Tell me how to live on a sailboat.

TheBoginator

Long story short, I have a dream. This dream is simple enough. I want to live on a boat. It must have sails. It must be in the water.

I'm currently a 20 year old full-time college student majoring in Linguistics. After I graduate and get some sort of career in motion, I plan on acquiring some form of full-time residence. I don't want a house or an apartment or condo or whatever. I want a sailboat.

I don't know exactly what the name for the type of boat I want is, I guess some sort of short yacht? If someone more knowledgeable could let me know, that'd be awesome. A bedroom, a bathroom, and some sort of kitchen "inside" of the boat are what I'm considering essentials. Being "sea-worthy" would be a plus, but I doubt that I'd take it out much farther than what I think of as "coastal waters."

As to where I'd keep this boat, city-wise Chicago is my top pick, but I guess it really depends on where I can get a job. From what I know, which is very little, I should be able to keep my boat in some sort of long-term rental marina (again, any information would be appreciated). Some sort of electricity and water hook-ups would be "essential" followed by internet access, and trailing far behind as a convenience is television.

I'm planning on taking some sailing courses and the like over the next couple of years, and would gladly take any recommendations for quality courses in the northern Wisconsin/Upper Peninsula area. I know I don't need to worry about sea-sickness, but other than that, I don't have too much experience on boats longer than 20 feet.

So to bullet point:
-Is it possible to become a year-round resident of a boat in a marina of some sort in the Chicago area
-If not in Chicago, are there any places where this is possible (preferably city in the northern half of the US or in Canada)
-What sort of boat would I need for this? General information, such as boat type, I'm not buying anytime soon
-What sort of skills should I have for operating this craft. I'm not talking crossing the oceans, but maybe sailing to a different city or something every once in a while for vacation trips.
-Even providing me with some links to places where I could perform more research would be really helpful, because I am really not sure where to start.

EskimoDave

http://www.chicagoharbors.info/rates.php

A Non-Resident surcharge of 25% of the base fee will be assessed to boaters residing outside the City of Chicago.

All partners in a joint ownership must reside in the City of Chicago or non-resident surcharge will apply.
"Live aboards" are not considered residents of the City.

MichaelLC

Read through this thread: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/showthread.php?t=93068

To add more, it's crazy expensive and not really practical. Here's the rates for where my father had his 30ft'r for a number of years (just north of Zion); Winthrop Harbor.

EskimoDave

Its not expensive, and it can be practical. A good friend of mine lived on a boat for 10 years without having a permanent job.

SkyGheNe

You might try to get into contact with this kid:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/07/16/teen.sails.around.world/

and ask him about it. You might be able to get a lot of good info as to what kind of foods/preparations/supplies you would need and all that.

Kistra

I don't know much about it but a guy in a lab where I used to work lived on a boat in Philly. And he didn't make that much so it can't be that expensive and must be doable.

matt has a problem

Slip fees in Chicago are astronomically expensive. Not to mention, very hard to get as the people who own them tend to renew them every year, kind of like parking spaces in the city they're handed down in families. Plus, the harbors freeze solid every winter, meaning all the boats are usually gone by late October or early November, and come back around March or so. If you want to live on board some kind of sailboat year round, you have to pick a warmer climate.

Usagi

Here you go, if you have specific questions about Great Lakes sailing feel free to PM me as I spent most of my life sailing in and around the area.

Usagi wrote: »

This has come up twice in the past year:

A realistic dream? (primarily concerning living on a yacht off the coast of NZ)
A sailors life for me

Some good advice in both of them, worth a look see.

My general suggestion (as you can see in both of those threads) is that if you don't already know how to sail, it's a Bad Idea to jump right into ocean-going adventures. And unless you are very talented at fixing mechanical and electronical as well as the dealing with rotting wood and soggy fiberglas, living aboard has the possibility of being a gigantic hassle, not to mention very expensive.

I think that lessons though these guys with certified instructors is a good idea, or you can find a local yacht/sailing club and ask about their adult keelboat programs, because most of them do.

Once you've learned the basics, learn to be crew on other people's boats again through your local club or through the Crew Pool at Sailing Anarchy. You will learn a lot just by watching older and more experienced sailors and it will absolutely teach you how to skipper your own boat, after which you can figure out how to singlehand.