The Happiest Guy In The World

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Jason

The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by Jason »

https://www.nytimes.com/video/opinion/1 ... world.html

The man lives on a cruise ship. He's been "cruising" for 19 years. Left the corporate life with bank and had no interest in family life. Although reminiscent of the aging schmucks I work with, he is a radical loner and has no interest in ever returning to "land." His commentary is shockingly existential, a combination of Sartre and your creepy uncle. I think it's worth the watch.

wolf
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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by wolf »

Interesting...that's a very unique lifestyle. I am wondering how much does it cost. It must be pretty expensive because he pays for everything. Well, such an ERE kind of lifestyle would be to work on that boat in parttime. Hmm, I gotta think this through 😉

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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by jacob »


Jason

Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by Jason »

I don't think it qualifies as ERE. What I found interesting was the paradoxical/ambiguous nature of the story - a self-proclaimed anti-social contrarian yukking it up on a floating homage to consumerism. It's like Camus making a cameo on "The Love Boat." At one point he's enjoying the some heinous lounge singer and the next moment he's discussing how he plans to kill himself by plunging his fat ass rich ass into the ocean.

As far as the lifestyle, it's like hotel living but with a constant view of the ocean. I don't think I'd like to live with a rotating group of people who like to take cruises. But the nights seem nice. Staring at the water. But I don't think he ever gets off the fuckin boat, even to take in an Island. If it wasn't on video, you'd think he embezzled from the mob or something, living like that.

Jason

Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by Jason »

jacob wrote:
Tue Jun 12, 2018 2:56 pm
@wolf - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HOP9L8/
Let me get this straight. You don't read literature or poetry, but on a moment's notice, can conjure up this barely under the wire two star flotsam written on a luxury liner toilet by some overly botoxed, teeth whitened nautical Liberace wannabe on memory?

What the fuck, man. Really.

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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by cmonkey »

A quick google search yields nightly rates of 50 to 200 per night depending on the room, which translates into 19K to 73K annually. If this is his entire spend, that's comparable to what most consumers would spend in retirement. You'd need anywhere from 603K to 2.5M to live this way for the rest of your life.

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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by jacob »

@Jason - What can I say, I'm talented :?

Jason

Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by Jason »

I found about the documentary in this Forbes article where it mentions he works five hours a day as an investment advisor.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/josephcoug ... 084a856684

So I'm assuming he presents himself as an advertisement to potential clients. But any remote occupation could be conducted on board. Or as JLF and his years of scholarship on this topic has uncovered, you can pull it off by being an unctuous, two bit lounge singer.

I know L. Ron Hubbard tried to avoid prosecution by cruising. Pardon the pun.

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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by EdithKeeler »

It's like the Lincoln Lawyer, but for investments. On a boat. (OK, so nothing like the Lincoln Lawyer).

That's one of those things that sounds great in theory, but I'm pretty sure I'd hate it. Too crowded, crazy people around all the time, and it would HAVE to get boring after a while. It'd be like living in a small town with a population of 4000 or so that you could never leave. A pretty nice small town, with people to cater to most of your whims... but still.

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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by J_ »

May I compare? Last year I traveled 2 months in my own little ship (25 ft, 7,5 m) on the big rivers and waters of Belgium and Holland. Sometimes between enormous cargo ships and cruise giants (in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Antwerp, Zeebrugge and Vlissingen). Some coastal sailing too. Doing everything myself: entertaining (reading books, dvd), cooking, cleaning, navigating, maintenance. Visiting old rich towns like Ghent and Brugge. For the same costs as staying home. And I felt myself.... the happiest guy in the world....

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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by wolf »

@J_
I did something similiar. I went sailing with a group of people for 4 weeks around the Canarian (Spanish islands west of Africa). It felt great. So I totally understand what you mean.

I think that I would feel miserable on that ship like that guy. All day long only consuming and buying everything. But maybe he is working as an investment consultant. Then it's only his way of life. And of course it always sounds a bit suspicious when somebody think he is the "happiest guy in the world".

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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by jacob »

EdithKeeler wrote:
Tue Jun 12, 2018 9:05 pm
That's one of those things that sounds great in theory, but I'm pretty sure I'd hate it. Too crowded, crazy people around all the time, and it would HAVE to get boring after a while. It'd be like living in a small town with a population of 4000 or so that you could never leave. A pretty nice small town, with people to cater to most of your whims... but still.
So basically like working a job? Most people like that.
wolf wrote:
Wed Jun 13, 2018 4:52 am
I think that I would feel miserable on that ship like that guy. All day long only consuming and buying everything. But maybe he is working as an investment consultant. Then it's only his way of life. And of course it always sounds a bit suspicious when somebody think he is the "happiest guy in the world".
So basically like recreational shopping? Most people like that.

EdithKeeler
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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by EdithKeeler »

So basically like working a job? Most people like that.
Do they?? Odd assertion for an early retirement website.... I’m not sure most people like working, given the proliferation of resources dedicated to getting out of the Rat Race.

Stahlmann
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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by Stahlmann »

EdithKeeler wrote:
Wed Jun 13, 2018 3:18 pm
So basically like working a job? Most people like that.
Do they?? Odd assertion for an early retirement website.... I’m not sure most people like working, given the proliferation of resources dedicated to getting out of the Rat Race.
Probably it was meant to be

Most people do like that.

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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by jennypenny »

I did the math a few years ago and it came out to $42K/year for two people. There are groups that cater to this (like Seniors at Seas) and support forums. It's not much different than van dwellers or any other alternative lifestyle. It costs more, but not as much as you'd think. I bet I could do it for less than $42K now with the cruise industry depressed.

Someone in the FIRE community did a piece on this a while back that was fairly positive. Raptitude maybe? I'll see if I can find it. Anyway, if you've never cruised in I fashion instead of E fashion, it can be surprisingly pleasant. I've never paid a lot for a cruise or been to any deck parties or been caught in the crowd (except always being topside with everyone else while going under the Verrazano or Lions Gate). I'd live on a cruise ship in a heartbeat.

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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by jacob »

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/crui ... ner-ships/

There's also an alternative in cargo ships which might be more ERE style?

Jason

Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by Jason »

Cargo ships are like the freight trains of the sea. That's got to be a bumpy ride. Maybe if you're lucky enough to get on one heading out of Eastern Europe with a container of sex slave girls and vodka it would be all right, but I'm thinking I need to be worry free of Somalian Pirate type of shit and able to enjoy an occasional disco night to make this work. My wife said no way, probably because I have previously gone on record as saying cruise ships are the safest and most expedient way to rid oneself of an unwanted spouse. To think that people actually advertise on Craigslist for a hit man when you can simply toss someone over a cruise liner into a choppy, shark infested ocean in the middle of the night is beyond me. And by the time you report them missing you're like in Puerto Vallarta or some bullshit resort village where no one's in the mood for bad news, especially in the form of a missing person report. I don't see overcoming that. So it would be a widower type of thing for me.

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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by Mister Imperceptible »

Jason wrote:
Thu Jun 14, 2018 11:42 am
To think that people actually advertise on Craigslist for a hit man when you can simply toss someone over a cruise liner into a choppy, shark infested ocean in the middle of the night is beyond me.
So unERE. Why throw money at the problem when you can DIY?

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Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by jacob »

Cargo ships are not inherently worse/more uncomfortable than cruise ships. Keep in mind that a cruise ship is but a cargo ship carrying thousands of humans as its cargo.

The longer the ship, the less the feel of the wave action. If the ship is long enough, it'll just go through the smaller waves as its length spans the wave length of the wave train.

The hull shapes of modern big boats are about the same whether it's a cargo ship, a tanker, or a cruise ship. It's a wide hull with a shallow draft using a keel bulb (kinda looks like the boat was built on top of a giant dildo). The reason for this ugliness is to decrease the bow wave draft and save on fuel. Not surprisingly, commercial ships are built for profit and economy, not safety. Just like when humans choose to live on volcanoes, beaches, and in flood zones.

Making the boat wide increases internal storage space for both humans and cargo. Width increases roll resistance for small rolls but increases it significantly for large rolls (once the boat tips up far enough it doesn't go back... critical angle for a wide beam boat is about 30-40 degrees). You therefore have to choose your weather well or you can get situations like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kohr0KfVXZA (the smell of puke must have been immense)

Same thing happens in luxury yachts. Boat designers know full well that luxury yachts spend most of their time at the dock hosting parties because it's just too much hassle readying a 55ft+ ship and finding 5 people to sail her. They're basically floating RVs with slide-outs. Similarly, modern cruise ships are more like floating hotels than [human] transport ships per se.

Cruise ships tend to be top heavy (dangerous) whereas cargo ships have a better weight distribution. On the other hand, cruise ships can pick and choose where/when they go. It's not uncommon for cruise ships to speed along to the destination only to do slow circles just outside the sight of land to pretend they're still on a journey. It's all about the experience. Cargo ships have less choice. They just need to deliver. They're probably expandable too. After all, their insurance is based on centuries of actuarial data.

However, all modern ships can outrun storms. Ships are mainly lost when the captain makes a mistake or due to rogue waves.

Jason

Re: The Happiest Guy In The World

Post by Jason »

So the guy in the article traveling the world in a cargo ship, what are his quarters like as compared to a cruise ship? Does he have a pillow and a bed or do they all sleep in slings down in the hull or whatever you call the bottom of the boat. I'm assuming there is not a 24 hour buffet going on, so what does he eat? What are the people like who travel on cargo ships? I mean do people get knifed playing poker? Do they sit around all day getting tattoos of Captain Crunch and lying to each other about why they are actually on a cargo ship? I just have this feeling that I'm not exactly what you would call a "cargo ship" type of guy which is probably the last type of guy you want to be if you actually find yourself on a cargo ship.

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