October 2013 Recap

When I started this whole blog, the premise was that I would be passing on my knowledge and experience, (or lack of), to others behind me. I did this because so many people have done the same for me over the years. I know that what they have taught me through their books, their notes, their magazine articles, and their blogs, has been invaluable, and without their stories, we may have never embarked on this adventure at all. So, I am going to try to do a recap of each month covering concerns, budget, and things I learned that I wish I had known before I started, so that someone contemplating making the jump can perhaps learn something useful from it.

Dates: Oct 1-31, 2013

Chesapeake Bay - Magothy River - Rhode River - Solomon Island - Tangier - Deltaville - Norfolk - Portsmouth - The Dismal Swamp - Elizabeth City, NC.

Sailing: 20.5 hrs

Motoring: 42 hrs (includes motor-sailing)

Budget Amount:      $1590.00 US (All budgeting is in US funds)

Charts/Books:              $99.00     

Boat Parts:               $1060.00     

Marinas:                       $25.00

Diesel:                          $89.00

Beer:                          $210.00

Grocery:                     $643.00

Restaurant:                 $263.00

Fees/Services:              $89.00     (pump-outs, laundry, wifi, taxis, etc...)

Clothing/Shopping      $708.00

Misc:                            $50.00     (Propane, new cell phone, etc...)

Total:                      $3236.00

Debit/Credit:          -$1646.00

Ouch, and I thought the previous month was bad. We used up more than 2 months budget in October, and two weeks of that was living pretty cheap. You can see we only spent one night in a marina, at Tangier Island, because you can't anchor there, and our diesel bill was low. However, we blew a pile of cash at the boat show. Most of it on the sail kit for the dingy, $750.00, and our foul weather gear, at $443.00. November should be within budget as long as we don't get too silly, but we are not likely to save the amount we have been over so far on this trip, even in the next year. That is why we left with a $20K slush fund. Its money that we can use at our discretion that is not part of the budget, or savings. In most normal peoples lives it would be mad money, but for us it is to cover all the capitol expenditures that we didn't think of, or budget for. Ideally this money would still be in the bank when we swallow the anchor and move back to land, but who knows, and that's the point.

Things We Learned

1. 10 lbs of propane does not last us 3 months like we originally thought, it lasts half that long, 6 weeks. 

2. I'm a fool. Ohh please, like everybody knew that.... No seriously. I knew that rushing the refit, and getting out cruising quickly, came at cost, but I didn't realize how much. Patience is the key to an inexpensive boat, and voyage. Canada is not a good place to ready a boat for cruising. Leave long before the boat is ready, and finish the job in the US. Virginia has some of the cheapest boat yards, and access to a plethora of inexpensive boat parts, anywhere.

3. We know nothing about living inexpensively. Everything we thought we knew is so insignificant compared to the knowledge held by those living the cheap voyaging lifestyle, that it is barely worth talking about. The only way to learn how to live cheap on a boat, is to get out here and try to live cheap on a boat. And, really try. We have made so many newbie mistakes it isn't funny, but we are learning.

4. All the jobs and gadgets we thought we needed, but didn't seem to get installed before we left, have lost their importance. Lazyjacks, a shower sump, etc... And new projects have taken their place. Just goes to show that its hard to anticipate how you are going to live before you do it. I did mention we were learning right?

5. I know that there are many methods of accomplishing a task, and it is each persons responsibility to find out the method that works for them. What works for me may not work for someone else, but more importantly, what doesn't work for me, may be exactly the way the next guy needs to do it. And this has taken on more relevance as we cruise. Like teenagers who know everything, we are humbled when our world expands beyond our knowledge base.

That's it for this month. Next month I will try and do this again. The format may change a little as I go, because this is new. If anyone reading the blog would like to see anything in particular, let me know, I may be able to squeeze it in, especially if it seems like good info to pass on.

Now back to your regular blogging........