Hey Emily! Found your blog by accident this last winter. You’re living the dream! Hoping to draw on your knowledge gained from the last few years in regards to finances. As I start to outfit my own boat, an Alberg 30, the one grey cloud in the sky is how much will it cost to keep cruising once she’s launched? I’ve heard from 10k to 80k per year and beyond. The way you’re doing it sounds ideal. If you’d be willing to share a little insight into your average annual costs, I’d totally appreciate it. Thanks! Clayton.
Hey Clayton,
Budget stuff at sea is sort of the same as on land. Some people spend heaps of money, others live on next to nothing. It all depends where you’re going as well. You could live for years in Central America on what would only last a couple months in French Polynesia. That said, my costs have been different everywhere I’ve been. I move slow, hang in places longer so I’m able to keep things reasonable. One thing I have learned is that trying to move too quickly is what ends up burning cash…it takes awhile to figure out what’s cheap v. money drain in the places you’ll visit. Hope that helps! Good luck!
I’m still at sea.
This post is from my first voyage, sailing alone around the world from 2009 to 2015. These days I live aboard El Dorado in France and send dispatches from the boat.
Get the dispatches on Substack →
Or get real mail from the boat: the Foreign Correspondence Club.