The dream...

Hello world, the last posts have been dark and a bit down (maybe more than just a bit). I wanted to write about the dream for a while but simple haven't found the will to do so.

So what is the dream? Well the dream is to sail around the world in the foreseeable future. Seems vague, I know, but hey it is a dream strict time lines are complicated. Well I have been in love with the idea of sailing, despite the fact that I have only done it twice in a friends yatch... Still the idea fascinates me, specially while doing a PhD, I can not describe how being lost at sea would be better :P

As you may or may not know, I am currently living in the UK which ads another romantic notion for the sailing, leaving this country by boat would be something that I think would bring tears to my eyes...

The concept of being in the open sea, seeing the different places, places that you could not see except in this way, to discover the world for yourself, not just believe that is there... well dreams ;)

Add to this a girlfriend that jump at the thought of sailing (also doing PhD :P) and you have the stuff that makes your mind start the dreams :P

OK, you might be thinking I dream I could fly, doesn't make me closer to it :P Well true dreams are simply dreams unless you start putting things in motion to achieve them... Cliché I know, but clichés are clichés for a reason :P

To sail around the world one needs time, skills and money... The problems to achieve the dream, so the search began.

The first thing I thought a yacht is too expensive, which in reality it isn't for what it is, but still I am not what you might call rich, or even middle class. In reality I am middle class but I don't come from that background, which means all I have is what I earned. I am 29 and been in university for the last 11 years or so, with a small break of 6 months when I worked as a consultant. Don't get me wrong I get paid enough for the life I have, but it doesn't pay enough to save a lot. Added to the fact that I wasn't saving that much since I had no goal... Weird lesson to learn, save even if you don't know what for, when the time comes you can use it... On the other hand the time might never come so just enjoy life :P mixed feelings on this one :P

Anyway I was talking on yacht prices, second hand ones are reasonably cheap, however not sure if there are appropriate for the objective in mind. This brings us back to skills, as I had none guess what I did? I have been in university for 11 years that is a great hint :P I started to read about it, and found that actually it is not an unreasonable dream :)

After reading a bit, I found that there is a lot about sailing but not that much about sailing around the world, a lot on technical stuff, but not on logistics or practical stuff. It is weird, but I searched and read, and realised I should do a course, in fact I need it, not one but two courses that is the minimal for being able to sail around the world. A day-skipper course,and a off shore one. I thought good, I will be able to learn and also pose some questions for the aim I have. Now you might be thinking what about cost? Well strangely enough it is not more expensive than a car drivers licence, I already reserved my day-skipper for less than 300 pounds, which will be my Christmas present to myself :P

Before going back to cost, I want to talk about time, I am hopefully finishing my PhD in January, add to this my girlfriend finishing soon after, and we both are in the only time we can do this before we are old. If I start working and start a career, family, kids, only on my retirement I can do it. I figure people take a year off, so this could be my gap year. Right I am going ahead of myself. Sail around the world and taking only a year?

Well I had a project meeting in Germany the other day and me and one of the guys in the meeting started talking about this. Is immediate reaction was, do it, that he didn't and now he regrets it because he can only do it when is older, and some of his friend did it and took no more than 9 months, and it was a life change experience, and and and :P

I told me I really wanted to do it, and my girlfriend was also very keen, and he said look, don't be afraid in terms of career when you come back people will look at you as a person who goes for what he wants, and it will distinguish you from the crowd-

I thought the same, but to ear it from the guy responsible for a 6 million euro project, it does build you confidence a little bit ;)

So motivation, is not a problem, and I can't imagine of a better person to share this than my girlfriend, the ultimate non-romantic but most romantic trip :P

The big problem? Money, always the money, for sailing around the world from what I read it depends on your spending habits when you are near the cost, in the sea not money is need :P There isn't much info out there on this, but I read one guy that said 500 dollars a month is a good average sum, that is 6000 for a year, in pound less than 4k, which is doable. The price of ship, there is when it becomes tricky...

A new boat suitable for this would cost 60k, which is impossible to achieve, second hand one, well based on looks, since I have still much to learn, at least 20k, maybe more...

If you want to help it is as simple as pressing on the ads in this blog, the only reason I added then was to find alternatives sources to fund this dream project, I will keep updating on this, and making posts on the details of the course, the boat thoughts and finds, etc...

For me this is the dream the following song (plus girlfriend :P) plus the boat ;)





If you can just click on the ads every little bit helps ;)