# Exit Strategy



## vega1860 (Dec 18, 2006)

We talk a lot of five year plans and how to get started cruising. We never seem to address the other end of the equation. What happens when we are no longer able or simply do not want to manage the lifestyle any longer for one reason or another? For a lot of former long range cruisers we have met along the way it just comes down to growing a marine ecosystem on the keel and gradually becoming rusted into a favorite harbor. There are quite a few people we know who still live aboard and think of themselves as cruisers but have not moved in years and have no real plans or, in some cases, the ability, to ever cast off and hoist sails again. Some have made a conscious decision. Others don’t really realize yet that they are no longer cruising. Every marina, we all well know, is full of boats that represent someone’s dream of cruising some day. We don’t often think of the other boat that someone is holding onto the way an ex-biker won’t throw out his old leather jacket; the repositories of memories too fond to discard.

We talk to a lot of people in our travels so we know that the cruising life, like all good things, must eventually come to an end. A lot of former sailors transition into trawlers as they get older. They don’t range as far but they still get out as often as they can and living on a trawler is quite a bit easier than living with a sailboat. Besides, trawlers tend to be better for entertaining and safer for the grand kids. We also know folks who have sold up and moved ashore to a conventional retirement or return to shore based jobs. Those are the ones with the “Welcome Aboard” doormat and nautical theme knick-knacks in the house.

We have noted that making the transition works better for those who have some sort of plans and preparations in place. We started laying ours long before we set off cruising. We call it our “Next Great Adventure”. We plan to embark on it before we have completely burnt out the cruising light. Our plans are in place. The foundation is laid. We are, however, not nearly ready to give up the sea. When the time does come, we think the transition will not only be smooth but exciting.

So that is the trick, and the question. It is not too early to plan for the “Next Great Adventure”. What is yours and how will you manage it?

“Old sailors never die. They just smell that way” Orvil Newton


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## sawingknots (Feb 24, 2005)

wow what a great observation,and so true but one i haven't considered,possibly the grimreaper may visit by then."therefore don't worry about tomorrow....."matthew 6:34


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## sidney777 (Jul 14, 2001)

Do you really have a foolproof plan ? How about telling the rest of us ?! ...Money will solve all of those concerns. ...If we don't have the money, then it is a useless worry. ...There is nothing wrong with sitting in a marina growing oysters on the bottom. Some can -only- afford to sit while anchored out and not go cruising. Power boaters are concerned about their destination, while sailors are at their destination everyday. Its not how fast you sing or dance it is ......I guess what you are saying is it OK to go from your Sailboat to a nursing home, or is better to go to a nursing home from a house/apartment.


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## vega1860 (Dec 18, 2006)

No plan is fool proof. Not having a plan is a good way to turn a big fortune into a small one in short order. A little money helps but a fortune is not necessary, provided you have a plan.

I knew an old geezer in Honolulu. I don't know how old he was but his license plate said "Pearl Harbor Survivor". Thjs guy had really been around. He lived a board a CT 41, I think, and used a walker to get out to the parking lot where he kept his Lamborghini Diablo. He had traded his viper in on it. Both cars were red, of course. When he ultimately reached the point where he could not get on and off the boat by himself, he got a condo overlooking the marina. The man had style, and that is the point.

I am of the opinion that if you can afford to sit in a marina, you can certainly afford to go cruising. But if you are physically unable to go cruising, or simply tired of it (Yes, people do get tired of it), then what?

Several people have posted here that they plan to go off on a world cruise then return to work. Does that mean sell the house to buy the boat and cruise, then sell the boat for a down stroke on a new house and continue with normal life? Several have said that they want to retire and go cruising. Does that mean sell everything and sail off into the sunset until you die? Some want to live aboard while they maintain an otherwise normal life. We think life is a journey and cruising is just a part of it. Therefore, it is only prudent to plan for the next phase.

I knew a lady named Audrey Sutherland who wrote a couple of books and became a sort of guru among the kayaking geeks in Hawaii. The thing that made a lasting impression on me about Audrey was that she wrote that at the age of forty or so she realized that she needed to prioritize the things she wanted to accomplish in life, placing the physical stuff first - swimming the north coast of Molokai, kayaking southeastern Alaska, followed by the more intellectual stuff like teaching, writing, etc.

We know that we will not be able to do what we are doing now forever. We have had to give up some physically demanding things in the past; soldiering, motorcycle racing etc., besides, we have other things we want to do before the dirt nap. We are not rich, but we started fifteen years ago setting up the "Next Great Adventure". Everyone has their own dreams. Ours involve Morgan horses, maple sugar, brown trout and a vegetable garden. We call it "Starlight Farm". Forty acres on the Missisquoi River that we paid less than the cost of a new car for twelve years ago.

Maybe we'll build a dock and float Lealea in the half acre pond in the pasture.


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## Tim R. (Mar 23, 2003)

We are getting ready to go cruising in a couple of years. Not retiring, but staying out as long as we can and possibly working to extend that. We may come back or may not. If we decide to move back to shore in this country then we have 9 acres in the woods of Maine on a lake waiting for us to build a small cottage.

One of the things I love about cruising is the lack of a plan. We plan the eve before and have contingencies. We will approach life the same way.


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## vega1860 (Dec 18, 2006)

treilley said:


> One of the things I love about cruising is the lack of a plan. We plan the eve before and have contingencies. We will approach life the same way.


We *always* plan. It's just that the plans always change along the way


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## tomperanteau (Jun 4, 2009)

For us it will be the "until you die" thing.


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## CaptainForce (Jan 1, 2006)

We've been aboard a long time and still see a long future, but I hope the market can adapt to the aging cruising boomers. We expect to see some of these bankrupt condo developments turn into assisted living marinas! Take care and joy, Aythya crew


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## MikeinLA (Jul 25, 2006)

vega1860 said:


> He lived a board a CT 41, I think, and used a walker to get out to the parking lot where he kept his Lamborghini Diablo.


I like this guy already. I never caught the cruising bug, too many other things I enjoy doing. But I did love living aboard 20 years ago. My plan is to keep the house with room for my hobbies and toys until I'm too old to enjoy them. Then I'll move back aboard to finish things up. And don't forget the 25 year old private duty nurse. :laugher

Mike


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## wingNwing (Apr 28, 2008)

if i can't get into cpt force's assisted living marina, i'll settle for a stateroom on a cruise ship. really. meals, entertainment, and medical care within walking distance, and you're always in pleasant weather and a new port just ahead to keep your mind engaged. all for about the same cost as a nursing home .... ;-)


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## TomandKarens34 (Dec 4, 2007)

OK, formerly Eryka ! That got the coffee dripping from my nose. But this is the best topic. If I sold EVERYTHING, I could probably cruise for almost ten years @$1500/month. I'm 57 so that would do the S.Security some good. I think. (If dollars are worth $.07 today, that means, at current government spending rates, they should still be worth $.02 in ten years) That means I'll have to keep my job until they discharge me for medical reasons. ( not too far off, silicosis from foundry work ) Then somehow, ummmm. well who knows ? I have a tiny retirement from one place, SS, perhaps some medical... But then what ? An interesting puzzle to solve. I think I'd end up in a FEMA trailer when I turn 77, provided I make it that far. I don't have much trouble reading about the past, but reading about the future has always been a problem for me. I think the beginning of my cruising life will begin when my last job ends. I'm gonna start planning this, LOL. Because I know I can't make it where I am, with heat, taxes, electricity, cable, water, sewer, and a hundred other expenses flying in my face every month. Keep this one rolling !


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## vega1860 (Dec 18, 2006)

Most people are doing exactly what they want to be doing right now. Our plan all along was to cruise until we tired of it then go build the farm.

I have to admit, though, the idea of moving onto a cruise ship is appealing. I don't think we could maintain it indefinitely with our current financial situation, whereas we could easily keep cruising in our own boat as long as we want, then move to the farm without exhausting our resources. In thirty years I'll be ninety two (If I last that long) and I think we have enough, factoring in social security and my VA disability comp. Besides, we are still earning so we have positive cash flow.


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## 123456Wannasail654321 (Jun 14, 2010)

So what is your plan beyond this next trip. You are headed to hawaii and then onto alaska

then what?

what kind of farm and where is it.


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## vega1860 (Dec 18, 2006)

123456Wannasail654321 said:


> So what is your plan beyond this next trip. You are headed to hawaii and then onto alaska
> 
> then what?


There is an opportunity developing that, if it comes to fruition, would keep us in Hawaii for a couple of years. We want to cruise Alaska. We will be going to Hawaii on the way. The exact timetable will depend on how this new development pans out. After Alaska, the logical thing would be to cruise the inside passage south to Admiralty Inlet via the Strait of Georgia. Beyond that our crystal ball is a bit cloudy.



> what kind of farm and where is it.


Just a hobby farm. Real farming is too much work. We have forty acres on the Missisquoi River in Northern Vermont. Laura wants to raise and train horses. I want to fish and grow vegetables.


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## Sn0wman (Jul 7, 2006)

First off, Vega, beautiful man, just beautiful. 

I am a planner, by nature and your original post really resonated with me. Even in these trying times, in my opinion my families ability to look farther down the road and plan ahead has kept us in better shape than most people we know. Our current adventure is raising our daughter and taking care of my mother. We sail as much as we can and hope to move up to a bigger boat and gain more experience in preparation for our next adventure which is some moderate cruising and fooling around on boats full time. Then when that has run its course, I already have a large farm in Michigan, where I hope to tinker in the wood shop and putter around in the woods and fields with my grandchildren. And of course its all subject to change without notice. 

To formerly Eryka, that is just BRILLIANT.


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## tomperanteau (Jun 4, 2009)

Hey Vega,

I'm going to have to get in touch with you and chat a bit more about costs and how to finance the journey.

I've recently been reading a book by Kenneth Neumeyer called "Sailing the Farm". Have you read it? I'd like to hear your opinion. The wife and I are looking more towards that lifestyle.


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## vega1860 (Dec 18, 2006)

I have not read "Sailing the Farm" Tom,too hard to find; but I am familiar with the concept of seasteading. We know a couple with two kids who are doing it now. Their boat does have an engine though. As unstable as the world is nowadays we think it only prudent to develop that capability.

Just in case...

If you want to chat outside the forum just PM or email me.


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## tomperanteau (Jun 4, 2009)

vega1860 said:


> I have not read "Sailing the Farm" Tom,too hard to find; but I am familiar with the concept of seasteading. We know a couple with two kids who are doing it now. Their boat does have an engine though. As unstable as the world is nowadays we think it only prudent to develop that capability.
> 
> Just in case...
> 
> If you want to chat outside the forum just PM or email me.


I just emailed it to you. It's around 9 meg so if your server rejects it let me know and I'll break it up.


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## HVVega (Dec 12, 2010)

*Why not combine both the great escape and the retirement plan?*

For me Vega was not only my final escape vessel, but also has become a form of employment that keeps me very busy doing humanitarian work that helps others while it helps me stay active. The most successful cruising people I have known always seem to find a little niche where the can make ends meet while doing something useful. One of the best parts of what we are doing is that when the time comes that we can no longer do this work we can pass the boat along to people who can complete with a humanitarian way of making their ends meet while maintaining a solid part of the maritime traditions. Not having to worry any more about the rat race our needs are very modest so this works great for us. Until now the "Perfect" place has not been found where we will move after Vega, but then again we still have a few years to discover it. Have a look at what we do either at Historical Vessel VEGA 
or
sailvega | 118 year old sailing vessel for humanitarian relief


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## MarioG (Sep 6, 2009)

Its not that I haven't thought about what might happen if we stop cruising for one reason or another but twice before I have had to start over with little more then the cloths on my back, (the ex would have taken those also if she could). I've always been a work- aholic and I think if I didn't start full time cruising there would have been much a future to think about. At the rip old age of 46 I figure I will still have a few good years of being a work horse if our crusing plans change, but I've meet alot of old salts out here not letting oysters grow on there hulls to worry about the future yet.


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## Graywolf77 (Mar 13, 2011)

*Agree with that!*

I am with you there. After years working on land and sea, chasing coporate positions for a bigger house and "planning" my days away...The ex got the house, I got a boat and that is my plan.


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## rockDAWG (Sep 6, 2006)

I was thinking - When I am ready to go I will just sail away into the storm and vanish. The local newspaper will have a small insert mentioning an old man lost his mind went sailing in the storm. My family will be sad, but I know they will be OK with me.

Family will cash my life insurance; there is no need to force me into the nursing home, no need to visit me or entertain me in the nursing home. They can move on with their life with plenty of good memory of me raising them into adulthood. They have no student loan to pay back, plenty of toys I will leave behind to enjoy, and plenty of money that they can use to jump start the career and raise their children. I hope they will achieve far more success than their father has 

With no regrets, life goes on as the world cycles through the good and bad.  I was born as a rocket scientist, but have been practicing years as a businessman. Every contract and agreement have an exit plan.


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