Two roads diverged in a yellow wood...

[Renae]

...and sorry I could not travel both...

I hope to be retired in 5 years.  It could be as few as 2, or as many as 7, but plans for the Golden Years fill my head.  The main contenders are:

1.  Stay debt free in our current home, which is entirely adequate, but could use about $100k of upgrades (counters, cabinets, a solar generation system).  Continue to trailer sail, principally on a nearby 800 acre lake.  Dream of bigger boats and hope the dream eventually infects my spouse.

2.  Move to said 800 acre lake, taking on perhaps $300k of debt, likely pushing retirement date toward the longer side of the range.  Continue to sail same lake but without the hassle of the ramps (which generally keep me from sailing weekends).  Likely give up on dreams of bigger boats and waters.

As the saying goes, I'm socially liberal, but fiscally conservative.  I'd have to be pretty convinced by the house on option #2, but we are actually starting to look.

This thread is your chance to muse on whether you personally would prefer to sail small or dream big, to accept the good or gamble on the great.

[Cpy23ecl]

I've owned bigger sailboats since the 80's up until about 5 or 6 years ago when I downsized to a compac 23 and just a few months ago to a compac eclipse.  I've always enjoyed the bigger boats and for years thought when I retired I'd do a circumnavigation of the all the great lakes.

What I discovered is that as I got older those bigger boats got used less the bigger they got and they became more and more work the older I got.  Add to that unless you go really big a boat is just not as comfortable as a home.  With the trailerable boat I can get to locations that would take weeks to reach with a big boat and since the eclipse is not a comfortable overnight boat I plan to just stay in a hotel or b&b and daysail.  Not quite the same experience as a big boat but allows me to sail in more locations.

Personally I'd stay with the smaller boat and if possible rent a slip or mooring on the nearby lake which would be orders of magnitude cheaper than buying a house on the lake but would be a lot more convenient and increase the amount you sail.  For the bigger boat dream consider chartering a big boat once or twice a year.  That gives you the option of sailing in different areas without needing weeks or even months to get to those locations and eliminates all the work and huge expenses that big boats entail.

Good luck with whatever choice you make.

Fred

[wes]

I'm with Fred here: keep the house, rent a slip for the boat. In my case I live 2.5 hours from the North Carolina coast, and a Com-Pac 27 allows me to very comfortably spend a weekend or a week on the boat, exploring the coastal area. My longest adventure so far has been a 375 mile (each way) cruise to Charleston SC, which involved a month on board for my wife and I. Mostly I go day sailing solo, or an overnight to somewhere I can reach in six or eight hours. The 27 is comfortable to single-hand, but big enough for a couple to be comfortable overnight.

Personally, I grew exhausted with trailering - the exertion of rigging the boat, the stress of competing with powerboats at the ramp, the frequent problems with ramps that were too shallow, too steep, or in poor condition. In my case I was trailering a CP 19.

Wes

[deisher6]

Hey Renae:
After 22 years in eastern MT, a second retirement, and the in-laws deaths, we were looking for a warmer less ice filled climate.  Fortunately we lived close enough to the Balkin Oil Fields to get a decent price for our home.  So we moved to New Bern, NC (near where we had been stationed for around 14 years before our first retirement)  We have a modest home ($195,000) clear and a pretty good boat ($50.000) mostly paid for.  The boat is 4 miles away in a hurricane resistant marina.  Unfortunately Beverly does not want to sail on any size boat so I solo or sail with pick up crew. 

I was pleasantly surprised when she suggested that (if) I could sell our '86 ComPac 27 I could buy a more comfortable boat.

That did not take long to do! 

Our '93 Pacific Seacraft 34 is easy enough for me to solo, I do not get the crap beat out of me on the Sound, in fact I enjoy the challenge.  As of yesterday she has been out 199 days of the since we purchased her about 2.5 years ago.

If I wanted to go sailing right now i could be on the water sails up in less than 45 minutes....a bit longer if beer and ice are involved.

I wish that Bev and I could share sailin' but married for 43 years and both in our 70's we seem to more than just get by.

Best of luck in your future.
and
Smooth Sailin'
regards charlie

[Renae]

Hey Renae:
After 22 years in eastern MT, a second retirement, and the in-laws deaths, we were looking for a warmer less ice filled climate.  Fortunately we lived close enough to the Balkin Oil Fields to get a decent price for our home.  So we moved to New Bern, NC (near where we had been stationed for around 14 years before our first retirement)  We have a modest home ($195,000) clear and a pretty good boat ($50.000) mostly paid for.  The boat is 4 miles away in a hurricane resistant marina.  Unfortunately Beverly does not want to sail on any size boat so I solo or sail with pick up crew. 

I was pleasantly surprised when she suggested that (if) I could sell our '86 ComPac 27 I could buy a more comfortable boat.

That did not take long to do! 

Our '93 Pacific Seacraft 34 is easy enough for me to solo, I do not get the crap beat out of me on the Sound, in fact I enjoy the challenge.  As of yesterday she has been out 199 days of the since we purchased her about 2.5 years ago.

If I wanted to go sailing right now i could be on the water sails up in less than 45 minutes....a bit longer if beer and ice are involved.

I wish that Bev and I could share sailin' but married for 43 years and both in our 70's we seem to more than just get by.

Best of luck in your future.
and
Smooth Sailin'
regards charlie

I'm a gunkholer at heart, so I don't really dream of crossing oceans, but I must say the Pacific Seacraft and Island Packet offerings up to about 35 feet sure do tempt me.  Living on board can't be one partner's dream though.  My spouse likes local small water sailing, so we do that.  Maybe I'll get to sail the Keys someday, but bopping around a small lake on a fine MN afternoon does not suck.  I'm 54, so there may be time for a few more chapters.

Unfortunately there is no marina, and the various HOA's forbid the residents from leasing dock space to outsiders.  Trailering 10 minutes to the lake isn't bad, but I tend not to sail the weekends.  I still work nearly full time, but I managed to get 23 sails/85 hours in last summer in a Minnesota season which lasted uncommonly long--I went out as an "icebreaker" on November 1, then sailed three more warmish days after that, finishing up on November 5.  The Suncat mast is still pretty easy, but my back isn't what it used to be.

[Mas]

Hey Renae, we retired almost 10 years ago and it has been the best job we ever had! We also returned to sailing a little over 4 years ago. We gave up sailing in 1989 secondary to staring a family, having full time careers, and buying a farm (almost as dumb as buying a boat!). Fast forward to retirement where we borrowed against said farm and started a family business, then bought a couple boats! Hmmm...probably won't find that in retirement handbooks! Have never regretting any of our decisions and can say having a boat large enough to call our cottage on the bay has been wonderful. We also have an 87' Compac 16 that will be passed down to grandchildren.

Why can't ya have both paths! Keep the house, buy some lakefront land and instead of a new home get a larger boat.

regardless, both paths have boats!

[Bob23]

Renae: Why not try the road not taken?

[Tim Gardner]

Well, I can truly say this: 36 years ago, I sold my Houston based rotating machine engineering business to move to Smith Mountain Lake VA, to raise my family on the lake.  The admiral's best decision was to say let's go.  Some financial hardships ensued over the years but the water was still outside my back door.
We have been living the dream of lake life that both of our parents  gave us growing up on Cayuga lake in NY.  We sail, fish, powerboat etc.all year long.
Renae, take your sailing pleasures as they arrive.  Life is too short to have pre-post-regrets about the future, cause there may not be one.  CARPE DIEM!

in the words of a great sailing author and fellow Com-pac-o-naut, AL Santini, Sail On!

[alsantini]

Wow.  Not often that I get quoted.  Thanks Tim.  Well, here is my abbreviated story.  Jan 1, 2001 was my official retirement date.  Prior to retirement my wife and I realized that first off we wanted to get out of the winter of northern Illinois.  We were campers and sailors/boaters.  Ever since 2001 we have spent the winters in SW Florida.  At the time of retirement I was sailing a Precision 18 but felt the tug of a 21 foot boat, so bought a Precision 21.  Turned out to be a great sailing boat but had the disadvantage that I could not step the mast by myself or even with the help of the Admiral.  I had a friend that I would sail with while in Florida on a Com Pac SunCat, who traded in his boat for a motorcycle - WHAT!  I realized that I did not want to sail the 7 seas, or have two boats, so after a year of research, two major changes.  We moved to a Del Webb community so I could give up on lawn care, snow removal, flooding basement etc.  Ranch home with no steps modestly priced.  I found an Eclipse in great condition, and began keeping it in a marina during the summer and towing it to Florida every winter.  Off The Wind does it all for me.  I get to sail at the drop of a hat, can step the mast by myself and safely sail the Chain of Lakes in northern Illinois and the Gulf of Mexico.  As I look back on both decisions, they were good for me (us?).  True I am not sailing to the Bahamas or other exotic locals but I am sailing on average 60 - 80 times a year.  I spend a few nights on the boat and although not a penthouse on the water, it is reasonably comfortable especially for one.
Here is the advice part.  Get a piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and list on the right what you would like to do and on the left what you do not want or need to do.  Have your spouse do the same.  Compare and do the common items first.  Carol and I frequently do the plus and minus list and negotiate differences.  For now we are happy spending summers around the family, being water oriented and camping.  For winter, getting out of ice and snow and being able to take my hobby (actually my passion) along is ideal.  And, the Eclipse is a great compromise.  Fantastic sailing boat, trailable, comfortable, etc.    Sail On.     Al

[kickingbug1]

 al, im curious as to where you keep your boat in florida and the cost to do so

[curtisv]

Renae: Why not try the road not taken?

Forget the house idea and live on a boat?

[alsantini]

I have basically very small costs while in Florida.  I rent a storage space in the campground that our park model is in.  $50/month to keep her in storage.  While in FL I trailer sail, launching in Venice at the train station or in Port Charlotte at Northside park.  Train station is free launch and allows for motoring North on the Intercoastal to the Venice Jetty and out into the Gulf.  In Charlotte launch is a parking fee.  Charlotte Harbor is a great place to sail.  I have been doing the trailer sail thing for 7 years.  Towing down to FL does take some pre-planning, tires, lubricating the hubs, stripping most items off of the deck.  So far only problem was with some cheap tires that I bought.  Big mistake.  Blow out on the way down.  Bought good tires and all is good.  It takes me half a day to get Off The Wind ready to sail after travel.  The Eclipse has proved to be the best boat for me in this stage of life.  I am 74, soon to be 75.  Stepping the mast still only takes about 30 minutes and although not really fast, the Eclipse gives me a feeling of safety.  It handles rough water and high winds in stride.  It is likely the last boat in this size that I will buy.  It does everything I want and does it well.  Sail On      Al

[kickingbug1]

one thing i know is that for the same reasons my catalina will be the last sailboat i will ever own.

[Reighnman]

This has been a great thread to read. Can you rent a lake house for a period of time? Great way to see if lake life would make working a few extra years worth it. We are a few years behind you in the retirement plans and have kicked the tires on a couple lake houses in our area that would add several years of additional work. The lakes here are way smaller and more for swimming, canoeing. If the itch gets stronger, we'll consider renting for a year first. My admiral is also not buying the sail away to el caribe fantasy. I had a "larger" compac 25 and really enjoyed it and will likely own another larger boat someday. What I now know is it won't be taking us anywhere beyond a days sail and won't eat into our target date for financial independence. It'll be more a floating weekend getaway, perhaps even an oh so ugly Gemini Cat. I learned that traveling via sailboat isn't like in the movies, and you'll likely end up motoring most of the time. Bareboat charters will likely be our path, and likely on a trawler or tug unless we go to the Virgin Island, maybe for my 50th.  Most places of high interest offer them, expensive yes, but it'll scratch the itch at a fraction the cost of actually owning a boat of that standing. Once the boys can swim, my wife has agreed to chartering a trawler in Maine for a week. This is my current dream but dreams can change quickly. My wife is probably dreaming of homesteading and owning a beach house with not a sailboat in sight. I'd stay the course on the reaching financial independence goal and then assess what motive you guys as long as it involves so form of sailing:)

[deisher6]

Hey Renae:
I am surprised that it has not yet been mentioned, and I just recalled... what some of my sailing buddies have noted:  The next best (or even better) thing than owning a sailboat is having a friend that has one and is looking for crew.

Smooth Sailin
regards charlie