# From just a dream... to reality?!



## MalDeTerre (Jun 21, 2007)

I couldn't take it anymore.

The other day, I just became frustrated with the endless self torture and the mental masterbation.  I thought maybe I should just stop reading these books and magazines. Stop day dreaming of emerald waters and white beaches... and just deal with reality.  

So I looked around our comfortable well appointed home with every possible convenience and, knowing the real answer, I said to my wife...

"Maybe I should just get real! I mean, are we really the types who are willing to sell EVERYTHING we own, buy a boat, and go cruising?"

Her answer was, "I'd like to do it."

So that's that. Decision made. Wow, cool!  

Oh my GAWD!!!  

What to do? Ten thousand questions, I don't even know where to start. 

Well we have signed us up for sailing classes since she hasn't had any. I have already had classes and done some sailing, though not a huge amount, but a refresher wouldn't hurt, and it would be good to do it together.

We talked about the timeframe and in 4 more years at the hospital, come October, she will qualify for lifetime medical coverage for us. Well worth waiting for! So cast off will be November 2011. 

Some facts:
We really want a cruising catamaran, although we don't know which one.

We have both worked very hard the last 25 years and saved enough to spend a bit less than $300,000 on the boat, including any refit and other costs. This will allow us a kitty that will allow us to cruise in a modest but not spartan fashion pretty much indefinitely.

So from mortgaged, materialistically maxed out landlubber, to cruising the caribbean in a little over 4 years. 

Any suggestions on how to proceed?
When to sell the house?
When to buy the boat?
Where to buy the boat?
Anything else...

Jim


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## CharlieCobra (May 23, 2006)

Sell the house in Spring, buy the boat in late Fall or Winter.


Oh, congrats!


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## PBzeer (Nov 11, 2002)

Before you decide on a boat, you need to have a realistic idea of where and how you'll cruise. Coastal? Bluewater? Living on the hook? Staying in marinas? These are some of the things you need to assess.

For now, start paring down your life to what will fit on a boat. Read all you can about the lifestyle. If you're near docks where crusiers stop in, talk with them. As with most things, preperation is the major part of the battle.

_Currently at 34 58 11 N 76 34 47 W_


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## 6string (Oct 19, 2006)

Isn't it wonderful to have a woman that would want to do that with you !!!!

I'm in a pretty similar spot as you. Our target date is July 2011. I have about half the budget for the boat, mono hull for me. We should be able to cruise indefinitly as well if things continue as they are going financially.

Sailing experience I have. Been racing for 30 years and chartering the past 7 years. Glad to share experiences. There is still a lot for me to learn tho. Sailing on inland lakes and occasional charters is not the same as regular cruising and some blue water sailing. We are hoping that after the first couple of years, if we are still enjoying it, to take off across the pacific to do a circumnavigational tour. Slowly.

I agree with the comment, Where to start. There are sooo many things to do. What a wonderful problem to have. We have a dream and some one to share and achieve it with.

I hope to be buying the boat next year. Selling the house in 2010 and just rent for a short time. Winters are too cold in Wisconsin to live a board. I'll buy the boat where ever I get the best deal on a boat I like. Hopefully it can come off the Great lakes. A fresh water boat would have less wear hopefully.

Lets stay in touch. We will be able to get together in the Carib in '11.


Jeff and Katie


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

I would recommend that you get the boat about three months before you plan to cast off for good. This should be sufficient time for you to get the boat re-fitted and upgraded to suit you, and enough time for you to learn about how the boat sails and such. 

As for which boat to get... it really depends on what your budget is. 

When to sell the house and where to buy the boat are both questions that you should probably visit when it is closer to the time to go. 

If you have questions regarding catamarans or trimarans, PM me. I would highly recommend you read Chris White's "The Cruising Multihull" and Thomas Firth Jones's "Multihull Voyaging".

6String-

If your spouse is less than enthusiastic about going cruising... then you might want to look at Debra Ann Cantrell's "Changing Course". I would recommend you read it first, then give it to her.


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## MalDeTerre (Jun 21, 2007)

Hi Charlie,


CharlieCobra said:


> Sell the house in Spring, buy the boat in late Fall or Winter.
> So sell the house that year, but wait until needed to buy the boat. Right?
> 
> Oh, congrats!


Thanks!


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Mal...good for you. You have plenty of time to learn what you need to if you make it a priority. You will probably be best off purchasing a cat down in Florida as they are a lot more common down there and prices are good. The question will be how to get the experience you need in advance. Maybe a charter or two? Good luck!


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## danjarch (Jun 18, 2007)

Live the dream.


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## MalDeTerre (Jun 21, 2007)

PBzeer said:


> Before you decide on a boat, you need to have a realistic idea of where and how you'll cruise. Coastal? Bluewater? Living on the hook? Staying in marinas? These are some of the things you need to assess.


Questions that I don't necessarily know yet. Hmm... where will we cruise? 
First season, starting in Miami or Fort Lauderdale, sail down the Keys and the Dry Tortugas, back to Miami. Then to Bimini, the Bahamas, the Caribbean. In later seasons we would like to jump the Puddle to the South Pacific.



PBzeer said:


> For now, start paring down your life to what will fit on a boat. Read all you can about the lifestyle. If you're near docks where crusiers stop in, talk with them. As with most things, preperation is the major part of the battle.


I hear there are cruisers that hang out around here.

Jim


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

Working on the presumption that your kitty after buying a $300,000 boat is still at least $300,000 ? If not consider paring back the price of the boat. You'll be better off having less boat and more available spending money. Remember that no matter what you buy something is guaranteed to go wrong which will dig further into your kitty.

As an example of this our little hole in the water was surveyed before buying and given a clean bill of heath. However we have since found that the swages on the stays are faulty and we are about to embark on a complete re rig. When it comes to boats, what can go wrong , will go wrong and cost a bundle to fix.


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## MalDeTerre (Jun 21, 2007)

6string said:


> Lets stay in touch. We will be able to get together in the Carib in '11.
> Jeff and Katie


The first round of Pina Coladas is on me!


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## MalDeTerre (Jun 21, 2007)

sailingdog said:


> I would recommend that you get the boat about three months before you plan to cast off for good. This should be sufficient time for you to get the boat re-fitted and upgraded to suit you, and enough time for you to learn about how the boat sails and such.


Thanks!



sailingdog said:


> As for which boat to get... it really depends on what your budget is.


Under 300k.



sailingdog said:


> I would highly recommend you read Chris White's "The Cruising Multihull" and Thomas Firth Jones's "Multihull Voyaging".


Thanks dog!


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## MalDeTerre (Jun 21, 2007)

danjarch said:


> Live the dream.


Thanks!

Same to you!


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## cheapboxofwine (Jun 6, 2007)

Hello MaldeTere,
We are doing exactly the same thing as your plan, but got it moving a lot quicker than we thought! Finally bought the boat last weekend. Last week my husband just gave his notice as a partner track attorney at a high-end law firm. (too many hours, vacation days tied to the blackberry and phone, exhaustion and years reduced from his life due to overwork). We are on the road to selling our possessions (garage sale tomorrow), will probably be able to sell some land to a neighbor, and getting ready to get the house on the market. He'll get the boat ready this summer and will start to sail mid-Sept. through the Great Lakes. The goal is to head to the ICW and down to Florida, Bahamas or Med for the winter/spring. Who knows! Aside from the weather we hope to have more flexibility than before. Now we need to find a good boat school plan for the little girls and we should be good to go. It is refreshing to finally have made a decision. Something clicked and said it was time. Oh, and we are moving abroad to my husband's homeland of Sweden when the cruising adventure comes to a halt.
Take care.


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## 6string (Oct 19, 2006)

sailingdog said:


> 6String-
> 
> If your spouse is less than enthusiastic about going cruising... then you might want to look at Debra Ann Cantrell's "Changing Course". I would recommend you read it first, then give it to her.


Actually Katie is all for it. The only things that are holding us back are a son in college, Katies elderly mom and getting arid of the stuff. Our son Steven is a Junior at Wisconsin and we feel it appropriate to provide a home for him until he is on his own. He knows we expect him to be on his own entirely when he graduates. He is looking forward to visiting us. He sails on the UW team. Katies mom is 93 and we are helping to care for her. She survived a Massive heart attack a year and a half ago. She is a very strong farm lady. We have started to work on getting rid of the stuff. I also have a business that I am going to sell and that could take a little bit of time if I need to stay on a train the buyers.

Thanks for the concern tho.

Jeff


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Jeff-

Good enough... glad to help.


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## LaPlaya (Jun 12, 2007)

Here is another site that you may find both informative and useful.
All the best and fair winds.
AL
Guide to Sailing and Cruising Stories


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I would give anything for that kind of support from my spouse, but it doesn't look like it will happen. The suggested book may give me some ideas, but to be honest I will be (happily) surprised if she ever spends one night aboard anything smaller than a floating hotel. We have been married 17 years after dating only 18 months prior to that and we probably spent more nights camping and more days on boats (generally small boats to go fishing) before getting married than we have since. She has heard the crusing dream for 18 years and never taken it seriously, but I have come to realize that only in the last 5 years.


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## Livia (Jul 20, 2006)

Congrats on the decision!

We bought our boat in January and will be moving onto her in July.

For kitty reasons our planned departure is in a few years (exact date determined but on the DL for work reasons) although we will take a number of several week to several month long sails before then.


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## MalDeTerre (Jun 21, 2007)

*Congratulations!*

Great to hear about you new boat, and the pictures are just beautiful! There will be some lovely sailing in that area!

What will be your next journey?

Jim


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Selling the home and cutting all ties seems a bit drastic as you've not had much sailing experience. That's why San Diego is such a good place to buy a boat, so many cruisers tough it out down the coast, hit bad weather and wifey is on the first plane for her parents. I'm not faulting your dreams. But maybe the practicality of it. 

How long do you plan on cruising? Do you plan to return to from whence you came? If you plan on going back someday, you may find that the house you sold is now out of your price range. Options would be a home equity loan on the boat, and leasing out the home through a property management company. I'd try to cover both bases, just in case it doesn't work out. A friend of mine went a'cruisin sold his business, etc. Didn't make it past Catalina, seasick to the core.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

We bought a 41 foot 1969 Charley Morgan centerboard sloop back in April... We had just started thinking of the "cruising dream" and started looking for a boat. My husband Ray had owned his own boat back in the late 70's and 80's... and lived in St. Thomas for many years. I have never been on sailboat and never been to the Caribbean, but decided to give it a try... It's been a little of an adjustment for me, but well worth it... Of course I have two children who stay with the two of us during the school year so our "cruising life" has to consist of May, June, July and August right now... When my youngest graduates, we're off forever!!!! We figure this will be a good testing ground for our skills and all the things to come.. I've gotten used to it very quickly only being on the water for two weeks, but the Caribbean is beautiful and I wish we could stay forever... We are heading for the Exumas tomorrow and looking forward to the snorkeling and meeting other cruisers... 
Congrats on your decision to leave the "materialistic dream world" and come to the real world... where you learn to love life and each other without all the land "stuff" bothering you... We can take care of our bills, home, family and ourselves out here.... Ray even quit with the blood pressure meds... stress is gone, life is... well.... good..
Good luck... hail us when you get here... We're on NuTrix... a name we came up with cause we all need to learn some new tricks to sail away....

Kim and Ray


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## dongreerps (May 14, 2007)

A different approach to consider. You had better first make sure you enjoy time on a boat. So charter a cat from TMM, getting 10days for the price of 7, in the BVI, and see if you still like it. If so, then charter from Seabattical for a longer time, and see if you still like it. Before chartering with TMM, call Barney at TMM and talk with about about the numbers, and consider buying a cat with him. He guarantees owners 5 years charters, so pull it out after 4, and sail away. In the interim, enjoy trips on your boat, and figure out what it will need when you cast off.


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## MysticSkipper (Jul 16, 2007)

My countdown clock is all the way at 11 years right now, though there will be a few week long shakedowns along the way and numerous nearby cruises first. Seems like forever right now, but the birth of my now 11 year old child seems recent in some respects. I think the more frantic the pace you set for making it happen, the more likely you are to encounter problems or do it for the wrong reasons.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

Welcome aboard and congrats! it's awesome to have a supportive better half when my wife said lets do it, i was like yeaaaaah baby! ive wanted to cruise since i was a teen but got caught up in the corporate rat race before reality set in after watching my best friends do it. So start by downsizing now. Our first rule of thumb now is *"if it will not fit in the boat, dont buy it"
*so start buy living with that motto.

Weve sold the house (lucky we did when we did as the housing market here in vegas is in a big slump) and are now down to: 
*limited amount of clothing*
*42" plasma widescreen* (we plan on mounting on the bulkhead)
*our dinner and cookware
a laptop and our digital cameras
scuba gear and tools
DVD's and portable player
*
start buy going through your clothing inventory if you dont wear it or have dreams of fitting into it again someday, get rid of it.
inventory everything around your house if you dont need or use it, give it away to friends or family or sell, Garage sales and eBay were our best friends during this proccess.
Scan your photos to disk, dont save things for "maybe i'll use it someday"
getting rid of some of the things you've had forever sometimes leaves a lump in your throat while getting rid of it. believe me, it's taken us a year so far to liquidate our stuff. and last thing, rent a storage unit. and store the things you "think" you cannot live without...you'll end up getting rid of most all the stuff in it anyway after you realize you dont need it! youll be amazed of all the useless things you have and will feel great after getting rid of it.
sorry for the long post but hope this helps!

edit: oh yeah, Ian posted some good info on what to do with your house if your unsure.
in our case, we're sure... due to living on our current boat for months at a time, so if you now have a boat camp on it as much as possible, if not, go camping as much as possible or take a liveaboard charter vacation...good training. even if you decide it's not for you, theres nothing wrong with simplifying your lifestyle.

Good luck and keep us posted!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*If it will not fit in the boat, you dont need it!*

oh yeah one more thing, check out this sight. young couple just returned from a 4 year round the world cruise on a cat with no experience. scroll down the page.
bumfuzzle chronicles

and here!

and also here!


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## MalDeTerre (Jun 21, 2007)

*Completed step one... the Keelboat through Bareboat courses*

So far so good! We loved the sailing. Much to learn.

We now officially have 7 more days of sailing lessons than the Bumfuzzle couple, before they started their circumnavigation!


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Basing your learning curve on Bumfuzzle's captain and crew means you probably haven't read their site.


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## MalDeTerre (Jun 21, 2007)

Oh I have read it, and also the comments on this forum.

I was making a joke. 

It still seems funny to me...


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## tdw (Oct 2, 2006)

MalDeTerre said:


> Oh I have read it, and also the comments on this forum.
> 
> I was making a joke.
> 
> It still seems funny to me...


The punch line of course being that these suckers did circumnavigate despite their apparent lack of a brain twixt the two of them. For that at least they deserve some credit.

Put it this way, I'd rather be a brain dead moron who had circumnavigated than simply a brain dead moron. All I need to do now is circumnavigate.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

tdw said:


> The punch line of course being that these suckers did circumnavigate despite their apparent lack of a brain twixt the two of them. For that at least they deserve some credit.
> 
> Put it this way, I'd rather be a brain dead moron who had circumnavigated than simply a brain dead moron. All I need to do now is circumnavigate.


I am certainly guilty of making a few jokes about their voyage and you have a good point. I may have plans to get experience and do my voyage(s) in a safer manner, but right now all I have is plans and they have been around the world. I get the feeling they played up that image of not being very bright for page hits though. I ain't no Alvin Einsten myself!


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## wakked1 (Apr 26, 2007)

For what its worth I have to respect anyone that just up and does it. Its so much easier to find a thousand valid reasons not to.

Oh, and you might want to consider replacing the plasma TV with an LCD. Plasma's are huge energy pigs.


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