Deciding to upset the status quo of your life in such a drastic fashion as liveaboard sailboat crusing can be unsettling. Often people use the things in their lives to create a feeling of security. It is reassuring knowing that you can come home to a house with a familiar bed, couch, big screen tv, etc. Though many people may dislike their job, it's comforting knowing that you'll receive a paycheck for your hard work. When life tries to bring you down, you turn to nearby friends and family to help you cope. Each of the three, material comforts, income, and relationships need to be thoroughly analyzed when making a significant decision. I feel like I'm continually thinking about these things, and the rest of this post are my current thoughts.
My identity has never been very tied to my possessions. Sure, I like my toys, but I could just as easily replace them with different toys. The boat will replace my house. An extensive iTunes library and a surplus of books will replace the radio and television. Internet connectivity is the one thing I think I could miss, although more marinas are offering Wi-Fi than ever and there are even Broadband-at-Sea type solutions available; however, they are still quite expensive. Which leads me to the money issue.
I am fortunate that my chosen career in the IT field makes it fairly easy to work from remote locations. While I'm trying to build a 'cruising kitty' before setting sail, I am confident that I can find sources of income, with regular internet connectivity that is. Working while cruising may not be the perfect fantasy dream that cruising while independently wealthy is, but if you're working in an island paradise, you're still in an island paradise. The only thing better than an island paradise is sharing it with friends and family, right?
My relationships with friends and family is probably the most difficult matter to resolve, primarily my son. My son, Corey, just turned fourteen, and is a big part of my life. I try to see him as often as possible, and I'd like to think I'm an important part of his life too. Currently the plan is to wait until he's off at college doing his own thing, but even then I know I'd feel guilty if he needed me and I was halfway across the world on a sailboat. The best solution for this I've come up with so far is having enough money set aside for emergency plane flights, and making sure there is decent communication, email, satellite phone, etc.
I'm certain I can easily adapt my current accumulation of "stuff" to the "stuff" of a liveaboard cruising life. I'm fairly confident that I can find ways to afford it. The only potential sticking point is my relationships. Two out of three, majority rules, I go cruising. After all, I've still got at least 4 years to work out the last issue.
