Exit Strategy

[vega1860]

We talk a lot of five year plans and how to get started cruising. We never seem to address the other end of the equation. What happens when we are no longer able or simply do not want to manage the lifestyle any longer for one reason or another? For a lot of former long range cruisers we have met along the way it just comes down to growing a marine ecosystem on the keel and gradually becoming rusted into a favorite harbor. There are quite a few people we know who still live aboard and think of themselves as cruisers but have not moved in years and have no real plans or, in some cases, the ability, to ever cast off and hoist sails again. Some have made a conscious decision. Others don’t really realize yet that they are no longer cruising. Every marina, we all well know, is full of boats that represent someone’s dream of cruising some day. We don’t often think of the other boat that someone is holding onto the way an ex-biker won’t throw out his old leather jacket; the repositories of memories too fond to discard.

We talk to a lot of people in our travels so we know that the cruising life, like all good things, must eventually come to an end. A lot of former sailors transition into trawlers as they get older. They don’t range as far but they still get out as often as they can and living on a trawler is quite a bit easier than living with a sailboat. Besides, trawlers tend to be better for entertaining and safer for the grand kids. We also know folks who have sold up and moved ashore to a conventional retirement or return to shore based jobs. Those are the ones with the “Welcome Aboard” doormat and nautical theme knick-knacks in the house.

We have noted that making the transition works better for those who have some sort of plans and preparations in place. We started laying ours long before we set off cruising. We call it our “Next Great Adventure”. We plan to embark on it before we have completely burnt out the cruising light. Our plans are in place. The foundation is laid. We are, however, not nearly ready to give up the sea. When the time does come, we think the transition will not only be smooth but exciting.

So that is the trick, and the question. It is not too early to plan for the “Next Great Adventure”. What is yours and how will you manage it?

“Old sailors never die. They just smell that way” Orvil Newton

[sawingknots]

wow what a great observation,and so true but one i haven't considered,possibly the grimreaper may visit by then."therefore don't worry about tomorrow....."matthew 6:34

[sidney777]

Do you really have a foolproof plan ? How about telling the rest of us ?! ...Money will solve all of those concerns. ...If we don't have the money, then it is a useless worry. ...There is nothing wrong with sitting in a marina growing oysters on the bottom. Some can -only- afford to sit while anchored out and not go cruising. Power boaters are concerned about their destination, while sailors are at their destination everyday. Its not how fast you sing or dance it is ......I guess what you are saying is it OK to go from your Sailboat to a nursing home, or is better to go to a nursing home from a house/apartment.

[vega1860]

No plan is fool proof. Not having a plan is a good way to turn a big fortune into a small one in short order. A little money helps but a fortune is not necessary, provided you have a plan.

I knew an old geezer in Honolulu. I don't know how old he was but his license plate said "Pearl Harbor Survivor". Thjs guy had really been around. He lived a board a CT 41, I think, and used a walker to get out to the parking lot where he kept his Lamborghini Diablo. He had traded his viper in on it. Both cars were red, of course. When he ultimately reached the point where he could not get on and off the boat by himself, he got a condo overlooking the marina. The man had style, and that is the point.

I am of the opinion that if you can afford to sit in a marina, you can certainly afford to go cruising. But if you are physically unable to go cruising, or simply tired of it (Yes, people do get tired of it), then what?

Several people have posted here that they plan to go off on a world cruise then return to work. Does that mean sell the house to buy the boat and cruise, then sell the boat for a down stroke on a new house and continue with normal life? Several have said that they want to retire and go cruising. Does that mean sell everything and sail off into the sunset until you die? Some want to live aboard while they maintain an otherwise normal life. We think life is a journey and cruising is just a part of it. Therefore, it is only prudent to plan for the next phase.

I knew a lady named Audrey Sutherland who wrote a couple of books and became a sort of guru among the kayaking geeks in Hawaii. The thing that made a lasting impression on me about Audrey was that she wrote that at the age of forty or so she realized that she needed to prioritize the things she wanted to accomplish in life, placing the physical stuff first - swimming the north coast of Molokai, kayaking southeastern Alaska, followed by the more intellectual stuff like teaching, writing, etc.

We know that we will not be able to do what we are doing now forever. We have had to give up some physically demanding things in the past; soldiering, motorcycle racing etc., besides, we have other things we want to do before the dirt nap. We are not rich, but we started fifteen years ago setting up the "Next Great Adventure". Everyone has their own dreams. Ours involve Morgan horses, maple sugar, brown trout and a vegetable garden. We call it "Starlight Farm". Forty acres on the Missisquoi River that we paid less than the cost of a new car for twelve years ago.

Maybe we'll build a dock and float Lealea in the half acre pond in the pasture.

[treilley]

We are getting ready to go cruising in a couple of years. Not retiring, but staying out as long as we can and possibly working to extend that. We may come back or may not. If we decide to move back to shore in this country then we have 9 acres in the woods of Maine on a lake waiting for us to build a small cottage.

One of the things I love about cruising is the lack of a plan. We plan the eve before and have contingencies. We will approach life the same way.

[vega1860]

Originally Posted by treilley

One of the things I love about cruising is the lack of a plan. We plan the eve before and have contingencies. We will approach life the same way.

We always plan. It's just that the plans always change along the way

[tomperanteau]

For us it will be the "until you die" thing.

[CaptainForce]

We've been aboard a long time and still see a long future, but I hope the market can adapt to the aging cruising boomers. We expect to see some of these bankrupt condo developments turn into assisted living marinas! Take care and joy, Aythya crew

[MikeinLA]

Originally Posted by vega1860

He lived a board a CT 41, I think, and used a walker to get out to the parking lot where he kept his Lamborghini Diablo.

I like this guy already. I never caught the cruising bug, too many other things I enjoy doing. But I did love living aboard 20 years ago. My plan is to keep the house with room for my hobbies and toys until I'm too old to enjoy them. Then I'll move back aboard to finish things up. And don't forget the 25 year old private duty nurse.

Mike

[wingNwing]

if i can't get into cpt force's assisted living marina, i'll settle for a stateroom on a cruise ship. really. meals, entertainment, and medical care within walking distance, and you're always in pleasant weather and a new port just ahead to keep your mind engaged. all for about the same cost as a nursing home .... ;-)