We’ve been asked over and over, in one form or another, this question; “How do you just pick up and leave your life behind?” The truth is, it takes a lot of planning. In our case, we’ve been thinking about this and planning for a very long time. It has finally worked out for us, mainly due to timing. There were a lot of things that needed to be decided before we could check out. We spent years discussing what we should do with our house. We knew we didn't want to sell it but we were unsure about renting it, even though it would generate income for us. In the end, our son, David agreed to stay in our home and take care of things while we are away. Without his help, things would be very different. Having David stay allows us to leave our house status quo while giving us a place to return to at any time.
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| Our home in Stillwater, MN |
In addition to our home, we had to figure out what to do with our cars. Between the two of us, we had three vehicles. We sold one car through a local "for sale" Facebook page (in one day, can you believe that), and will put one in the garage while we are away. Stored vehicles are not covered by our homeowner's insurance so we had to get storage insurance. This is very inexpensive, costing us only about $150.00 for the year. We’ll keep Dave’s truck insured as backup for David and as a source of transportation when we visit at Christmas. We will need the truck up to the very last minute for our many trips up to Knife River carting our massively downsized pile of belongings for the journey.
One of the biggest issues we had to figure out was our finances. We had to have a way to take care of business. All of our travel expenses, food, fuel, entertainment, will be paid by cash or credit card. We've set up an online credit card account so we can pay with just a few clicks. We prepaid our house taxes for the fall and will pay for the spring when we are home for the holidays. We use online banking making money transfers super easy. Our cell phone bill and car insurance bill are on auto pay. We have no worries about our home. Our son will take care of the house bills as they arrive. He has a dog and we have two cats who all get along. He will keep them safe and happy.
One major expense of cruising is Health Insurance. I was lucky to have the option of carrying my health insurance into retirement, for the same cost I paid while employed, (not very much)! I have a pension which is deposited automatically and the health insurance is taken out of the same account automatically. It's a seamless process so I don't even think about it. Timing...it's BIG!!! I would not have had this opportunity had I left my job before retirement age.
As for cruising expenses, the cost to cruise is not as high as you’d think, especially when compared to everyday life. Our expenses will change. We’ll spend money staying at marinas occasionally but most nights will be spent at anchor. There are many free public docks along the way as well. Our fuel cost will not be huge. We have a reliable nanni diesel engine which burns about 1/2 gallon of fuel per hour. At our normal motoring speed of 7 1/2 miles per hour that translates into 15 miles per gallon. When you take into account our 50 gallon fuel tank, that gives us about 700 miles of motoring capacity per tank. Since we are on a sailboat and plan to sail whenever possible, the tank is going to go a heck of a lot further.
We are confident that we have the financial aspect down but we know that the emotional part of leaving life behind for an extended time will be a challenge. There is no way for us to prepare for those moments when we miss our kids or an event back home or with our extended families. We purchased a portable wifi to give us extra data and more access to communication options. We are already planning for visitors which, once again, requires good timing. We’ll figure it all out as we go and like most things in life, we’ll get better at this the longer we live it. We’ve prepared most everything with the mindset of having options. The greatest part of an adventure is the journey and where there is a will, there is a way. We are carrying a whole lot of will aboard Mystic...TIMES TWO!
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| Our family, with David & Brielle |
I know you could find more to prepare for the voyage, but Mystic looks superb! And if there's something left behind you really need or want, you can get it along the way. You won't be traveling through the trackless mid-ocean. I am certain you'll often find someone to have a beer or a glass of wine with, knowing you two. And you can call, text, and facetime as necessary, so you won't be so out of touch.
ReplyDeleteSo, get to it! Cast off! Sail for the horizon! And enjoy every freakin' moment of it, even the uncomfortable bits. It'll be grand!
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Yes, leemickee it WILL be GRAND! And there will be uncomfortable bits but they usually make the best stories! Looking forward to connecting with you along our journey!
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