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cutting the dock lines, debt free, engine less sailing, falmouth cutter, photography, provisioning, sailing, simplicity, SOCIETY, voyaging on a budget
Ok, lets get down to brass tacks, there seems to be no shortage of information on which boats to buy for voyaging on any budget. There are dozens if not hundreds of sources for outfitting a boat for sea. Navigation and provisioning has been done to death, but what about the fifth element???
I have yet to find a single reasonable account of realistically voyaging on a budget. Sure there are some great books written ten, twenty, or thirty years ago but what about today? Can you still voyage on a small budget? I’m sure there are countless people out there doing it but they are obviously having way too much fun to write about it.
Here is what I’m talking about, cash and carry, no financing, no credit cards, actually living within or below your means. If I talk about money allot around here its because nobody else does.
I have tried to be as honest and open about finances as I can and its not an easy subject to broach as it is almost as taboo as discussing religion or politics.
I haven’t always lived like this, somehow owning a giant house, 3 cars, a beautiful Harley and a sailboat became boring to me. When I say own I mean own, not financed. I had achieved everything I had ever desired in life and was bored out of my mind. I took off every weekend to play, skied almost everyday of the season and hiked and mountain biked the off season. Life was easy, money came easily, very easily, too easily.
You can only eat steak so many nights in a row before it is no different than a peanut butter sandwich. I wanted to experience life on the edge, to push myself as far as I could to find my limits. i guess I just wanted to be alive again like I was before all the material things mattered so much to me.
This journey hasn’t always been about boats, I have climbed mountains, lived in a snow cave, explored this country from top to bottom. I have learned many lessons about self sufficiency and wilderness survival. For all the knowledge I have gained I know there is so much more, already I have made so many mistakes in provisioning and will make many more.
Its all about the process, living from moment to moment from day to day. There will be many good days and many bad days but even in here where I have everything at my finger tips I have bad days, the question is would I rather have them here in my stuffy office under a blinking florescent light or out in the wild blue yonder where I am in control of my destiny.
So what is my budget? as of today I don’t know but it looks as if I will set off with less than $200.00 to my name, yes I will have to earn money as i go. If you have any questions just ask, otherwise grab an ice cold beer, sit back and enjoy the ride. 
Perhaps fifty percent of seamanship occurs within fifty feet of the dock, ~Jerome Fitzgerald
Reblogged this on westside luxe living.
nice post Alan.
Hey, Alan, looking for your opinion: my falmouth has a long, or extra long shaft outboard. I want to be able to use it for a zodiac, but I think its way too long, as its only supposed to be 15 inches. I know I could just go quite slow with it but I really want it to plane. I don’t want to own 2 outboards, do you think that I could buy a short shaft instead and used that for the falmouth as well as my zodiac?
Ok, there are three sizes, the 15″ is actually 17″, the 20″ is actually 22″, and the 25″ is actually 27″. I’m just getting ready to take my motor mount off but I measured it and it is 20″ to the water so the cavitation plate would be 2″ under water which is fine because once you develop a stern wake you will have to raise your engine. I doubt that our outboard mounts are mounted in the same place so until you splash her you wont know. I can almost guarantee a 15″ wont work. Also your engine looks like it weighs 100 lbs, seems way too large to have hanging off your boat at sea. My dream engine was a 5-6 hp with a 20″ shaft and a built in tank.
Good on ya! I love the comment comparing the steaks to peanut butter sandwiches…so true. “Leap and the net will appear” – I don’t know where that came from, I know it’s true for the hard workers.