Ways to earn money??

[oceanmaui]

I''m new to idea of liveaboard/cruising. Trying to decide if we want to take that lifestyle leap.

My question is...how do people pay for this?
Are most people generaly wealthy?
What are the ways people are recieving income, or are most people using their retirement funds?

Also...what are some ways to suppliment income while crusing? Charters..that type of thing?

Just curious. I have a passionate heart that''s often cooled by a realistic brain.
:O)

-D-

[Dougs/vDancesw/Wind]

No, most people who do long term / long range cruising & living aboard are not wealthy. Liveabord cruising, particularly on medium sized (or small) cruising sailboats doesn''t seem to very often attract the really well off.

Quiet a few, probably a majority, are what you could call some sort of upper middle class, however. Certainly not all.

Most long distance of long time cruising sailors have gotten a bit of capital together, however. Most are the type that have managed to save some money, whatever their age, compared to many others their same age. (I.e. a philosophy of using money for freedom and experiences as opposed to display or keeping up with someone else.)

A good many are retired, or semi retired. Often early retired, perhaps with a though of possibly going back to work after a while, for a while.

Certainly not all however.

There are a whole lot of younger people, including some in their twenties, who decide to take a year or so off from work. Often they have smaller and older boats that didn''t cost all that much. Still, compared to many their age, they have obviously managed to save more than most.

There are a relatively few people who manage to make a significant amont of money while on the go, usually by writting, often about sailing and traveling.

There are more who decide they want to extend that year or whatever they had saved to be able to take off, by staying put someplace, living on the boat, and making some money, often by some boating industry related work, or perhaps something related to what they did before. Web site and other computer programing etc. work seems to have more of a labor market in lots of places than there are local people able to fill it.

Of course there are also people who park themselves on the waterfront of a city. In many places that is actually not all that expensive compared to other ways of living in that city. Yeah, if it''s a second home that is one thing, but if its the only home it''s another. There are even people who don suits each morning and head to "the" office, as they work on paying off their boat loan or whatever.

Best of luck!

[oceanmaui]

Thank You for that response. I know i have a lot more reading to do on the subject.

My wife and i were vacationing in Maui, and after struggeling at the airport to leave, we looked at each other and though "Why not? Why can''t we just sail off and leave the corporate world behind?"
:O)

And the dreamseeds were planted, slowly taking roots. :O)

We''re not that well off, nor are we struggeling. So i wasnt sure if this was something that was a near-future thing, or a far far future thing.

It does depend on your situation...but it''s good to know that lifestyle isn''t just for the rich.
:O)

Thanks again.

[Paisan]

Well, I''m with you Oceanmaui. I went on a honeymoon a few yrs ago, and during a "booze cruise" on a 40'' catamaran, first got the idea I could cruise for a while... by the time we were headed back the guy at the helm said to me "you got the right attitude, obviously the skills, AND a good enough gift of gab... I''ll get you a job if you want it." I thought "WOW, he''s almost serious!" I couldn''t even conceive of it. Well, its been 6 yrs, a lot more sailing (including a long charter in the BVI), and a divorce, and I''m a lot closer than ever before.

I have to tell you, I''ve read a ton, watch these boards, and my questions are much the same as yours. I''ve saved more than most people my age, but I''m far from wealthy. People talk about the "big bad corporate world", the "rat race" like IT, in and of itself, is the problem. I think its like any other goal - to succeed in it, is a huge accomplishment, to be proud of. I''ve built a good career. Not a great one, but a good one. And I''m not 100% sure I''m ready to give it up forever. But I''m ready to try it out, and hopefully learn enough to make a better, longer term decision for me.

Guess my point here... why decide to give it all up? Why not take a self-granted sabbatical of say up to a year? If you don''t like it... go back on land and get back to work. Maybe its not as easy as that, but for what it''s worth... that''s kinda my plan.

Good luck!

[flicker]

I''ve been in the same job (different employers) for over twenty years. So has my wife. This has involved shift work that keeps us up evenings and nights and takes many weekends. It makes parties, holiday get-togthers and volunteer activities so difficult that we often can''t attend. I haven''t been able to take evening classes or commit to race crewing because of it.

We long for the day when we can set our own schedules and pursue our own interests at our own pace. Even now as we consider our future, we know that the sands, waters and the people (and a few mountains) of the world attract us. My wife says her ideal job would be doing the recount (too much pressure in the initial count) of the grains of sand on the beach. I look forward to having the time to play my sax, paint my pictures, and catch my daily fish and serve it with large quantities of vegetables from the local market.

A friend of mine who sailed the Molly Brown (bought it from Zantzinger) said, "After a couple months of snorkeling, you get kind of board with the same old thing". Not me. Every reef, every school of fish, every coastal community is different, and a couple of months doesn''t blunt my enthusiasm or curiousity. Cultures change perceptibly from town to town.

If you really love the boost that your career gives you and you feel purposeful and fulfilled by it, stay with it. Take your sabbaticals and cruise. (Unfortunately, if my wife or I leave our jobs for as little as a year it will become very difficult to impossible to return to our fields.) But if you''re living to work rather than working to live, there seem to be a few ways to go. Either (1) save up your money and leave (invest if you have to), (2) reschool yourself to a job that is in demand and static enough (such as a skilled trade) that you won''t become so obsolete after a year''s abscence that you will be able to return to it after each cruise, (3) live, to one level or another, on whatever money you can make so that you don''t ever have to return to the States and the nine-to-five.

I met a young American woman in a Central American restaurant who makes ends meet by taking baby-sitting jobs or waiting tables to pay her way. (She speakes fluent Spanish.) Others have taught English to well-off locals. With the right experience and connections, you may be able to make money delivering boats. It is common wisdom that those who are able to fix air-conditioners, marine diesel engines and electrical systems or repair sails can barter goods or earn money in yachting areas. But there are potential legal problems with this and I have seen people who have worked in restaurants or offered catering or sewing services fined by local governments for violating employment and licensing laws and ultimately forced to leave town or the flee the country.

I knew one guy who considered working as a construction foreman for an English-speaking company but this ultimately didn''t pan out. At least part of the problem was his legal work status.

If you can do professional work such as writing or programming you can communicate with land-based US compnaies via the web.

On the other hand, I understand that trying to charter your boat independantly requires quite an investment of time, to grow a reputation, and does not work well for the traveller. I knew one cruising couple who tried to auction off (for charity) a weekend on their boat, but they set their price so high I could see that they really didn''t want to trust their home to anyone else.

In the end, one cruising couple said, "If you really want to do it, you''ll find a way."

Chas.

[WHOOSH]

It''s probably fair to say that one of the topics best illuminated by the reading/listening to the cruising stories of others, sooner or later, is how to earn money while also living aboard and cruising. There are no hard and fast rules that I''ve seen, and yet the quote Chas gave us at the end of his post is exactly what seems to happen, repeatedly, all over the world. In the spirt of sharing a few (additional) examples to build on the data base, here are a couple that pop into my mind and which I don''t see often:
-- if you want to cruise the Caribbean indefinitely, would like to stop and catch your breath in a First World country, enjoy crystal clear water, employer-paid work permits, a employer-contribution retirement plan that''s totally convertible and can be taken with you when you quit, and use your sailor skills to earn an excellent wage, consider sailing to Grand Cayman and seeking employment in/around Georgetown. Dock at the GCYC (really, just a marina...) at a reasonable price, seek work with one of the tour boats, dive boats, or in offices (they have LOTS of offices) that would benefit by your basic computer literacy, accounting, or even writing skills. When last there (2002), there were 6 times more jobs than registered applicants, the island held job fairs to attract workers, and its a delightful place to spend some time.
-- Altho'' it can be a problem to seek work in a poor country or island nation where jobs are scarce and the residents very protective of what employment opportunities do exist, you can find legal employment in some surprising locales. One example is where we''re currently wintering when on the boat: London, England. Supposedly, jobs are a bit scarce and of course the Brits are the World Professionals at rules, forms and barriers. And yet cruising sailors show up there and find both legitimate, above the table jobs (current examples: secretary, facility manager) and under the table jobs (rough carpentry, cash paid each day) at unbelievably high wages due to London''s high cost of living. Moreover, if you actually show up each day on time and really do work when asked to, you''re in the top 10% and bonuses and awards are handed out both monthly and annually. (The Brits are a really great people but, sad to say, their work ethic is generally, ahem...limited).
-- one Brit sailor I know parked his boat in a cruising watering hole (Luperon, DR), purchased a gas-driven generator, and began making CDs with his desk-top computer. His claim was that the DR had no copyright law; in fact, that may be true for a given set of circumstances. But cruising sailors were not too discriminating and nav software, music and other software were being generated daily. When he decided to sail down to Trinidad (another place where you''ll find vendors claiming there is no copyright protection mandated by national law), he just brought his generator with him and continued to generate income.

The only common thread I can see among the many people who end up making a living while cruising is that, by their nature and/or out of necessity, they establish it as a goal and then shape their route and adjust their efforts ashore to make it happen.

Jack

[oceanmaui]

Wow!
These stories are really very encouraging!

We know we can''t just rush into something like this, but the thought of having to wait another 20-30 years to achieve it was kind of depressing. :O)

I''m glad there''s options available, and i agree: If you want it, you''ll find a way.

Thanks for all the info!
:O)

[Billpjr]

Here''s what I did in the early 70s to go cruising. Worked as a draftsman for three yrs and saved about $10k. Bought a 7 yr old H-28'' ketch in perfect condition, stocked it for cruising (total cash outlay approx $7k)and quit my job. My wife finished college at the same time and we took off for a year in the Bahamas. The only possession we kept was the car. When we returned I sold the boat for enough to recap the entire cost of boat and trip plus a little cash.

During the cruise I studied for a real estate license and flew back to Florida to take the test. When we returned from the cruise I sold real estate and wife worked as a teacher. I made a big commission selling an orange grove 6 months later and went cruising again...another boat and did another year in the islands. Sold it and paid for the whole trip again.

That was 30 yrs ago and now I''m a re-tread getting ready to do it again in 3-4 yrs. The only difference is I spent the last 20+ yrs in corp America saving 12% a pay period in a 401k. Now I have enough to go cruising on interest earned. I still plan on working enough to pad the existing cruising kitty a little more before taking the plunge again.

I''d say don''t confuse happy cruising with big bank accts and lots of gadets on the boat. We had no electricity or refridgeration and miniminal equipment. There were no reqrets then and none now. That was some of the best times (and poorest financially) of my life. I can''t f''ing wait to do it again without the return trip.

[HermitScott]

A 4 year old post. I feel like I am writing to dead people. Any way I probably won't have enough money by the end of the year to run away on my sailboat. But I started daytrading and think that if I have 15k to 25k that I will be able to perpetuate living aboard. All you need is some money, a lap top, and internet. I should be wrapping up 3 years of inventing this spring and summer. Hopefully I won't have to rely on daytrading alone. I live in my shop and save every penny I can so I can live how I want while I am young. After college all my friends went and got jobs, then new cars, a house and ran up the debt. I started a business and started doing things that will pay me when I am not working. I simply can't stand having a job. And that is how laziness will make me financially free! (hopefully)

[chall03]

Best of luck Hermit....I hope you do make it work. I Guess the question is can YOU make money daytrading?? I know people do...but can you?? Your figure seems right....Hows that Catalina 30 of yours going??

BTW, BEWARE of posting to older threads, there are people here that will not approve