I wanted to shake up my life and go sailing (or learn on the job, so-to-speak) so headed to Florida to crew on a catamaran. This is about how it went or, rather, didn't - and my life since. Hopefully it will lead to a catamaran on the clear aqua blue waters of the Caribbean Sea, watching the sunset, a coconut rum and coke in hand. You must START AT THE BEGINNING of the blog, April 2009, to get the whole story...

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

WHAT DOES IT TAKE? (guest post)

A few days ago I got the bright idea of having someone do a guest post on my blog and immediately Mike Sweeney came to mind. I have been reading his very informative and entertaining blog, Zero to Cruising, for over a year. He is living my dream life. Reading the process, from start to present, of how he turned his dream into a reality resulted in much admiration. And envy. So here, in a nutshell, is how he did it. Be prepared to be inspired. And should it whet your appetite for more, be sure to visit his blog and start from the very beginning.


"I wish I could do that" is the oft-heard battle cry of those who dream of selling out and sailing off into the sunset but, nonetheless, remain landlocked. What is it that allows some people to take that leap of faith and move forward with their dreams while others allow time to pass them by and their dreams to collect dust? As one of those in the first category, Sandra thought that perhaps I could shed some light on this subject, although I'm not so sure that I can. For my wife Rebecca and me, it really wasn't all that difficult.

Don't get me wrong, it was challenging in the physical sense. We had all the standard encumbrances that most people use as excuses (or 'reasons' if you prefer). We had a house, which represented a good chunk of our financial assets and which, of course, we needed to sell. No question, people often find this a tricky issue and will frequently quote their particular community's depressed real estate market as backup for this defense. And of course, our house was filled with all kinds of 'stuff'. You know, the kind of stuff that would definitely not fit on a little boat. Yes, we had to sell all that too. In this case, we found internet services such as Kijiji and Craig's List to be invaluable. Note that neither the house nor the objects within it will sell unless you actually put them on the market!

Of much greater difficulty was the sale of our business, my life blood for well over two decades. Ours was a business with a very strong personality component, making for an especially tricky transition to new owners. With time and patience though, a deal was struck that left all parties involved happy. Again, if we had not been actively seeking a buyer, we would still be back on land working instead of cruising the Caribbean as we are now.

What of family? No, we did not have young children in school although with the number of kids we have seen happily living and traveling on boats, I am convinced that this would not have been an issue even if we had. Our daughter is independent and living on her own and both she, and the remainder of our families, were very supportive of our dreams to cruise south.

What about experience? Certainly you must be a licensed Captain with thousands of miles of blue-water sailing under your belt before you go cruising, right? Well, no. The truth is that, at the time we set in motion our plan to go cruising, neither my wife nor I had ANY sailing experience. We did ultimately take a short 10-day course, which we found extremely helpful, but many others have cast off without even that small bit of instruction.

Oh yes, a boat - you will probably want one of those, but finding a seaworthy vessel is the easy part. There are thousands for sale in every costal city on the globe. Fire up your computer and do some research and you'll no doubt be able to come up with a short-list of your needs and desires. Enjoy this process but don't get too wrapped up in trying to find the 'perfect boat' because no such thing exists. They say that all boats are compromises and this, we have found, is true.

"But I'm not a millionaire. I could never afford such a lifestyle." I can assure any of you reading this that my wife and I are far from wealthy and, to be completely honest, we have nowhere near enough money to support ourselves forever. Is this really a valid excuse though? Do you have enough money to support yourself indefinitely on land if you were to stop working today? I would suspect not, and we are no different in this respect except for two significant things; the first is that the sailing/cruising lifestyle is, by its nature, one of minimalism. Most people find that the expenses they incur while traveling - to some of the most beautiful places on Earth I should add - are a small fraction of what they used to spend just to subsist on land. The second is the crucial one though: confidence. In our case, we firmly believe that when the time comes for us to go back to work, or to earn some money, we'll be able to do so. And we'll be able to do it when and where we choose. This last ingredient, confidence - or faith if you prefer, is what prevents most people from taking that all-important initial step which would turn their dreams into a reality. Many will say that they're simply working towards their goals, on their 10-15 year plan, but I suspect that the vast majority will never reach the point where they cut the dock lines.

If there is one bit of information that I can share which will hopefully push some people from the dreamer category into the cruiser category, it's that out there on the water today, enjoying all the amazing benefits that the cruising lifestyle provides, is every conceivable type of person you can imagine. There are men and women, some who are wealthily while others would be considered poor, some with big boats and others with tiny craft, some with plenty of experience and others who, like us when we started, are complete newbies. Some people are out there traveling on their own while others have their entire family on board with them. You'll find some young, fit people and countless others who are at or beyond retirement age. The point is that if they can do it - if WE can do it, so can you. Believe this, really believe it and you'll have taken that first key step into making your dream of sailing off into the sunset a reality.

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Mike Sweeney and his wife Rebecca are full-time cruisers, currently exploring the Caribbean on their catamaran. They departed Canada in the summer of 2010 after divesting themselves of virtually all of their land-based possessions. You can read a step-by-step account of how, in two years, they went from being self-employed martial arts school owners, with absolutely zero sailing experience, to live-aboard cruisers on www.ZeroToCruising.com.

17 comments:

  1. Great post.......My last item to check off that list is the dependency of kids.....One will be in college this fall and the other in 2014, so 2014 it is.......One other "thing" i need is a woman to clean the boat, get me drinks, cook and of course........

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    1. Good luck with that. Don't forget to take the club when you go out looking for her.

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  2. I’ve been following Zero to Cruising since they left Canada and actually got the opportunity to meet them while they were stopped just north of Vero Beach on their way south. I wake up every day and turn on the computer and check to see if there is an update to read. Their blog today directed me over here to yours and their “guest post” entry. Now I’m intrigued enough to start from the beginning and see how your story has unfolded. I think you’ll have another follower. TL

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    1. I had the joy of meeting them when I was on a trip to the BVI - as I read their blog and the date for my trip drew closer, I realized that there was an ever increasing chance that we would be there at the same time. I was thrilled when I got there and found out they were there also. We spent a great afternoon and evening together.

      I hope you enjoy reading through my blog. I have had some issues with blogger and the formatting has gotten messed up twice now. The first time I went back and fixed every post but the last time I just couldn't expend the energy or time to do it again. So I apologize for the messy layout of pictures and text in some posts. I will try to get to it to fix it soon.

      Please leave comments as you go, if you have any thoughts or reactions. I love comments!!

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  3. Hi Sandra...love your blog having just discovered it! Mike of ZTC is spot on as your guest blogger. Alex and I are in the final stages to depart this summer....house on the market and selling stuff (junk) almost everyday! We will have to back track and catch up on your blog from the start. :)

    Cheers

    David and Alex
    Sailing Banyan

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    1. Thank guys!! I am glad you found your way here. I am excited for you - I wish I was doing the same. I did the 'sell the stuff' part, but without a house to sell, I am without the funding to make it happen. But I still have the dream!

      Have fun reading the blog and be sure to leave any thoughts or reactions via the comments.

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  4. Mike is 100% right, I know, I've done it.
    The first time, I was able to afford a small boat that I purchased in the Caribbean after refinancing a small home. The rent of the home was enough to maintain the house while I lived a life aboard, making a living in a very casual way. That lasted off and on for about 12 years.
    Now, years later, and 14 years ashore (over weight) my wife and are selling most all possessions and a house (waiting) to follow the wake of Mike and Rebecca. Our starting location will be where the boat we decide to purchase is moored, east coast, west coast, Caribbean, or possibly Europe. Just let the adventure begin.

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    1. Such an adventure!! Will you be blogging as you go? If so I would love to read it.

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    2. Yes we will, but it certainly won't be as good as ZTC.

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  5. Hi Sandy, Been following ZTC for a few months and plan on setting sail next summer. Mike is right...you just have to decide you're going to do it, believe you can do it, and just do it! You'll figure it out as you go along. That's our plan, anyway! Good luck to you. I am going back to the beginning of your blog and will catch up. I'm looking forwarding to getting to know you :)

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    1. Thanks for coming by to read Mike's post here. I hope you enjoy reading the rest of the blog. When you do, you will see why I can't go south at present. But it is still a dream!

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  6. Great post. I have followed the ZTC blog for about a year. I am actively looking for a boat and plan to be cruising by 2013. Probably a mono...sorry Mike. So look forward to another couple of newbie sailors in the islands as well as another sailing blog...soon...very soon.
    Ted

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    1. Awesome! I will look forward to reading your blog! Thanks for stopping by here to read mine!!

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  7. Mike Sweeney and his wife Rebecca are a great inspiration.

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