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Freedom!
from the madness of modern life, where you have the final say on
what you do, when you do it, and with whom you do it. Only a few
hours flying from mainland USA, you may as well be on another planet…
a different world characterized by its slow pace, its peace, and
its unspoiled beauty.
Freedom!
to drop your anchor wherever you like, and to stay for days or months
if you wish. Freedom to move your house if the whim takes you, perhaps
just for the change of scenery or the raw adventure of getting there.
Most of the anchorages in the Grenadines are glassy smooth, lined
with white beaches and coconut palms, animated by locals busy with
life – Caribbean style. Around you is a virtual United Nations of
other seafaring folk who come from all over the world to sail and
live in these beautiful waters. Restaurants, internet cafes and
bars offer ample opportunity to meet other seafaring souls, connect
with loved ones 'on the mainland' or you can enjoy complete privacy...
the choice is always yours!
Self
Reliance! There's no feeling on earth like the exhilaration
of pulling up your anchor, hoisting your sails, and waving good-bye
to your neighbors as you set off to dance with the tiger of wind
and sea. The age-old metaphor of being ‘the skipper one’s own ship’
aptly applies in real life. Sailing and maintaining your own yacht
offers a unique opportunity to develop and affirm the multi-faceted
goal of being the master of your own destiny.
Peace!
Tiger Dance is an ideal studio for a writer, or someone who can
deliver their work via the internet, or perhaps just for you to
take a year or three off work to reset your life compass.
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Are you an Inexperienced Sailor?
So
many of us spend our last days wishing that we had have done the
things that we always yearned to do. If you are delaying buying
a boat because you are not an experienced captain, you may be delaying
for no good reason. The current owner had almost no experience at
sea when he decided to buy and live on a sailboat. He went on a
3-day learn to sail class in the British Virgin Islands followed
by a 5-day bareboat skippers license. A month later he sailed away
in Tiger Dance, and since then has always delivered his ship safely
to her destination. Seamanship takes a lifetime to learn, but how
to safely manage a vessel in Grenadines conditions can be learnt
in a few weeks. If you have a bareboat skippers ticket, the present
owner is offering two weeks of sailing around the Grenadines as
part of the handover of the vessel.
back to questions
What
Does it Really Mean to Live on a Boat?
It
means enjoying the rush when you hoist the sails, pull up the anchor
and head out to sea, the captain of your own ship. It means enjoying
the challenge when things don’t work out as you thought they
would, and embracing with clarity the moment when you adjust your
step in a new dance of boat, wind and sea. It means enjoying the
few hours of work needed each week to keep your vessel safe and
comfortable. It means finding pleasure in simple things like sunsets
and hovering frigate birds or the occasional whale sighting. It
means outstanding fishing and fresh barbecued yellow-fin tuna or
mahi-mahi for dinner. It means to enjoy being alone, or holed up
with your loved one in a place where you have all the time in the
world to do just exactly what you want. back
to questions
The
Skipper’s Satisfaction
The
closest machine to a sailing yacht is an airplane… once away
from port, they are both completely self-contained entities with
their own complete systems for electricity generation and distribution,
water, sewage, cooking, entertainment, navigation, mechanical propulsion
and of course, each one has it’s wings… vertical on a
yacht. Both an airplane and a ship navigate through a medium that
moves around them, so navigation is using GPS and charts, and picking
a course is a decision based on all of the prevailing forces. Fortunately,
it is considerably safer to be the captain of a seagoing vessel,
yet the feeling of fulfillment from the successful negotiation of
even a simple voyage on one’s own ship is a pleasant feeling
of satisfaction that lingers long after the anchor has settled.
back
to questions
Financially
Speaking
Tiger
Dance can be yours for US$95,000… about the cost of your average
apartment is your average city. Two weeks of sailing tuition to
hand over the boat is available for $5K (schedule to be negotiated).
The average annual maintenance bill runs at about $5-8K per year,
which should be a safe estimate for this boat, as all the important
systems have been recently undergone maintenance. Storage for her
in the water runs at about $100 per month… out of the water,
at about $330 p.m.. There is one boatyard where they know the boat
quite well (Grenada Marine, St. David's), and who offer a full range
of services for storage and maintenance. Annual insurance against
everything costs about $2K (Admiral Marine insurance out of the
UK, with cheaper options available for US residents). Actually living
on the boat can be very cheap… a few hundred a month covers
a range of restaurants and social nights as well as cook-aboard
fresh food from the market, fuel and expenses. Once on the boat,
it’s the cheapest apartment around in some of the world’s
most beautiful spots. back
to questions
What
Does it Take to Buy a Boat?
Much
like buying a house… surveyors will inspect a boat for you
and give you a written report on it’s condition (a Lloyds-certified
surveyor is resident in a nearby bay). If you like the pictures
and the report, you can come to Grenada to see her out of the water.
On that basis, you decide whether or not you want the boat. A marine
lawyer will do a title search for you and handle the transfer of
registration. I have a prompt marine lawyer who could probably effect
the transfer in a matter of days (if you wish to re-register her
in Delaware -- the state of convenience). When the transfer goes
through, she’s yours to do as you wish… such as, put her
in the water and sail away, the captain of your own ship. back
to questions
Why
is the Present Owner Selling?
...because
he’s going home to Australia (by plane!) after living overseas
for 17 years. back
to questions
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