# Young cruisers



## DubeJ (Sep 14, 2010)

Hey all, 

Ok, so as a younger guy (33), I have been sailing for some time now, usually CA coastal, MS coastal and FL coastal for the last 20 years. I guess I have been pretty lucky in my life to have grown up around boats. 

Anyway, to the point of this post:

I've been watching YouTube, and researching on here and other sailing posts and have a serious question. WTF do people in their 30s and 40s do that allows them to do things like circumnavigate and cross oceans? I mean I would like too as well, but I am not a trust fund baby, nor do I own apple stocks. I have a regular job (2 actually), and have a family that financially depends on me. WTF are people doing in youtube videos sailing 6 months around the pacific and everywhere else???

To no offense, it makes sense that older and retired people have the time and financial ability as they have "paid their dues" and kids are up and gone, but what about the young folks? 

If you are in your 30s or 40s and live the cruising life, voyaging across oceans and stuff, please let me know what I am doing wrong! I have a great job (construction management and military reserve), with very good income, no debt, don't own too many expensive things that require I stick around....what am I not doing??

Maybe this was more a venting than a real question. Either way, spill the secrets and I will buy you some rum. Hahaha, if you are 21 of course. If you aren't 21 and you own a boat and sail around the world, I hate you...just kidding, i am just very jealous, and if we don't meet in Mexico or international waters, I cannot give you rum....

Keepin keepin on

Dube


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

It's just like a big construction project, a matter of making the commitment, then establishing an objective, then determining the budget, then reworking the objective to fit the available budget.
The only thing preventing you from leaving is you. if you have no debt, then you likely have a house that is either an income producing asset via rental income, or an asset that can be sold to fulfill your cruising budget.
Something to think about- if you and your spouse are typical, you spend $120/week eating out. lunch, dinner, coffees, snacks... if you just eliminated that expense, you have over $6k per year in "found income." If you make the commitment that you are going to take a "seabbatical" in five years, and made no other changes in your life, you would have a cruising kitty of over $30 K... enough to cruise comfortably for over 2 years, without having to liquidate any assets.


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## SimonV (Jul 6, 2006)

Woulda shoulda coulda famous words of the budding cruiser. You either downsize everything, get rid of all debt, sell the expensive toys (bike car and make do with a clunker) grab the dream by the throat and just do it. Friends of mine not long ago sold both there cars (his and hers) His paid for their mortgage for @18 months + income from rent for the unit. Hers bumped up the cruising fund. They where going to put some stuff in storage but found that was an added cost they did not need. So the unit is rented fully furnished, they gave or sold off their accumulated treasures (junk). They live in the marina where we are, and like us are waiting for the weather. If you have kids then that could be a little difficult depending on age.


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## aeventyr60 (Jun 29, 2011)

You are not doing anything wrong, you just have not made the decision to go. You make more then enough money, have the smarts, maybe the desire. what's really keeping you from going? I left at 37, out for the last 14 years, some offshore work to keep the dream alive. 

If you want to go cruising, ask your self,

What are you willing to give up?
How hard will you work for it?

It's all right in front of you. Are you going to grab the brass ring or not?


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## chall03 (Oct 14, 2002)

We are in our early 30's and we took a big chunk of 2011 off and went cruising up the Australian East Coast with our young daughter.

How???

We just made the decision to go. Once we had made the commitment, it become easier to make the changes we needed to turn our dream into a reality. By changing from' I wish we could', to 'we are going not matter what' things fell in place. We had some luck with timing, but we were not rolling in money and like you were suggesting it was hard. Even with giving up luxuries and sacrificing it was still hard. It would of been much easier not to have gone.

So umm what BJ said. But he said it better 



bljones said:


> It's just like a big construction project, a matter of making the commitment, then establishing an objective, then determining the budget, then reworking the objective to fit the available budget.
> The only thing preventing you from leaving is you. if you have no debt, then you likely have a house that is either an income producing asset via rental income, or an asset that can be sold to fulfill your cruising budget.
> Something to think about- if you and your spouse are typical, you spend $120/week eating out. lunch, dinner, coffees, snacks... if you just eliminated that expense, you have over $6k per year in "found income." If you make the commitment that you are going to take a "seabbatical" in five years, and made no other changes in your life, you would have a cruising kitty of over $30 K... enough to cruise comfortably for over 2 years, without having to liquidate any assets.


Only thing I would add is that we were realistic with expectations. We bought the boat we could afford and suited for our needs. We went without alot of mod cons. Also even though our initial intentions were for a couple of years around the Pacific, reality mean't that the kitty didn't stretch that far.

We are now back at work saving though for the next adventure.


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## MarkofSeaLife (Nov 7, 2010)

What BJ, Chall03 and Simon said... But also, in a more critical light, when you stop saying WTF and learn that you can do whatever you want if you work hard and goal set.

But to retire early, or take an extended sabbatical to go sailing means you have to work harder and save more than most other people. It's possible, but few have the tenacity to do it.

It's up to you and you alone.


All the best 


Mark


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## DubeJ (Sep 14, 2010)

I think that you all are right. I have been reading a lot and thinking. I can't do it, because I am limiting myself due to other things I make a priority. I have decided to change...and with that, I am setting a realistic goal. I am excited and will keep this post alive by my future milestones....what milestones? Great question, I will let you know when I hit em!

aeventyr60, your signature hurt my feelings: "Your dreams minus your doubts equals your net worth" I've always been a proud dreamer...i climbed Mt Shasta summer and winter, I motorcycled across America, I've backpacked Europe (twice), I've spelunkered into volcanos on 3 continents....hell, I've even done Hash runs in Thailand. Where did I hang up my dreams and start thinking the BMW was more important than me. I am the inspiration to my daughter, what do I teach her? That BMWs are more important than dreams???? I am happy to make this change. Thanks for that signature, it has inspired me.


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## Grunthrie (May 2, 2013)

I'm 31, asking myself the same question! My answer, and what I am trying to create for myself, is a life where I work 2 jobs for six months of every year and no jobs for the other six months. I don't want to wait til I'm 60 to enjoy the cruising life, so by 35 I plan to be taking my retirement a little bit at a time, like ol' Travis McGee... even if I have to bust hump and pinch pennies for six months at a time!


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## joethecobbler (Apr 10, 2007)

I share. my sailing stories with about anyone who will listen, or is unfortunate enough to
be unable to escape! 
The. most common comment is usually on the line of 
"I wish I could do that " to which. I've taken to responding - you can,
you just may. need. to make a few choices. Choices. like staying home on Friday night when everyone
else is out "rewarding "themselves for another week of work. Or. choosing not to get the new -whatever.
It's. taken me about 6-7 years since we initially cast off,and we're still polishing our techniques to be able to continue the lifestyle we choose. It ain't always easy, and often friends and family don't understand why we won't go to places on weekend outings they miss the. bigger picture we see.Every $50 or $100 not spent frivolously, is another week or month we can live our dream.
So, you CAN, many just don't actually want to,do you?


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

I retired from the Navy at 39, could have gone then but wasn't sailing at that point. 
Now that I'm sailing and in my early 50's I'll be going soon.


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

Work hard for many years building savings instead of spending on new cars and oversize homes. Not having kids also helps(sound like that is too late for you).

The last new car I bought was in 1989. Our only financial vice is mountain biking. I did buy new bikes in 2012 after our 13 year old bikes wore out. But I justify this because biking improves our health(when we are not crashing!)


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## FirstCandC (Mar 26, 2013)

Let's face it, a lot of us here could probably make it financially, because we are rabid enough to sacrifice cars, homes, toys, etc. to make it work.

But what do you do if you have a sick family member? Put them in a home? When I was young I never envisioned taking care of my parents or in-laws.

Or what about a spouse that has supported you throughout, but gets cold feet as you get closer to The Big Day? 

Do you just leave it all behind?


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## TheLostGirlsMom (Jan 16, 2013)

I'm 34 and my husband is 41 and just moved aboard our boat. We have 2 girls ages 2 and 5. Our son 18 just graduated from highschool and will start college this fall. THAT was the big eyeopener for us to go now. My husband met my son when he was 5 and 13 years went by like that. We want to enjoy our lives and raise our girls ourselves, cruising makes that possible. Our son will stay at the house while we are away. We have no debt which makes it possible to go now. We leave this fall to sail down to Florida and then the next years who knows where the wind blows......


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

TheLostGirlsMom said:


> I'm 34 and my husband is 41 and just moved aboard our boat. We have 2 girls ages 2 and 5. Our son 18 just graduated from highschool and will start college this fall. THAT was the big eyeopener for us to go now. My husband met my son when he was 5 and 13 years went by like that. We want to enjoy our lives and raise our girls ourselves, cruising makes that possible. Our son will stay at the house while we are away. We have no debt which makes it possible to go now. We leave this fall to sail down to Florida and then the next years who knows where the wind blows......


Nice.

BTW, controlling debt is huge. It is amazing how much money you pi$$ away financing things like homes and cars.


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## shanedennis (Feb 10, 2012)

We are 38 and 42 with 3 year old (two older children gone) and cruising. I left high school early, skipped college (accumulated no college debt), drove old cars, always lived below my means, generally avoided debt... but I did borrow for my boat.

Could have gone ten years earlier if I had not been setback by divorce. Got the right partner this time.


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## diverchick71 (Jul 3, 2012)

Just read "Living on the Margin" by Patrick Schulte of "Bumfuzzle" fame. He was successful in the markets at a young age so he had that advantage, but it's his smarts and attitude that keeps him and his family cruising. The book is about trading "slacker style" which wouldn't be for everyone. But what he TRULY brought home was how much we SPEND living and working. Add up your cars, insurance, meals out, work clothes, and then ridiculous US taxation rates for us hard-working wage earners. My boyfriend and I decided we spend about 60% of our income just to have that job. Then add everything else up. It really is the decision. I'm struggling with that as well. I'm in my 40's now, and didn't go when my kids were younger (We did go spend a couple years in Costa Rica) I'm looking at cruising now and my kids (high school and college age) say, "Man why didn't you do that when we were younger??"


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## mark2gmtrans (May 14, 2013)

I was 28 years old the first time I got on a sailboat that was going to do a circumnavigation, the boat belonged to a friend and there were four of us. We left Port Isabel, Texas and went South, as did the trip. I got off the boat in Qunitana Roo state in Mexico and found a ride back to Laredo. I went back to work and then again a few years later another opportunity to crew on a circumnavigation came up, I planned and then left my job and got on the boat. We cruised the coast all the way down to Brazil, and we would have come back North and crossed through the canal and gone to the Marquesas, but my friend who owned the boat lost his mother and father and one brother in a small plane crash. He and his wife got on a plane and flew home, while myself and two others brought the boat back to Texas. I went back to work, and things happened, and I have not gone back to sea, YET.

Last year I made a vow to myself, and I always keep those, that I would work this contract I am on right now to its end, and then I am selling the last of my crap and leaving. I got rid of my huge house already, several vehicles, and half of a business. The only reason I am not already on the boat is because I signed a contract, and I do not break my word, but the contract is up before this time next year and I will be gone when it is over.

I am saying all of this to say that no matter what your age is, the thing that is required to sail is to commit to sailing, well that and a boat. You can work out the details on fuel, food, and silly stuff like that once you set your mind to it.


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## SeaSalt (Mar 25, 2013)

chucklesR said:


> I retired from the Navy at 39, could have gone then but wasn't sailing at that point.
> Now that I'm sailing and in my early 50's I'll be going soon.


Ahh..I think you even posted on a topic I made a while back about 20 year service in yhe Navy and being able to retire when I'm around 40..Still motivated to do that and start living aboard as soon as I retire..Did you do anymore working once you retired at 39 to this day?


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

FirstCandC said:


> Let's face it, a lot of us here could probably make it financially, because we are rabid enough to sacrifice cars, homes, toys, etc. to make it work.
> 
> But what do you do if you have a sick family member? Put them in a home? When I was young I never envisioned taking care of my parents or in-laws.
> 
> ...


Or, perhaps you go for a modified version of the dream. It's called "compromise" and unfortunately life is full of them. Maybe you stay coastal where you can be with the family when needed instead of ocean-crossing. Maybe you sail/cruise for 4-6 months each year, then go back to your house for the rest of the year. Maybe you start off living aboard in a marina where you have access to land supports (like a car, and a community) to acclimate the hesitant spouse. Living a scaled-back dream is far better than running that treadmill. Think of those obstacles as hurdles and not brick walls.


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

SeaSalt said:


> Ahh..I think you even posted on a topic I made a while back about 20 year service in yhe Navy and being able to retire when I'm around 40..Still motivated to do that and start living aboard as soon as I retire..Did you do anymore working once you retired at 39 to this day?


I've worked as a data-demigod for the past 13 years (retired in 2000), good pay, spent most for a while catching up with the Jones. Then got the bug to cruise, downsized in 2009 and started the path to the thorny path.


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## mark2gmtrans (May 14, 2013)

I reread this again, because it is something near and dear t my heart, though I am not sure I would be called young in anyone's thinking, I am not yet old either. The day you make the decision, and know in your heart that nothing is going to hold you back you begin to make a new set of friends, people who will fit into your new lifestyle. Cruising is just that, it is a way of life, and others probably do not easily understand it.

As a younger man I drove long haul semi trucks over the road here in the states, and back then you would be expected to stay gone away from home for no less than 45 days at a time, and 60-90 was probably average. Almost everyone I knew well enough to say they were friends were driving, or dispatching or family of drivers. The work paid very well, I was earning over $50,000.00 a year in 1986, most lawyers did well to earn that much back then. The other thing was that almost all of the other men, and eventually myself, got divorced. Our wives were not in the same lifestyle we were in, they could not understand that the road literally called to us, after three days at home we were ready to go back to work. Three days out of 45-90 days does not a good marriage make. At the time husband and wife teams were unheard of, women rarely drove trucks, the companies would not hire them, and there was a reason for it, women just could not make it work most of the time.

Now women drive, they run solo, and they run in teams with their husband or boyfriend. They could always have done the work, but the lifestyle was what kept them away. Now most companies do not keep a driver out more than about 21 days at a time, and they get a week off usually. Cruising is a very similar situation, your gf or wife is not going to like it if you stay out of contact with family for three to six months at a time, but today we have Skype, Yahoo, and other things to allow us to use video chat for free. We have Pactor email services, and radios that we can send messages on, as well as satellite phones and SPOT trackers. We can communicate far better and we can actually live our lives far from other family members while still maintaining a feeling of closeness to them. If someone becomes ill, or some family emergency pops up, we can make port and fly home, if we have the money. If we do not have the money we can at least send flowers or call or Skype with the family to help us feel closer in times of need.

What you have to do if you want to be a cruiser is decide to make it your life. There really is no knee deep way to cruise in blue water. You have to commit to it, you have to plan to educate your own children, to make sure you have money for health and dental issues. You must train every member of your crew from one to 101 on how to help take care of the boat, and one another. Most of all you have to have a spirit in you that craves exploration, and investigation of new and curious places and people. You have to desire to go more than you desire to stay and then you will find that selling the crap you thought you were so attached to and pulling up stakes and going is far more natural than staying.

I will say it again, if the company that I have my current contract with were to come to me tomorrow and say they were going to pay the penalty for early termination of our deal, I would leave within a couple of weeks. I would go out buy one of the top ten boats I am looking at right now and get on it and start making the preparations to leave as soon as was humanly possible. I might be nervous about some things, but not about actually going, unless you call being about to explode with anticipation and excitement being nervous.

I am willing to bet that there are hundreds on here in similar situations, maybe not exactly the same but pretty close. I may need a chainsaw to cut the land ties I have, but I have that saw in its case in my garage here, and it has gas in it.

Mark


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## Capt Len (Oct 9, 2011)

Helps to figure out if you're running towards a dream or running from a nightmare or just a bit of indecisive insomnia .At 70, I don't dream of more big ocean cruising but my vessel still supports me to the tune of 80 to 100 grand a year sailing the Salish Sea (threehoursail dotcom ) so I don't feel I need to run and I sleep pretty good apart from the arthritis. Youngins should know that once you've tried elderly ,you'll never go back.


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## mark2gmtrans (May 14, 2013)

Capt Len said:


> Helps to figure out if you're running towards a dream or running from a nightmare or just a bit of indecisive insomnia .At 70, I don't dream of more big ocean cruising but my vessel still supports me to the tune of 80 to 100 grand a year sailing the Salish Sea so I don't feel I need to run and I sleep pretty good apart from the arthritis. Youngins should know that once you've tried elderly ,you'll never go back.


But you might if you could once in a while LOL:laugher:laugher


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## Alex W (Nov 1, 2012)

I know you were asking the long term cruisers, but I'm just a short term one. With 5 weeks of vacation per year I can spend 2 weeks a year cruising. So far I've only done things near home waters, but next year I think I'll charter to expand my range. 

This year I'm taking a long (13 week) leave from work and doing a lot more cruising in our local PNW waters. 

If you do want to go for years then I'd suggest saving and not carrying debt. I don't like to carry debt myself and could afford to leave for a few years right now. I'm saving for an earlier retirement though, then I can do longer cruising.


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## SailingChance (Aug 29, 2012)

I'm 29 and my boyfriend is 31. We both quit our jobs back in NYC last November to sail. How we've done is we SAVED. Every penny we had we saved in order to take an extended sabbatical. We're young so there is no way we're going to be able to keep up this lifestyle forever, but again we're young so we can still get back in to the working world. We too are picking up boat work jobs here and there but this is mostly because we saved before we left. 

Kelley
sailingchance.com
facebook.com/sailingchance


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