INCOME, How?

[dom]

I am interested to see what long term roaming livaboards do for a living, are they all lucky to not need to work, carry on till money runs out, or is there work to be found on your travels. I am intending to embark on such a lifestyle in the furure.

 

[MedMan]

How long is a piece of string? One constantly amazing thing about this way of life is just how many different ways there are of doing it. About as many as there are folks out here I suspect!

Many, like me, have taken early retirement; others have waited the full course until 60 or 65. Some have saved up enough to live the life for 1 or 2 years after which they will have to return to work. Some are spending an inherritance and some, no doubt, have won the lottery! (I haven't met one of those yet.) Some are out here for 12 months a year, some for 10, some for 6 and some just for 1 or 2. Cheap & easy air transport makes part-time living aboard a viable proposition. Some indeed do work their way around the Med, the Northern Atlantic, the World or wherever. We met a super family in Portugal who moored somewhere suitable for 'term times' and sent their kids to school while the parents worked. Come the last day of term they cast off and cruised until the start of the next term & stopped again wherever they happened to be. He was a shipwright so obtaining work in port areas was not too difficult. If you are a nuclear scientist or a coal miner you might have more problems!

So, how old are you, how much have you got in the bank, do you already have a boat, what is your family situation, how long do you want to be away, where do you want to go, will you miss your work, your family, your friends or your dog? I don't want to know the answers, of course, but just wish to make the point that it is a very, very personal thing and that the answer for you will be quite different to the answer for anyone else.

So should you do it? If you possibly can, absolutely yes. The life is not without its problems but the rewards are huge.

The best of luck,

David

 

[summerwind]

It is probably a no-no to say this on this site, but an excellent site for live-aboard knowledge is sailnet. It is an American site so strongly biased to their attitudes etc but there is ecellent advice from quite a few people living on board and cruising.

You may well find some ideas to help you there. It certainly helped me make my mind up that being a live-aboard is my future.

Good luck

 

[ccscott49]

I work in the oilpatch as a consultant, saving like mad to completely retire in a bout two years, but I work three weeks on three or two weeks off, a lot of cruising can be done in two weeks, but you of course don't have to move all the time. As medman says theres lots of ways of skinning a cat or any other animal for that matter!

 

[ToMo]

Cat!...I thought you had a motorsailer? nm

.

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Cat!...I thought you had a motorsailer? nm

Very bloody funny! tee hee

 

[Guest]

As a livaboard for 8 years now (mainly Med but also Indian Ocean) I have found that although I am not skilled in any technical trade I can usually earn cash (or credits, ie. I scratch your back you scratch mine) most places. I have Dog sat in Oman, helped other yotties and delivered boats in the Med, but the best regular money maker is teaching sailing in RYA affiliated schools. All you need is Yachtmaster Offshore and the school will give you a 'Cruising Instructor' ticket after a short test and then you teach. Teaching sailing also allows you to meet lots of nice people. This winter I have been to Russia, Denmark and France, courtesy of students.
If your boat is big enough you can also charter or invite paying guest.
Doing this I actually manage to put money in the bank most years - once £12,000!
As long as you have enough to get home in an emergency do not worry about money and thanks to cards you no longer have to have complicated arrangrements with banks or carry it with you.

David J

 

[david_e]

Re: Cat!...I thought you had a motorsailer? nm

You have to watch that hound...he's very quick of the mark....even quick enough to catch a cat

 

[Medskipper]

My brother and his lady partner have been living on their yacht in the Med for the last three years. He has a small house and so does she. They are both rented out on an annual basis and after tax they have an income of about £1500 a month. They say that they have all the food and drink that they require and their average living expenses are only about £600. a month. They do have to anchor off a lot during the summer months but during the winter months have managed to find a berth for around £100 per month! My brother says that it is a fantastic life and if they wanted to return to England they would have to go back to work again! He is only 50 and reckons that he is there for at least another ten years!!
Not bad eh!

Barry

 

[Guest]

What or wherever you are coming from, it does not really matter what your financial state of affairs are now, it is what they will be like when you start to roam. In 1972 I set my own company up in France and today I do what I want, when I want. However, with technology and the Internet ideology, I have ADSL and a licence to trade on the Stock Exchange. The two together hae given me a licence to follow each market from Japan to London to New York to watch and research the equities. You can make what ever you want.

On the over hand it is possible to offer your skills/professionalism in whatever it is you have built up: be it helping other sailors, or the countries that you are visiting. If you have a skill/profession put it to best use in the fashion that you think is right.

I wish you well.

 

[Guest]

These figures broadly fit our experience.

William Cooper

 

[Guest]

I really wish we had been able to use some of these replies in our book. They make fascinating reading.

One of the biggest savings of all, is that one does one's own maintenance.

William Cooper

 

[Guest]

My wives (one at a time) have been living aboard various craft since 1962. I've earned a fair living many,many ways. you would be surprised at what your capable of If you really want to live this life and have a fair degree of FREEDOM! I'm now retired and on Social Security. My present wife of 28 years, my two boat cats and the boat can live on about $450 US monthly.. Of course we can live on more; and do have it, but find most of our needs can be met on that amount. We have an inexpensive
land base right on the water with our own dockage and find at our ages (65) we need to get off the boat for a time to recharge before we are off again!