[scupper42]

I owned a 1968 26' Snapdragon for over a decade in partnership with my brother in law. We bought the boat for about $10K CDN from my father in law. We sold it a couple of years ago for $9K. Every year expenses ran about $6k including slip fees (expensive here), insurance, & maintainance.

This was a solid, seaworthy, well maintained boat. I felt great selling it to the next buyer knowing he was getting a fine boat.

Less than $300 / month. Pretty much all the sailing we could ever want.

It was cheaper than a golf habit. It's knowledge that is the barrier to sailing. Not money. It's as expensive as you want it to be.

Now I have ten times the capital tied up in a boat. I pay 3 or 4 times the upkeep.

I still anchor in the same anchorages, eat the same crabs, drink the same wine and watch same sunsets.

Of course now I don't fold up the kitchen table to sleep at night, and I have hot and cold running water and refridgeration. And to me, it's worth it.

There is no need to frighten off the dreamers. Just help them learn how to live their dreams.