Reading last night I came across this little bit and thought I would put it out into the world wide web for those who might relate to it:
Did his heart not falter as he realized--that this great and splendid place had been in its being all the years of his life and far longer, and he had been ignorant of it? This place full of wonders beyond his understanding, was in need of nothing from him, and his arrival was a matter of no importance whatsoever.
So has felt many the traveler in foreign parts who does not know what might be found...Cut down to size by a strange and marvelous place where no one even stops to notice that you stare about in awe.
Friday, January 29, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
How To Go Cruising Now (a step by step guide)
Step by Step: From no experience, to crossing an ocean:
Even before you hit step one, I recommend you tell no one!
In my experience, most people are terrified to pursue their own dreams. To make themselves feel better they will try to hold as many people back with them as they can. LeeAnn and I call these people "Walters".
1. Get a book on sailing. I've listed some that I have found useful here.
Time frame for step 1: a weekend or two.
2. Get a small sailboat. 15 feet or less? It's up to you. You just need to get your feet wet. Learn the basics on a boat that doesn't cost a lot. A Sunfish is a very popular, fun boat to sail. Start looking here: Craigslist.com
Time frame for step two: One month.
3. Get a sail boat with a cabin. Twenty five or Thirty feet. The purpose of this boat is to take some longer trips. Learn how to anchor for the night. Learn how to sail all night. Learn what it is like to be on a small boat. Don't let the small size fool you. Many people have sailed around the world on boats less than 30 feet long. For example, The Contessa 26.
Time Frame for Step three: A year or more.
Step three is the last step. Sail the boat as far as you can, as long as you can. You will always want a larger boat, but keep in mind: The boat you have now, is the one you can cruise in now.
Buying a bigger boat means you need to save for it. Which means you cant go cruising in the boat you own now because you are busy working so you can buy the next boat!
For other opinions on this line of thinking, visit this forum: go small, go now.
Even before you hit step one, I recommend you tell no one!
In my experience, most people are terrified to pursue their own dreams. To make themselves feel better they will try to hold as many people back with them as they can. LeeAnn and I call these people "Walters".
1. Get a book on sailing. I've listed some that I have found useful here.
Time frame for step 1: a weekend or two.
2. Get a small sailboat. 15 feet or less? It's up to you. You just need to get your feet wet. Learn the basics on a boat that doesn't cost a lot. A Sunfish is a very popular, fun boat to sail. Start looking here: Craigslist.com
Time frame for step two: One month.
3. Get a sail boat with a cabin. Twenty five or Thirty feet. The purpose of this boat is to take some longer trips. Learn how to anchor for the night. Learn how to sail all night. Learn what it is like to be on a small boat. Don't let the small size fool you. Many people have sailed around the world on boats less than 30 feet long. For example, The Contessa 26.
Time Frame for Step three: A year or more.
Step three is the last step. Sail the boat as far as you can, as long as you can. You will always want a larger boat, but keep in mind: The boat you have now, is the one you can cruise in now.
Buying a bigger boat means you need to save for it. Which means you cant go cruising in the boat you own now because you are busy working so you can buy the next boat!
For other opinions on this line of thinking, visit this forum: go small, go now.
How To Make Money While Cruising
Option 1:
Take $100 to the bank and exchange it for dimes and quarters. Anything that was minted in 1964 or earlier is 90% silver and is worth 2 to 4 dollars depending on the price of silver.
Option 2.
Get a job and go to work.
If I can interject my opinion (and I will, because it's my blog) I would push you towards option 2. You are much more likely to actually make money.
I can read your thoughts:
To which I will reply, "In the fantasy land inside your head, yes. However here in reality things cost money. And get rid of that idea of living off the sea. Your wife won't go for it. And if you don't have a wife, you won't get one with that attitude!"
My recommendation is to get yourself a new definition for "cruising". One that includes periodic stops to get jobs. While we "cruised" or "lived aboard" we held numerous jobs, when looking back I feel in no way that the "adventure" was put on hold in anyway during these stops.
We met people that we will never forget. I instantly think of my job bar tending at the Crescent Yacht Club in New York. Doreen was the other bar tender at the club, and she will live forever in my memory standing at the back door to the bar, smoking a cigarette yelling in "Chad, poor me a shot of Sambucca!"
Doreen had a great sense of humor, but she wouldn't take shit from anybody. There is no question that of the two of us, she was the most likely candidate to end up in a brawl.
Ford Sellers became my big brother. He was probably the only reason I got the job in the first place. My favorite nights were walking home with him after the bar closed (we kept our boat at the dock behind his house). Frodo's hangover tip #1: Always eat a piece of toast, and drink a big glass of water before you go to bed.
Sure, there were bad days. But the friends made it worth it. My favorite cure for a bad day was to hang out with Kathy. I could always count on her for a Molson, chips and salsa, and being in a good mood by the time we left her place.
Our next "stop" from cruising was in Charleston, South Carolina. I cannot express how much I miss that city, or the friends we left there. I enjoyed living there so much I was tempted to stay for an additional year.
Here is a perk for you future cruisers who hate the idea of stopping to get jobs: Because of the connections I made with sailors in Charleston, I landed a job as a paid first mate on a Trans-Atlantic boat delivery. I sailed across the ocean and came back with almost 1,000 dollars in my pocket for doing it. Not to mention the connections I made with the delivery captain, and the sailing business that organized the delivery.
As a direct result of the experience I was offered a job as an instructor at Charleston's Ocean Sailing Acadamy. I reluctantly let the opportunity pass me by as I had already landed a job at the Virtual Assistance company LongerDays.com.
I know this post did not provide you with the answers you were hoping for. LeeAnn and I also preformed odd jobs while cruising. For example, in the Bahamas you can make a small illegal income cleaning bottoms. If you don't know what I mean by that... believe me it is not pleasant work, if only for this small reason:
Sharks and barracudas typically only attack humans in cloudy water. Cleaning bottoms causes the water to be cloudy! The cloud is caused by algae, which attracts small fish. Which attracts barracudas! Not to mention it doesn't take a genius to figure out why the majority of the algae is centered around the waste discharge outlet!
So there it is, you can stop in a city, make friends, money, and memories. Or you can risk being attacked by a barracuda in shit water underneath a strangers boat for the prime rate of 1 dollar a foot. That's a shitty way to die in paradise. Not to mention that if you did the same job in the States you would get double the money, and lose much of the risk of being attacked.
Take $100 to the bank and exchange it for dimes and quarters. Anything that was minted in 1964 or earlier is 90% silver and is worth 2 to 4 dollars depending on the price of silver.
Option 2.
Get a job and go to work.
If I can interject my opinion (and I will, because it's my blog) I would push you towards option 2. You are much more likely to actually make money.
I can read your thoughts:
"But doesn't the very definition of "cruising" imply a state of joblessness?"
To which I will reply, "In the fantasy land inside your head, yes. However here in reality things cost money. And get rid of that idea of living off the sea. Your wife won't go for it. And if you don't have a wife, you won't get one with that attitude!"
My recommendation is to get yourself a new definition for "cruising". One that includes periodic stops to get jobs. While we "cruised" or "lived aboard" we held numerous jobs, when looking back I feel in no way that the "adventure" was put on hold in anyway during these stops.
We met people that we will never forget. I instantly think of my job bar tending at the Crescent Yacht Club in New York. Doreen was the other bar tender at the club, and she will live forever in my memory standing at the back door to the bar, smoking a cigarette yelling in "Chad, poor me a shot of Sambucca!"
Doreen had a great sense of humor, but she wouldn't take shit from anybody. There is no question that of the two of us, she was the most likely candidate to end up in a brawl.
Ford Sellers became my big brother. He was probably the only reason I got the job in the first place. My favorite nights were walking home with him after the bar closed (we kept our boat at the dock behind his house). Frodo's hangover tip #1: Always eat a piece of toast, and drink a big glass of water before you go to bed.
Sure, there were bad days. But the friends made it worth it. My favorite cure for a bad day was to hang out with Kathy. I could always count on her for a Molson, chips and salsa, and being in a good mood by the time we left her place.
Our next "stop" from cruising was in Charleston, South Carolina. I cannot express how much I miss that city, or the friends we left there. I enjoyed living there so much I was tempted to stay for an additional year.
Here is a perk for you future cruisers who hate the idea of stopping to get jobs: Because of the connections I made with sailors in Charleston, I landed a job as a paid first mate on a Trans-Atlantic boat delivery. I sailed across the ocean and came back with almost 1,000 dollars in my pocket for doing it. Not to mention the connections I made with the delivery captain, and the sailing business that organized the delivery.
As a direct result of the experience I was offered a job as an instructor at Charleston's Ocean Sailing Acadamy. I reluctantly let the opportunity pass me by as I had already landed a job at the Virtual Assistance company LongerDays.com.
I know this post did not provide you with the answers you were hoping for. LeeAnn and I also preformed odd jobs while cruising. For example, in the Bahamas you can make a small illegal income cleaning bottoms. If you don't know what I mean by that... believe me it is not pleasant work, if only for this small reason:
Sharks and barracudas typically only attack humans in cloudy water. Cleaning bottoms causes the water to be cloudy! The cloud is caused by algae, which attracts small fish. Which attracts barracudas! Not to mention it doesn't take a genius to figure out why the majority of the algae is centered around the waste discharge outlet!
So there it is, you can stop in a city, make friends, money, and memories. Or you can risk being attacked by a barracuda in shit water underneath a strangers boat for the prime rate of 1 dollar a foot. That's a shitty way to die in paradise. Not to mention that if you did the same job in the States you would get double the money, and lose much of the risk of being attacked.
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