[eryka32]

Hi Mark -- Go for it! Being a writer seems an ideal career for a cruising liveaboard since you can do it from anywhere (spoken with envy by a liveboard with a dressy office job in Washingon DC area). 80% of the boats here rarely leave the dock, even the liveaboards, like, a very small floating apartment with a great view. So what you live on may not be what you sail on and you don''t have to do one before the other. Scan some sites like this one and ablboat for prices; If you''re willing to live simply I''m betting you can *buy* a boat for what you''d pay in rent in a year or less. (I''m thinking "simple" like an older boat around 27-30 feet, icebox no fridge or microwave, or fancy electronics). If the adventure doesn''t work out you can always sell. As the previous poster said, you''re far more likely to regret what you didn''t do than what you did.

That doesn''t mean jump blindly, keep reading and asking questions. Charter if at all possible. My favorite book to recommend is "Cruising woman''s Advisor." -- obviously not all of it would apply for you, but still a source of good info for those just starting out.

If you want to chat about some of this offline, feel free to email me at eryka32@mail.com