"The Plan"
My girlfriend and I have decided, after much dreaming and planning, to quit our 9-5 geek jobs, sell the house and head out cruising for a few years.
We had originally planned on waiting another 2 years to do everything but once we decided that we *really* wanted to do it and that we *really* could afford it, well, we''ve cut that down to 6-10 months.
The plan is to sell our house on the central coast of California, sell everything we can''t live without, put the rest in storage and move to the east coast of Florida. From there, we start looking for the boat, buy it, get it ready for cruising and then head off into the Caribbean, for as long as we feel like.
I''ve sailed on and off since high school but she''s only been out a few times, but loved it. I''d like to buy the boat and either live aboard or close to it and take a few months to get it ready for extended cruising and teach her (and refresh myself) on sailing.
We''ve bother decided that a 30-34 catamaran fits our needs and budget, so we''ve been researching the different models and brands. What attracted us to cats is the shallow draft, wide beam and roomy interiors.
Where on the east coast of Florida would be a good place to set up a base of operations? It would need to be close to the water, close to marinas that would have boats for sale, but we are willing to travel to find the "right" boat, and a nice place to live for up to six months.
Ultimately, our cruise will hopefully take us down the chain of islands to South America, up through Central America, Mexico and then back to the states.
My girlfriend and I have decided, after much dreaming and planning, to quit our 9-5 geek jobs, sell the house and head out cruising for a few years.
We had originally planned on waiting another 2 years to do everything but once we decided that we *really* wanted to do it and that we *really* could afford it, well, we''ve cut that down to 6-10 months.
The plan is to sell our house on the central coast of California, sell everything we can''t live without, put the rest in storage and move to the east coast of Florida. From there, we start looking for the boat, buy it, get it ready for cruising and then head off into the Caribbean, for as long as we feel like.
I''ve sailed on and off since high school but she''s only been out a few times, but loved it. I''d like to buy the boat and either live aboard or close to it and take a few months to get it ready for extended cruising and teach her (and refresh myself) on sailing.
We''ve bother decided that a 30-34 catamaran fits our needs and budget, so we''ve been researching the different models and brands. What attracted us to cats is the shallow draft, wide beam and roomy interiors.
Where on the east coast of Florida would be a good place to set up a base of operations? It would need to be close to the water, close to marinas that would have boats for sale, but we are willing to travel to find the "right" boat, and a nice place to live for up to six months.
Ultimately, our cruise will hopefully take us down the chain of islands to South America, up through Central America, Mexico and then back to the states.