Question

My biggest fear and concern about dropping everything and taking my wife (who is more enthusiastic than I am) and three kids cruising is $.

• Will I have enough?
• How much is enough?
• Will I be able to earn anything underway with dive gear and being a licensed captain with systems experience?

This is always my main stumbling block.

– Tom

4 Answers

Pam Wall, s/v KANDARIK

My husband, Andy, and I were working parents of necessity. When we planned to circumnavigate we had the very same questions that actually kept us from departing for a whole year after our intended time to be able to sail away from an income. And that was a mistake. We had a little stash of money, not much, but we knew if we lingered until we had enough money, we would never leave!

So, after a year’s delay, when our children were a year older, then 4 and 7, we did finally just cast off with what little we had, and we knew we would have to make it do! We just knew! So, with that in mind, and the free air filling our sails as we headed for the great South Pacific, all care disappeared with that first breath of wind filling our sails for the voyage around the world. The reality was that we had to be very careful of what we had with us. We never felt as if we were missing anything! We were careful and smart, and found that we could survive easily on our 39 foot sloop with much much less than we anticipated. We were actually happy and proud that we could curb our land bound appetites and still sail and see the wonderful places that we made as landfalls around the world.

We did find work when we stopped in a few places. We put the two children in real schools which was great for them as they met children and teachers from different cultures. We worked while the children were in school and replenished some of what we had spent. Then we took off again, westbound, and found other work further down the Trades and again put the children in real schools which was marvelous for them and allowed us to get more in the piggy bank, and then carry on again further west.

This was how we lived and paid for the most fantastic life a family could ever ever have together!!!

It was not a flamboyant life of spending, it was a carefully thought out of what we could spend and what we did spend. Our biggest expenditures were eating out, which we just did not do often, renting cars to really get inland and see the countries not just the harbors and we always rented from RENT A WRECK type of places, and haul outs for our boat’s maintenance. Food was carefully chosen when needing replenishment and we fished and fished and fished and had a love of fresh fish that makes eating on land almost impossible now as we only could eat FRESH CAUGHT FISH that tasted completely different and so much better than any store bought or restaurant could offer.

We found work, and work found us. We had to be careful and thoughtful of the countries laws where we worked, but we always seemed to be able to work and not break any laws, which is the only way to do it.

If you asked me how much was in our budget, I could not tell you. If you asked me how much we spent, I never kept track. If you asked me how much the experience was worth, I would not hesitate to say a million trillion dollars!!! We made what we had, and believe me it was not much, work for us. We never were without what we needed and we saw the world from our cockpits and our children met and got to know people from around the world which I feel is the only hope for that elusive “World Peace”

Don’t put it off, go while you can, go before it is too late, and handle the situation as it happens. I have learned that you can make all the excuses in the world to not cast off, and believe me, don’t do that. Just go and make it work with what you have and remember your family is the greatest asset you can possibly hope for in life!

Pam Wall
S/V Kandarik
www.pamwall.com

• On this website:
Pam Wall  Answers 12 Questions about Sailing as a Family

Nadine Slavinski, S/V NAMANI

 I have two answers.

1. One is the general cost of cruising, which is an excerpt from my book, Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor’s Guide to the Coconut Milk Run (by Nadine Slavinski & Markus Schweitzer).

The most difficult question to answer is how much cruising costs, because every sailor has his or her own definition of “necessity” and “comfort.” The best answer may be Bernadette Bernon’s “it costs what you’ve got.”

We know sailors who have crossed the Pacific on an average of US$500 per month and others who might multiply that number by five, ten, or even more. A frugal crew with an older vessel that never ties up at a marina, goes out for a meal, or hires help for repairs will be able to go on a long way on a tight budget. Their principal expenses will be boat parts, food, cruising permits, fuel, and insurance (if they purchase insurance at all). Of these, the latter two are highly discretionary. Given fair conditions, we often chose to drift along for days instead of motoring through hundreds of dollars of diesel just to make landfall sooner.

Similarly, the costs of outfitting a boat vary widely. Some crews spend top dollar for safety gadgets, electronics, and creature comforts, while others are happy with a back- to-basics approach. All in all, most cruisers report that they spend a fraction of what they do back home since transportation and accommodation costs are essentially zero. After all, anchoring is free, wind is our primary source of propulsion, and deserted atolls offer limited opportunities to spend money.

We consider ourselves cost-conscious sailors. We pay for boat and health insurance and treat ourselves to the occasional meal out while making our own repairs and otherwise watching our wallets closely. We cruised the Pacific from 2011-2014 for an average of US$90 per day – which included everything but the cost of the boat itself: food, fuel, insurance pro-rated by day, cruising fees, and parts/repairs. (We paid approximately US$1700 per year for boat insurance and US$1500 per person per year in health insurance.) Our normal daily operating expenses were much lower than that $90 average, but the overall average is skewed by periodic investments in the boat: new rigging, haul- outs and bottom paint, new engine mounts, plus one-time costs such as transiting the Panama Canal. We saved a great deal of money by cruising on a sturdy older vessel: our 1981 sloop (loaded with many extras) cost C50,000 in 2006 and sold for the equivalent of C44,000 in 2014.

That’s us. You can compare the cruising costs of various crews on Bill Dietrich’s website. Just remember, it doesn’t have to cost a king’s ransom to cruise the Pacific – unless you want it to.

2. The second is a link to an article I wrote about working while cruising, including an interview with a scuba diver and an engine mechanic. It can be found here: Here, Kitty Kitty (Blue Water Sailing website)

I also have many other information articles about cruising as a family on my author website, here.

Nadine Slavinski
s/v Namani
www.nslavinski.com

• On this website:
Nadine SLAVINSKI Answers 12 Questions on Sailing as a Family

Diane Selkirk, S/V CEILYDH

Having enough money is pretty essential.

But as Tom figured out, knowing what counts as enough can be hard to gauge. I think it also depends on how comfortable you are with risk. When we hit Australia we were down to six months of money and didn’t have the guarantee Evan would get a job. Our worst case scenario was this would be the end of our cruise and we’d sell the boat in Australia. So I was comfortable with the risk.

My personal rule of thumb is I want enough money for a however long I want to cruise plus six months for resettling, plus a 5-15%-of-the boat’s-value maintenance/repair budget for each year we’re out. Short-term cruisers can often defer this maintenance–but once you’re out for more than two years, or cross an ocean, big ticket items need repair or replacement pretty regularly.

As far as how much money you need to live–this really varies too. There are families that manage basic expenses for $1000 a month and others who spend 5K. It depends on where you travel, if you stay in marinas, how much inland travel you do, schooling expenses etc…

As far as what you can earn with your skills–I’m not sure. It probably depends on where you plan to cruise and exactly what services you intend to offer. We know diesel mechanics, electricians and refrigeration technicians that manage to find steady work with in the cruising community. Most cruisers tend to be jack-of-all-trade types so you would probably need specific expertise to be hired.

Diane Selkirk
SV Ceilydh
maiaaboard.blogspot.com

• On this website:
The CEILYDH Family Answers 12 Questions about Sailing as a Family

Aimee Nance, S/V TERRAPIN

Hi Tom,

This is also the most pressing question we had before we set off to go cruising.

So far, we have found that the answer really depends on the cruisers themselves, rather than location or circumstance. We have seen families that get by on less than $2000 per month and families that seem to have unlimited budgets. It really comes down to what comforts are you willing to sacrifice for your cruising adventure. For example, we have found that marinas and restaurants are some of our biggest budget killers. Are you willing to anchor out 99% of the time? Do you plan to catch and eat your meals or are you the type that loves to eat out?

We budget about $2100 per month for everything and seem to get pretty close to that when we are in the water here in Mexico.

Also, do you plan to be on your boat the whole time? Right now, we are in San Miguel de Allende to wait out hurricane season. Many cruisers in the Sea of Cortez haul out in Guaymas/San Carlos to avoid the heat and hurricane danger of the upper sea. For us, this has been pretty expensive since we now have rent and substantial transportation expenses. However, there are a few boats that head up into the Sea and sweat it out and there is hardly a cheaper place to be.

We have also met cruisers who have had significant expenses for boat/ and or dinghy repairs. We have been lucky in this category so far (knock on wood), but having to rebuild a diesel engine on the move could obviously be a budget killer. This is something to take into consideration when boat shopping and also a reason to get a mechanical survey and rigging survey in addition to the general survey.

As far as working while cruising, there are certainly those who do it. You probably won’t make very much with your dive gear if you are talking about cleaning hulls. Most cruisers that anchor out do this themselves and you may tick off the locals if you try to do this in a marina.

There are certainly those that make money with a captain’s license. Scott from Windtraveler picked up some work in the Caribbean for a while. Also, if you can fix outboards or diesels, you will always be in high demand. I would caution you on this type of “working” only because some folks end up getting stuck in certain places for the sake of the job and for me, this is not what cruising is about. That being said, when we start running low on funds who knows what we will do to keep it going!

I hope this information is helpful to you. We post our “Cost to Cruise” every month in an effort to help those with questions like yours.

Good luck with your transition to the cruising life and hopefully we see you and your family out there one day! Best,

Aimee and Phil Nance
S/V Terrapin
www.sailingwithterrapin.com

• On this website:
The TERRAPIN Sailing Family Answers 12 Questions about Sailing as a Family

Links

• Here, Kitty Kitty, by Nadine Slavinski (Blue Water Sailing)
• Costs to cruise (Mexico, 2015), by Aimee Nance   (Sailing with Terrapin)
• The cruising kitty, by Brittany Stephen-Meyers (Windtraveler)
• Earning while cruising, by Brittany Stephen-Meyers (Windtraveler)
• The Cost of Cruising, by Livia Gilstrap (The Giddyup Plan)
• Cruising Expenses (Mexico, 2012-13), by Verena Kellner (Pacific Sailors)
• How do we earn money while sailing? Is going into the charter business a good option? (Women & Cruising)

Question:

My husband and I are thinking of living aboard a sailboat in four to five years from now. His daughter is grown and just purchased her first home while my daughter is a freshmen in high school.

I suppose it is harder for me to take to the idea of living aboard because I have a really great paying job and I feel I need to help my daughter with college. I am only 39 so leaving my career is harder than I thought it would be. Any advice for me? My husband is 47 and more than ready to leave tomorrow. He is self employed and can build or fix anything so he will not have a problem finding work along the way of our adventure.

I look forward to hearing from you if you have time or advice.

– Judy and John

Harriett writes in:

Hi Judy and John,

It’s probably too early to decide – 5 years is a long time and you may feel differently by then. Or your daughter may get a scholarship or change her path.

If you can fit sailing into your current life, that would be a good start to finding out whether you want to even try it.

Also, there’s nothing wrong with a “try it and we’ll see how it goes” attitude.

All these thoughts come from my own experience, since my husband and I left to go cruising at 45 with the idea that we’d do it for 2 years and see if we liked it. Twenty years later, we still consider ourselves cruisers, although we’re ashore right now caring for elderly parents.

At your age, we both had jobs we loved and our son was in high school. Within 5 years, he got fired by new management and I got laid off in a corporate downsizing, our son quit school and joined the marines and we sold our “weekending” boat to buy a bigger one.

So, we sold our house, which was not located where new jobs would have been, stored everything we couldn’t bear to part with in his father’s basement and moved onto our bigger boat for a couple of years of cruising. After that, we never went back.

The first year we were in shock, but we’ve learned that living with less and having time to enjoy the cruising world really suits us. So, go sailing, see if you like it and reassess it all in 5 years. Meanwhile, save for your daughter’s education, just in case you want to go.

You only get one life – and only you can decide how to spend it.

We received this from Tracy:

This the question that only you can ask yourself.

I can only comment from my viewpoint. I have been cruising for five years now and love it, I am not the greatest sailor (I get seasick and occassionally cabin fever) but I love the fact that I take my home with me, met amazing and inspiring people, see remote and stunning areas and the lifestyle is rewarding.

I think it is harder for a woman to make the decision as we are the homemakers, the mothers, etc. We look for security, both a home and family.

Before I went cruising I badgered other women cruisers, sailors and asked lots of questions, especially about cooking, space for me (it is a male dominated world), being scared, handling a boat by myself, beauty and being feminine aboard, etc. I asked everyone who would answer my questions until they were answered-no matter how silly.

We have three children, we left the youngest when she was in her last year of high school, she had a strong supportive peer group and we had family close by. We talked to the school and they supported leaving her behind rather than taking her with us. The other two were self sufficient. Yes life was difficult having no family home but they learnt a lot. We were only a phone or email away, family support was nearby. My justification was that I was only a phone call or email away and 24-48 hours by plane from anywhere in the world (of course dependent upon if I was mid passage (but how often is that).

Leaving work was difficult, I had delayed my career due to having children, I was beginning the career progression, getting into management and strategic planning and enjoying it-although the stress levels were not pleasant. I was making a difference and enjoying the fact that I was advancing in my career. My husband;s mother died when she was 45 and we said that we would travel before we got too old and ill. So we set a date and kept to it.

We need to work as we travel as we are well before retirement age and need to earn our cruising kitty. It is interesting that I have been able to pick up casual and relief work at the level that I left-I thought I would be changing beds, washing dishes or cleaning toilets. I have not left my Country yet but feel that I would pick up work if needed or travel home and find something short term to save money.

I was very scared about resigning and selling my home-I was giving up my security but the cruising lifestyle, moving about-the gypsy life suits us. As Beth Leonard states it does not suit everyone. All I can say is what you decide is best for you do not feel you need to conform sort our what suits you.

Kind regards,
Tracy

D (Dierdre) offered this thought:

I have read or heard more than once that:

“The greatest disappointments in life can be NOT doing something.”

Having gone out and tried, means you have those memories to carry you through difficult periods we all face in life.

Good luck and fair winds,
D Wogaman
sv Southern Cross

About Ask Your Questions

When we receive a question from Women and Cruising readers, we send it out to women who we think might have relevant experience to share. These women often email the questioner back directly, but if everyone agrees we will also post the questions and answers/responses here in the blog. We may change the name or some details of the question to protect the questioner’s privacy if requested.

Beth Leonard, Sherry McCampbell and Kathleen Watt also responded to Judy’s question. We will be posting others responses as we receive them.

If you have thoughts for Judy on her big decision

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below. We will send your response on to Judy, and may post it here on the blog too if you agree.

Do YOU have a question for Women and Cruising?

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

Related articles (on this website):

• Should I quit my job and go cruising? Beth Leonard responds
• Should I quit my job and go cruising? Sherry McCampbell responds
• Should I quit my job and go cruising? Kathleen Watt responds

Question:

My husband and I are thinking of living aboard a sailboat in four to five years from now. His daughter is grown and just purchased her first home while my daughter is a freshmen in high school.

I suppose it is harder for me to take to the idea of living aboard because I have a really great paying job and I feel I need to help my daughter with college. I am only 39 so leaving my career is harder than I thought it would be. Any advice for me? My husband is 47 and more than ready to leave tomorrow. He is self employed and can build or fix anything so he will not have a problem finding work along the way of our adventure.

I look forward to hearing from you if you have time or advice.

– Judy and John

(Women and Cruising sent Judy’s question to several of our friends/contributors for their thoughts. You can read Beth Leonard ’s response here, and Sherry McCampbell’s here. Here is the third response we received, from Kathleen Watt.)

Kathleen Watt responds:

Dear Judy,

When I was asked if I would be interested in responding to your question, I not only wanted to, but felt compelled to do so.

You see, my story is not unlike yours.

I moved aboard and went cruising at age 38.

I had a daughter who was a sophomore in high school, a great, well paying job, and was about to complete a university degree that I had worked long and hard for, while working full-time for many years.

I was not a boater (I got pretty seasick), I was not a water person (terrified of deep water and not a strong swimmer) and I had never sailed before.

Here’s where things are different.

I was divorced, my daughter lived with me, but spent summers with her dad. I was not married to the man I moved aboard with (although madly in love, we were still dating) and had little savings of my own. I was, and always had been, financially independent. (I had a professional career that earned more than my ex-husband.) The thought of being dependent on ANYONE, including previous spouse, much less boyfriend, was more terrifying to me than deep water…well almost.

But…the love of my life, my then-boyfriend, Brian, always dreamed of doing this sail around the world. He had come out of a nasty divorce, was at a point in his career and finances that he could be away for quite awhile. I knew this was important to him, but I just didn’t think I could go, no matter how much he wanted me to, for all the reasons mentioned above. I told him he would have to go without me. I wouldn’t have asked him to stay because I felt he needed to do it for his own peace of mind.

Then, the strangest thing happened…

…my daughter found a boyfriend in New Orleans during her summer trip to her dad’s. I am from there and still had many family members of both sides living there. She called and asked if I would get upset if she spent the school year with her dad and summers with me, instead of the reverse. Her dad and I were, fortunately, good friends and I had no problem with that, other than missing her, of course. So, here was the big dilemma. My biggest reason for not going with Brian had just made a decision that freed me up to go. Brian had already bought a boat and left for the Caribbean.

I thought long and hard about what my decision should be.

I decided that this relationship was truly something special and I didn’t want to lose it.

School could wait. I supposed I could accept dependence for, at least a while, to try this all out. There would always be a job somewhere if I came back. I got certified in scuba to get over my fear of deep water (it took a year for that to work before my heart stopped trying to leap out of my chest when faced with the jump into the ocean.) I got a good stock of Bonine and learned to sail. This was probably the hardest decision of my life and I count it as one of the most important, as well.

Was it the right one? Let me tell you how the story ends.

We had a glorious 4 and half years of sailing around the world.

We completed our circumnavigation in 1998 after 40,000 miles and 37 countries. We hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Piccu, we climbed the peaks of Bora Bora, we parasailed off a mountain in New Zealand, met black pearl farmers in the Tuamotus, sat with chiefs for dinner in Fiji, and watched game in reserves in South Africa and so much more.

That’s just the land stuff that cruising allowed us to do. We also saw the most incredible sea life in three oceans, we swam with reef sharks and chased grouper in underwater coral caverns, we dove on a wreck in Vanuatu, caught lobster as long as my arm and saw phosphorescence leaving a glorious green light in the water as we sailed on moonless nights and watched a whale give birth in the sea off Madagascar.

I could write a book on the wonders of this lifestyle. The friendships that we developed in anchorages will last a lifetime. But, most importantly, we shared memories that few in this world will ever experience, and we did it together.

Brian and I got married on the deck of our boat in New Zealand two years after sailing together. There could be not tighter bond than the relationship that weathers a cruising lifestyle. It relies on trust, friendship, teamwork, respect and love, to a much higher degree than you ever have ashore. It’s been 15 years now and we are still crazy about each other. I think cruising brought us so much closer than we ever could have believed.

This has been the long answer to your question, but here’s where it gets real.

Six years ago, we decided to head back out, bought a new boat and sailed it back from France.

We were back for two weeks when we got rear-ended in a car accident that tore Brian’s carotid artery and caused a massive stroke. It has been a long road to recovery. Brian, my larger than life, brilliant husband who could do anything, lost the ability to walk, talk, read, speak, or comprehend. It took a long time, but now he can walk with a cane, speak in 3 – 5 word phrases, got most of his comprehension back and can read a bit.

Why am I telling all of this to you…

…what does it have to do with your concerns?

Just this…the one thing that always brings a smile to his face is our reminiscing about cruising and how lucky we were to have done the things we did. If we had waited, if I had given in to my fears, concerns, etc., if we had decided to wait until all things were right, it may not have happened. Our greatest pleasure, our happiest times took place on that boat. We are still madly in love, but incredibly sad.

We lost so much. But, we have so much to be thankful for, as well. Those memories are incredibly precious.

I am thankful every day that we didn’t get caught up in life and lost the opportunity to live the life we have.

We have a pretty good life now, considering…but, our life onboard Renaissance will always bring back the days of happiness, strength, excitement, enchantment and contentment.

So Judy, I hope my tale has given you a different perspective on things.

Don’t lose a chance to incredible experiences for what seems important now…like a great job. Your daughter will move on to college and make her own life.

My daughter LOVES the fact (and still talks about) what neat places and things she got to do on her summers with Mom. Did I miss her…you bet! But, I think she has a better life and a better Mom for it.

What cruising did for me is immeasurable. I am stronger, more confident, and capable than I ever dreamed. When we came back, I took on a new career that was infinitely better than the previous, completed my university degree, and even got a helicopter pilot’s license at age 50.

So, for all those things I gave up to go cruising, I was paid back tenfold in being a better woman, a better Mom, a better wife and a better friend.

Sailing really does bring you back to what’s important. I am not sure how I could have weathered the storm we faced after that accident if I hadn’t been forced to prove myself on the water.

I didn’t mean to write a book to you, but your concern resonated with me so deeply. Good luck with whatever course you choose.

What’s meant to be will be. But, don’t be afraid to take that leap if given the chance. You won’t regret it.

Regards and best wishes to you,

Kathleen Watt

About Ask Your Questions

When we receive a question from Women and Cruising readers, we send it out to women who we think might have relevant experience to share. These women often email the questioner back directly, but if everyone agrees we will also post the questions and answers/responses here in the blog. We may change the name or some details of the question to protect the questioner’s privacy if requested.

Beth Leonard and Sherry McCampbell also responded to Judy’s question. You can read Beth’s response here, and Sherry’s here. We will be posting others responses as we receive them.

If you have thoughts for Judy on her big decision

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below. We will send your response on to Judy, and may post it here on the blog too if you agree.

Do YOU have a question for Women and Cruising?

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

Related articles:

• Should I quit my job and go cruising? Beth Leonard responds

• Should I quit my job and go cruising? Sherry McCampbell responds

Question:

My husband and I are thinking of living aboard a sailboat in four to five years from now. His daughter is grown and just purchased her first home while my daughter is a freshmen in high school.

I suppose it is harder for me to take to the idea of living aboard because I have a really great paying job and I feel I need to help my daughter with college. I am only 39 so leaving my career is harder than I thought it would be. Any advice for me? My husband is 47 and more than ready to leave tomorrow. He is self employed and can build or fix anything so he will not have a problem finding work along the way of our adventure.

I look forward to hearing from you if you have time or advice.

– Judy and John

(Women and Cruising sent Judy’s question to several of our friends/contributors for their thoughts. Beth Leonard was the first to respond. Here is the second response we received, from Sherry McCampbell.)

Sherry McCampbell responds:

Hi Judy,

You don’t say what your job is… but I guess it doesn’t matter that much in the grand scheme of things.

To just give you my story… the first time I went cruising, I left at age 37. I gave up a job I really loved (computer programming) and went sailing.

We took along our 5 year old daughter (the only kid I know who ‘withdrew’ from 1st grade) The original idea was to go for a year, but we were having so much fun that our trip through the Caribbean lasted for 4 years.

After that trip, we went back to the real world… put my daughter in 6th grade, and I went back to work. After 4 years of cruising, my technical skills were a little stale. So, to get a job quickly, I offered myself at ‘entry level’ wages. I was snapped up within a week, at a job that was WAY BETTER than what I left (satisfaction-wise). I worked for a year at my cheapo wages, and then easily negotiated (based on the fact that I was now fully up to date on technology, a hard worker, and very competent, etc) full wages as if I’d never left my original job.

I worked for another 9 years at that same company, and then took off again.

My years of cruising actually added to (a) my job ability and (b) my job satisfaction. I was there because I WANTED to be. It makes a huge difference.

Bottom line is… life AIN’T about work. Even if you love it, they take advantage of you, and in the end, it isn’t worth what you give up.

Whatever it is you love to do outside of work is better done while you are young. Believe me, as I watch my body fall apart at 50+, and in spite of what I’ve ALREADY done, I wish I’d started earlier.

There’s always the compromise solution… take a sabbatical and go with the idea that you ‘promise’ to come back. But to really experience sailing, this has to be at least 3 month–6 months or a year is better.

If your bliss ISN’T sailing, then skip sailing and go do whatever else (besides work) that your bliss IS before you’re too old to enjoy it. (But giving sailing/cruising a shot, first) You can always work later, or wait til your 70, and done with cruising, and work at Walmart, I can’t emphasize enough that life isn’t about work, and there are so many other alternatives… even doing the work you love… while you are sailing.

Or before or after.

Believe me, this is the best advice on life you’ll ever get.

Good luck!

Sherry
s/v Soggy Paws

About Sherry (Beckett) McCampbell

Sherry has been in, under, and around the water since she learned to swim at 3 years old.  Summers as a kid were spent camping, waterskiing, canoeing, and kayaking.

Sherry started sailing on her Dad’s 41′ Trimaran, Rivka, in high school.  By the time she acquired her own boat in her late-20′s, Sherry had already been several times to the Bahamas and once around the Caribbean.

For 15 years, Sherry worked 60-70 hour weeks as a computer programmer, got married and had a daughter.  It was a fun time, but by 1992, career burn-out was looming.

In 1993, Sherry and her (now ex) husband set out on their 37′ Prout Catamaran, Island Time, for a 4 year liveaboard adventure, with 5 year old daughter Nicki, a cat named Annabelle, and Tramp the Wonder Dog.  Their travels took them first to Maine, and then south through the Bahamas and into the Caribbean.

Once back in the States,  Sherry bought and restored a Lindenberg 28, a go-fast race boat, and then REALLY learned how to sail.  She raced for 5 years in the Melbourne Florida area in her L28 named Fast Lane.

After working full time as a computer programmer/manager for nearly 10 years, Sherry retired again in 2007 to accompany Dave as co-captain on their around the world cruise.

Sherry maintains an extensive website and blog covering their travels aboard Soggy Paws, plus a wealth of cruising information.

About Ask Your Questions:

When we receive a question from Women and Cruising readers, we send it out to women who we think might have relevant experience to share. These women often email the questioner back directly, but if everyone agrees we will also post the questions and answers/responses here in the blog. We may change the name or some details of the question to protect the questioner’s privacy if requested.

Beth Leonard and Kathleen Watt also responded to Judy’s question. You can read Beth’s response here. We will be posting Kathleen’s response shortly – and others as we receive them.

If you have thoughts for Judy on her big decision

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below. We will send your response on to Judy, and may post it here on the blog too if you agree.

Do YOU have a question for Women and Cruising?

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

Related articles:

• Should I quit my job and go cruising? Beth Leonard responds
• Should I quit my job and go cruising? Kathleen Watt responds

Question:

My husband and I are thinking of living aboard a sailboat in four to five years from now. His daughter is grown and just purchased her first home while my daughter is a freshmen in high school.

I suppose it is harder for me to take to the idea of living aboard because I have a really great paying job and I feel I need to help my daughter with college. I am only 39 so leaving my career is harder than I thought it would be. Any advice for me? My husband is 47 and more than ready to leave tomorrow. He is self employed and can build or fix anything so he will not have a problem finding work along the way of our adventure.

I look forward to hearing from you if you have time or advice.

– Judy and John

(Women and Cruising sent Judy’s question to several of our friends/contributors for their thoughts. Here is the first of several responses we received.)

Beth Leonard responds:

I can really relate to what you are saying – when my husband suggested we sail off into the sunset, we were both working as international management consultants, based out of Sweden.

We were in the partnership window, my job paid extremely well and I loved it – except that it took everything I had and left me no time or energy for other things that were important to me.

What made it possible for me to leave my career and go cruising was figuring out what I was going to get out of it, besides seeing my husband’s smiling face ever day!

For me, that turned out to be writing. I had always wanted to be a writer, and sailing opened that door and allowed me to walk through to a life I had always dreamed of and aspired to.

But we did give up a great deal financially, and I think I would have felt differently if I had really needed money for something like caring for my parents or putting a child through school. I would not have wanted my choices to limit the opportunities of someone else in my family, particularly a child.

I am afraid that if you don’t have something of your own that you are going to get out of it, and if your daughter may not be able to afford the best school she can get into, then you will end up resenting the fact that this is his adventure and it trumped your own priorities.

Sailing is not for everyone, and don’t let anyone tell you differently.

But cruising is also not something that has to be done in only one way.

We meet lots of couples who have come to an accommodation because one of them is in a very different place than the other with respect to career and caretaking.

Part-time cruising is a real option today, as is flying in and joining him for a month or so after he has made the passage to the next destination. Flexibility will almost always allow you to find a way if you want to make it happen.

For me and most other women I know, sailing opens up opportunities that can come about almost no other way.

No one can make this decision for you. But bear in mind that there is always a reason not to go. At some point, if cruising is something you want to do, you do have to set all those reasons aside and make it happen.

Good luck!
Beth

About Beth Leonard

Beth Leonard and her husband, Evans Starzinger, have completed two circumnavigations and logged more than 110,000 nautical miles. Between 1992 and 1995, they sailed westabout by way of the Panama Canal, Torres Straits and the Cape of Good Hope aboard their Shannon 37, Silk.

They spent four years ashore building their 47-foot aluminum Van de Stadt Samoa sloop, Hawk, before leaving again in 1999. They have just completed a ten-year, eastabout circumnavigation by way of all of the Great Capes that took them as far north as the Arctic Circle and as far south as Cape Horn.

Beth has written more than 200 articles that have appeared in the pages of the US and UK sailing magazines, including most recently Cruising World, Sailing, Good Old Boat, Yachting World and Practical Sailor.  Beth has had columns in Blue Water Sailing and Yachting World, and Evans has had a column in Yachting Monthly.

Beth has written three books: The Voyager’s Handbook, Following Seas, and Blue Horizons. Her how-to book, The Voyager’s Handbook, is widely accepted as the definitive treatise on bluewater cruising.  Her most recent book, Blue Horizons, won a 2007 National Outdoor Book Award in the outdoor literature category.

About Ask Your Questions:

When we receive a question from Women and Cruising readers, we send it out to women who we think might have relevant experience to share. These women often email the questioner back directly, but if everyone agrees we will also post the questions and answers/responses here in the blog. We may change the name or some details of the question to protect the questioner’s privacy if requested.

Beth Leonard was the first to respond to Judy. You can read Sherry McCampbell’ s response here , and Kathleen Watt’s here. We will be posting others’ responses as we receive them.

If you have thoughts for Judy on her big decision

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below. We will send your response on to Judy, and may post it here on the blog too if you agree.

Do YOU have a question for Women and Cruising?

Email kathy@forcruisers.com or leave a comment below.

Related articles:

• Beth Leonard becomes a writer at sea
• What I like most about cruising…Beth Leonard responds
• Admiral’s Angle column on Part-time cruising
• Should I quit my job and go cruising? Sherry McCampbell responds
• Should I quit my job and go cruising? Kathleen Watt responds