Thursday, January 14, 2016

Retire and Go Sailing-Lifestyle Objective

What is the objective?  Gardening?  Birdwatching?  Entertaining?  Golf?  Obvious questions with obvious answers.  Boats and voyaging offer access to various objectives.  Voyagers visit gardens around the world but don't garden per se.  And so on...

Big boat or little boat?
Marina or Anchor

Big house or little house?
Beachfront or Remote

Total Cost of ownership.  Time and money required to maintain ownership.  It is always about time and money.

Well regarded sailing and voyaging writer, Fatty Goodlander observes that it costs about $2K a month to operate a yacht on a world cruise.  (Fatty is frugal but not a skin flint.)  He points out that you can do it for $1,800/month and the cost is maintenance of the yacht.  The implication is that the savings in cash is less than the loss of value.  Houses and boats, same business model.

The things we feel are "required" govern how much we spend and how/where we go.  Motor yachts and waterfront homes are beautiful and comfortable.  They come with different limitations from the limitations of the remote anchorages and small boats.  It is all just a choice.  What is the retirement objective?

Marina in Coinjock is popular with some.  A must visit stop on the ICW trip.  Not too far away is a quiet anchorage.  You will miss the festive crowd, showers, prime rib dinner and travelling circus.

New Bern waterfront house.  Perfect for house parties and kids, grandkids and all their friends.  Fun stuff not to be trivialized.  I love the lawn of yellow flowers.  Gardens plus birdwatching?

Scene of a quiet anchorage along the ICW in North Carolina. Birdwatching?


A Peterson 34 I just happen to like.  Simple to sail and own.  Long legs.


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