During my first year of travel I've been asked many, many things by my blog readers.  Here's a list of the most frequent questions I see and a nice, detailed answer for each.  Check back periodically because this page will grow over time.                    


This has to be the most popular question of all and I admit, this isn’t really an answer.  Costs are different for everyone.  There is no way to determine the true cost of travel other than logging daily expenses and that only provides your expenses, not those of any other person.  Differences in boat quality, equipment selection, living standards, off-boat travel, even liquor preference cause any generalized approach to be misleading.  To think you can live off $1000/month on a boat when you live off $4000/month on land is just plain silly.  My costs vary wildly depending on location, attitude, hunger, thirst, accidents, and a thousand other factors.  And those variations and their costs are my business and I prefer not to publicize them. 


For the romance of it.  Can you think of any other method of travel that inspires dreamy imagery like a sailboat?  It not the same picturing yourself in your swimsuit with the wind in your hair, enjoying a glass of wine while leaning off the hood of your RV staring down at pavement.  It works for some people though…and maybe, one day, it’ll work for me.  But for now, I like my boat and my decision.


After cost, many people’s main concern is weather.  The simplest answer to the question of bad weather is “avoid it!”  My defense against storms comes from technology and common sense.   The common sense part is easy.  Hurricanes occur in the waters of the Caribbean from June to Dec every year.  So from June till Dec, I leave the Caribbean.  I don’t need that shit.  The same goes for every area of the world where tropical weather systems occur.  I won’t, on this trip at least, venture into areas called names like “the roaring forties.”  And I'm not tackling infamous landmarks like Cape Horn.  This trip is more for fun than adventure so if it hurts, why do it?  The most basic weather resources will tell you what you need to know about seasonal and tropical weather systems.

With new technology and resources, weather is not the challenge it used to be.  My satellite phone, a couple of simple software programs, and a small amount of interpretive knowledge and intuition guide the way. 

 I watch local conditions and stay prepared (especially at night) for any squalls that might surprise me.  The truth is, sailing isn’t what you read about.  It’s not all white squalls and rogue waves.  Those things DO occur and there’s always a slim chance, but for the most part, it’s monotonous.  Changes in weather, even outwardly negative changes, mix it up and provide some excitement.  If you’re comfortable on your boat and confident in your skill, you should be able to pull through most anything.


Not really, no.  There are a few out here.  I'm not the youngest I've met but I'm indisputably the minority.  It’s odd to me that people my age are content to sit around the states.  If you’ve got enough money to buy a car and pay rent, you’ve got enough to buy a boat to take you round the world.  Even if you aren’t the boat type, that same amount of money could take you pretty far traveling by land.  And there’s MANY more young people traveling that way. 


Mmmm prior sailing experience...I can list that out REAL QUICK.

• Sea Education Association in college (semester-actually 6 weeks on land/6 at sea) www.sea.edu 
• sailed to Bermuda and back on a Bristol 40 with a friend
• one day sailing in the Charleston harbor with a friend on his Bristol 32
• one day sailing near Edisto Beach on a Morgan 41
• one weekend Mahina seminar (this was only on land in a classroom)

Well, that about sums it up.  I didn't grow up sailing and I don't have many friends with boats.  The list above is literally every time I'd ever been on a moving sailboat.  I sailed Dosia once around the river in front of our house before leaving the next week for the trip.  I never took her in the ocean before I left the harbor on my way to Savannah.  I did have experience though on other boats (scuba diving charters) and with boating equipment from my job.


Have I felt nervous about this lack of experience?  Nope.  In some ways, it's because of all the work I did.  I've literally put my hand on every square inch of this boat.  I can do high-quality fiberglass work and I completely rebuilt the electrical and plumbing systems.  I feel totally comfortable and safe on Dosia at all times.  Maintenance right now is at a minimum since everything is so new on board. I might spend a couple hours a week cleaning or polishing.  I expect this number to grow, however, as equipment ages. 


As far as buying an old boat...I don't advocate it.  Don’t let this stop you from buying an old boat if that’s all you can afford.  Just make sure you have the passion to bring it up to world cruising standards (if that’s what you’re after).  I had major connections as the purchaser at Sailnet.  With the exception of 4 major pieces of gear (windlass, sat phone, toilet, and dinghy) I was able to get most everything at less than 50% of retail, some even cheaper.  Without that job and numerous hook ups at West Marine and the boatyard, I could have never afforded the things we have on Dosia.  Without those connections, Dosia would cost the same, probably more, than an equivalent new boat.  Even with my deals, I could have been out here much sooner on a newer boat.  It was a poor decision on my part (as well as MANY other poor decisions I made) but I learned from it so now, of course, I call it "valuable experience."  The work is educational, but not fun and I do not recommend it to anyone.  The next boat I refurbish will be as a hobby, after retirement, and only if I had no plans to take it farther than my local harbor.  Otherwise, I’m buying big, new or close-to-new, and probably steel!


  I  chose to not insure Dosia.  The way I planned, our entire life-savings is not solely invested in this boat.  If it were, I’d certainly have insurance.  I do carry health insurance though.  The policy is mainly for catastrophes since healthcare overseas is much less expensive than in the states.  I went with the $2500 deductible and made sure to find plans designed for overseas travel.  Medivac coverage to the states was mandatory since I believe the most cutting-edge technology is availble at home.  My policy will cover me in the states at a great many places provided I spend 6 months of the year out-of-country. 


A big question is whether I plan on circumnavigating.  Obviously, I’d love to traverse the entire globe and I can certainly say it’s a goal.  However, I also have very big intentions of starting a successful business and following through on it.  This lifestyle is extraordinary and I meet many people who become addicted to traveling and just can’t stop.  Like me, they’ve got some money put away and they’re living off it with no concern for the future.  It’s different for me.  Business ownership is a major goal, along with having a family and providing more than adequately for them.  Part of the original plan, the one I settled on with our financial advisor, provides cash for me to go back to school at some point in this trip.  That may or may not happen.  Currently, I'm looking into several options including a long hiatus somewhere in the Asia-Pacific rim where I’m attracted to learning Cantonese and/or Mandarin.  The business plan is still blurry at this point but regardless of where it leads, my travels will follow.  At this moment, traveling and “getting lost” comes first, but that can change if the perfect opportunity arises.  I'm not reckless and I'm not an idiot.  If some life-changing prospect comes about, I’ll grab hold and ride it to the end. You just never know.


Don’t know. 


Well, to be honest, it is a pain in the ass but I feel the tradeoffs are worth it.  First, I probably wouldn’t keep up with a journal if I didn’t know other people were waiting to read it.  Putting the blog up for the world to see encourages me to keep it fresh.  Although I certainly appreciate the blog now, the real value comes when I'm older and have an amazing journal to look back on.  Blogs are the new cruising logs.

Second, I am not done with “the real world.”  At some point, I have to go back, start a business and really make something of myself.  Consider the blog my resume.  It shows what I’ve been up to for the last __ years of my life in an organized, neat package that any employer, loan officer, etc can easily check out.  If I follow through with this film/documentary/travel show idea, the website is a perfect way to market it and show the process from conception to completion.  If it already exists…hey, one less thing we have to do!

Third, the blog gives me legitimacy.  When something breaks and I need answers from a manufacturer, I get them swift since no one wants me cursing their company on the web.  Yes, it is a type of blackmail but I certainly don’t claim to be the most politically correct, law-abiding traveler out there.  I’ve never heard of ANYONE receiving faster service on his or her Raymarine product than I did on my autopilot when it crapped out.  A five-day turn around time from Raymarine?  Bonus.  When I reapplied for health insurance this year, the new guy dealing with me just couldn’t understand why I didn’t have an overseas mailing address.  It was needed in accordance with the policies he had just learned.  A quick look at the website told him everything he needed to know and he never said another word. 


Because I am and I'm no longer scared to admit it.  My original audience was my family and friends but at this point, I want as many visitors as possible.  Here’s the straight talk for you.  Like I said above, I'm young and I'm not done with my working life.  If there’s anyway to make those years more productive and profitable, why not take advantage?  I`recognize a good networking opportunity when I see one.  Even if I screw up everything, there’s no such thing as bad publicity.  I probably won’t win popularity contests among the retired cruisers and budget-minded hippy travellers won’t respect me in the morning for tarnishing their lifestyle, but just because I left the United States doesn’t mean I left my capitalist upbringing ashore.  This is a different feeling than the one I left home with and it could change again, but my concern for finding enough success to properly care for my future family will never change.  Making money ain’t always fun but it’s part of the process.