# I lost my job... so I'm going sailing



## mussnot (Mar 12, 2009)

When I read posts touting six figure sums for the cruising kitty it gives me the shivers!
Perhaps if I can count the zeros after the decimal point?

As I am about to be unemployed, I'm a little more interested in how or if it can be done with virtually nothing in the kitty...

Having enjoyed sailing my little gaff rigged cutter around Europe over the last few years... see: A Yarmouth23 Sailing Blog - "Eileen of Avoca" - The journal of a small sailing yacht.
I'm off to give it a try full time from June. I'll let you know if it's a success.

Cheers!


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Welcome to Sailnet muss! And fair winds, dude. I think you're handling a lay off just about as well as it can be handled!

I'll let the other experienced cruisers give you the low down on the kitty.


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## eherlihy (Jan 2, 2007)

Let me also chime in to welcome you here Muss.

I was laid off in November, so you me and 5.3 million other Americans are all looking for a job. Unfortunately, I am *still* without a boat, and the admiral is not ready to put to sea. Otherwise, I would be there with you!. (With two kids in college, however, I thank God that she has a regular paycheck.) 

I hope to live vicariously through your adventures. Keep us posted!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

mussnot said:


> When I read posts touting six figure sums for the cruising kitty it gives me the shivers!
> Perhaps if I can count the zeros after the decimal point?
> 
> As I am about to be unemployed, I'm a little more interested in how or if it can be done with virtually nothing in the kitty...
> ...


Please keep the updates coming! Has to be the best unemployment option I've ever heard of!

Mark


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

*Become a miser . . .*

Be frugal with *everything* you do.

Save your electricity, don't run anything unless you must (even nav lights  ). Don't run instruments or gear you don't need at the time.
Save your water, don't use any fresh unless you must (definitely don't flush the head with it  ).
Save your fuel, don't run your engine unless you have to. Sail even if it's at 2 knots.
Eat ALL the fish you catch even if it means eating the same meal 3 days in a row. 
Take your sails down in a storm, don't risk damage.
Scrub the bottom by hand regularly if it needs it.
Row the dink ashore unless you really need an outboard to run (far, wind, current).
Convert you gas barbie. Burn driftwood, not bought fuel. Cook on it often, it's free.
Buy rechargable batteries and a cheap solar charger (AA, AAA, etc).
Buy *lots* when you find bargains, especially groceries. Learn to enjoy pasta if you don't already.
When you bake your own bread do as many loaves as you can manage at one time (costs money to heat the oven from cold).
Take only what you will consume when you visit other boats (but try not to be a mooch  ). Don't be embarrased to take your "excess" stuff home again.
Try and charge strangers for knowledge/assistance/labour. Let them know up front.
Have boat clothes and shore clothes, don't wear out your good stuff while you're at sea.
Don't pay Baksheesh (bribes) to anyone. Let them know up front too. If they won't help you without a bribe, find someone else.
Trade if you can, don't always just buy.
If you can get into the saving habit, you will be amazed at how much you can get away with as far as cost-of-living expenses go.

Most important, lower your standard. Don't expect the things you have become accustomed to ashore. They'll just cost you lots of money.


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Mussnot...great site....stick around and let us know how it goes...we'll all be cheering you on. What I really love about it is the different perspective it puts on cruising.


Omatako.......good post mate. You have a habit of posting good stuff....smart arse.....


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## kwaltersmi (Aug 14, 2006)

Way to make lemonade when life hands you lemons, Mussnot! So long as your boat is paid for, you'll be able to make it. It's all about trade-offs and standard of living, and enjoying non-monetary income.


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## imagine2frolic (Aug 7, 2008)

I have gone 2 times....one with money, and one without. The sunsets are just as beautiful. The sailing just as exhilarating. The accomplishments just as rewarding. It is truly surprisong how little you can get by with......BEST WISHES in sailing mile after mile.....i2f


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## WanderingStar (Nov 12, 2008)

Read "Voyaging on a Small Income" by Annie Hill. They've been at it for years.
Best wishes, have fun.


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## Valiente (Jun 16, 2006)

Good thoughts here. 

We will be able to afford stuff, but will live as much as possible as Omatako indicates. Why? Well, my parents are both dead, and they left me money they should've spent on amusing themselves, not tacking a couple of years onto my trip (it's not a big amount, but it was certainly a couple of cruises or five round-trips to Europe, for instance). So money saved, or more to the point, not spent, gives the option to extend cruising or to have little extras outside of the budget.

Money's purpose isn't to buy you things, it's to buy you time away from making money...


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

All depends on what you want to do, and how you want to do it. You can live big, or frugal. Plan to take off a year, or ten. Six figures put aside will generate enough income to pay for cruising expenses, but that's no different from saying you want to put it aside to pay for retirement, or anything else.

The only way to make sure you won't get in trouble, is to run up some numbers for what you want to do, see what the expenses will be, and then see how your kitty can or can't match that versus your long term plans.

The math boggles a lot of folks, but if you get the raw numbers together, any financial planner or accountant can run them for you. Sun Office (similar to MS Excel but freeware) or any other spreadsheet software can do the grunt work, and your local library has DVDs on how to use that, if you're not familiar with it.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

"Money's purpose isn't to buy you things, it's to buy you time away from making money..."

Better words have never been said......


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## sailhagg (Feb 19, 2007)

You're doing what I've been thinking about! I read an interesting book written by a cruiser with information on making money while cruising, something he's done for years. Here's a link if your interested.

How to support cruising on your sailboat

Keep us up to date as you can. I'll be following along leaving drool in my wake.


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## mussnot (Mar 12, 2009)

Wow… Thanks for taking the time for providing the excellent suggestions and links. Omatakos’ 16 commandments for the frugal sailor will certainly be followed ardently! 
Fortunately I own my well equipped little boat so I’m off to a good start (I have somewhere to live). 
Rent is paid ‘till the end of May which leaves me just enough time to sell my furniture, my car and the other trappings of my current life, (all of which goes to the kitty) and then I weigh anchor.
Perhaps I’m foolishly optimistic but I’m looking forward to it. As i2f says “The sunsets are just as beautiful” without money.
Touche!


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## Winderlust (Jan 26, 2009)

Must,

You got me thinking: if one can go off cruising and make it, after losing their job, then why am I still in a job and not cruising? Then I remembered, I don't have a boat. You are way ahead of me man. From your website, I can tell you have real potential in your new endeavor. Good luck.


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

sailhagg said:


> You're doing what I've been thinking about! I read an interesting book written by a cruiser with information on making money while cruising, something he's done for years. Here's a link if your interested.
> 
> How to support cruising on your sailboat
> 
> Keep us up to date as you can. I'll be following along leaving drool in my wake.


I read the book review and one thing rang a little alarm bell. There is mention made "Who would have thought of treasure hunting?"

If you take a metal detector onto the beach in most counries you'll attract the attention of the authorities, if you find some other guy's Rolex that's probably OK for you to keep/sell/trade it.

But if you find "treasure" and try to keep it, you'll find most places will have strict covenants on treasure and you'll end up falling foul of some draconian laws if you try to keep it.

A "for instance" was a guy I met in Seychelles who had a metal detector and who was a serious treasure hunter, was forbidden to even take the metal detector off his boat. When the customs guys went aboard his boat upon his arrival, they gave him a very stern warning. This is not uncommon.

And it's no different with diving for "treasure". If you find stuff, it is not yours, don't just take it. You could end up in jail.


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## kjango (Apr 18, 2008)

Welcome to Sailnet Mussnot . Last year I was in such a knot over getting robbed at the end of a 14 month marriage & the court making awards of amounts of money based on things that never existed in the 1st place that I took the last of what I had worked for all my life , bought a sailboat , & disappeared . If I could kiss that shoe clerk of a judge on the lips .....I would . This has turned out so well for me . I'm right at the end of my first winter living aboard , I'm pretty poor but don't hardly have the words to describe how happy I am . I guess I'm Skipjack happy . My point is if you want to do something....maybe the thing to do is just do it & pick it apart as you go . My life now is a whole tapastry of new smells , sounds , & sights . I now have swans & osprey for friends & sleep every night like a baby & just considering the prospects of my new life makes me smile . I hope you look back at some point as the day you lost your job as the best thing that ever happened to you . Good luck


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## shawmac (Dec 10, 2007)

Omatako said:


> [*]Try and charge strangers for knowledge/assistance/labour. Let them know up front.


Wow, that sounds to me like an open invite for karma to bite one in the arse. Labour perhaps, if it is significant, but if someone told me I would have to pay for some advice on something I would write them off as a first class jerk.

But boy, would it be sweet justice if I found that royal jerk adrift with a dead motor. Sorry, that usualy friendly tow into the harbour is going to cost a few hundred.


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## Joevacs (Oct 7, 2008)

shawmac said:


> Wow, that sounds to me like an open invite for karma to bite one in the arse. Labour perhaps, if it is significant, but if someone told me I would have to pay for some advice on something I would write them off as a first class jerk.
> 
> But boy, would it be sweet justice if I found that royal jerk adrift with a dead motor. Sorry, that usualy friendly tow into the harbour is going to cost a few hundred.


I would agree with that too. What goes around, comes around.
The rest of the list i would agree with though


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## jrd22 (Nov 14, 2000)

Muss- good luck to you. I've found that people that think they can make it, usually do. My son (builder, developer) took off like you are going to, he figured there wasn't going to be any building going on for a couple of years so he wasn't going to lose much by going cruising. He's on a tight budget, but he's doing OK and it will be the trip of a lifetime. Fair winds.


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## MorganPaul (Sep 16, 2008)

> I'm off to give it a try full time from June. I'll let you know if it's a success.


Go for it man. You never know when the heart attack or the cancer will kick in.

Good luck. Go sailing.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

"treasure hunting?"
That reached right out and grabbed me as well. Anyone mentioning treasure hunting and ways to pay the bills in the same discussion, goes right into the "Make big money working from home! Stuff envelopes!" pile. Not that it can't be done, but the odds are better at a craps table, or robbing banks. Or putting skimmers on ATM machines.


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## gardeningal (Mar 4, 2009)

Time is money, go now.

I have spent most of my time worrying about things that have never happened. Mark Twain

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do then by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away form the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

"As I am about to be unemployed, I'm a little more interested in how or if it can be done with virtually nothing in the kitty..." 

I am building a 22 ft trimaran. I've been laid off for years. We went to Oahu this winter. I looked about the marina in Waikiki and got the bug again. Anyway I am collecting what I need and will start building next month. I figure it might take me a year; hopefully sooner. I plan to go down the Mississippi (yes I am in Iowa) and down to the Keys my first voyage. One can also go up the Miss and out the SLS to NewFoundland; so that will be my second voyage perhaps. Anyway dream on. 

I figure the boat will end up costing me about 30,000. I've scrimped and saved and got lucky and have enough money to do this. We will see. Being a surfer helps. I grew up on the ocean and really miss it. My wife is wondering I suppose. My son is highly interested, my daughter is not. 

Great thing about the trimaran is it has a clearance of 12 inches with the skeg up, and it is trailerable as it folds. I have been looking at several designs and the Farrier22 seems hot. Only displaces 1500. 

Being a graphic artist helps as work comes and goes and I can go most of it virtually. We will see how that works on a sailboat.!! Must have good internet connection; must have energy. Plan on wind and flexible solar panels. Read in this site about using driftwood for firewood. What a great idea!

I am used to living on minimal. So this will be interesting.

I wish you well taking off. I think a lot of Americans are thinking the same way. I have a feeling it is going to be very very difficult in the continent soon. Best to find an island and relax. Get away from this uptight trip. Or at least have that option. Get yourself back to reality. I don't know much that isn't real about the sea, the sun and the wind! And fishing; that's a dream.


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## MSter (Apr 1, 2008)

Mussnot-

Good luck on your journey!! It seems you have passed the threshold of a decision most of us have a hard time making. It is a scary thing to go in a different direction than the one we've been heading all our lives. The traditional 9-5, houses, cars, large screen tv's, etc. are the symbolic anchors that keep us aground and complicate our lives. This sounds like it could be blessing in disguise....

***On a seperate note, your website indicated you are located in Crete. My family and I lived there for 3 years in Pano Gouves (at the base of Mt Edheri...remember the Mickey Mouse ears?). I was in the USAF stationed in Iraklion and have very found memories of that area. I would love to keep in touch with you through your pics and blogs as you will be living my dream...Opa!!!!


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## mussnot (Mar 12, 2009)

MorganPaul, You certainly have have a unique perspective.... hopefully I can stave off the heart attack and/or cancer for a while!

Gardeningal, I agree....I'm not waiting a moment longer than I have to.

gwhoose, I have nothing but the greatest respect for a sailor that builds his own boat! I look forward to reading your blog.

Mster, Crete is an amazing place and I can't wait to get back to Agios Nikolaos where I left Eileen of Avoca for the winter. Oh and I found a photo of the Mouse ears with some interesting comments here:
Panoramio - Photo of IMG_0713

Regards all


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## MSter (Apr 1, 2008)

Mussnot-

Very nice photos....Thanks for the trip down memory lane!!!!

Hey, just curious...are you musically inclined? If so, I can see how...at the very least...you can pay your bar tab!... If not, you will have plenty of time on your hands, it may be worth picking up an acoustic guitar and learning a few tunes. I have seen more than a few tiki bars that would allow you to sit in for a few sets for cash or rum....


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

shawmac said:


> Wow, that sounds to me like an open invite for karma to bite one in the arse. Labour perhaps, if it is significant, but if someone told me I would have to pay for some advice on something I would write them off as a first class jerk.
> 
> But boy, would it be sweet justice if I found that royal jerk adrift with a dead motor. Sorry, that usualy friendly tow into the harbour is going to cost a few hundred.


I would have thought that it would be plain enough that this doesn't apply to conversational advice. If I spend hours with a person, even if it isn't physical labour, doing something that he is going to end up paying someone else for at some point anyway, then why should I do it for free? Especially if it is specialist knowledge and you're on a tight budget (the original concept of the thread).

If you work for free, then you should advertise your services, you can expect to be busy.


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## Naughtylus (Sep 22, 2008)

Hey Mussnot !
Enjoyed a cruise through your site, and look forward to seeing how things progress - good luck and maybe see you somewhere in the Med.


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## imagine2frolic (Aug 7, 2008)

If I can get advice on how to fix something that I don't know about, and fix it myself. Well to me that advice is worth something. It's better to pay for the advice, and learn how something works. Than to pay someone to come on my boat, and make an attempt to fix it. Possibly not fix it at all, and left with a bill. Knowledge is precious, and should be rewarded.

I am a wrench for a living. It always amazes me how people want my knowledge for free. It takes years to gather these skills. You don't ask a doctor for free time, and to analyze your sickness over the phone. Basically you are paying a doctor for nothing more than advice. Lawyers also get paid quite well to hand out advice. This list can go on, and on.

It has nothing to do with Karma. It has to do with being fair. As far as the tow comment. Most likely if the tech is a good wrench. He is never going to need a tow. It's usually those without the ability to keep their vessel operating under any condition that will need the tow, and sailing included.

I once took a sailboat under tow in stormy conditions on S.F. Bay. The ungrateful person was upset with me, because I took him to my marina instead of his. His outboard had died, but he had sails, yet there he is screaming for help. As I look back I should've given him a bill just like Seatow.

I don't know what you do for a living. This is just another perspective. On Friday do you tell your boss to keep the check. I am trying to keep my Karma up. This is not a rant. I am just asking you to look at it as if it was your skills.....i2f


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## Bene505 (Jul 31, 2008)

mussnot,

I think you may have changed my life with this picture:










Prior to seeing it, I had always aspired to sailing the Carribean. Now I find myself asking "Why not cruise Europe?"

Happy crossings and secure moorings to you and yours.

Regards


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Ah, the Great Sphinx of Aix-Au-Provence!


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## wind_magic (Jun 6, 2006)

Water containers from Walmart and carrying pole, 20$us.










50lbs of rice from Costco, 30$us.










50lbs of pinto beans from Sam's Club, 60$us.










Being free to do whatever ... priceless ...


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## Omatako (Sep 14, 2003)

Bene505 said:


> Prior to seeing it, I had always aspired to sailing the Carribean. Now I find myself asking "Why not cruise Europe?"


You know, we've always looked at our planned circumnav as going south from Cocos to Mauritius to South Africa and crossing the Atlantic from the bottom.

But in the last month or two, we've been seriously looking at going to Sri Lanka and Maldives, Suez and the Med (a whole mass of destinations) to cross the Atlantic from the top.

Seems to me there is a heck of a lot to see and so many different cultures to experience that one would ordinarily never have the opportunity to do.

If, by the time we go, the piracy issues around Somalia and Eritrea can be sorted, why go South?


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## Valiente (Jun 16, 2006)

We have the same dilemma. We are hoping that the next two years will help to clarify the issue. Ideally, we would prefer to transit the Red Sea to get to the Med, as I hear very good things about the Turkish cruising grounds and we have friends (Alex and family) in Portugal, plus that's a reason to continue north to Ireland and more relatives.

Going around South Africa and the South Atlantic has its pluses, but I'd rather stick to warmer waters.


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## zaliasvejas (Jul 18, 2007)

hey, I am in the same boat! 
Have been looking for a job for three months... just scams at this point. My slip contract expires soon and I can't afford to sign up for the summer. I started looking for a mooring and realized, what for? I will have internet access through my cell phone, so I can keep searching for work. I can pull into town for an interview... so there is no reason why I can't just enjoy the cruising life for the summer. I have to make certain improvements, more battery capacity and reduce my electrical requirements.. 
I am in my second year of living on the boat so I have everything I need to just go.. 
I suspect I will not be alone solving the jobless time this way.... 
I can keep you posted....


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