How to earn a living

[catblue]

Hi - Am a newcomer to this site - and a newcomer to the world of yachting.
For some reason, all my life I seem to have been a late starter - and this is no exception. Had my first taste of sailing only a year ago, and now am about to embark on a complete life-change (and am the wrong side of 50!) No intentions of retiring - just living differently, and hopefully a more relaxed way of life in the sun. Signed up for a fast-track Yachtmaster course, along with my better half, and once we've some sea miles under our belt hope to buy a catamaran to charter in the Caribbean and or Med. Am I mad, or what?! However, if the chartering idea doesn't go to plan - I'd like to know - just how do people earn a crust as liveaboards? We plan to sell our house to finance our training and boat purchase - but then ............. very exciting, but quite daunting !!!

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[AndrewB]

<blockquote><font size=1>In reply to:</font><hr>

<font size=1>just how do people earn a crust as liveaboards?</font size=1>

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Drug running. Everything else is pin money, I'm afraid. As you said, you aren't the early worm. But best of luck with the chartering.

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[DaveNTL]

from person experience, don't get too starry eyed over that 'yachtmaster' label - do comp crew and dayskipper then sail as much as you can

there isn't much more in yachtmaster (coastal) theory than dayskipper except weather and more stringent checking of your navigation questions, maybe a few other things, but basically it is just a title until you have the experience

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[LifeAtSea]

Totally agree with MentalPause. When I first started thinking about boating I thought that I'd go for the Yachtmaster Grand Master Flash Dooby Dooby Doo. I then realised that it's all about experience and unless I wanted to launch myself with speed to the situation where I could 'do' deliveries based upon mastering the oceans, it wasn't really worth going beyond Day Skipper. I haven't even got DS, just two Comp Crews with different outfits but having been on a DS boat I got to see that there wasn't much difference between the courses aside from getting to sweat over navigation. At this point I realised that no course could compensate for hands-on experience and sea miles.
Highly recommend doing a Comp Crew though. It totally gets you familiar with all the bits and pieces that make up a boat.

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[ccscott49]

Earning a living.......Well it will depend on what yours and your partners qualifivations are. If you are a doctor or nurse or anything like that, you should be OK, in areas where there are a lot of tourists etc. I dont know many people who actually make a living cruising, mostly the help their income. Chartering in the meddy on your own is a nightmare/minefield. Dont bother with expensive YM "fastrack" you wont need it, do a cheaper longer term, day/coastal skipper and save the money. You will need it. There are a multitude of things you will need to consider, including health, but dont be discouraged, do it, I am also over 50n and living aboard, but I do have a job. Best of luck, see you in the meddy!

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[catblue]

We're trying not to get too starry-eyed and do realise we need to get a fair bit of experience/sea miles before launching out on our own. Have signed up with FF on the basis that their students seem to get good results, and why not have fun in the sun while training! Once, not if (let's be positive!!) we get our tickets hope to try and get some work/experience on flotillas, crewing deliveries etc. Realise it's still going to be hard work - getting back into learning mode having left full-time education longer ago than we care to think - but at the end of the day hopefully we'll have had a great adventure even if we decide a life at sea's not for us.

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[Sea Devil]

Chartering in the Med is has already been posted a minefield and very, very difficult to make a living at - The biggest problem being marketing! You are in direct competition with Moorings and Sunsail to mention 2 of hundreds!!

Chartering in the Caribbean is a non starter unless you have a truly luxurious boat and can become part of the recognised charter fleet - if not again the marketing problem makes it impossible - I have friends who have tried - thats the bad news -

The good news is lots of people work their way around the world - depends on your skills. Anyone good with things related to boats can find a job in the 'local' season.

Do not put too much store on the paper qualifications - Unless you become a professional crew they do not impress anyone and the Yachtmaster type suggest you only have a very basic knowlage...

Learn a little boat handling - some navigation and go sailing. Wonderful life but you need some form of income and 'day workers' around the world in boat yards et al get a fairly low hourly rate...

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[thomas1]

I was thinking of doing one of the many fastracks that are on offer thanks for the info £7500 is a lot of money for a bit of paper so it looks like the long way round for me cc than ds on so on