The Cruising Life, by Jim Trefethen, and Cruising Financials

[bluwateronly]

Sorry, if it sounded like that I was directing this towards you all. Just people read what others think and don't think on there own. So, they go Wow I can't afford this. I am in a different boat than most, I am single have always lived on a budget and know there are ways to do what you want if you want it bad enough on alot less money and I mean alot less. I search craigslist and ebay for parts fix my own boat and if I come along problems I can't solve I search out help, like here. I live on less than some some spend at starbucks in a year and I am very happy. When I got my first big boat it was in LA and I live in SF. Everybody told me I would die trying to get a 26 boat up the coast. Well, I did it. If I would have listened to THEM I would not have done it. I fixed that boat up and sold it and found a great deal on my 31 footer. Everybody and I mean everybody said can't be done. When I said why not, they said "you need this and this and this". I have sailed all my life on low budget boats and would rather die than stop sailing. I sail the SF bay and drop my hook next to the really nice boats and drink a beer and enjoy just as much if not more as them. I just get pissed when people tell me I need this or that. My boat is shipshape and safe may have faded gelcoat and older sails but, I can still kick ass on much bigger and better boats and don't call vessel assist when my filter clogs. I have always made it back to my slip on my own. I only have liability insurance and don't plan on more because if my boat is in trouble I will get her out of it or we both go down. Yes, I am nuts so take this with that in mind because I am not putting any one but me in danger. I would not consider this kind of thinking if I had a wife or kids with me. I am going to hit the rum now to cool off.

[xort]

yer not nuts; maybe a bit different, but different is good. Especially in the way you pose it.

But everybody has their skills and comfort level. They have to deal with it.

I love the question 'won't you get bored?' coming from somebody working 40 hours a week in a cube farm!

Hey, if they all were capable of cruising, the harbors would be bumper to bumper fiberglass

[bluwateronly]

Thanks Xort, and yes it cracks me up with that question. Have they not watched a sunset on the water. I can spend hours just watching and enjoying life out there. I have never been bored when sailing there is always something to do. Take care and may the winds be kind. Some people just don't get where I am coming from and vise a versa. I guess I better slow down on the drink I have to catch the tide at 7am it's going to be a great day tomorrow on the bay

[xort]

Originally Posted by bluwateronly

it's going to be a great day tomorrow on the bay

[bluwateronly]

You got it. I will charge the camera and take some pics tomorrow.

[ADMTROX]

Originally Posted by xort

yer not nuts; maybe a bit different, but different is good. Especially in the way you pose it.

But everybody has their skills and comfort level. They have to deal with it.

I love the question 'won't you get bored?' coming from somebody working 40 hours a week in a cube farm!

Hey, if they all were capable of cruising, the harbors would be bumper to bumper fiberglass

Hey!!!!! Some really good people work in cube farms.

How would you know about getting bored working in a cube farm anyway?

If you ask me the definition of boring is the long slog on the freeway to the cube farm job!

[quidam1947]

Hey Bluwaterdragon, You're in good company.

I don't have our pics uploaded yet but I can relate to your cruising life style.

Before Bruce and I met, he partially restored an old 1933 trawler in RI. Barely got it floating and headed down the east coast and up the Hudson into the Erie canal to bring the boat to Ohio. Didn't even have the running lights wired when he left the dock (but finished doing so by sundown).

We restored another old boat, 1922 motorsailor that Bruce also found in RI. Launched without any rigging/no power/no accommodations (towed to pilings we rented for the season). The following year we installed an engine, put new sticks up and Bruce slapped together temporary plywood bunks, sleeping bags, a couple of folding bikes, his power tools, a gasoline generator, and then tossed in his kids and a camp stove so we could eat. We made the same trek as before but crossed Lake Ontario into Canada to do the Trent Severne waterway. Bruce worked on building permanet accommodations as we cruised.

These were great days!

[chall03]

Sounds like you have good plan Quidam, talking about good anchorages, pleasant cruising company and nice food with a couple of drinks is making me very envious so what exactly are your cruising plans ??

Blu/Xort do you guys actually watch the sunset??
We prefer sitting in the airconditioned saloon with the genset going, with chef mixing Mojitos as we all watch a DVD of great sunsets on the flatscreen Isn't that what cruising is about??

[xort]

chall

you forgot to mention the stereo blasting away at full volume. We mounted 4 BIG speakers on the fordeck and aft rails to provide sound for all the neighbors while we are below in the cabin watching our 60" plasma. We turn it down by midnight

[chall03]

The reason why I jest is that we were out on our boat last night, we pulled into a beautiful little spot called Refuge Bay, picked up a courtesy mooring sat back and watched the sunset...



To our right was a Motor boat, through the back window we could clearly see National Treasure 2 playing to the kids on the flatscreen......It was a perfect summer evening in Sydney, warm, clear and still. We didn't see those guys out on deck from 4pm until we went to bed at 9pm...