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Is cruising only for my parents? sorry, posted this one is general discussion too

13K views 68 replies 32 participants last post by  LWinters 
#1 ·
I've been reading forums and articles here for months and there's something that they all have in common. Why is it that everyone talking about cruising is double my age? I understand the obvious reasons. Can't go because of kids, career, finances, ect. But tell me, is there anyone here planning on going cruising before they're retired? And those of you who are retired, and have been to the South Pacific, across the Atlantic or even just to the Caribbean, have you seen anyone out there under thirty? I'm 24. I wasn't born into money or given anything. I've managed to make it happen. I own a boat, she's well outfitted and I'm in the planning stages of leaving for the South Pacific next season. So, I've proven that if someone wants to do it while they're young, they can. Am I the only one? And another question for those seasoned cruisers. How do you think your experiences would have been different if you'd done it when you were 24? Looking forward to hearing back, you all seem like a good group of people with a lot of knowledge and even more opinions. Thanks, Chris,
 
#28 · (Edited)
Dawndreamer,

That line out of context is certainly a dangerous one. I nor any of the other young cruisers, or aspiring for that matter, think they are the first to pursue such a goal. This life seems to draw very literate folks and most I've met are well versed with those who went before including Slocum, Dumas, Knox-Johnston, Chichester, to the 100's of blogs one can find from small boat captains sailing today. Looking only at the sailing life also draws too small a picture. The boomers were "the" generation to redefine what life was all about. I've got no romantic notions about the 60's and 70's generation, but they certainly made it thier own more than any other that comes to mind.

In almost all persuits today I think we are standing on the sholders of giants. I'd just like to see more people my age pursue a life outside the norm earlier rather than later. I am not sure I believe that thier has to be a big bank account to "gain admission". With the number of aging, but solid fiberglass boats on the market there is a vessel that can fit the budget of any desire.

As a side note, on the desire to go adventuring John Anderson refers in a seminal book by the same title to what he calls the Ulysses Factor and says that it: «…is a complex of impulses in an individual prompting him to seek first hand physical experience of something hitherto unknown (to him) that has aroused his curiosity. It must include the impulse to learn firsthand through physical action: what, is immaterial; it may be to discover what lies beyond a range of hills, to see new stars by traveling to some new part of the earth’s surface to observe the heavens, to find the source of a river, to discover if there is a far side to an apparent limitless ocean. This is the main force - the physical satisfaction of man’s curiosity. »
 
#30 ·
LWInters - that quote is a mistranslation but even grander in the original "Was immer Du tun kannst oder wovon Du träumst - fang damit an. Mut hat Genie, Kraft und Zauber in sich." The last sentence is a classic and the word "Action" should read "Bravery" - but in German it denotes "bravery to do something" so is a bit to translate without losing the Teutonic brevity of Goethe.
Somehow tumumltuous seas or skies always bring thoughts of Goethe, Heine, Nietzsche instead of the more staid French or English writers/thinkers. It is the German "Sturm & Drang" ethos at sea.
 
#31 ·
To cruise or not to cruise, in many ways isn't really a rationally arrived at decision. It's more of an emotional one, tempered to some degree or another by our own present realities. Young or old isn't really germaine to the question. Nor is how much or how little money you have. Not even what boat you have. For cruising is much more than going places in a boat. It's adopting a new lifestyle, one that most would not consider "normal". In the end, it comes down to if that's what you want to do......do it.

One thing I learned from my first little jaunt, one great day can make up for ten bad ones. It's not all sandy beaches and balmy weather. It's not always easy. But....it can be the most rewarding thing you'll ever do.

Regards,
 
#32 ·
My you fellows sure are well read: Slocum, Dumas, Knox-Johnston, Chichester, Goethe, Heine, Nietzsche. :cool: While I did read Slocum last year, I must admit that much of my time has been spent doing, rather than reading about doing.

Though, now that I'm getting a tad longer in the tooth, it is probably a good time to start laying in a library to help me through the times when doing will become less easy.
 
#34 ·
Nice posts and and a great discussion to keep going.

Jim, only have a quick moment, but watned to answer your questions a bit: 1) I was able to maintain my position, kept income. Kris (my wife) and I can work remotely, with an internet connection and a little luck. 2) Regarding the $$ and returning, let me just explain why I say be financially prepared: It can get really expensive really fast. THings happen and the boat breaks. Just tying up to a slip right now can break the bank. But I also do not think there is a magic number... if there is such a thing. In a best case scenario, you can totally live off the interest and never have to return. That is where we would like to be (who wouldn't), but not there yet. In reality, that is not going to happen for most people. And I also remember some of the happiest days of my life were when we were in school and she and I litterally would search under the sofa cushions to scrape together enough change to buy a soft serve cone from McDonalds (that is no exhaggeration, at all, no lie). That was our night out. A lucky find in the parkinglot (head's up, of course) could be the beginning of an awesome weekend. Believe me, I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth!!

The money is not going to make you happier, it is the people you meet and the places you go that do that (including finding a bit of yourself inside too). However, a nice security net sure does make it a lot more relaxing and fun.

Hope that helps. Always enjoy hearing from you Jim. YOU KNOW that you and your family will get there, and that in itself must be reassuring in itself.

You are a good poster Jim and a nice contributor. Please excuse if this was a bit rushed... I am trying to finish up a book I have been working on for 2.5 years. Maybe with a little luck and the right connections, I can get a publisher to use it as a door stop! I am always the optimist.

- Brian
 
#35 · (Edited)
I'm really enjoying this thread. It's a good one to read and reread when my head starts spinning from all the sailing and boat information I'm trying to stuff in there. There's a positive vibe that you can make it work and cruise at any age.

Nearly 20 years ago, when I was interviewed for my first "real" job out of college, I was asked what I expected to be doing in 5 years. My reply was, "Sailing around the world." Jobs and house and 2 kids later, we're on the hunt for a boat and counting down.

I have to admit that we're clearly no longer in the "cruise young" stage -- do the math. I do sometimes feel that we are planning to cruise earlier than many, since we are not planning to wait until the kids are out of the house. Middle school seems like an ideal time to get away.

I continue to appreciate your advice, Cruisingdad, even when it's not directed at me. The "good" car has 150,000+ miles and the other one is 17 years old. Hoping they last until we leave.
 
#36 ·
Super thanks!

Cruisingdad said:
Jim, only have a quick moment, but watned to answer your questions a bit.
Hey, you answered more than a bit-- as usual you offered a detailed and complete response. I know exactly what you mean about the "good old days" when money was extremely thin but life incredibly enjoyable. My wife and I started in one bedroom flat over a bicycle shop, with me making $500 a month as a writer, and we rode our bikes more than we drove our car. Top Ramen, day-old bagels, and marked-down meats were the staples of our diet. They were great days, but almost 20 years have passed.

The part of your answer that was most important to me is that you continued to have work (at least some) over the Internet as you cruised. With some planning and prep, I think that could be an interesting avenue, and I'm happy to hear it worked for you. The most recent Goodlander article in Cruising World this month notes that his ongoing work operates on a similar basis.

Good luck on your book, and don't worry about writing for us too much or too often. I'd be happy to see an article or even a letter from you in Latitude 38 or Lats and Atts, if you haven't done so already.

Jim H
 
#37 ·
Hey Jim & all,

I appreciate the kind comments.

Actually, the book I am writing (and have been for a little over 2 1/2 years) is a children's book about Santa Clause! St. Nicholas was actually one of the patron saints of the sea for mariners... thus, the book has a very strong nautical theme (no surprise from me, huh?). A lot of twists and things I have tried to bring together that bridges the gap between our perception of Santa Clause and other cultures; a happy ending, feel-good book. If you cannot guess, finding a commonality is a theme I try to relate.

I have been writing since I was 15, but have NEVER attempted to get something published. I have written several books and short stories. My wife finally got frustrated with me for not attempting to publish, so she sent a copy of one of the Chronicles of Cruising I wrote on Sailnet to Latt & Att yesterday ( I have actually written many more that have not been posted on Sailnet). I told her that she should have sent it to the cheap paperback novels that end up as packing material instead, but I got some comment about, "Shut up and mind your own business." We will see what happens - but I have no doubt that they get soooo many articles from great writers that it is unlikely. No problem. I write because I enjoy it and have fun at it. I enjoy moving and motivating people and making them feel a little better (at least, I hope... Waverider might comment to the contrary!).

So, if any of you want to throw in a good word for me at Latt & Att, it would be appreciated! Who knows what will happen? But, with the right attitude and the right intentions, anything can be accomplished.

Take care. Please excuse me if you don't hear too much from me as I try and finish everything up on this end. I will check in/out periodically.

Thanks.

- Brian
 
#38 ·
Between too soon and too late

I think that there is some difference between cruising after (Long-term) vs. cruising during/before (a year or two long cruise)your peak earning period that needs to be addressed. Being younger makes it easier to pick up and push off for a year or two. If it don't work then I can always come back home, albiet tail between legs, get a job maybe making a little less than before, have to get another apartment, etc. Point is, at this point in life, things are more flexible. It's very popular for kids out of highschool or uni to take a year to travel - I've had lots of friends who took off to backpack through Vietnam, Europe, Africa. Why not take a boat with you instead of a backpack? Why not spend $5-10k on a little pocket cruiser instead of spending the same on fleabag hotels/hostels in a year? Sure, you may not make it to Europe, but the carribean can and has been done in boats that cost WAY less than 10k. And at the end of the trip, you've got a boat that can be sold off to finance getting re-established. This may sound like I'm "pushing" the short-term cruising idea on people, but really I'm just trying to sell myself on it, and if I bring anyone else along for the ride then that's good too.
:) Who else has the same idea of short-term cruise and what are your thoughts? For those of you who where in that spot at one point or another and did or didn't go, care to lend us whippersnappers any words of wisdom?

Cheers.
 
#39 ·
Sea Strutter...You make excellent points. Even if you can't go "globe-trotting" on a small boat you can go lots of places most people don't and enjoy life a bit before "settling down". If you can live in a camper type R/V without complaint for a year or so...a boat is not much different!
I think it is easy to go cruising when you are quite young or ready to retire. It is much harder when you have a good career, kids, house, parents to take care of etc. ... so if you don't want to wait another 30 years or so and the idea sounds appealing...go before life ties you down. Just remember that it will be that much harder to work and settle down once you return!
You'll be miserable till you're 60!! <grin>
 
#40 ·
Hey sea strutter!
You've got it just right. My first ship carried twelve passengers as well as cargo and they were all too old to enjoy fully where we were going. If you are only going to be in Singapore for two days you have to view sleep as optional! The ABs on board said, "they're studying for finals" an illustration I'm sure someone of your age can appreciate.
When I was in the Med. I'd run in to a lot of young people just out of college doing the hostel thing with a backpack and a Eurorail pass. Made perfect sense to me. They had the energy to see and do anything and weren't too particular about their accomodations or dining places. And they can spend the rest of their life talking about what they have seen and done, instead of what they want to see or do when.....
We used to have a saying on the ships, "what are they gonna do, send me to sea?" and it expressed perfectly that what's the worst that could happen attitude. We try, futilely, to plan our lives out to the enth degree and it never works out exactly as planned, and then, as my friend Cam states, reality intrudes and our options seem to close down.
And who knows, you could end up some place you like and go "native". Some people get set on being a "suit" only to discover that what they were really programmed for was flip-flops and baggies. Either way you'll recognize them; they're the ones with the grins on their faces.
The "grind" and "normal" life will still be here when you get back and you can jump back in any time. Down the road, a year or two seems like no time at all. For a lot, or maybe most, people life is like the Hotel California, "you can check in, but you'll never check out." Go for it.
I was lucky, they paid me to go to sea. And now my wife's dreams consist of all the places I've been.
 
#41 ·
The "grind" and "normal" life will still be here when you get back and you can jump back in any time.

That's what I need to hear.

I'm 25, no kids, finishing up a master's degree, and I'm not enjoying the idea of sitting at a desk for another 35-plus years working my butt off for three weeks of vacation a year if I'm lucky. For me, I feel like it's now or...well...a LONG time from now.

I just wish I'd been bitten by the cruising bug a few years earlier, so I'd have more saved up. Optimistically, if my GF and I both save a LOT, we might be ready to go in three years. Assuming a four year maximum cruise length, then I'd be 32.

Now I know I'll catch hell for this, but to me that seems OLD. Just a few years ago, it feels like, I was 18. I'm having a hard time realizing that I now round my age UP instead of down. The "conventional" part of my brain says that I should be settling down soon, and that 32 is just too late to get started on a career. Luckily I have you guys and my parents (children of the '60s that they were), who are more than happy to disabuse me of this notion at every opportunity; my mom switched tracks and became a lawyer at 40. So I know it can be done.

I guess I just need to hear it from someone else occasionally. Listening to oneself can be hard, and the voice is often contradictory.
 
#42 ·
I went cruising the world at 30. I am now 40 and I am still cruising the world.
I couldn't have made a better choice except that even in my case I am convinced that I could have started at 20! What I think is that when you plan a cruise of three or four years, be aware of the fact that for many of us, going back home and restart a normal life is really not desirable. If you travel the world with curiosity and interest towards other countries and their people and not only traveling from a marina to another marina together with folks of your own country, you will find unbearable the way of living and the way of thinking of those who never traveled outside of their country. Those who think they know the world because they watch tv.
Go now and meet the people of other countries. If you are smart you can live on 300-400 usd a month and will manage to earn that on your new life, mostly working on the boats of retired people...
 
#43 ·
keck314 said:
.....and that 32 is just too late to get started on a career.
I didn't start the job I retired from till I was 34. I did retire 3 years early, but did retire with what bennies were available. As mandovai says though, you may find you don't want to go back. So if's it what you really want to do, do it.
 
#44 ·
I haven't looked in on this thread for quite a while. I'm enjoying reading everyones posts. I spend so much time reading about technical things that I think I forget why I decided to do this in the first place. Maybe I was looking for some validation when I started this thread. It isn't an easy choice to make at 24. Especially when you can't get most 24 year olds to do much of anything outside starting a career or finishing a degree. Going against the flow is never easy. The biggest issue I have from reading this thread is, how difficult is it going to be to come back? I'm kind of hoping that someday, when I've been at sea for a few years, I'll just decide I've had enough. Maybe that will never happen. Well, what if I don't come back? Moitessier spent most of his life at sea and I envy his freedom. I think people are afraid of doing something different from the usual program. But if we stop and consider this I believe most of us would agree that people that do something different often live very full and interesting lives. Maybe once I've done that I'll start writing too. As it stands now, I feel I'm doing the right thing at the right time. Coming back in your late 20's is not to late to get going. If I'm going to expand my horizons I thing it's best to do it now so I can get the most benifit from my experiences. If I discover the meaning of live at 60 I'll wish I figured it out at 25. And, as it is said above, it doesn't work out who cares. Coming home broke at 26 doesn't seem like a problem. Most 26 year olds are broke anyway. I have no debts so as long as I don't die I figure I'm bound to come out ahead. I am blessed to live in an age where the world is both big enough and small enough to explore.
 
#45 · (Edited)
Newport41 said:
Coming home broke at 26 doesn't seem like a problem. Most 26 year olds are broke anyway.
I think you're right. There was a Cruising World article a few months ago about young cruisers, and maybe more than half of the twenty-somethings were enjoying primo cruising rounds on OPBs (other people's boats). If my own son wants to follow in your footsteps in his twenties, even after sailing with us, I might suggest that he selectively crew for others for awhile before buying his own boat. At the least, experience would be gained. At the best, funds and experience would be gained. Meager funds might go a lot further.

Fair winds!

Jim H
 
#46 ·
This is true Jim. That's a route I considered for a long time. For me, it's about relying on myself and going where I want to go. But having talked with people who have crewed on OPB I know they don't regret it. My boat's paid off now but had I gone the crewing route I would have been sailing three years ago.
 
#47 ·
Thanks for the thread, Newport.

Your comments remind me of two web sites I've been enjoying.

The first site is done by the Hacking Family, which is dense and richly detailed about their current and past cruising experiences. The "Pre-history" section tells about their original crewing and delivery experience, and about the purchase of their first tri:

http://www.hackingfamily.com/Jon/Pre-History_Stories/pre-history_stories.htm

The second site your comments remind me of (about relying on oneself) is done by a Norwegian couple in their thirties who are circumnavigating on a Contessa 26. You should see their latest travel entry about crossing the Atlantic. It's an honest (and haunting) account of the trip, and relying on themselves:

http://www.freewebs.com/sybika-eng/travelarticles.htm

I wish you the best with your plans.

Jim H
 
#48 ·
Newport,
Don't worry too much about the future. You'll quit going to sea when you're ready. It could be two weeks after casting off or never. One of the good things about being older is realizing what is truly not do-able and what is merely unconventional. I think you've got that down. You're not leaving a wife and three kids on the dock with $2500 to tide them over! The one thing that you can never reclaim is your youth and theopportunities it holds.
I quit going to sea, as a profession, when I woke up one day and felt it just wasn't the same and I wanted something different. Some of my classmates did that after one year, I did it after 20 years, and some of them are still out there.
Do not worry about the future, beyond say six months, as none of us know what will be. The only thing we can do is take what, for us, seems to be the correct path at the time. Most of us, at 25 years of age, had plans and ideas of where we'd be at 50. Most of us are not where we thought we'd be. I don't mean that in either a good, or bad sense, only in a sense that we are all amazed at the twists and turns our lives have taken. Things that meant everything to us 20 years ago now mean little and the things we thought little of are now the most important things in our lives. None of us are Nostradamus, and able to see the future, and all we can do is what feels right now.
Even at 50 years of age I find that most of what inhibits me is actually b.s. I can sell my house and move, I can change careers, I can do just about anything I want if my imagination is big enough and I want it. My only constaints are a wonderful wife (irrepaceable, given my personality) and 4 years of help with college expenses. Everything else is negotiable. And, you know what? The more I remember that the happier I am, because I'm not going to stay one day longer in a situation that does not fulfill my dreams. I wished someone had told me that it is ok to be frivolous and deal with "life" later when I was your age. Do you know what makes God laugh? People making plans. Think about that one. Good luck.
 
#49 ·
That's very inspiring Sailaway, thanks...

Found a blog about a couple of young guys who embrace the philosophy of "just go" better than anyone else I have ever seen. In brief, these two twenty-somethings with very minimal sailing experience take a 25' club racer down the ICW, to the bahamas and Cuba, without charts for a good part of the way, and on a tight budget. The lifestyle they live is not for everyone, but it is really a story that makes you think "If they did it, in that boat, with that budget, I can do it!" These guys say it was the best time of their lives.

http://www.sailaway.us/

And for anyone interested I'm also adding a link to my page that I'm just getting started. Check back after a few months to see the preparations being completed! http://seastrutter.googlepages.com/home
 
#50 ·
Go now. Don't wait to build your kitty for another 3 years, especialy if you have a gf that is game to join you. In 3 years she may not be as interested, you may have kids, or the two of you may have gone your seperate ways. I think the reason so many of us don't end up cruising until later in life is that there is alway a hang-up. As soon as I build-up up $xxx,xxx, or as soon as I finish xxxx. Its not until later in life that we realize that our tomorrow's are getting fewer and fewer, and the xxxxx just isn't as important as we thought it was. Everyone comes up with the xxxx because we are scared to change the status quo. Just don't wait until it is too late.

If you feel that cruising is what you want to do, then do, right now or you will spend a lot of years wishing you had.:)
 
#51 ·
Go now. Don't wait to build your kitty for another 3 years, especialy if you have a gf that is game to join you.

Well, there is the technicality of getting a boat first...that takes SOME saving ;)

Though she's quite open to the idea, and loves to travel (spent her junior year of college in Moscow), she's actually never been on a sailboat before, and wants to make sure she likes it before diving in all the way. Since we live quite a ways from the water right now, the general plan is to move back to the Baltimore/Washington area next year and get some experience on my Dad's 25-foot friendship sloop while continuing to save.

When the kitty and our sailing skills are a bit more mature, we would then take off...in our own boat. Dad built "Amnesty" together from planks, and I doubt he'd just let us go bouncing off in her. Besides, she's not much of a blue-water boat, from what he tells me.

In the meantime, though, I fantasize about the life by putting "Old Bay" on EVERYTHING. Yum!
 
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