Benifits of Living Aboard

Discussion in 'All Things Boats & Boating' started by timgoz, Aug 27, 2007.

  1. timgoz
    Joined: Jul 2006
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    timgoz Senior Member

    Benefits of Living Aboard

    Hi Everyone,

    I had a very pleasant suprise tonight while speaking to my girlfriend in the UK. We want to be together but one or the other or both of us would need to move.

    Though I have never pushed the idea of living aboard a boat she shocked me by bringing it up. We both love our own countries, family & friends. By living aboard we could spend time in the US, UK and anywhere our boat and abilities could take us.

    She is starting what should prove a lucrative business that, once established, will give her an income & freedom of mobility. I have ideas for contributing to the cruising kitty & initial boat purchase.

    I do not need suggestions concerning the boat itself but more of philisophical & practical advantages to living aboard. All contributions will be appreciated.

    What a woman eh?

    Thanks all.

    Tim
     
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  2. longliner45
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    longliner45 Senior Member

    groovy man,,,what a chick
     
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  3. charmc
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    charmc Senior Member

    This may be glaringly obvious, but it's equally important. Unless you're talking megayacht, living aboard means being in close quarters constantly. All the things that make up a good relationship ashore, e.g tolerance, communication, caring about and respecting the other's needs and desires, ability to laugh at oneself, etc., etc., are doubly or triply important in the confines of a boat.

    Having said that, the sharing of the joys and accomplishments of open ocean voyaging can yield a whole new level of satisfaction in life.

    This could be something good, Tim. Good luck! :)
     
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  4. Bergalia
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    Bergalia Senior Member

    Benefits of living Aboard

    Took the liberty of (once more) correcting your spelling Tim...)
    But good luck my son. She sounds a great girl - obviously deserves better than you...but alas I'm spoken for...(a loss to so many women...)
    But listen. Be serious a moment. Before you 'launch' into your life afloat - and I'm all in favour of it - as Charlie points out the test comes with such 'close' living. Can I suggest you both take a holiday - a month or so - in a caravan of roughly the same size as the proposed home-at-sea. It'll
    give you both the chance to work out a close-contact life-style (god I hate that phrase) - who does what, what is stored where, who has first shot at the shower, who cooks and when, etc etc etc...but you won't drown while doing it...
    But again. Great idea, great girl - and may all the luck go with you.:)
     
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  5. Frosty

    Frosty Previous Member

    An English woman you say? mmmm could be tricky---. I have not had a lot of luck with them personally, Infact I cant return to Uk because 2 of them want to twist me nuts ooft ( I think thats how she put it).

    Those two are actually red heads, shes not a red head is she Tim, they are a handfull they are.

    I was never able to give then full sexual gratification, but that might not have been their fault.
     
  6. Bergalia
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    Bergalia Senior Member

    Benefits of living Aboard


    Yes Frosty, common gossip this side of the Pacific....:p
     
  7. Poida
    Joined: Apr 2006
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    Poida Senior Member

    Way to go Tim, but may I suggest a decent cruise down the west coast of Ozz.

    Watch out for the reefs, we've got enough wrecks.

    We are down south just before Antarctica, if you see penguins you've gone too far.

    Poida
     
  8. RHP
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    RHP Senior Member

    Its a dream come true to sail around the world with my good lady wife however that would be with a plan, itinerary and a challenge. Just to live aboard for the sake of it? Not for me.
     
  9. timgoz
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    timgoz Senior Member

    RHP,

    You assume we have no plan or purpose. Your assumption is wrong.
    Things need worked out and are not ready for public disclosure & some may well never be.

    Plus we both have medical conditions that would make far offshore cruising a risk I am not willing to take. For me, maybe, for my lady, I think not.

    Thanks all you guys for the helpful comments & encouragement. I appreciate you all.

    Take care.

    Tim
     
  10. SAQuestor
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    SAQuestor Senior Member

    Tim,

    It’s (sorta) ironic that you bring up medical conditions affecting boating/cruising plans.

    I’ve written it in other threads/forums, so it is no surprise that I’ve had a cardiac episode – what some cardiologists termed “a heart attack.” I have two stents in my diagonal artery.

    When all this was fresh news, I was aghast that all future plans were out the window because, as one of the nurses on the cardio floor said, “You’ll always be a cardiac patient. Get used to it.”

    But as time (inevitably) wore on, I learned more about what my particular issue was MOST LIKELY caused by, and how to improve both my overall and cardiac health.

    Am I in perfect health now? Nope. It’s difficult for me to imagine that any office worker that sits on their butt 9 hours a day can be in perfect health. Just not enough hours left in the day to go to the gym and have any time left for the rest of life.

    But I write this to not concentrate on the physical aspects of our various ailments, but on our mental states that accompany the physical.

    A college chum of my wife has just survived cancer – the chemo and radiation. She was doing well, recovering from the various poisons that are used to (supposedly) kill the cancer, when her hubby of 20+ years ups and says he wants a divorce and is moving to be with his internet love in a different state.

    Julie, (not her real name) immediately went into a physical condition nosedive. Luckily, my SWMBO was close by this summer and was able to get Julie’s head back on track. Julie has been feeling better until last weekend when “the a-hole” came back to town and said it was all a mistake and he wanted to be forgiven for running off to his internet ‘love’.

    OK you’re thinking, so what? Well, it wouldn’t be too bad except this is the second time this bozo has done the exact same thing.

    My point? Julie’s physical health is affected by her mental state. She doesn’t need this kinda crap when recovering from chemo/radiation.

    Back to my heart issue.

    “For the truth is that I already know as much about my fate as I need to know. The day will come when I will die. So the only matter of consequence before me is what I will do with my allotted time. I can remain on shore, paralyzed by fear, or I can raise my sail and dip and soar in the breeze.”
    Richard Bode in First You Have To Row A Little Boat.

    A fancy sign on my office wall. And a pretty accurate description on how I conduct my daily affairs. I’m not sailing away simply because of money issues. But I am making and implementing plans for my “retirement cruiser” and if, the almighty willing, I make it to a point where I can afford to retire, the boat will be awaiting “the voyages we have begun, and journey to all the undiscovered countries, boldly going where this man has not gone before.” Paraphrased from James T. Kirk, Star Trek VI

    One final point. Of the people close to me, none but my mother lingered. The rest left this plane of existence quickly – not necessarily painlessly, but at least quickly.

    Mom on the other hand lingered in one of those warehouses we politely term Elder Care Centers. It is my intent and plan to NOT linger as she did. I’d much rather point my boat due west and motor off into the sunset, never to be seen again.

    That’s my philosophy. What should yours be? I can’t answer and won’t try. But I do suggest contemplating your navel over a glass of your favorite adult libation and pondering Bode’s quote above.

    Best,

    Leo
     
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  11. RHP
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    RHP Senior Member

    Tim, go for it pal, I´m tied to a desk without the courage. (or cash, suitable boat etc..)

    Cheers
    Richard
     
  12. charmc
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    charmc Senior Member

    Leo,

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts and stories. That nurse was wrong. You'll always be a cardiac survivor. Sounds like you got used to it.

    Hope your friend Julie is doing better. A__holes like the one she married are the reason it's so hard to get women to trust us. Lower than the proverbial whale sh_t!

    Overall, you're right. No matter what we do, ain't none of us getting off this ship alive (pretty good segue back to forum theme, eh?). The only choices we have are how we spend whatever time we have and what kind of attitude we maintain. Yours and Tim's are the best kind.

    The quote from Richard Bode fits right in with a short list of quotes I review from time to time. Thanks.
     
  13. Guillermo
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    Guillermo Ingeniero Naval

  14. Trevlyns
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    Trevlyns Senior Citizen/Member

    Tim, Tim, Tim… don’t even get me started my mate ;)

    I’ve yearned for this kind of lifestyle for thirty odd years. It’s a passion, something that runs through my veins. Just seeing water and boats “does” something and lifts my spirit. I just KNOW it’s what I want to do... forever!

    But life has been hard. When I first got the bug in the 70’s there was no way I could even afford plans for a suitable waterborne “home”. So I knuckled down, studied books and magazines (pre internet days, you see) and basically taught myself yacht design. Now I can draw my own plans!

    Since then, a lot more knocks [Or is it really procrastination and excuses…] have prevented me from achieving my ultimate goal. But I’m now at the stage where I’m finalizing a design and am in a position to build and go sailing, albeit on the cheap. See, we’ve struggled a bit and are used to “getting by”. We can improvise, make another plan. We don’t need major credit corporations sponsoring us.

    Our motivation is independence. We like the idea of the freedom to go anywhere we like. We’re not tied to a mortgage or the same spot of land – useful if you have neighbours like mine. :D

    We’ve done precious little travelling in our lives and now that the kids are out of the way, it’s our turn for enjoyment now. I’m based near London and am planning a shakedown cruise circumnavigating Britain but after that, I have a mate who needs visiting in the USA, a son I haven’t seen for 7 years in New Zealand and more friends and family in South Africa. Sounds like another circumnavigation to me!

    Just picking up on a couple of points, the confined space needs to be looked at realistically. You’re not spending your life at sea. You’ll be in ports, browsing market places, exploring, meeting up with other boaters. And anyway, when there really is a difference of opinion, you can still find isolation on board to regain your cool. The foredeck, cockpit, cabin, head… out of site, out of mind!

    You have medical conditions? I’m 58 (can’t tell you my ladies age – not proper you know – and anyway, she’s two years younger than me :p ) I had a triple by-pass a couple of years ago and my lady is partially disabled. We decided we’re certainly not getting any younger and are just going for it.

    Carpe Diem – seize the fish!

    With our current work schedule, we only get to see each other a couple of hours each evening and have the whole of Sunday to ourselves. I just wanna get my lady on a slow boat to China – full time. Time to chill, swim together, see new sights together – just being with each other… Romantic? YES, and why bloody not… I’m sure it must be the same for you too Tim.

    Like me, sounds like you have a special lady there Tim. Just go out there and enjoy! I hope I meet up with you in some obscure port, far away from the likes of Walrus, Frosty, Charmc – although Bergy would always be welcome. :p
     
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  15. charmc
    Joined: Jan 2007
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    charmc Senior Member

    What th__? Aside from giving you lots of points (maybe I should Carpe them back), what have I done to deserve that snide comment? My company is less welcome than a semi-literate Scot's? :( :( :(

    OK, well, I'll just have to go drown my sorrows in some cold frothy liquid. :p :p
     
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