[Stillraining]

Originally Posted by Cruisingdad

Good thread. It reminds me, on a side note, that I need to start a forum or at least a running thread for parent cruising with kids (hehe... assuming they did not leave them at the dock).

Ok - my wife and I can work and live anywhere in the world. We really need an internet connection, that is it. We saved and sacrificed for years. Last September-ish, we decided to sell and liquidate everything and go live aboard and cruise again (our oldest has done it with us but the youngest had not). Well, our house sold in almost 2 hours. My wife saw that as a sign.

Here we are in SW Florida waiting for my mom and dad to come (they are going cruising with us on their Tayana 42) and trying to earn a little change along the way. I have lived here and cruised here before so I find my eyes straying a little too long on the distant horizon versus the local seashore. We are trying to get the pieces in place to just go ahead and go to the carribean and Bahamas. I have had a lot of support from the community here (many of which have responded on this thread and thank you).

I though all of that might be helpful to know and understand my comments. Please understand, I have done this before too.

I think to plan it all out - how long you are going to go, when you are going to come back, when you are going to go because you now have enough money to stay forever... etc.... well, that can set up bad expectations. I have seen people (and see people) who save up their whole lives and get ready, only to not go because something happens to them or someone they love or any other thousands of reasons that can keep you from your dreams. I want to point out that when your last days on this earth come, you will not sit around thinking about wishing you had not done something but rather wishing you had. I firmly believe that adage. I also think it is a mistake to go before you are fully prepared mentally and with a buffer in the bank for the shoreside excursions and marina visits. It is a very rare person that can live aboard and cruise, a rarer person that can do it for many years, and an even rarer person that can do it without enjoying some of the comforts of technology or that land can provide (and I am not talking about air conditioning!!).

Very few of us have been raised on a boat. I never had. My kids have, more or less, but they still have spent a lot of time in a house. So when you talk about go cruising, imagine on planning to live in a confined area about as big as your master bedroom at your house... with a closet off the side. Even that is much bigger than most (yes, most) of the boats I have been on for those that actually are cruising. Many people (no, most people) simply do not adjust. This does not make them failures, but we are all built different and to say you are going to do it for X without actually having done any real long term live aboard is unrealistic at best.

My advice to anyone that cares or might take my opinions seriously: go. Make the sacrifice. Sell your house. Put your crap in storage for the first X-months. Put the pieces in place to walk away from life... for a little while. See some of the world. Plan on coming back. Be happy if you do. Be happy if you don't. But try and make the sacrifice. Your bedroom might be a bit cramped and might leak, but your backyard will be to die for. Hopefully you don't before you get a chance to see it.

We made the sacrifice with kids, certainly you can too - especially those of you without them. We have not looked back.

Brian

Ah ya newbie...tell us all about it after you have been out there 5 years..

Good to have you posting again Brian!..