If you are cruising the Caribbean Islands, the Windwards and Leewards, where there is a big population of cruising boats and charter boats, it can be expensive because all the prices are high. we are going to be right back and we will be talking again about getting experience on cruising this is Gary Fretz and you are listening to “Yachts the Perfect Escape Vehicle” on Overseas Radio Network. STEPHEN: Well that’s one of the ways. It’s a cliché but one of the major pluses of living aboard is settling into the cockpit at the end of the day with a glass of wine as you watch the sunset. Marinas vs. mooring balls – location will affect your lifestyle. Copyright © Catamaran Guru™. STEPHEN COCKCROFT: Well, it depends where you’re cruising. 10. 10 things you should know, 1. STEPHEN: The ASA courses that we did the 101,103, 104, and 114, which were the 114 is for catamarans. Buying a Boat. This is probably a great way to get started once you done that I suggest you look for deliveries as a crew on deliveries with experienced captain. You did a good job of telling the upside to each downside… and us cruisers think the upsides (obvs drastically outweigh the downsides. STEPHEN: Well have taught hundreds of people to sail. Going back and forth in a dinghy every day can be a nuisance, especially if you’re transporting pets, bikes, and heavy gear. [Check out the ASA sailing school and learn to sail and liveaboard with Stephen and Estelle. ] Fiona is a sailing/adventure writer and a Contributing Editor at Good Old Boat. Some important considerations are things like electricity and water (in a marina you will have 24/7 access to both, whereas on the hook you’ll be living off-grid). You will have the coolest neighbors I was a fashion designer in my former life. Varnish wood railings and other top-side wood once a year to protect it, Hiring a diver to dive your boat once a month to clean the barnacles off, if you live in salt water ($50-80/month). What is that about? I hope they didn’t just grab it without permission. I think that’s a good way to pick up some extra change, too. Lots of our readers are SF based. . My friend took that picture(that’s his backpack) while we were all sailing on the Chesapeake last year. Keep up the hustle! That’s a great way to get some mileage and get some offshore experience. Give me some dollars per month that most cruisers spend. We understand the dream of traveling the world by catamaran and created a one-stop-shop to make that dream a reality for you. GARY: Wait a second, you mean you don’t need a work permit to work in a restaurant or do some of these other things? Required fields are marked *. I’m 99.9% sure that’s my brothers soverel 28 (that’s his boot in the corner, too). Fiona ― November 3, 2020 | No Comment, THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO SAILING FOUL WEATHER GEAR Foul weather gear is designed to do one thing: keep you dry, Fiona ― July 10, 2020 | No Comment, Robin ― June 15, 2020 | No Comment, Fiona ― April 17, 2020 | No Comment, Guest Post ― April 2, 2020 | No Comment, Fiona ― March 1, 2020 | No Comment, Fiona ― February 7, 2020 | No Comment, Fiona ― January 24, 2020 | No Comment. I could be wrong but might be worth looking into. Leaks and climate control will become your obsession If your partner is on the fence, you can always try the liveaboard lifestyle before you commit. People are always coming running over you know asking me to fix a thing here or there and so I was always busy and charging for it. We often get asked about the cost of sailing. Doable at a marina, difficult if not impossible on the hook. That evolved to where we used our own boat to run the sailing schools and we made very good money. GARY: Now, how would you typically operate? Other perks of liveaboard marinas are comforts like internet, cable, and laundry. GARY: Now, you all ran a sailing school or you were doing this week long learn to sail and coastal schools tell me about that and you made some pretty good money doing that didn’t you. Talk your partner into boat living and you may wake up one day to find they’ve jumped ship. I made courtesy flags. ESTELLE: Chartering obviously is a fabulous way to learn we found that almost everyone of out sea school students after they have done the sailing course to brush up on their skills went chartering and they used the skills that they learned ad that’s how they ended up buying their boat. Living on a boat can afford you all kinds of benefits: cheap rent, amazing views, and may (at least for a short time) make you a more interesting person at dinner parties (results not guaranteed). Many folks decide to be adventurists and live life to the fullest by becoming live a-boards. That’s what I did. GARY: What are some of the other technical trades you were telling me are in big demands around the world? If you’re living on a sailboat, you don’t even have to pay for fuel! With a boat, however, these systems are exposed to more brutal conditions like … The other option, of course, if you want to, there is a lot of work when you travel through these islands to delivering boat, capturing day charter boats, working in restaurants, helping people repair boats, etc, etc. We teach them, you know, just general lifestyle, the sailing lifestyle. The BIG compromise: creature comforts They also have tiny bathrooms, kitchens, and hardly any storage. So, there is always work, if you want to work. GARY: Let’s talk about other ways to get experience. And so people would have a great vacation they would a live aboard experience and they would leave with a certification. Boat living tends to attract some interesting people: artists, musicians, engineers… Nick Cave and Rod Stewart both lived aboard in the U.K., as did Alan Watts in Sausalito. The Joys of Working on a Catamaran I was told long ago that if I kept telling myself over and over again how lucky I am to have a catamaran to work on, no matter how lousy the job is, I will start to enjoy it. I had a heavy duty machine I used to sew canvas. It’s can be tough to find a spot but so worth it when you do. We just finished. In fact if you go on any sailing forum you'll see pages and pages of threads dedicated to discussions about what it costs to sail full-time. I … Tips on Living and Working on a Yacht, Costs of Cruising Read More » Love what you cats are up to and all the posts. What are some of the other ways people get experience? And we were talking about how much cruising costs. STEPHEN: Well, they arrive typically on a Saturday which they spend Saturday night on the dock Sunday. I mean, like they come on the boat on a Saturday or a Sunday right and then what happens every day? You may be able to save yourself time if you purchased a boat with, We put together a video on how to use a rolling hitch to free, Travel enthusiasts like all our sailing friends have kept a close eye on the, We “re-imagined” boat shows that is community focussed and buyer friendly!