I lost my job... so I'm going sailing

[MorganPaul]

I'm off to give it a try full time from June. I'll let you know if it's a success.

Go for it man. You never know when the heart attack or the cancer will kick in.

Good luck. Go sailing.

[hellosailor]

"treasure hunting?"
That reached right out and grabbed me as well. Anyone mentioning treasure hunting and ways to pay the bills in the same discussion, goes right into the "Make big money working from home! Stuff envelopes!" pile. Not that it can't be done, but the odds are better at a craps table, or robbing banks. Or putting skimmers on ATM machines.

[gardeningal]

Time is money, go now.

I have spent most of my time worrying about things that have never happened. Mark Twain

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do then by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away form the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

[gwhoose]

"As I am about to be unemployed, I'm a little more interested in how or if it can be done with virtually nothing in the kitty..."

I am building a 22 ft trimaran. I've been laid off for years. We went to Oahu this winter. I looked about the marina in Waikiki and got the bug again. Anyway I am collecting what I need and will start building next month. I figure it might take me a year; hopefully sooner. I plan to go down the Mississippi (yes I am in Iowa) and down to the Keys my first voyage. One can also go up the Miss and out the SLS to NewFoundland; so that will be my second voyage perhaps. Anyway dream on.

I figure the boat will end up costing me about 30,000. I've scrimped and saved and got lucky and have enough money to do this. We will see. Being a surfer helps. I grew up on the ocean and really miss it. My wife is wondering I suppose. My son is highly interested, my daughter is not.

Great thing about the trimaran is it has a clearance of 12 inches with the skeg up, and it is trailerable as it folds. I have been looking at several designs and the Farrier22 seems hot. Only displaces 1500.

Being a graphic artist helps as work comes and goes and I can go most of it virtually. We will see how that works on a sailboat.!! Must have good internet connection; must have energy. Plan on wind and flexible solar panels. Read in this site about using driftwood for firewood. What a great idea!

I am used to living on minimal. So this will be interesting.

I wish you well taking off. I think a lot of Americans are thinking the same way. I have a feeling it is going to be very very difficult in the continent soon. Best to find an island and relax. Get away from this uptight trip. Or at least have that option. Get yourself back to reality. I don't know much that isn't real about the sea, the sun and the wind! And fishing; that's a dream.

[MSter]

Mussnot-

Good luck on your journey!! It seems you have passed the threshold of a decision most of us have a hard time making. It is a scary thing to go in a different direction than the one we've been heading all our lives. The traditional 9-5, houses, cars, large screen tv's, etc. are the symbolic anchors that keep us aground and complicate our lives. This sounds like it could be blessing in disguise....

***On a seperate note, your website indicated you are located in Crete. My family and I lived there for 3 years in Pano Gouves (at the base of Mt Edheri...remember the Mickey Mouse ears?). I was in the USAF stationed in Iraklion and have very found memories of that area. I would love to keep in touch with you through your pics and blogs as you will be living my dream...Opa!!!!

[mussnot]

MorganPaul, You certainly have have a unique perspective.... hopefully I can stave off the heart attack and/or cancer for a while!

Gardeningal, I agree....I'm not waiting a moment longer than I have to.

gwhoose, I have nothing but the greatest respect for a sailor that builds his own boat! I look forward to reading your blog.

Mster, Crete is an amazing place and I can't wait to get back to Agios Nikolaos where I left Eileen of Avoca for the winter. Oh and I found a photo of the Mouse ears with some interesting comments here:
Panoramio - Photo of IMG_0713

Regards all

[MSter]

Mussnot-

Very nice photos....Thanks for the trip down memory lane!!!!

Hey, just curious...are you musically inclined? If so, I can see how...at the very least...you can pay your bar tab!... If not, you will have plenty of time on your hands, it may be worth picking up an acoustic guitar and learning a few tunes. I have seen more than a few tiki bars that would allow you to sit in for a few sets for cash or rum....

[Omatako]

Originally Posted by shawmac

Wow, that sounds to me like an open invite for karma to bite one in the arse. Labour perhaps, if it is significant, but if someone told me I would have to pay for some advice on something I would write them off as a first class jerk.

But boy, would it be sweet justice if I found that royal jerk adrift with a dead motor. Sorry, that usualy friendly tow into the harbour is going to cost a few hundred.

I would have thought that it would be plain enough that this doesn't apply to conversational advice. If I spend hours with a person, even if it isn't physical labour, doing something that he is going to end up paying someone else for at some point anyway, then why should I do it for free? Especially if it is specialist knowledge and you're on a tight budget (the original concept of the thread).

If you work for free, then you should advertise your services, you can expect to be busy.

[Naughtylus]

Hey Mussnot !
Enjoyed a cruise through your site, and look forward to seeing how things progress - good luck and maybe see you somewhere in the Med.

[imagine2frolic]

If I can get advice on how to fix something that I don't know about, and fix it myself. Well to me that advice is worth something. It's better to pay for the advice, and learn how something works. Than to pay someone to come on my boat, and make an attempt to fix it. Possibly not fix it at all, and left with a bill. Knowledge is precious, and should be rewarded.

I am a wrench for a living. It always amazes me how people want my knowledge for free. It takes years to gather these skills. You don't ask a doctor for free time, and to analyze your sickness over the phone. Basically you are paying a doctor for nothing more than advice. Lawyers also get paid quite well to hand out advice. This list can go on, and on.

It has nothing to do with Karma. It has to do with being fair. As far as the tow comment. Most likely if the tech is a good wrench. He is never going to need a tow. It's usually those without the ability to keep their vessel operating under any condition that will need the tow, and sailing included.

I once took a sailboat under tow in stormy conditions on S.F. Bay. The ungrateful person was upset with me, because I took him to my marina instead of his. His outboard had died, but he had sails, yet there he is screaming for help. As I look back I should've given him a bill just like Seatow.

I don't know what you do for a living. This is just another perspective. On Friday do you tell your boss to keep the check. I am trying to keep my Karma up. This is not a rant. I am just asking you to look at it as if it was your skills.....i2f