Did a health scare influence your decision to go cruising?

[Yala]

If there is one common element in most liveaboards' decisions to take the plunge, it seems to be some kind of health scare - either to themselves or to someone they know.

In my case, I could tell that the stress of corporate life was slowly killing me (unfit, over-tired, chest pains, etc). In my wife's case, it was the tragic death of her first husband in a car accident at 33 that reinforced her conviction that 'life is now'.

For many, it is the premature death of a close friend or relative.

Then there is the tragedy of retirees who plan and work towards a measured escape, only to leave it too late.

For example, we met one cruiser who spent ten years building his dream boat (beautifully) only for his wife to die of cancer at 60, just as they were about to set sail. A couple of years later he had married a woman of 35, on the rebound, acquired a young child and was forced to give up his dream of escape, sell the boat to go back to work at nearly 70 to support them.

The more successful cruisers seem to have set off younger, when they are far fitter and more flexible, but often with almost no money, to create a new life for themselves.

 

[Tonyboolie]

Not quite the same, ie not living aboard, but know what you mean. My last wife died of cancer aged 37. My wife now lost her husband to cancer aged 42.

Makes you think. We sold up and moved to the coast. Still looking for jobs, in a rented property, but heh, we've just bought a boat. Only a small sports cruiser, but its a start.

Makes you wonder about looking after the future when you might not have one!!!

 

[captainslarty]

Yala, it can even influence you AFTER you go......
One year into our cruising, at the tender age of 47, I ahd a rather nasty surprise smack in the middle of biscay.. a small cerebral blood clot, stroke basically, it has taken well over a year to get back to some semblence of normality and has curtailed our cruising somewhat, with a two person crew it really brings home the other persons ability to handle the boat !.
Luckily, I am now 95% recovered, but it just shows, you never know when or where. After emotional upheaval at the time, as you can imagine, it only reinforced my desire to do what I am doing, for as long as I can. The best thing we di, Jayne and I, was to carry on, without outside help to Coruna. A an ex paramedic I also knew that the distance involved for any attempted "rescue" was unlikely to make any difference to long term outcome, so we winged it, bit the bullet and carried on (Single handed in Jaynes case. If there is a god up there she has thrown quite a few spanners in our direction, each time you overcome one thing, the resolve and determination only increases.
go as soon as you can, dont wait, dont wait for life to change first, make it change, and accept that it will continue to change, some good, some not so good, but mainly good in the long run.

 

[Maree]

Yes. One of my best friends died at 40 from a stroke, just a year older than I was at the time.

Add the fact that my husband (who's loads older than me!!!!!) was not 100% we decided to have the holiday of a lifetime and I quit my job to spend the summer in the Baltic.

While we were out he lost lots of weight and had some other symptoms, and now is being checked out for cancer. I hope it's not, but if it is then I'm glad we did it before it's too late.

Just got to hope I actually get another job now..... /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif market's not as good as when I left.

 

[AndrewB]

[ QUOTE ]
The more successful cruisers seem to have set off younger, when they are far fitter and more flexible, but often with almost no money, to create a new life for themselves.

[/ QUOTE ]Err ... citation needed, as Wikipedia would say. I believe many of those who set out with too little money get bollixed. I've heard plenty of hard luck stories.

 

[Guest]

I have not met or heard of any young couple that did not make their aim. Admittedly the are usually doing set trips like US to NZ or NZ to UK with time limits, but they do go cruising and are in my experience are successful.

The boats are more basic, and they are usually looked after and helped by everyone. There are enough kind bods out there that will not let younger crews fail. Remembering back to my first weeks away, there was 2 French, 1 English and a US boat that helped us over the initial learning.

 

[Bajansailor]

For an absolutely classic tale of a young couple going of sailing around the world on a shoe string and making it work marvellously, have a look at http://www.setsail.com/s_logs/martin/martin.html.

They went off around the world on a Cal 25, and had a couple of kids along the way......

 

[Gerry]

Yes, we have met many young couples particularly who are having a great time out there. yes a lot are on a time schedule but most of the ones I know have such a great time that when their tie elapses they go and work like dogs to get away again.
Look at these for example
www.uteatlarge.blogspot.com
www.seaquillsail.com

Sue and Adrian Paine on Pagos, Sue won the log competition in Yachting monthly are out there with their two small boys making a great success and having a ball.

Everywhere we have been we meet young, able cruisers making a go of it on a shoestring good for them!

www.gerryantics.blogspot.com

 

[ChrisE]

Sorry to confirm Andrew's observation but I have.

Example 1 Rotting wooden boat in Georgetown Exumas. Boat covered in cr$p, young couple all but destitute on board.

Example 2 Young aussie chap, bought big cat from SA with a view to sailing up to the states. Girlfriend and delivery skipper deserted him in Brazil. He sailed on with gash crew only to hit fishing boat at night (gash crew not paying attention). Boat and owner last seen rotting in Trinidad.

Don't get me wrong most people we've met, young and old, are having a whale of a time but we've also met a substantial minority that aren't. Finances, personal problems and just fed up with sailing.

Personally, I belive that if you want to go then you should but then have the good sense to pack it in if it's not for you before the dream turns into a nightmare.

 

[Brierley]

Definitely. My parents had the retirement dream, worked their socks off to earn enough money to fund it, then my mum died a week after her 50th birthday and my dad was left alone, in poor health and without the will to put any of their dream into practice for himself.

Three of my good friends have had breast cancer (one was only 28) though thankfully all have made good recoveries. Several work colleagues have had serious illnesses, including cancer, heart attacks, strokes etc and I have been to two funerals in the last year, both of which were sudden unexpected deaths of relatively young people.

We have just accelerated our plans - we still can't afford to leave completely and not come back to work, but we will be aiming to buy our first cat in the next few months, get used to her over the next year, then take several months off in 2009 for some extended cruising. The plan is now to buy an ocean-going vessel that would be capable of blue-water cruising, although it won't be our 'ideal' cat that we were working towards. Then we would have the option to leave on her, or to trade up, depending on circumstances in a few years time.

Brierley

 

[Sy-Revolution]

Yes! I've got to get out of here before I get foot'n'mouth or blue watsit, the wifes already come down with mad cow twice this year!........................

But seriously......
My pop died at 58 of skin cancer, mums had overian cancer (doing V. well atm tho /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif ) . Lifes short, especially if you don't get your dreams done.

 

[tcm]

The health thing influences *everything* i do, not just sailing. Getting stupid cars, one-off hols and adventures, everything.

 

[Grehan]

Yes. And yes we've met so many people over the last four years with the same reason, different takes, but the same basic reason. Mortality.

Not the most astute financial decision (actually, madness), but - obvious things aside - the best decision we've ever made. Never been so happy - really, (even in spite of . . . not much dosh, usual boat related constraints etc). Within dosh and calamity limits, free. Free to see things, go places, enjoy things, make mistakes, meet some great people, live in some great places, appreciate England all the more, sail, cruise, sit around, walk everywhere, live on-board (we love living on-board, love our boat), do stuff to earn some dough, develop ideas, think, live on the cheap, leave the bloody television behind . . . But definitely not some permanent holiday, people don't understand that, it's no picnic free from cares and woes - but it is good, bloody good.

We decided to do it before (a) we were dead or gaga (we can certainly look forward to that!) and (b) we were too old to do stupid things, to want to do stupid things.

Grown-ups are just silly children. As anybody can see. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif