What's the plan?

[Rick Beddoe]

So, what's the plan? Are you happily sailing your local waters without any desire to set off over the horizon? Or, are you planning every detail in your life at the moment so you can meet your '5 - year plan'?

[Tim]

Except of course, we are 8 yrs into the five year plan to go away. sigh. Bloody Outsourcing killed my income. The boat is ready, but the cruising kitty will be a long time coming at this rate.

Anyway, the plan was a three yr circuit of the North Atlantic basin. British Isles, up to Scandanavia, Down the West coast of Europe, Tuck into the med to visit Italy and Greece, back out and return through the Caribbean.

Still hoping for the opportunity to go.

[Jan]

A plan works!!! We planned for 7 years, 5 years ago we bought a Passport 37 in Annapolis & sailed it to Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda, FL. We planned to spend 50 nights a year on the boat before we retired when my youngest son went away to college. Billy went away to the US Naval Academy June 2004, Hurricane Charley hit Burnt Store Marina Friday August 13, 2004, we were BEYOND lucky & left on our planned 6 month cruise mid-October 2004.

We spent 6 months sailing from the Keys to Isla Mujeres, MX down the Yucatan Mexican coast, spent alot of time in Belize & then up the Rio Dulce in Guatemala & spent some time meeting cruiser friends from the Pacific sied in the mountains of Guatemala before we flew back to the US on April 30, 2005.

Now we're just waiting until after hurricane season so we can resume our cruising on Winterlude -- southern Belize & the Bay Islands of Honduras this year!!!

Jan

http://ysail.homestead.com/janindex.html

[Rick Beddoe]

That's great Jan!

Tim, we started our 7-year plan 2 years ago (it's more of a guideline actually). We now have an addition coming to the family in January '06. We hope to still make our plan of sailing for 6 months to Florida/Bahamas from Minneapolis, MN.

I wish you the best on your plan. I'm sure there's a lot of people out there telling you, 'awww, forget the money...just go!'

:roll:

[Tom Young]

Some cruisers go forever, I really admire them. I wonder if a few people,****like us, get their fill and then find satisfaction simply sailing home waters?

We just did a short term one year cruise of the East coast through the Bahamas before we had children. It was such a wonderful experience that we did a shorter version just a couple of years later, with two babies. That trip had an enormous effect on us, as sailors and life in general. To this day, I can still see it, faintly, deeply woven into our lives. We're still connected to that younger couple, that planned-quickly-and went, and we continue to "cruise" through life.

Sailing is a huge part of our family, it's why we are living and sailing on the coast of Maine and New England. We still make large life plans and live them but sailing, always there, now goes along for the ride.

[Tim]

I'm already like that, Tom. I have "the big trip" I want to take. There are many other trips I'd like to make. Maine, The PNW, Hawaii, The Windwards...

Even a short trip restoreth my soul. And, yes, I crave every boat moment I get. And would spend twice as much time on the boat as I do, if I could.
(I'm sailing about 4 days/wk, now.)

But, I have no desire to spend years and years on the boat if I can't take along my shop, my extended family, my friends and other activities.

My life is hugely multi-dimensional and cruising full time, while it would fulfill the sailing, travel and wanderlust portion of my psyche,
would severely limit the other portions of my life.

Unless I can take along my shop... But, I can't afford a boat that big... yet.

http://www.writebyte.net/Images/Woodworking/DodgerRebuild/ShopPanoramaA.jpg

Rick, Congratulations on your incoming bundle! I previously lived in Plymouth and Woodbury before moving to the shore to sail year round. My adult son lives in Crystal, within a stones throw of 36 ave N and Hwy 100. It's a grand city and I'd live there still, if they had year round sailing. Or, even 9 month sailing as I usually do here. Jan, Feb and March can be a little hard with the ice-breaking... Not every year, though. I've also long wanted to make the trip out from Duluth through the great lakes. It's still on my "planning sheet"

http://www.writebyte.net/images/Trips.jpg

[Catalina Kids]

We're leaving in November, ready or not. I can work on this turd anywhere. We'll never have the money to go how we want to go, but we have enough to go. I need to go while I'm still physically able to sail. We're just going to head down to La Paz and take it from there. I'd like to stay gone for at least 6 mos. Maybe we'll never come back, by boat. They want to tear out 1700 slips here. I don't want to pay slip rent for 6 months only to have them take them out before we get home. Heck, it's 600 a mo for a liveaboard slip, we can darn near cruise on that.

[Tim]

Rod, you ought to be able to cruise on that $600/mo, if you live simply. I know a couple who just last year quit cruising after 14 yrs aboard. They bought a farm in Spain of all places. (They were brits and couldn't get visas to stay here)

Give up that slip and come through the canal to the "right" coast.

Anyway, they lived very simply and cruised on about $350/mo, except when filling the cruising kitty. Then, they'd get a slip if it wasn't too pricey, so they could work easily. They had it down pat, after all those years. For every week he worked, they paid the week's expenses and saved 3 weeks' worth to the cruising kitty. Much like yourself, He is a master carpenter and can get work anywhere.

[Rayc]

My daughter is moving out (again) this week and the plan is to sell the house and find a boat (35-42'). When it's ready and I'm comfortable with it retire frome the Navy and head for the caribbean and after I've dove all of the islands hop over to the Pacific.

[killarney_sailor]

I am planning to leave Lake Ontario at the end of May '06 and head down the St Lawrence to Newfoundland. From there, I will be going to Ireland (via the Azores or not, haven't decided). Winter in London and figure out where to go next.

This summer and fall will be for finishing the boat the way I want it. - this should no be too tough a job since it is in pretty good shape now to go. In January I will be going to Lesotho to volunteer until early May and then come back to launch and leave. I will put my stuff in storage when I leave and come back when I feel like I want to. Finances should not be a problem, even in Europe. When I get to somewhere cheaper then I will be very comfortable financially.

Bruce

[Rick Beddoe]

Thanks Tim,

That's quite the plan...and quite the shop!

Funny thing about living in MN, I grew up on the Chesapeake, went to high school near Galveston, and lived in Melbourne, FL for a few years.

I never once ever considered stepping foot on a sailboat until I moved as far away from any ocean as I could get. ha!

If you ever make it out here during the 3 week sailing season, look us up and we'll take you for a ride on Lake Pepin.

I'm kidding of course. The sailing season is more like 4 weeks :wink:

[Tim]

I'm kidding of course. The sailing season is more like 4 weeks :wink:

right...

Thanks Rick, I will. My boy has a friend who just picked up a Hobie 16 for $500, including trailer. So, they've been having fun with it on area lakes, the last couple of weeks. Sean's been dying to get sailing again and his friend bought this thing without even knowing how to sail, so it's been a good match... that and a few dozen calls to Dad to talk about rigging issues.

http://www.writebyte.net/writebyte.dll/GetPage?PageId=SailingCat20050709

I was just out there in June, got roped into flying to MN to build work benches... sigh.

[Rick Farman]

I retired July 1, after 30 years with the Dept. of Energy. My wife, Terry, and I leave this Friday, or Saturday for Nova Scotia where we will spend the rest of the summer. In the fall we will head south to winter in the western Caribbean. The boat's not ready, but we are.

[Tim]

I retired July 1, after 30 years with the Dept. of Energy. My wife, Terry, and I leave this Friday, or Saturday for Nova Scotia where we will spend the rest of the summer. In the fall we will head south to winter in the western Caribbean. The boat's not ready, but we are.

Good Luck with your trip, Rick. A friend has gone to N.S. and Newfoundland several times and just loves it up there. He got stranded in Newfoundland once with a boat breakdown when the intent was to do an atlantic circuit. Since then, he just goes back to Newfoundland.

Here's the story of one of his trips, this one to Newfoundland:

http://www.writebyte.net/writebyte.dll/GetPage?PageId=Obscurity