While I’m up here awaiting: at the north motu, for mother nature to cool down I have been able to finish our finances for the last year. They are the lowest of the 6 years we’ve been cruising. You can find the details on my web page. This is mostly the first full year we’ve been on the boat. The first year we were on the boat consistently but living near the “Candy Store”. We spent time in the Bahamas and then the rest of the year in the US and while in the US added a new dodger and filled in a great deal of missing supplies that over the year I had discovered we needed.
Between the 2nd and 4th year we retuned to the states twice. Getting flights from the Caribbean to the states is rather easy and not the costliest. Year 5 found us doing a couple of land tours, one to Guatemala where we attended Spanish school and traveled with fellow cruisers IB and Becca, then on to Peru where we spent a month traveling to Matchu Pitchu.
Returning back to the boat in last half of year 5 we spent 6 months getting ready for the Panama canal and preparing for the Pacific. Some discoveries cost us extra $$$’s but not really any extra time.
In the Pacific time in year 6 I got scared and purchased a spare Kubota motor and then we headed S to the Galapagos and on to French Polynesia. Roughly 30 days at sea (total) saved some money as there is no shopping malls along the way. And too we were blessed with good winds so for the entire trip we used less then 30 gallons of fuel and that was primarily for the generator.
Those checking over the expenses might well wish to note that the food / restaurant expenses are for two people so anyone wishing to ascertain what their future cruising cost / budget might be should well take that into account. While we are not truly extravagant in our meals out neither are we misers. We like good food and often with cruisers that means good company with a few drinks.
So take a look at the expenses and use them however you see fit. Know as one cruiser said you will spend what you have and I have not found that the case. Others might well say it is a percentage of the boat price but I personally don’t see how that can be as one 40′ boat could cost you upwards of 1/2 million dollars and another a fraction of that. Some people say a seaworthy boat will end up the same but we’ve not seen that while out here. We are constantly amazed at what boats make it to the middle of the Pacific and while we never see those that don’t I can tell you they are not all high end models from the boat shows.
Go Slow
Sail Far
Stay Long