People who are looking for a minimalist lifestyle more closely connected to nature and the outdoors should certainly consider living on the water, and the small but interesting movement among the "aquatically hip" called "Seasteading"...basically having a goal of living on the water in as self-sufficient a lifestyle as a person desires... I moved aboard my second liveaboard sailboat last year, a "fixer upper", and I'm repairing it and upgrading it for ocean cruising. My first liveaboard was a small 22' sailboat, roomy enough for one but very little storage, I sailed it away for $1900. This one is just under 30', needs some work, nothing major, a lot of TLC all over...I got it for $4000. I lived on the 22' for three years and spent the whole time in free anchorages, never paid one dime in rent or bills. I'm tied up to a marina which costs me $250mo with electric water and phone hookups. When it's in shape to tackle long cruises, I'm first relocating to nTexas where I know several marinas that charge VERY cheap rates...my slip rent will probably drop from $250 down to $100-$150. Next step, I have retired sailor friends who have become semi-expatriate in Honduras, Belize, Costa Rica, etc...I want to go on a long cruise checking out the places they recommend and see if it's something I want to try myself. As long as I have a way to connect on the phone and the Net, my little Internet biz will keep chugging along. After a few years. after I get a few serious ocean cruises under my belt, I may or may not upgrade to a larger boat...and start experimenting with "disentangling myself" from civilization in a larger way. I've talked to many cruisers who sail the south Pacific who have run across people who "just don't care to come back to town anymore", and support themselves and their minimal needs in a number of ways. (A diesel mechanic can get work anywhere on the globe from other cruisers alone, operate from their boat, advertise and get customers by radio) I don't know how far on that scale I want to go, but I'll know when I get there. Many sailors rig their cruisers to make their own electricity, perform their own repairs, mend and even make their own sails, make fresh water out of salt (Or even out of the air!...Condensers). Seasteaders take another step forward with concepts like greenhouse hydroponic gardens built into a boat for food and other useful plant material, building raincatchers and sowing foodplants on desert islands to return to later, seafarming and collecting data on water purity and chemicals in sealife to send to scientists working on environmental issues. I'm not an authority on it, I basically look at what's doable and desirable for me in the foreseeable future...Googling the word "Seasteading" will produce some info if you're curious on the subject. I should also mention drawbacks. Besides the personal life investment, hazardous aspects of being on the water and personal commitment involved, the authorities take a heavier hand against liveaboards in general every year and in a multitude of ways...all the way from 24hr anchoring limits to warrantless searches on boats tied up at liveaboard marinas under the cloak of "safety inspections". The Coast Guard is not at fault here...they are very professional people and heroes if you're a cruiser in trouble...it's when land law enforcement agencies come to "help" the CG do inspections...and in communities where there is a lot of boater bias, sheriffs and PDs insist on "helping". They see "boat people" as basically bums who skate on paying property taxes and get an ocean view that "good citizens" pay a half a mil for. But, if you can pass the gauntlet of the "muggles" (boater slang for prejudiced land people), find living aboard is to your liking, and actually get into a position where you can go out to sea regularly or even semi-permanently, you've just inherited 2/3 of the ocean globe with very few people to run into, let alone screw with you...and an ocean of resources available if you learn to harness them. Food for thought...
yeah i have been looking into that , sounds very interesting.....and a sail boat also makes a good vehicle for "survival" situations ... tho i have heard pirates are on the rise around the globe....so it can get dangerous out there do you have any pics of your boats?...we loved to see them
Actually I don't have a picture of it to upload, it's a '77 Cherubini Hunter 27', HunterOwners.com has a website for the model with a lot of pics and specs... http://kb.sailboatowners.com/brand?model=16
What about "pirates"? What are your experiences with them? Or avoiding them? A married couple, really great friends of mine, have been doing the, as they call it, "open ended cruise", for years now. They're both writers, her more so than he... but he is also expert at 2 way radio, radar & other electronic equipment repair, etc. They have a number of regular ports of call where they get free mooring in exchange for repair work & for attracting other boaters for repair work. They say that the police in some towns, in some countries, some of the time, are a LOT worse than in the U.S. What have been your experiences with that? Also I was wondering about your self-steering system. My friends (as best I remember) are using a modified CapeHorn system. Peace & Happy Sailing, poor_old_dad
That does sound like SO much fun! Unfortunately neither DH nor I can handle being on the water at all. (sigh) We've talked a lot about picking up a small camper & living out of that once our kids are grown & moved out though - same general idea, but we wouldn't be perpetually sick.
I was recently living on a sailboat but it has since been sold (by the owner), it was docked the entire time. It is by far the best sleep ever. I have grown up on boats and water. I have been sailing since I was five. I would love to live on water full time. One day...One day...
Sounds rather nice really. Congrats and be sure to document your days it would be worthy reading material for us land people.
I’ve owned a couple of smaller boats, but always had the dream of living aboard, and ultimately crossing an ocean. Two years ago, I sold my house and everything I owned and put the proceeds into this 42 ft Tayana. I sailed it to Mexico, and then single-handed it to Hawaii, spent the winter, and then invited a friend to accompany me on a crossing to Alaska, where I spent the next winter. Well, it’s part of the dream, but living aboard, indeed just owning a boat, is a lot of work and financial expense. But reaching a goal sometimes requires sacrifice, and I didn’t want to end up on my deathbed someday realizing I had left my most precious goal slip by me.
There are also alternatives for people without a lot of money. Here in South Florida due to past hurricanes there are a lot of wrecked boats still around and a cottage industry in freelance boat repair and under the table boat parts...my Hunter 27 is sailing, unless I'm forgetting something I think I've bartered for everything or done it myself. Now I'm planning to upgrade it for cruising and living on the hook, have to shell out some $$$ in that effort but we'll see what ingenuity and a little swappin can accomplish...lol To Sarah: I am amazed how many single women sailors there are now compared to 20 years ago. At our little dock we had one when I arrived, and there are now three...one fourth of our sailboat captains at this marina are female! That's a lot! Update on the retired gentleman going to Honduras, he's pushing it back to sometime this winter because health issues have him behind on his boat work...but the number of our "Armada" has now increased to 5 sailboats...and apparently we're stopping in Jamaica. It may be a long stop...lol...I've never been there but a couple folks who have gave us a lot of stories. Ai yi yi...I'd better get to work!
P. S. --- You won't do it because you dreamed it, thought about it, or planned it... You do it because it's in your blood, and you're crazy enough to JUST DO IT. You'll spend 8 weeks CERTAIN you made a mistake. Another 8 weeks shaking your head, what have I done, but it's too late now! And the rest of your life pitying the fool you were that waited so long.
For current information on where there are problems,ask any charter company office,also, read the newspaper.
