Dream Change

Read embarrasment of mangoes by anne vanderhoof. her and her husband did what you are talking about for a few years, its like her journal.

You might also subscribe to Lattitudes and Attitudes,great magazine about the cruising lifestyle. their web site is lattsandatts.net
good luck with your dream

Thanks for the tip meg. I'll check it out! (literally if the Library has a copy)

Great mag Capn! I came across it several months ago and have read every issue cover to cover since. "Sail" I like also.

Yep this issue had great coverage about sailing in the Virgin Islands,just makes ya wanna take off sailing!

My husband and I have a couple friends that first lived ontheir bot in D.C. (brrrr in winter 🙂 but, really, very cool. They later moved it to Florida. The coolest part was the "neighborhood". You become very close with the other boaters or people living on your pier. Summer evenings were great gatherings. The storage is very limited, tho.

I've read quite a bit about folks who sell their houses and move on their boats fulltime while keeping their regular jobs. I plan to retire early and hit bluewater. If the lifestyle is everything I imagine it will be, I'd even like to sail to Australia and New Zealand. Oh well...I still have 2 years to go in any event. Gotta get the offspring off to college. For now, I need to work on acquiring a boat, working on my sailing skills, and maybe finding a lady friend interested in an extended vacation!

Jay,
As Manager of the Charteryacht League I know a myriad of people who live that lifestyle. I don't know of a board for live aboards but will let you know if I run across one. In the meantime, enjoy your dream. Depending on where you are now, check out the local yacht clubs and see what publications they have. There are several publications which specialize in the live aboards.
Why not come down to the Charteryacht Show in May? I can always use volunteers and you will get to meet some like minded yachties.
Pamela

Jay,

It is, indeed, a wonderful lifestyle and my passion for it is overwhelming. When I bought my first liveaboard, I found that I never wanted to go home anymore. For me, it's an addiction. After letting my four-bedroom house sit empty for about 3 years, I finally decided to sell it and everything in it. I just didn't need all that square footage! Then, I moved onto my boat - not because had to, but because I wanted to. I learned, among many things, that I just didn't need all those things and furnishings that come with a house. Life aboard is simplistic and I find that to be very refreshing, but I didn't give up any comforts - I still have heat/AC, hot water, generators, bathroom, satellite TV, everything you can think of in a kitchen, etc. Even my kitty has made the adjustment and does fine. I doubt I'll never go back to living on land again, but living on a boat is not for everyone. If you are fortunate enough to live near the shore or near a really large lake, you may wish to try that lifestyle before biting off on a large, expensive seaworthy yacht. If you discover that it is the life for you, sell the house and everything in it and do it!! I am now in the process of purchasing a larger yacht which I will motor down to the islands and run charter with her as I have found that this lifestyle is definitely for me - my only regret is not having done it years sooner. Like I said, it's an addiction!

Ang

The correct url is:

latsandatts.net

Jim

Hi Pamela.

Your website is a little sparse with regards to just what the Charteryacht Show is. Also, in the unlikely event I were able to get down there for a few days in May, what would I be volunteering to do?

PS:

Found this one last night if anybody is interested:

http://www.livingaboard.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

You're the person that lives aboard near Atlanta no? I'm about 3 hours due east of you in Huntsville AL. I hope to buy a 37' - 41' footer in the near future and keep it in nearby Lake Guntersville. That's too far to commute from on a daily basis but at least I'll get to work on my sailing skills.

I'm a bit torn as to whether to get a monohull or a catamaran. Since I'm planning on doing a fair amount of cruising I'm thinking the superior sailing performance of a mono is the way to go. The space and stability of a cat sure appeals to me though.

Yes, I am. I have relatives somewhere in or around Huntsville, but I haven't been there in many years.

I've never seen a catamaran on a lake before; doesn't mean they're not out there somewhere - I just don't know. I would image transporting one to a lake would be an issue due to a cat's width compared to that of a roadway. They are very common in the Caribbean and are vary spacious. For myself, I chose motoryachts over sailboats for a couple of reasons (1) I wanted more elbow/storage room and a large galley because I love to cook (sailboats don't have multiple upper decks like motoryachts can have); and (2) I don't know how to sail . . . yet. But if you're planning to cruise to the places you mentioned, then sailing is the way to go because you won't have to stop at every fuel dock along the way.

Another thing to keep in mind for living aboard (this one just hit me this morning so it's fresh on the top of my list of things that make for a REALLY BAD DAY) . . . Living aboard is generally a cheap way to live from day to day, but every once in a while, it can turn on you. Just got my repair bill for some work I'm having done while she's hauled out - she's got me for $12,000 so far! Is it martini time yet? 🙂 That said, I still wouldn't trade that lifestyle and still have no regrets. I'll be a little grumpy for a moment and get over it. I hope you find that living aboard is your real dream and not just a compromise for expensive housing on the island. For me, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Maybe I'll see you at the VICL show in May. I'll be there for sure.

Ang

Thought I would poke my nose into your conversations with Jay. I just finished reading the book you mentioned and thoroughy enjoyed my armchair voyage. The recipes and
sojourns with the islanders made the book come to life. I am anxious to try the cooking part anyway even if I don`t have a 40` sloop and two years off to sail away. Perhaps someday that will happen for me too.

Good taste!!!!!!

Leila

I ordered both "An Embarrassment of Mangoes" and "A Trip to the Beach" from Amazon yesterday. I'm already impatient for them to get here.

Sorry, Jay - the show is an industry show and has been going on for over 30 years (the Fall Show) so there is little hype attached to it. Basically, volunteers run the bar, help set up and break down the events, attend parties and mingle with both the captains, crews and brokers. We will also be having a marine Trade Show featuring a lot of local marine vendors - maybe a good chance to pick some brains regarding cruising down here.
Pamela

Sounds like a party! Especially if I get to run the bar! 😉

Not much chance I can break away in May, but i'll certainly look in to it. Thanks for the invite.

I picked up the March edition yesterday and read it cover-to-cover last night. I'd certainly recommend it to anyone considering cruisin'. Did you know there is an "official Lats&Atts harbor hangout" in Red Hook called Bottoms Up?

Jay,

I'm one of those people who has been lurking in the shadows, reading about everyone's adventures, ever since our week's vacation in STT last August. Being a former sailboat owner, (and future sailboat owner), I share your interests. I came across a few sites that might interest you.

http://old.cruisingworld.com/ithaka/articles/
http://www.geocities.com/bill_dietrich/RetireSailboat.html
http://www.cruiser.co.za/hostmelon.asp

I know there are some other good ones, but can't locate them at the moment. If you go to Google and punch in cruising, and similar words, you'll get a lot of ideas.

Best of luck to you.

John