Supposing you had a 1 year sabbatical....

bbilly

bbilly

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Supposing you took a 1 year sabbatical and you were a 50sh burnt out IT healthy hetero male with no ties who likes being on boats and had €25000 to cover costs!! Where would you go, what would you do, how long? Crewseekers? Ideas, destinations, real costs, first hand experiences. Any input greatly appreciated it has occurred to me as an alternative having this possibility , try and buy sort of...

Thanks in advance .....
 
Well it's probably best to start by not using an image of the Titanic, not the sort of experience you're looking for I suspect! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Tony C.
 
The further south you get, the cheaper your lifestyle will be - eg for the price of a beer in Europe/UK you can buy several in Brazil or some parts of the caribbean. I lived very well on less that £500 per month including marina fees in Brazil.
 
I used to work for a sailing flotilla company in Greece.

Two of the staff were 50'ish year old males.

One was a retired copper and senior instructor. Hardly ever had to set foot on a boat, he was more of a manager.

The other was an ex-businessman, sailing instructor, out teaching sailing six days out of seven.

Both of them, all of us even regardless of age, were paid crap but we spent our working days on boats in the sun, our days off doing whatever we wanted in the sun, and our nights eating cheap but good food and drinking cheap but good alcohol in a tourist resort.

Both those blokes referred to above were in their 50s but they lived, acted, loved and lost the same as those of us who were younger.

If you've got 9 months free, go for it! Good luck to yer.
 
a boat-owner could do one of a number of suitable cruises going south with the sun and returning the next summer. if you rely on others to provide the boat you'll be restricted to when and where people need crew for passages. we took a girls across on the ARC and she was hoping to continue to hitch hike down to NZ but had to give up because in december in the caribbean no one needed a crew and it was some months before the pacific-bound boats would be leaving for panama.

here are a few ideas- sign up for a round-the-world race, get a job with a sailing school or charter company, sign up as crew on a sail training or research ship.
 
Re: Supposing ... haven\'t got a boat yet

Thanks for all the encouragement and good ideas. Have no intention of committing to buying a boat (even if I'd love an Island Packet with the Caribè as a playground) until I have a suitable partner (i don't think i like the idea of being totally alone) and have tried the lifestyle. Like the idea of working for charter organizations or crewing - any pointers or suggestions. Snowl when is the best time to find a boat going somewhere warm and from where?

Thanks

Will
 
Re: Supposing ... haven\'t got a boat yet

go out and buy yourself a copy of 'the hitchhiker's guide to the ocans' it has a comprehensive guide to where and when to find boats gathering for ocean crossings.

just one tip - if you turn up in las palmas looking for a berth on the ARC you will be competing against hundreds of other hopefuls.
 
Re: Supposing ... haven\'t got a boat yet

Heres a few thoughts. I am same age also single also planning to take a year out and try longer passages (but prob going to head north) Like you I would prefer not ot go alone but will if no option. Big difference is I have a boat! So what would I be looking for in crew? First man or woman? Ok the ideal is a long term female partner!! but failing that think it would be easier with a man, sailing with a woman that I was not in a relationship with... need to be very clear on expectations both sides... could see friction. Second point, yes some passages might be looking for crew for a short hop, would look for anyone with experience and reliable but basics are that I feel I can trust them to keep a lookout, shout if they need me and not talk about football!! Age would be an advantage, be more incline to trust someone over 30 and they tend to have more stamina. However what would work much better is to find someone who can commit to the hole trip, by that I mean someone who will turn up before hand and help prepare the boat, put some cash into the inevitable 'extras' needed for the trip etc and be a regular part of the crew. For that I would happily expect that destinations etc would be a joint decission, ie 'our trip' not my trip. So my advice look localy and find some planning the sort of trip you want that in the same position as you. Good luck
 
Re: Supposing ... haven\'t got a boat yet

finding a suitable crew for a long trip can be quite difficult. it has to be someone you get on really well with and who has the same ideas and the time available. the ideal of course is a spouse because you'll already be used to accommodating each other's likes and dislikes.

if you can get hold of a book called 'sailing my dream' by dick allan about doing the tradewind rally with 2 other guys you could pick up some useful insights.

i agree that a non-involved female crew could become a problem. the most likely scenario is that one party is likely to become keener than the other on taking the relationship further. one of you could find him/her self fending off advances which could become very wearing! also picking up dates along the way could generate a lot of tension.
 
Re: Supposing ... haven\'t got a boat yet

Good point made and if you haven't got a "perfect" relationship with the female the confines of a boat may strain it plus many other ego and role factors. I know there are some amazing women out there and I prefer chatting to women more than men but I think a bloke would be better partner in conducting a boat. If you plan a longterm cruise I think it's fair, if possible to crew for a few weeks and see how you get on. For me personally speaking just being on a sailing boat makes me feel good.

Will
 
Re: Supposing ... haven\'t got a boat yet

[ QUOTE ]

if you can get hold of a book called 'sailing my dream' by dick allan about doing the tradewind rally with 2 other guys you could pick up some useful insights.

[/ QUOTE ]

If we're talking about the same book, I remember that one of the male crew swapped with another on a different boat on amicable but we just don't get along anymore terms.

They picked up a young female crew member in Australia who knew nowt but was eager.

The author's wife was not prepared to do the full Round The World cruise, so every few weeks she'd fly out and meet him in whatever port he was at that month.

Was a good read, I liked the Pacific crossing sections in particular.
 
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