# Qutting our jobs to go sailing is a good idea, right?



## MondayNever

Hi all,

Just want to introduce myself. My wife, Cat, and I recently purchased a CS 36 Merlin in the British Virgin Islands. We gave notice to our employers and are headed down to the boat in mid-October to begin cruising for a while, probably ending up on the East Coast at some point. We're young, so we're hoping enthusiasm will trump ignorance. I'm sure I'll be posting on this forum pretty regularly as I try to piece together the problems I encounter. I'll also share stories from time to time. We're keeping a blog that will hopefully both entertain and inform- www.MondayNever.com

We're really looking forward to getting out there and connecting with other folks. I have a feeling all the people will shape this trip more than the palm trees!

Cheers,

Will


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## bigdogandy

I think it's awesome that you've taken the leap of faith and are heading out....that's a great boat and you guys are sure to have some great adventures. You're a year ahead of me, and there are times I think I should just chuck the job now and head out!

Share pics and stories when you can....there are a lot of great folks here that can (and will) share their experiences and opinions......


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## ChristinaM

We did the same thing last year except we were crazy enough to make the trip down. We quit in June so it wasn't so bad. We're just about to head back south again, should hit the BVIs in mid-Nov. Hope to run in to you down there.


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## krisscross

Best of luck, Will! That's the spirit. Do it before you get totally entangled in this crazy rat race.


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## MikeOReilly

Good on you! My spouse and I have left at relatively young ages 48/52). We plan to cruise until we run out of money, or something else seems more fun. Pop over to the frugal cruising thread ($500/month) to see my babblings. Meanwhile, congrats. I know you'll have a great time. 


Why go fast, when you can go slow


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## MondayNever

bigdogandy said:


> I think it's awesome that you've taken the leap of faith and are heading out....that's a great boat and you guys are sure to have some great adventures. You're a year ahead of me, and there are times I think I should just chuck the job now and head out!
> 
> Share pics and stories when you can....there are a lot of great folks here that can (and will) share their experiences and opinions......


Are you headed out on the Endeavour 32? I really like those boats. Chartered one for a week in North Carolina last year and found it to be a simple, straight forward cruising boat with no major quirks. We had the shoal keel so she didn't point terribly well, but you can forgive a lot in a boat that only draws 4 feet and can get into the skinny waters in the Pamlico.

The blog has already got a few stories about the buying process and wrapping up life in San Francisco. I'll post the links as soon as I hit the post count minimum!


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## MondayNever

ChristinaM said:


> We did the same thing last year except we were crazy enough to make the trip down. We quit in June so it wasn't so bad. We're just about to head back south again, should hit the BVIs in mid-Nov. Hope to run in to you down there.


Hi Christina,
What's your boat's name? Post a pic and I'll keep my eye out for you!

We're on 'Paradox', which was obnoxiously slapped across the bows in 2' tall cursive by a previous owner. Hard to miss! That's the only reason we're considering keeping the lettering though.


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## Rocky Mountain Breeze

Will: As a pragmatist as well as an adventurer I have to ask if you have looked long term or are just living for today? Do you or your wife have skills that will allow you to earn some money as you cruise around or do you have a few hundred thousand shekels in your pocket. What is your end game? Get good and circumnavigate or sell the boat when one of you decides that family is more important than self? Enjoy your time as it is unlikely that you will get a second chance to escape reality once you have kids, responsibilities, and taxes.....


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## MondayNever

MikeOReilly said:


> Good on you! My spouse and I have left at relatively young ages 48/52). We plan to cruise until we run out of money, or something else seems more fun. Pop over to the frugal cruising thread ($500/month) to see my babblings. Meanwhile, congrats. I know you'll have a great time.
> 
> Why go fast, when you can go slow


Hey Mike! I've been following that thread periodically for the last year. It's grown out of control! But that magical $500 number is what everyone wants to know whether is possible or not.

We're going conservative so we budgeted considerably more than that and giving ourselves a minimum of a year, worst case. But we're hoping we can control our costs, avoid any nasty surprises, and try to stretch the budget to double that time.


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## MondayNever

Rocky Mountain Breeze said:


> Will: As a pragmatist as well as an adventurer I have to ask if you have looked long term or are just living for today? Do you or your wife have skills that will allow you to earn some money as you cruise around or do you have a few hundred thousand shekels in your pocket. What is your end game? Get good and circumnavigate or sell the boat when one of you decides that family is more important than self? Enjoy your time as it is unlikely that you will get a second chance to escape reality once you have kids, responsibilities, and taxes.....


Valid question, my friend. Your last sentence is at the heart of the matter. My wife and I feel that if we can't even manage to pull off an adventure now, it would be absurd to believe we've got what it takes to make it happen in the future when we've got kids, parents we need to take care of, etc. I assure you w're already paying our fair share of taxes, though!

I believe that we're both long term thinkers and planners. We've made good decisions thus far in our careers, have been able to sock away money, and not get caught up in a lot of the trappings that our peers have. We're not "dropping out" with this trip, just taking a moment to reflect and enjoy! We're well aligned on our goals for both the short and long term.

Good question, though. It's something I'm meaning to write a blog post about at some point.


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## ChristinaM

MondayNever said:


> Hi Christina,
> What's your boat's name? Post a pic and I'll keep my eye out for you!
> 
> We're on 'Paradox', which was obnoxiously slapped across the bows in 2' tall cursive by a previous owner. Hard to miss! That's the only reason we're considering keeping the lettering though.


That should be easy to spot! We're on Altera.


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## Ajax_MD

I have, and continue to agonize over this.

There are two things that stop me from putting the house up for sale and giving my employer the "V" sign:

What will I do for health care?
Since I'll stop contributing to my retirement funds, how will I live when I'm too old and broken to live aboard a sailboat any longer?

I've already had colon cancer when I was 36 years old, so saying "It'll never happen to me!" isn't an option. Health insurance is important.
Being 85+ years old when I finally swallow the anchor, and having no home and no money to buy or support any kind of home, means I'll end up being a burden on society. My conscience just won't let me do that. I'll have my military pension but that's just won't be enough to get by on, 40 years down the road.

Every time I talk to a couple who casts off their shackles and does this, they tell me that they simply don't have answers to these two questions.


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## Don L

BubbleheadMd said:


> What will I do for health care?
> Since I'll stop contributing to my retirement funds, how will I live when I'm too old and broken to live aboard a sailboat any longer?


Well that's what's stops most people from cruising, the choice between living now or lingering later.


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## aeventyr60

^Who says you'll live to 85 anyway? Seems like your on borrowed time as it is. If you did go off cruising do you really think you'd want to live the same lifestyle as you do now and have the same spending habits as you did before. Sad fact is that most retirees are going to be living in poverty. What makes you think you'll be able to afford healthcare in the future? Looks like the health care costs are putting most retirees in the poor house. Maybe you ought to live it up while you can...


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## ChristinaM

BubbleheadMd said:


> What will I do for health care?
> Since I'll stop contributing to my retirement funds, how will I live when I'm too old and broken to live aboard a sailboat any longer?


There are plenty of people who have plans for that stuff. If you didn't like the answers you got it might be because we're tired of being asked.

We pay for health insurance, it's less than $2k/year. The main provision is that we can't be in the US more than 6 months of the year. The deductible would hurt but it wouldn't force us to sell the boat.

We've spent so much less each month than we did on land. We're not out sailing forever so the habits of being happier with less and focusing on experiences will probably more than make up for a few years of not making contributions to retirement accounts. Selling a house and buying a boat freed up a bunch of cash that got invested too. Compared to having moved up to a bigger house we're no further behind.

We just wrote a couple of blog posts about this stuff: managing risks and questions & answers.


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## Ajax_MD

Christina-

The people I asked weren't "tired of being asked". They were honest, and said that they had no health insurance and hadn't thought as far down the road as retirement, and living back on land.

Your sharp retort for an answer seems to indicate that you think I'm criticizing your choices, and accusing YOU of eventually being a burden on society.
I assure you that this is not the case. I'm not judging you or accusing you of anything, I'm only thinking of my own personal circumstances and choices.
Just because these people didn't have solid answers to these important questions did NOT mean that I thought less of them, or were accusing them of burdening society. Their situation is not mine. Who knows what they may eventually stumble into? 

Your health care plan sounds interesting. I'll try to read up on it in your blog.
I do qualify for cheap, military retired health plans, but I'd need to visit specific places here in the US to use it. Not very practical when you're out cruising and get injured or sick.
I'll look into it further and see if there are any provisions for that, but I don't think there are.

As for selling my house- 
Even though I bought at the bottom of the real estate crash, my home is still only worth what I owe on it.
I'm not underwater, but selling it wouldn't provide any money for me to invest, to take the place of 401k contributions.

And as for retirement-
At 60, I can begin collecting my military pension. I retired from the reserves, so I don't get to collect it immediately. I was on active duty for about 70% of my entire career, so the monthly payout will be decent, but not enough to sustain me by itself.
I have a corporate pension, but I should really stick with the company for awhile longer, to make it bigger.
Then there's my 401k, which I'm sure you understand how it works.
I don't even factor Social Security into my retirement plans. As far as I'm concerned, it doesn't exist.

I do think that if I had more equity in my house that I could invest, that might make the biggest difference between staying and going.
The real estate market in the coming few years could help me make the decision.


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## MondayNever

BubbleheadMd said:


> I have, and continue to agonize over this.
> 
> There are two things that stop me from putting the house up for sale and giving my employer the "V" sign:
> 
> What will I do for health care?
> Since I'll stop contributing to my retirement funds, how will I live when I'm too old and broken to live aboard a sailboat any longer?
> 
> I've already had colon cancer when I was 36 years old, so saying "It'll never happen to me!" isn't an option. Health insurance is important.
> Being 85+ years old when I finally swallow the anchor, and having no home and no money to buy or support any kind of home, means I'll end up being a burden on society. My conscience just won't let me do that. I'll have my military pension but that's just won't be enough to get by on, 40 years down the road.
> 
> Every time I talk to a couple who casts off their shackles and does this, they tell me that they simply don't have answers to these two questions.


Hi! I'm happy to provide answers to those questions, though they obviously only apply to our situation and not the "young cruisers" as a whole.

Health insurance is covered through a combination of international insurance through Diver's Alert Network and a domestic policy. It totals up to less than $2k/year. Our plan is to use cash for minor routine medical issues (antibiotics, tooth filling), DAN for international emergency services or evacuation, and our domestic insurance if we get carted back to the US on a stretcher.

Retirement will only be minimally affected by this trip. First of all, we're only planning on going for a year or two. This is not indefinite. We are also not touching our 401ks and IRAs, so they'll continue to compound while we're away.

We are lucky enough to have jobs in in-demand fields. We have the option to return to our current companies in the future, but we're in a good position to go elsewhere as well. The biggest thing for us is that we live in San Francisco, with San Francisco jobs, yet we've managed to keep low living costs. Rent controlled studio apt, one old car that we share, no fancy gadgets, etc. Quite simply, this whole thing is possible because we've been fortunate enough to be in a position to save aggressively.

Take care,
Will


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## MondayNever

While I was biking to work I realized that my previous post was disingenuous. Yes, our current situation allows us to offer neat and responsible answers to the questions that you asked. The truth, however, is that we'd still be doing this even if we were waiting tables. Albeit on a smaller boat and with a lot more uncertainty, but we'd be doing it.

So your assessment is probably right. Pre-retirement cruisers have all made a decision in which they feel that the rewards of the adventure outweigh the potential pitfalls. Every cruiser's level of risk by leaving is a bit different, but there is always sacrifice of stability. The flip to that is that we believe the risks of waiting is too great. If we don't do it now, it will never happen.

Maybe this will blow up in our faces. Hopefully it won't.


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## Minnewaska

Grabbing a year or two to cruise, while one is young, is not going off the reservation. Enjoy it. Personally, I say the only time one can easily do so is when they are very young or comfortably retired. In between is tough, for reasons Bubble stated.

The discussion, however, around the number of full time cruisers that roll the dice on lacking medical care or retirement savings is legit. More power to them, as long as they don't become a burden on society.


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## Ajax_MD

Monday- Thanks for your thoughtful responses.

I think if I'd done this when I was younger, it would have had less of an impact on my late future.

I'm not mired in revolving debt. All I have is the house and my one car. I could sell them and be debt free immediately, if I wanted. Unfortunately, the house lacks equity so "breaking even" is the best I could do. I could sail off in my Pearson 30 and parlay my skills in engine repair, electricity and electronics for money or services. I know I could get along ok, and I'd be happy, but there would be no retirement net when I'm old and broken down.

I'm 43, and I'm an expensive employee. If I quit my job now, there's really no going back. I'll be replaced with a college kid that they'll train up for 1/2 of what I cost.
If you set off cruising at 25 years old and return when you're 28, you're still a young, cheap worker with prospects.


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## RTB

BubbleheadMd said:


> I have, and continue to agonize over this.
> 
> There are two things that stop me from putting the house up for sale and giving my employer the "V" sign:
> 
> What will I do for health care?
> Since I'll stop contributing to my retirement funds, how will I live when I'm too old and broken to live aboard a sailboat any longer?
> 
> I've already had colon cancer when I was 36 years old, so saying "It'll never happen to me!" isn't an option. Health insurance is important.
> Being 85+ years old when I finally swallow the anchor, and having no home and no money to buy or support any kind of home, means I'll end up being a burden on society. My conscience just won't let me do that. I'll have my military pension but that's just won't be enough to get by on, 40 years down the road.
> 
> Every time I talk to a couple who casts off their shackles and does this, they tell me that they simply don't have answers to these two questions.


5 years ago, a good friend posted this - http://www.sailnet.com/forums/general-discussion-sailing-related/69610-you-fence.html

3 years ago, his wife posted this ......This is John's wife, Melanie. This has been the first time I am opening his membership here since the time he passed away, thank you for all the people that he have touched and inspired or helped in other way. I missed him too and it has been a battle but I made a promised that I will move on with my life as he wanted me to be happy and lived the life as he did. Right now our boat is now for sale in Panama. I will repost here the details in a few days, I need some help for some traffic and interested to consider Imagine. Its painful to let her go...but its time. http://www.sailnet.com/forums/central-america/67246-i2f-panama-2.html#post908446

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Only YOU can decide how to live the rest of your life. I learned from John, and choose to enjoy what time I have left doing what I enjoy most.

Ralph


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## Brent Swain

Wise move . I quit my job at age 23 to go cruising and never regreted it , nor quiting any job since.
Kids responsibilities and taxes? It's easy to avoid all the above. I have, for the most part. There is no world people shortage, and we all owe our gratitude to anyone who avoids adding to the overpopulation problem( the main source of environmental damage, which threatens us all, and our freedom)
Your environmental impact is directly porporionate to how much money you spend .Going cruising is the best way to minimize your envoironmental foot print.
I have never needed $500 a month in over 40 years of mostly full time cruising.


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## MondayNever

BubbleheadMd said:


> I'm 43, and I'm an expensive employee. If I quit my job now, there's really no going back. I'll be replaced with a college kid that they'll train up for 1/2 of what I cost.
> If you set off cruising at 25 years old and return when you're 28, you're still a young, cheap worker with prospects.


I think this is an extremely valid concern. Older workers, whether fairly or not, seem to face a much greater risk of becoming redundant if they choose to leave the work force for any length of time. My mom had that problem (though as a product of the recession, not choice)- she was never able to re-enter the corporate world after she lost her job in her late 50s.

I'd like to think that 43 is on the young end of that, but you may be right.


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## Sal Paradise

"Older workers, whether fairly or not, seem to face a much greater risk of becoming redundant if they choose to leave the work force for any length of time." - MondayNever

It somewhat depends on your skill set, I think; be it corporate based or trade/skill based. For instance, a middle manager steeped in IBM procedures and IBM specific culture might never get back to his rate of pay, or even employment. Whereas a good mechanic or electrician might at least get back in the trade at a decent rate. Portability.


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## Don L

I'm currently planning on selling everything (but the boat) and sailing off next year at 56. Mentally I realize that I might not really be ready to never work again, but also know that if I stay out more than maybe a year that the odds of getting back into the workforce anywhere near my current level is slim. But I'm telling myself that that is OK as without the house I don't really need to make a lot anymore.


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## Brent Swain

It makes little sense to give up enjoyment for most of your life, to enable you to hobble better at the end of it. 
Allen Farrell was a couple of months short of 90 when he died, while still living on his boat. He had learned to live so frugally that his pension piled up, and such an active life kept him healthy enough to enjoy his later years . 

No one ever lay on his death bed wishing he had worked more. 

You will regret the things you didnt do, far more than the things you did do.

Yes, when choosing a trade, one should give high value to portability


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## MikeOReilly

MondayNever said:


> Hey Mike! I've been following that thread periodically for the last year. It's grown out of control! But that magical $500 number is what everyone wants to know whether is possible or not.
> 
> We're going conservative so we budgeted considerably more than that and giving ourselves a minimum of a year, worst case. But we're hoping we can control our costs, avoid any nasty surprises, and try to stretch the budget to double that time.


Busy thread. Good stuff. Glad you're enjoying the frugal thread. I've said this many times, but $500 is really an aspirational concept. It's about living frugally. And frugality is really about living intently, and wisely. Sounds like this is what you're planning.

And don't tell anyone, but my budget is also more that $500/month 

Why go fast, when you can go slow


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## MondayNever

Brent Swain said:


> It makes little sense to give up enjoyment for most of your life, to enable you to hobble better at the end of it.
> Allen Farrell was a couple of months short of 90 when he died, while still living on his boat. He had learned to live so frugally that his pension piled up, and such an active life kept him healthy enough to enjoy his later years .
> 
> No one ever lay on his death bed wishing he had worked more.
> 
> You will regret the things you didnt do, far more than the things you did do.
> 
> Yes, when choosing a trade, one should give high value to portability


Thanks for the thoughts, Brent. We've taken a lot of this kind of wisdom from our elders to heart when making this decision.

As for the last statement, sometimes I wish I had learned to weld skillfully. My guess is that if a man can weld a perfect bead on stainless tubing, he's got a job anywhere, anytime.


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## Matt

MondayNever said:


> Thanks for the thoughts, Brent. We've taken a lot of this kind of wisdom from our elders to heart when making this decision.
> 
> As for the last statement, sometimes I wish I had learned to weld skillfully. My guess is that if a man can weld a perfect bead on stainless tubing, he's got a job anywhere, anytime.


never too late to start, get a welder and some SS rods and get practicing, not sure if its just me but i find stainless easier to weld than regular metals.
I'm a refrigeration mechanic so im sure id be able to find work in the carribean if i decided to retire early im 32 (i actually had to google and age calculator to remember my age haha)


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## Rocky Mountain Breeze

Yep ^^^^^ I have been in the commercial refrigeration trade for 30 years and have a business that owns me and my time but generates 1.5 million in revenue per year and growing at about a 10% rate. I know that I could go almost anywhere and find employment with my trade if I wanted to sell my business. The same is true for engine mechanics, electricians, plumbers, welders, and any of the other skilled mechanical trades. The sorry truth is that most people aren't even aware that a darned good living can be made at any of the skilled trades so they waste their time and money getting a degree that will not get them employment except in a few select areas and then only as long as there is a need for their particular skill. Mechanics of any variety who have good skills and work ethic can find income anywhere.


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## MondayNever

Matt said:


> never too late to start, get a welder and some SS rods and get practicing, not sure if its just me but i find stainless easier to weld than regular metals.
> I'm a refrigeration mechanic so im sure id be able to find work in the carribean if i decided to retire early im 32 (i actually had to google and age calculator to remember my age haha)


COME ON DOWN. Your first job? Fixing my fridge. I pay in beer.


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## Brent Swain

MondayNever said:


> Thanks for the thoughts, Brent. We've taken a lot of this kind of wisdom from our elders to heart when making this decision.
> 
> As for the last statement, sometimes I wish I had learned to weld skillfully. My guess is that if a man can weld a perfect bead on stainless tubing, he's got a job anywhere, anytime.


If you go to welding school, stick welding will be 95 % practice ( hand- eye co-ordination) and 5% theory, which you can get in the library. Get access to a buzz box , a pile of scrap, and a box of rods ,and teach yourself. I have rigged a 100 amp alternator for welding, with which I have built everything from anchor winches , to wood stoves to windvanes , in my cockpit, while at anchor. I have been turning down a lot of such work lately, to maximize my play time.

There are huge shortages looming, of people who can do this kind of work, and will be, for the forseeable future.


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## mbianka

There are no guarantees in life especially in today's global workplace. I quit full time work at 45 and did freelance until last year. Had time for living/sailing and did not dip into savings too much. Then the work dried up last year. Was no longer suitable for full time work anyway.  The phone stopped ringing but, I was ready to retire at that point anyway. I had a good run of 15 years in semi-retirement. No regrets.

Back around 2005 I jumped on a freighter as a passenger in my early fifties for a 20 day trip. The other passengers were an older couple early 70's and a fellow in his early sixties. I remember the single fellow saying "Everything was fine until I hit 60." I felt healthy and alive and brushed that off. Well I just turned 60 and suddenly aches and pains seem to come out of nowhere. Had a pinched nerve in the arm that was painful and had me questioning how I would do single handling. That went away as mysteriously as it arrived. Within in the past two weeks it was a hip pain on one side that had me hobbling around in the morning but, cleared up by mid day. WTF! That seems to be going away now too. At the same time my wanderlust is fading because I have already cruised in many parts of the world and find I am just as content in my local waters. So I don't have really any regrets at this point. Still have a few bucket list items though. Though I'm not chomping at the bit like in my younger days. Still, I always take heed the words of a friends elderly Uncle who said "Son, do it while you got the legs."


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## Brent Swain

I just hear part of a speech by Obama, in which he mentioned his staff asking him if he had a bucket list.
He replied
"I have a list which rhymes with bucket!"


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## MondayNever

mbianka said:


> There are no guarantees in life especially in today's global workplace. I quit full time work at 45 and did freelance until last year. Had time for living/sailing and did not dip into savings too much. Then the work dried up last year. Was no longer suitable for full time work anyway.  The phone stopped ringing but, I was ready to retire at that point anyway. I had a good run of 15 years in semi-retirement. No regrets.
> 
> Back around 2005 I jumped on a freighter as a passenger in my early fifties for a 20 day trip. The other passengers were an older couple early 70's and a fellow in his early sixties. I remember the single fellow saying "Everything was fine until I hit 60." I felt healthy and alive and brushed that off. Well I just turned 60 and suddenly aches and pains seem to come out of nowhere. Had a pinched nerve in the arm that was painful and had me questioning how I would do single handling. That went away as mysteriously as it arrived. Within in the past two weeks it was a hip pain on one side that had me hobbling around in the morning but, cleared up by mid day. WTF! That seems to be going away now too. At the same time my wanderlust is fading because I have already cruised in many parts of the world and find I am just as content in my local waters. So I don't have really any regrets at this point. Still have a few bucket list items though. Though I'm not chomping at the bit like in my younger days. Still, I always take heed the words of a friends elderly Uncle who said "Son, do it while you got the legs."


Hi Mike,
Thanks for your thoughts. This is what I've seen in my dad. He's in relatively great health for a 75 year old, but bits and pieces of him hurt at odd times and as you put it, the wanderlust has dried up. I get the impression that if it's ever gonna happen, it's gonna have to happen now.


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## MondayNever

Brent Swain said:


> If you go to welding school, stick welding will be 95 % practice ( hand- eye co-ordination) and 5% theory, which you can get in the library. Get access to a buzz box , a pile of scrap, and a box of rods ,and teach yourself. I have rigged a 100 amp alternator for welding, with which I have built everything from anchor winches , to wood stoves to windvanes , in my cockpit, while at anchor. I have been turning down a lot of such work lately, to maximize my play time.
> 
> There are huge shortages looming, of people who can do this kind of work, and will be, for the forseeable future.


I once bought a Hobie 16 with a trailer that needed a new axle. I bought the axle online for $100, but had to mount the brackets onto the axle myself. I figured I could either pay a welder another hundred to do it, or I could pay about the same for a cheap welder from Harbor Freight. Did the latter, had a blast learning, gave myself a wicked "sun" burn (goggles- not mask), only set fire to my pants once, and the axle never fell off the trailer after 3000+ miles of driving. Really would like to learn more at some point.

You have any instruction for how to rig up a welder off an alternator?


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## Capt Len

Get on with the dream, I can tell you I had a pretty good kick at the can, Did the build ,the sail, and bought a stable of rentals with the money people gave me to go sailing. World is changing quick and no sure thing. Enjoyed a life of being the best, strongest smartest quickest guy around but a couple of unexpected heart failures and an accident or two changes the zest pretty quick. As I drag my plastic lung and bag of pills to exotic locals I have few regrets. Hope you'll be able to say the same. At 73 the aches and pains are a way of keeping score as I mix the concrete for my latest project


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## SailRedemption

My fiancee and I aren't far from you two, hoping to have Redemption ready for after our wedding in June next year. Then it's south bound and down to clear water. Hope to see you guys down there one day. 

Really enjoyed the website too, I'm in! I like reading websites of people close to our age as it gives me motivation and inspiration to keep on keeping on. 

Sent from my VS986 using Tapatalk


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## smurphny

BubbleheadMd said:


> I have, and continue to agonize over this.
> 
> There are two things that stop me from putting the house up for sale and giving my employer the "V" sign:
> 
> What will I do for health care?
> Since I'll stop contributing to my retirement funds, how will I live when I'm too old and broken to live aboard a sailboat any longer?
> 
> I've already had colon cancer when I was 36 years old, so saying "It'll never happen to me!" isn't an option. Health insurance is important.
> Being 85+ years old when I finally swallow the anchor, and having no home and no money to buy or support any kind of home, means I'll end up being a burden on society. My conscience just won't let me do that. I'll have my military pension but that's just won't be enough to get by on, 40 years down the road.
> 
> Every time I talk to a couple who casts off their shackles and does this, they tell me that they simply don't have answers to these two questions.


Those are great points and things everyone thinking of escaping while still young and healthy need to think about. But, it can be done with a little planning. You need to work enough to fund your Social Security account so you have that later on. You can plan how long you "retire early." That's exactly what I did, not sailing but skiing. I gotta tell ya, I wouldn't trade those years for anything. You don't need to trudge through thirty years of sitting at a freakin' desk or worse, in a cubicle. You can get a "real job" (as we used to call it) later. Plenty of time. You only live once.

Learn how to do things for yourself so you can stay out of debt/slavery. Don't just go along on the insane, soul-stealing hamster wheel that our insane society want you on. Go for it.


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## aeventyr60

Capt Len said:


> Get on with the dream, I can tell you I had a pretty good kick at the can, Did the build ,the sail, and bought a stable of rentals with the money people gave me to go sailing. World is changing quick and no sure thing. Enjoyed a life of being the best, strongest smartest quickest guy around but a couple of unexpected heart failures and an accident or two changes the zest pretty quick. As I drag my plastic lung and bag of pills to exotic locals I have few regrets. Hope you'll be able to say the same. At 73 the aches and pains are a way of keeping score as I mix the concrete for my latest project


Jerry & I will have a mix that is easier on your limbs...Temptation ready to be anchored in Ko Jum. When do you arrive so we can work on fixing whatever is ailing you? I'm sure we will have some spare sika, bailing wire and maybe some pine pitch to put you back together again!


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## goat

Don0190 said:


> I'm currently planning on selling everything (but the boat) and sailing off next year at 56. Mentally I realize that I might not really be ready to never work again, but also know that if I stay out more than maybe a year that the odds of getting back into the workforce anywhere near my current level is slim. But I'm telling myself that that is OK as without the house I don't really need to make a lot anymore.


Same boat as you Don, but my plan is a couple days before my birthday just so I can say "retired at 55". Mental games.

goat


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## JimsCAL

Health is the big unknown. I have been lucky in that respect and even though I will turn 70 next year, I am able to pursue my two passions actively - skiing and sailing. Though I do understand those that do, I have no desire to sell the house and set off on the boat for years. I sincerely enjoy my summers on Long Island Sound and southern New England waters, but once fall arrives, I'm thinking about the mountains of Vermont and Colorado, not the islands of the Caribbean. Each to his own.


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## smurphny

JimsCAL said:


> Health is the big unknown. I have been lucky in that respect and even though I will turn 70 next year, I am able to pursue my two passions actively - skiing and sailing. Though I do understand those that do, I have no desire to sell the house and set off on the boat for years. I sincerely enjoy my summers on Long Island Sound and southern New England waters, but once fall arrives, I'm thinking about the mountains of Vermont and Colorado, not the islands of the Caribbean. Each to his own.


I've now done it both ways but I think you've got it right. The tropics are nice for a short while in the winter but I miss the snow and especially miss sailing the East Coast now that the boat is stored down in Fl.


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## Don L

goat said:


> Same boat as you Don, but my plan is a couple days before my birthday just so I can say "retired at 55". Mental games.
> 
> goat


My goal was 55 but after a small heart attack a couple of years ago I decided I needed a little extra in the kittery (I know it sounds ass backwards). But about this time last year I was saying screw that lets go in 2015 after-all. But my wife (she who shall be obeyed said she wanted to wait till she was 55, which made it be 56 for me).

Hope I make it :eek


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## chall03

There is always a reason not to go. 

As someone who went cruising in my early 30's and is now back at work saving to go again as soon as possible I am living this reality. 
The biggest reason to not go for us is actually not economical - it's concerns about our aging parents.

Yet they are the first to urge us to live our life as fully as we can. 

If you want to go cruising, go cruising.


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## Capt Len

Sawa dee cap. Dec 28 to feb 28.


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## SeaDubya

You go, bro! We are lucky enough to work remotely and can travel, but we look forward to the day where we can permanently cut the cord.

Too many people criticize one person's choice to "go" or "not go" when there are a million and one things that factor into such a decision for any one person. Good luck, and may all of those million-and-one things always guide you to your own happy place!


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## RTB

JimsCAL said:


> Though I do understand those that do, I have no desire to sell the house and set off on the boat for years.


For my wife and I, it makes more sense. Disregarding the money end of it, it's just more fun. We are both retired with incomes, so why sit on the porch in a rocking chair? We both totally love when we are underway. New sights and sound every day. Instead of barking dogs, we have noisy Seagulls and Great Blue Herons. An Egret here and there, not to mention those pesky Dolphins. Things are different....yet the same. We've found, for us, we are happiest when on the move. Stick us in a marina for an extended time....not so great. Just like at my old house. The same view everyday.

I guess for some, they need some place to call home. For us, it's the boat. We are getting ready to head out again after a long (boring) rest. We are looking forward to moving ourselves to warmth, or cooler temps, and avoiding hurricanes which could destroy our boat or kill us. That's a rush in some ways. Something that never affected my land life. I guess the only time I questioned not having a safe, secure home on land, was when we were dealing with some seriously nasty weather. Once things calm down, it's back to Island Time.

For me, I'm happy with my decisions and looking forward to many more beautiful sunsets. We'll see you out there. All the best to the young ones out there, following their dreams.

Ralph


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## chall03

aeventyr60 said:


> Jerry & I will have a mix that is easier on your limbs...Temptation ready to be anchored in Ko Jum. When do you arrive so we can work on fixing whatever is ailing you? I'm sure we will have some spare sika, bailing wire and maybe some pine pitch to put you back together again!


Is there a decent southwest monsoon anchorage on Ko Jum?

I was helping a mate deliver a yacht from Yacht Haven to Langkawi a couple of years ago when we got caught out with no wind and little fuel heading for Koh Lanta....in the end we sailed slowly through the night to reach Tonsai Bay. Didn't even think of Ko Jum.

Excuse the thread drift.......

I need a Chang.


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## Sal Paradise

Just wishing you both the best of luck! I hope to follow your blog and hopefully learn something as I share your adventures. No matter what your age or stage in life, I believe this is a time of unprecedented opportunities for cruising and learning from each other online and in person, and with technology like GPS, nav and communications electronics and the availability of affordable boats it seems like some fantasies may become reality.

Fair winds!


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## aeventyr60

^Nope, it's a NE anchorage. Lanta Old town would've, could've fit the bill. One Chang credit on your account here.


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## chall03

aeventyr60 said:


> ^Nope, it's a NE anchorage. Lanta Old town would've, could've fit the bill. One Chang credit on your account here.


That was the plan but we never did get there...realised my mate had no idea after that night and organised a few jerry cans of diesel and made for Langkawi with a stop at Koh Rok.

Tonsai Bay was fairly busy, but other side of Phi Phi was nice. Been keen to get up there again ever since, really liked the area. Keep my Chang on ice. I'll will owe you one or two by the time I'm there.


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