Live aboard advice

[Guest]

My Wife and I are considering leaving work, changing our Jeanneau 27 for a blue water cruiser and becoming live aboards - hopefully cruising the world. We are both just the wrong side of 45 and probably looking for a complete change of lifestyle.

I want to get in touch with anyone who has sensible, practical advice based on personal experience on how to achieve this aim. Questions could be:

1. How do you maintain a home base with no regular work
2. How do you get work abroad
3. What sort of savings do you need to set off

+ a million more but its the financial aspect which concerns me most.

Thanks for any replies.

Geoff

 

[claymore]

There are plenty of books written on this subject. Lin and Larry Pardey were writing about this years ago. Its a massive subject and one which you need to spend plenty of time researching - particularly the financial aspects. Trying a toe in the water you might consider strategies like living on your boat and letting your house, whilst still at work and see if you can live off the income and any other investments without touching your salary. Getting work abroad doesn't have to be too difficult depending on what you can offer and what you don't mind doing. Age ought not to be a factor, health is. You are looking at a fundamental lifestyle change - which is in effect what we all face upon retirement. I think the biggest decisions are to do with making sure that this is really what you want to do and not a pipe-dream borne of some dissatisfaction with your present lot.
That cannot have helped at all!!
Wish you well.
John S

 

[winship]

Claymore is correct Geoff, it is a massive subject. I have been living aboard and cruising arond the world for 19 years(not in UK) You require a regular income , as a ball park figure, £5000 a year would be an absoloute minimum for two i.e keeping out of Marinas(more and more difficult except in N.Z and parts of OZ) eating and drinking very frugally, doing all your own maintenance, not having any spare cash for travelling in countries you visit or flying back home, but...you are still living the cruising life. £10.000 means a much more flexible life with more cash to travel, entertain, drink more wine occaisonally pay some else to do the tricky jobs, spend the winter in a Marina. As for earning as you go along, if you are a Doctor. Dentist, Teacher Diesel Mechanic or boat builder there is usually legal work to be found. Otherwise it means under the table work i.e no Green card and that will be low paid unskilled because boat yards ,Hotels, etc know that you wont argue because you are working illegally and of course you wont have time or money to do much travelling....but hey, lots of my friends are living that life and are happy.As so much depends upon ones expectations, character it is very difficult to say who can live this life successfully. No further comment on that subject but if I can help with practical queries, please ask. Winship P.S Geoff Pack has published a book on the subject 'Count down to going cruising' or something similar,

 

[jamesjermain]

Geoff\'s book is...

Blue Water Countdown, published by Yachting Monthly. It is very good and thorough. It covers all the topics you mention, including the physchology of ocean cruising, finance and earning a living as you go. The final chapter is an excellent check list to the moment of departure called 'The last six months'

JJ

 

[charles_reed]

Other liveaboard professions

Diver - lots of opportunities if only with other yachties
Accountant - I know of one couple where the distaff side, being chartered usually finds one or two opportunities, even in Europe.

 

[ccscott49]

I work in the oilfield, 3 weeks on three weeks off, income and time to enjoy it, can even cross the atlantic in three weeks, the company I work for will fly me from wherever to work and back so no problems. I tried chatering when off, but dont like "guests" in my home all the time. I have no base in UK or anywhere else. Communications is easy and has been covered many times before. Marinas in some places are very cheap in the winter, especially in the meddy, tunisia etc. anchoring in the summer, I love the life.. £10000.00 a year covers me fine and I have a 57 footer. I do use marinas a lot even in summer, as I need somewhere safe and secure for the boat when I'm away working, which still allows a good lifestyle. No debts though, no car, no kids and no wife. Although I still have fairly permanent crew, (girlfriend). and a motorbike (on deck). Contact me privately if you need more info, the subject of living aboard is huge, but simple really.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your insight.
The notion of cruising around the globe self sufficiently in a boat has obviously changed in the past decade or two. There seems to be stricter controls on work permits, etc., etc., so unless you have skills required by a certain country (port) one has to assume that any income has to be generated from the home country.

If you sell up (house, investments...) to follow the cruising lifestyle what happens if you decide to return? No house, (except boat), no income support, no job.

Is it a viable option nowadays?

 

[Laurence]

My partner and I are working toward the same end and have put a departure date into the diary, 1st May 2003.

We believe (rightly or wrongly) that rental revenue from our property here will generate enough for day to day living but we have started a number of courses to give us opportunities to earn occasionally.

Liz is a passable upholsterer and I have rewired a couple of boat end to end and both of those talents seem to be in demand. I am taking a RYA Dinghy Instructor course and qualification at our local sailing club (in February!!) in the hope of finding some use for it and we are both considering a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course for which there always seems to be a need. If you can play a portable instrument you could almost certainly play for your supper in some of the more popular spots. The Diver suggestion is an excellent one - there is a type of gear (can't remember its name) that has a very small compressor floating on a type of inner tube which delivers air to the diver. Range and depth with this type of gear is limited but it would be enough to recover lost items in a marina/anchorage or scrub a bottom afloat. It can also be carried by a much smaller boat than full compressor and scuba tanks.

The one line of advice that one hears again and again from those who have already set sail is Just Do It.

Good Luck

 

[winship]

re API and Geoff. I pressed the wrong bottons! Please see my latest under separate listing of Live aboard advice re API

 

[Guest]

Dare I say it,,,,

Preperation is good, but there is a lot to be said for just getting up and doing it........
If you think too much about anything you can talk yourself out of it. Just my two pence.

Charlie

 

[Guest]

maybe the change of lifestyle you seek involves worrying less about money and the furture? We are the same age as you and working towards the same thing. Moving on the boat now but continuing to work for a few years before setting off anywhere. Contact me if you fancy comparing experiences

Roly, Voya Con Dios, Glasson, Lancaster

 

[Avalon]

Renting a property here may well provide sufficient income for living aboard - it generally does for me. I would agree with winship's figures for annual cost.

As for earning money while abroad - it depends where you are. In EU countries there are no work permit problems, and rates of pay are likely to be reasonable.
Elsewhere I believe you are best advised to try to offer services to other yachties, rather than trying to work (illegally) in the local economy.. So if you are a diesel mechanic, refrigeration engineer, rigger, dentist, marine electronics guru or sailmaker, you could do OK. Upholstery could work.... if you have an industrial sewing machine on board.

I wouldn't place too much hope on the diving thing. I'm a diver myself, and there are so many of us now, who'll clear a fouled anchor or prop for a beer or two.....There are some who make a bit of money cleaning bottoms (just before race week is a good time) but it ain't fun and doesn't pay that well. If you're going to get diving gear, get tanks not the surface-supplied thing. You won't be able to earn much money either way, but at least with the tanks you can also do some enjoyable diving. You don't need a compressor, tank fills are available almost everywhere and not expensive.

"Just do it" is good advice....




Phaon Reid, S/Y Avalon of Arne
www.sailingontheweb.com