because if you seemed a little bit interested you'll be hooked,pretend to be broke at all times, pinch. pinch. pinch. be a scrooge, u'll be amazed how cheap u can buy stuff,and cook your own meals,catch fish ,buy dried or salted goods,they are safer than fresh meat at the stalls at the markets, minims your wants of needless items and you'll do just fine.


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

Once you have the boat, no house, no mortgage, no one to support, and especially no debt, the only variables would be unexpected repairs. You're independent and free. That sounds un-
American! You can budget within a few bucks what the other expenses will be: Normal boat maintenance (figure everything, from bottom paint to depreciation on stuff like engine and sails), food, entertainment, fuel, dockage/mooring fees, insurances, misc. This establishes a baseline that you can deviate from. If you plan your movements well, the prices of things are very predictable with all the info. now available. You can avoid the $25 burgers by just not going there. Without a good budget, costs could really get out of hand but doing one ahead of time can really give you the confidence to do it. Open a new Excel spreadsheet and lay it ALL out, month by month, a couple of years into the future. In reality 800k should yield a reliable and fairly safe 5%. That's 40k/yr. Plenty unless you go for the $25 burger every night.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

smurphny said:


> ....In reality 800k should yield a reliable and fairly safe 5%. That's 40k/yr.


What fairly safe investment yields 5% these days, not to mention after taxes?


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

You're right Minne. "Fairly safe" ain't what it used to be but with a good mix of the safest dividend/distribution stocks, 5% should be doable. You would have to actively manage it. There's no such thing as just depositing into a mutual fund anymore and getting 5-10%.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Yup, no more free lunch. Most dividend/income funds are yielding 3-4%, which is consider outrageously better than the 1-2% you might get in short term bonds.

The problem is, even the pros pick a loser in the group. Someone stops paying their dividend or cuts it and the price of their stock tanks too. Now you have a lot of ground to make up. 

I think an honest fairly safe taxable yield expectation these days is 3% less your income tax bracket. Sad but true.


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

A good mix of solid oil div and distribution stocks/trusts are pretty safe as long as you can stomach the fluctuations in share price. As long as they keep paying out. Many have very reliable, long term histories. That, with some strong REIT stocks, some paying>10% would form a good basis for >5% yields. But there really is no such thing as safe. You have to do the homework.


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## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

I don't think investors have anywhere left to run.


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## smurphny (Feb 20, 2009)

You can still do your due diligence and invest in good companies but stock price has less correlation to the value of the company because of high speed trading, naked shorting, and the casino nature of the market. It's less about companies now, and more about technical analysis/computer algorithms and the next thirty seconds. This is why individual investors have pretty much thrown in the towel. The market is rigged and they know it.


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## Minnewaska (Feb 21, 2010)

Maybe not rigged, but definitely not trading on fundamental value. It's essentially become an enormous day trading system.


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## ehmanta (Sep 12, 2006)

MarkofSeaLife said:


> Restaurants in the Caribbean can be more expensive than home.
> 
> I bumped into the prices of a place in Grenada that cruises go... This is a very average pub style place with a band on Fridays, 5/10 pizzas and I would prefer Maccas for burgers.... But look at the prices!
> 
> ...


These prices are EC (Eastern Caribbean). The exchange rate is .38 US to 1 EC dollar. so these prices are more reasonable than first appearances.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

ehmanta said:


> These prices are EC (Eastern Caribbean). The exchange rate is .38 US to 1 EC dollar. so these prices are more reasonable than first appearances.


My senility must be on the attack. Sorry for the misinformation.


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