Having spent the better part of the last 25 years creating and selling mega-cruising yachts, we are here to tell you don’t need a lot of money or boat, to enjoy the cruising lifestyle. In fact, a very strong case can be made for going sooner, rather than later, with less boat than you might otherwise be able to afford if you waited. Here’s why.

The sooner you go, the younger you are, the less you “need” to be comfortable, and the better the trade-offs will seem in comparison to what you can afford on land. After all, the two situations are related. The more money you make (and spend) on land, the nicer your lifestyle (at least in theory). This colors what you feel is an acceptable level of comfort on the boat too. If you have a big, comfy house, you are probably going to want a bigger boat. But of you are living in an apartment and doing your dirty clothing at the Laundromat, then a smaller boat with a bucket and washboard is going to look pretty good – especially if you are washing your clothes in some lovely tropical lagoon (where you need less clothes to begin with!).

Another issue is family and possessions. The younger you go, the less possessions and assets you have to worry about, and the easier it is cut yourself free.

If you want a good example of how this works in reverse, when you get older, you only have to look at us. When we first went cruising, the kids were four and seven. Our parents were relatively young and all healthy (younger than we are now). We had no business issues tying us down. Today we’ve got a family that is a lot older – and we don’t want to be gone for long periods. The kids have their own careers, and don’t want to live full time with their folks on the boat anyway. We’ve also got lots of business encumbrances. We still go sailing, but now it is to dip in and out of the cruising lifestyle. We have one foot in each camp – land/water. And both Linda and I are really happy we went the full-time route when we were younger. OK, having a test bed like BEOWULF is some solace – but if we had the choice to turn back the clock, and go cruising with the kids as in the olden days, we’d jump at it.

All of this is not to say that going when you are older is not good. It’s just that it is harder. Yes, you probably have more disposable assets and can afford a nicer boat, with more “stuff” – and the cruising life is still wonderful. But don’t wait around accumulating so you can afford the bigger boat – GO NOW.

There is one other issue, not pleasant, but which needs to be raised. And that is health and accidents. You never know what’s going to happen tomorrow, or later this afternoon. Might be a drunk driver with your name on his front bumper, or a medical problem. Better to live every day like it was your last – and if that means going cruising now, so-be-it.

Which brings us to the second question – how do you pay for this lifestyle? It is not as hard as you think. You need to work hard at finding a simple, inexpensive boat, stay away from the complex stuff, and do all the work yourself. That gets you onto the water. Second, when you’re cruising, there are always methods of making ends meet. Deliveries, crewing jobs, maintenance projects on other yachts, and work ashore. The cruising world is full of opportunity. It is waiting out there for you. Go for it now.