.....  or the best view may be the one in the mirror A long time ago in a country far away ... no ... to George Lucas.  When I was very little my folks used to take their vacations in Canada.  I spent my summers on the beaches of Lake Erie.  Before it was too polluted to eat the fish you caught.  It was there one summer that a vision became a dream.  A thing so beautiful to my eye that I still remember it as if it were only yesterday.  I was six years old then and it took forty more years to bring it to fruition.  A quick background check here.  I was from an average working family.  I was an average worker who hit the job market when everything went to shit from a conspired oil embargo.  (It never was in short supply, they mearly couldn’t off-load it.  Storage tanks were full.)  I kind of wandered from job to job trying to find the same niche my father had carved.  No luck there as corporate government was busting unions and forcing ‘right to work’ everywhere.  The caste system in America was being put into place.  The ‘Haves’ were going to make certain that the ‘Have Nots’ were going to stay that way. Sort of like the shake down in New Yorks’ garment district.  You now bid for the lowest wages. Anything more than that and you were replaced.  I sure some of you readers will remember those days.  Enough  negativity.  Though we may touch on that from time to time.   Here are two tips from the old and wizened, (not me) I still goof up now and then.  First is the one that shook me the most.  Make a list of all the things you pay.  If your name isn’t on that list you had better change things around fast.  Second is it’s not what you buy that saves you money, it’s what you don’t buy.  It’s amazing what you can do without.  The hell with the Joneses.  They go on vacation once a year.  You're going forever!  This may be problematic if you intend to take children, but it can be done with difficulty.  To that end I can’t help much.  My standing joke is that since the kids wouldn’t run away from home, the wife and I did.  Remember that dream we started out with?  Here we go ...

Yachting, just the word conjures up breezy visions of cruising through tropical watery wonderlands in the lap of luxury. So have you ever dreamed of escaping from the clutches a landlocked life where offices, traffic, and living pay check to pay check are the order of the day? Of course you have! Who hasn´t?  Earn a great tax-free income!  Meet new people and make amazing friends of all nationalities!  Work in a luxurious and elegant 5-star environment!  Escape the "rat race" of home. And enjoy possibly the most amazing, satisfying and life-changing experience you´ll ever have!

Okay, so what do we do?  You take stock of what you have.  What’s it worth?  I mean on the open market, or yard sale.  Think about what you really need.  And about your abilities.  That sailboat, could you really sail it?  In heavy weather?  Would a powerboat be better?  All right power may be better, but then you’ve got to consider fuel cost.  It’s a lot more expensive ‘over there’.  When we first arrived in the Bahamas in 2000 gas in Florida was running about a buck fifteen or so.  More in marinas.  Over there it was two forty five.  Power boats gobble it up like no tomorrow.  Not what you want is it?

On a sailboat you don’t really use the motor as much more than a generator for the batteries.  A little maneuvering around anchorages too.  Learning to sail is easy. Go to marinas.  Talk to salespeople (you're going to have to anyway if you want one).  They may take you out for a sea trial, that’s like a test drive in a car.  You’ll see how they handle, what size boat you can afford and how little room you have.  Hey, that’s how Dennis Conner started and he won a few Americas Cup races. Have a fantasy, imagine going around asking people for millions of dollars so you can go yachting.  Without them.  A note here.  DO NOT finance anything!  You're not going to be around to pay for it anyway and you wouldn’t want to be a fugitive would you?  There are pirates in the Carribean and Central Americas that are better than you and they get caught (sometimes).

Assuming no one got sick on that sea trial, you're looking at space.  Not much of it is there?  Remember that when you get home.  My wife and I had a twenty two hundred sq. foot house . Three bedrooms, a den/ family room and a Florida room. That’s an attached room like an enclosed patio.  That’ll be important later.  I have to make several assumptions here, first that your significant other is going with you, because it’s better to have someone to complain to as well as help out. That works both ways, I’m sure there will be complaining about something.

So now we are sitting around thinking about all this stuff laying about the house and where to put it on that boat.  Put that thought far from your mind.  I said it was amazing what you can do without.  Start by minimizing your living space.  What you need is not what you have.  Because what you have is too much.  You need a place to prepare food, that’s called the galley on board, you're used to a kitchen.  The galley will be smaller.  You have a closet at home, now it’s a hanging locker, and about a quarter the size of that closet.  You must share it.  Your desk will become a navigation station.  You will need to know how to use it and all the charts, they’re like maps of water.  This is positive down-sizing.   Unused bedrooms are easy, they're unused.  Close off the den.  Move the TV to the Florida room. Okay, you don’t have one so move into the den or family room, or living room.  The key here is move.  Cut down on your living space.  Put draperies over doorways.  Only go through them when you have to.  Get close to the ‘other’.  Because you're going to be very close. 

If there were any troubles or problems between you this will bring them to the front.  It will be for the best, believe me.  If you can’t work it out now, the boat is no place to find out it was a mistake.  I’ve seen too many nice boats for sale because the owners thought those commercials were for real.  They are not even close.  When traveling you cannot stay at every marina on your route.  You cannot go shopping at different malls or rent a car whenever you want.  If you do that, you’ll find paradise lost to you.  Knowing this will come about (sailing term) by doing this ahead of time.  And that is time well spent.  A note on shopping, when we first arrived in the Bahamas we looked for a store called Winn-Dixie.  We were inexperienced and believed as we were told. 

“Ah,” we thought, “ a store just like here.” No way!  You wouldn’t want to see the way the deli department functioned.  Slicers were not cleaned between different uses.  Cheese to meat and back.  Folks you're headed to third world countries, so be prepared.  What you need to do is think like your grandparents did.  Fresh markets, butchers and bakeries and so on. They didn’t even take the ‘sale’ stickers off the game hens brought over from Miami.  I found out the price at check out was four times regular U.S. (I didn’t buy them).

About this time you may think you’re living the life of a hermit.  You have cut down on the A/C.  Quit answering the phone and told your friends that you going on a religious retreat so they don’t bother you in your time of need.  If you did tell them of your plans they may badger you about it.  Or worse they’ll want to come along.  Never, ever do that.  This is a time to be selfish.  The idea was about you after all wasn’t it?  Tell them to get their own boat.  Traveling with friends can be fun as well as a little safer.  More on that later.

Right now you may be thinking ‘Gee, what fun. This guy locked us in a small room, turned off the A/C.  Took away the television and our video games, and wont even let us answer the phone. 

It gets better.  I’ll take away the car too.  And the shower.  Uses too much fresh water.  Most all of the islands are small, so ride a bike.  They fit easily on board and since you're not going far the little bit of exercise will do you good.  You get to see the island.  You’ll get to meet the natives. You’ll find some great people and some real bargains.  When we travel we tend to go native.  As the saying goes, when in Rome.  And when you're there please don’t be brash.  Americans have enough troubles in the world without you making things worse.  There was a fella in Venezuela who was so surprised at the prices he ran his mouth to all who would listen.  He bought way to much stuff and bragged about it.  He was later robbed of it.

I said there were better pirates than you, didn’t I?

Back to where I was; I still wish to take things from you.  The bills you pay every month.  I mentioned in the beginning about all you have to pay. And that your name should be on that list?

Let’s cut that list down.  You won't need the phone.  Scrap the cell phone too.  Too expensive to connect, and who will pay the bill?  You're not home.  Since you don’t have a car any longer, there’s no insurance bill.  Ditto for the house.  No utilities either.  Or mortgage.  Newspapers, lawnmowers, hedge  trimmers and all that.  You sold them at the garage sale.  Dump the golf clubs too, buy snorkel gear instead.  You’ll use that to find food.  Scuba is great, but getting your tanks filled could be hard.  I was getting my tanks filled once when I was asked to show my dive card.   I ‘ve been an Open Water Instructor rated since nineteen eighty.  They asked me if I wanted a job.  No, I only want my tanks filled.  Some places wont fill tanks period.  They want to sell you a dive trip.  I am not a tourista.  I may drop the hook in front of million dollar homes or resorts, but I won't go in.  A word about that, in some states(US) they try to enforce laws for the filthy rich who don’t care to see your boat in their backyard.  They can’t do that.  You are in federal waters and here the feds are on your side because of maritime law and commercial traffic. Be kind and be gone, the hassle isn’t worth it.  You have at least twenty four hours and in some cases as much as seventy two.  Dinghy in, get your groceries, get some sleep and move on.  You're escaping right?

So now you may be entertaining fantasies of your being somewhere between Captain Ed Teach and Poncho Villa.  Edward Teach was Blackbeard by the way.  You might want to throw in a little of Jesse James style too.  Everybody in Missouri loved him because of what he stood for.  You will want to know people like that.  Just don’t rob them, the friends I mean.  Teach took what he wanted without regard.  James and Villa got help from the people.  That’s all I mean by it.  You will meet some very interesting people in your travels.  Be forewarned, Crime is everywhere.  You may feel the need to be armed, and I wouldn’t blame you a bit.  Be prepared to declare it when you enter a new country and have to clear in through customs.  Most places understand the needs of cruisers and don’t do much.  Some may ask you to surrender the weapons and pick them up when you clear out.  Others ask that you keep them locked up.  The problem for them being that some people stayed to long and needed money.  What better way to get it?  Plenty. 

In the islands the barter system reigns supreme.  If you have any kind of skill, from hairdresser to mechanic (you will become one, trust me) you are in need.  Skilled at splicing rope and line.  Sewing and repairing sails.  Even welding, though it may be hard to believe.  It amazes people what I’ve stashed on my boat.  Including spare everything and rebuild kits.  Which reminds me, when you're wandering around those marinas, stay away from those boats that look like the ones in the ads.  Most of those you wouldn’t want to take out of sight of land.  Figure the hourly rate at the cost of a case of whatever you drink. 

Okay, back to that weapons thing.  Whatever your decision on that all I can say is that you had better have a lot of experience with the weapon, and damn good judgment.  American prisons are a day-care center for assholes compared to being in a foreign jail.  Personally I have never had a problem with that.  Yes I am armed.  At sea there is no one to call for help.  If some one did answer, it would be hours before help would arrive. And that would be hours too late.  When in a town stay away from groups of people involved in any kind of activity.  Except Carnival.  They most likely don’t want you around and wont take the time to explain it.  Not all natives are friendly.  Some try to sell you drugs.  That’s the number one money maker in the Carribean.  Not selling the drugs, although that is too.  But turning you in.

After the short trial in which they show the judge the video tape of you with the product, you're convicted.  The Government then sells everything you had and the guy who turned you gets half the proceeds.  Ain’t capitalism wonderful?  When perusing the shops and stores, as you will need supplies from time to time, be carful what you say.  You're new at this so be cautious.  Most natives will think you're on a cruise ship. When they find out you're not two things will happen.  Most likely, as in our case, some one wants a ride to the next destination.  Not!  Or a worse case is a set up.  People do talk and you won't know who they're talking to.  Especially if it is a set up.  I don’t believe that I have ever had a problem with anything but the drug thing.  I don’t do them although for a time I did look like the kind that did.  The situation was cleared up quickly with some harsh words while looking about for local law enforcement.  They didn’t exist but it made good drama. 

I don’t want this to end in a downer, but I thought one should have as much knowledge as possible beforehand.  There is a tremendous vista that awaits the adventurer, should he or she endeavor to seek it.  The experiences, from the joyous success of a perfect landfall, celebrated with a sundown cocktail to the frustration of an engine failure in an unknown harbor with heavy traffic, could not be exchanged for any time in any amusement park anywhere.  Self confidence is the key here, pursuing a freedom most would only dream about.  Better still, living that dream.  Even if it did take me forty years to do it.  Hey, we gotta start some time right? 

On Still Waters Living and Traveling on the Canals Of Western Europe and Britain - History lesson, tourist guide and storytelling all rolled into one.  Archie Satterfield’s fascinating account of the birth, death and re-birth of the canals and waterways of Western Europe is compulsive reading. Whether you just enjoy the read, or whether you are considering a canal boat holiday, or perhaps possibly life on a canal boat, this book is an entertaining and resourceful guide.  Covering the history of canals and their current revival in the tourist industry, Archie gives wonderfully vivid accounts of the routes, what to do, where to go, what not to miss and how to buy and operate a canal boat/barge. This book is a nostalgic look at our heritage and Archie Satterfield gives us a wonderful perspective of the many canals and waterways that are still in existence today.  Reading Archie’s book will have you wanting to get your feet wet and climb aboard one of the many beautiful canal boats still proudly plying these routes.