The £200 Millionaire

Favorite quotations, etc.
sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

The £200 Millionaire

Post by sky »

This short story, published in the book Voyaging on a Small Income, by Annie Hill, led me to early retirement.

http://www.bluemoment.com/200pm.html

DutchGirl
Posts: 1646
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 1:49 pm
Location: The Netherlands

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by DutchGirl »

That sure is an inspirational story! And that in 1932... And to read that the author indeed got so inspired that he (and his wife) created their own adventures.

J_
Posts: 883
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 4:12 pm
Location: Netherlands/Austria

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by J_ »

Good to read that this story inspired you. Unread, the same has inspired me too but in another way. For years I have such a little boat and I made some voyages with it through Belgium and the Netherlands and I am prepared to add Germany and France to these journeys. I keep this boat for pleasure but also as a reserve for living and voyaging on/with it, should I ever run out of means. Or get the urge to change living.

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by sky »

Do you think that it is still possible to live on a boat and travel cheaply?

J_
Posts: 883
Joined: Tue Nov 01, 2011 4:12 pm
Location: Netherlands/Austria

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by J_ »

Oh Yes, it is still possible. I met some people who liveaboard all year. They come back from France in winter and stay winter in Belgium, in spring summer and autumn they go to France again. I met some dutchmen too who do it. No property tax, only third party insurance. A kerosine heater and cook on a campinggas stove. And a very frugal diesel engine. My own Janmar diesel 2 cyl uses 0,7 liter per hour. Speed 4-5 mile per hour. No fridge, no hot watersystem.

SavingWithBabies
Posts: 882
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:50 pm
Location: Midwest, USA

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by SavingWithBabies »

That was an inspirational read. I read Voyaging On A Small Income first which is very similar except with much more detail (it's much longer).

Here in the USA, the winter hits the Great Lakes hard but there is the Great Loop that you can use to go from the Lakes to the Atlantic or the Gulf of Mexico. I have read that places have tried to outlaw "anchoring out" where you basically anchor near a shore and use a dinghy to go ashore and provision but otherwise do not pay for where you have stopped. So some places are trying to make it more expensive. With that change, you're forced into marinas and potentially paying for a temporary slip or parking place for your boat. Of course, if you're crew is big enough that you can go around the clock, you could only stop for provisions and otherwise not have to pay. It would be interesting to read some accounts of navigating the Great Loop in terms of costs (I've read some in the past but it has been a while).

I'd love to navigate the Great Loop to the Atlantic, go down the Intercoastal Waterway and then island hop down to South America. More on these topics:

Great Loop: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Loop
Intercoastal Waterway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intracoastal_Waterway

When you do get to Florida, you have to consider hurricane season so timing is important.

BMF1102
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2018 5:26 pm

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by BMF1102 »

Savingwithbabies - have you seen Captain Johns great loop page? Very informative. Also look into Active Captain it's a free mapping/chart website/app that has waypoints showing good free achorages with reviews from multiple people that have used them. Also tons of other information. I've long dreamt of spending winters south aboard a small boat. I have also read both books/stories mentioned above and many others.

Captain Johns page - http://captainjohn.org/
Active Captain - https://activecaptain.garmin.com/

SavingWithBabies
Posts: 882
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:50 pm
Location: Midwest, USA

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by SavingWithBabies »

@BMF1102 I don't know if I have -- it's been a while since I read about the great loop. I've had it filed away for possibly future useful information. For now, I'm still figuring out if my wife's motion sickness works with sailing. To do so, I bought a small (18.5 foot / 1,200 pound) sailboat on a trailer. So far, she seems to be fairly good with it although we're only a couple sails in so far.

My dad was telling me about Active Captain. I'm checking it out. I found the app and am going to play with it.

It's a great dream I think. I'm also dreaming of maybe building a large catamaran but only if my life situation and location (proximity to navigable water) lead to it making sense. So far, it seems unlikely that it will make sense :).

luxagraf
Posts: 215
Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2013 4:32 pm
Contact:

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by luxagraf »

SavingWithBabies wrote:
Sat Aug 25, 2018 4:57 pm
I'm also dreaming of maybe building a large catamaran but only if my life situation and location (proximity to navigable water) lead to it making sense. So far, it seems unlikely that it will make sense :).
https://www.wharram.com/site/self-build-boats

SavingWithBabies
Posts: 882
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:50 pm
Location: Midwest, USA

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by SavingWithBabies »

@luxagraf I've been looking at http://www.sailingcatamarans.com/ quite a bit. But I've heard good things about Wharram designs too. I'll go take a closer look at the options. Reading build logs/blogs is a lot of fun too (although often sobering too).

luxagraf
Posts: 215
Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2013 4:32 pm
Contact:

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by luxagraf »

SavingWithBabies wrote:
Sat Aug 25, 2018 5:41 pm
@luxagraf I've been looking at http://www.sailingcatamarans.com/ quite a bit. But I've heard good things about Wharram designs too. I'll go take a closer look at the options. Reading build logs/blogs is a lot of fun too (although often sobering too).

Thanks for this, that's new to me.

I'll probably never build one. I'm really not a fan of sailing catamarans, though they do make excellent living platforms. Also be hard to get them through french canals, the idea of which is the first thing that's really made my wife interested in sailing. Alas I think my preferred boat draws a little too deep for canals too (I dream of finding a cheap Pearson 365).

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by sky »

My original, naive ER goal was to have $100,000 in the stock market and a sailboat that I could live and travel in. By the time I accomplished both of those goals, I also had a wife that did not like sailing and a house. I did not break away from land life and the sailboat became a $2,000 a year drain on my finances, with the costs of dockage, haulout, storage and maintenance. I eventually sold the sailboat to stop the expenses. I did have some excellent adventures and learned about living aboard a sailboat, at least part time. There are some insecurities related to living aboard which aren't often discussed, for example, the constant motion of the boat, various bruises and abrasions from bumping into things, annoying boaters, boredom while waiting for wind, and fear in storms, wondering if your anchor will hold. In comparison, living in a van is much easier and offers more variety in places to visit.

This time of year I always regret that I am not ready to leave Lake Michigan at Chicago and head down the Mississippi.

I think that the £200 Millionaire strategy only works if you are single and don't have a house or stuff in storage. Then you are free to move anywhere you like without being tied to life on land. If I ever find myself in that situation, I may try again to be a liveaboard sailor.

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by sky »


hojo-e
Posts: 30
Joined: Thu Aug 16, 2018 5:46 pm

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by hojo-e »

What are the two happiest days in a boat owner's life?

SavingWithBabies
Posts: 882
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:50 pm
Location: Midwest, USA

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by SavingWithBabies »

@sky I do think people make it work with partners and even kids. I do think it's hard of course and, like ERE, if the partner doesn't buy-in...

@luxagraf I'm interested in catamarans more from the space and fit for a family plus potentially more motion sickness-compatibility. I have been on a big one but I haven't been on a big monohull or big catamaran enough to have a feel for the differences in actual sailing. I did get to steer a 35 foot one for a bit but the winds were very mild so I couldn't compare the heeling feel I'd expect on a keelboat to whatever a catamaran does.

SavingWithBabies
Posts: 882
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:50 pm
Location: Midwest, USA

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by SavingWithBabies »

Inspired by this thread, I read two books (both Kindle publications):

What's Up Ditch!: The Ins and Outs of Cruising the Atlantic ICW: America's Secret Highway
LIfe's a Ditch: Starting Anew on the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway

The first was a quick breeze that I expected more depth from by the reviews. It was entertaining but I was left feeling, if I was splitting hairs, that it was not a very good value for the money compared to the second option. It was a great quick introductory read though that should appeal to a wide audience.

The second was excellent although it was a bit more focused on the life/choices of the author and less on the potential options. However, the way it was written conveyed at a higher level some ideas and principles that would be useful to others (if they are reading at a higher level too)[*]. I really enjoyed the perspective of the author and the commentary. Enough so that I just picked up the next book on their adventures titled Dungda de Islan' or "down in the islands".

* I'm not sure how to explain this except it's like if I was telling you anecdotes about my life (or those around me) yet somehow I included enough context and details and commentary that it was useful beyond a mere anecdote.

BMF1102
Posts: 83
Joined: Sat Jan 13, 2018 5:26 pm

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by BMF1102 »

I'm inspired as well and have started James Baldwins books, he's a native Michigander (which I believe Sky and Savingwithbabies as well as myself is?) who's solo circumnavigated I believe 3 times now in a Pearson Triton. They are available on Kindle free.

I find myself at a metaphorical crossroads, I'm as free as I've been in a long time (no kids, wife/significant other, pets, mortgage or any other obligations) and I also have ample means to make a dream come true. I also am in a good position to push hard for a couple years to truely become FI, I'm afraid along the way I may get bogged down and lose some of the freedom I currently have though. What might you Sky or Savingwithbabies do if you found yourselves in such a situation? Do you chase the dream or the security then possibly the dream?

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by sky »

I think that FI is what gives you the opportunity for freedom. So I would focus on that first. It is easy to get wrapped up in a lifestyle that increases your expenses, causes you to buy things that anchor you down, or become rooted in relationships that hold you fast. Of these, only the relationships can be worthwhile. If you can maintain a low cost minimal lifestyle while pursuing FI, you may be able to follow an adventure.

sky
Posts: 1726
Joined: Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:20 am

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by sky »


SavingWithBabies
Posts: 882
Joined: Mon Aug 31, 2015 2:50 pm
Location: Midwest, USA

Re: The £200 Millionaire

Post by SavingWithBabies »

I'm actually not native -- born/grew up in Chicago but I married a native Michigander. I'd like to read Baldwins books but I don't have Kindle Unlimited (but I've added his books to the list of books to read if I do try it for a month).

The way I started down this path to try to get more experience was by buying a ~18 foot trailerable sailing boat. While I like the boat I ended up with, it takes a solid 45-60 minutes to setup and take down. Maybe even longer and it's usually in a hot sunny parking lot. I think with practice, you get quicker at it. But now I wish I'd gotten a much smaller boat and/or joined a sailing club. That would make it easier to get more time on the water actually sailing. Or with the small boat, take it out for the afternoon with the kids. So by small, I mean the smallest that would fit the family and I could still slide under the boom.

I don't know what your boating/sailing background is but if you need/want more of it, I do think a really small sailing boat (really, a sailing dinghy) and/or joining a club is probably the best way to go. Maybe I'll try the club next season. I've also debated putting my sailboat in a slip on Lake Erie. That way, I could leave the mast up all the time. We're mulling the RV lifestyle though so everything is up in the air.

This forum is good for the topic too: http://www.cruisersforum.com

Post Reply