The kitchen renovation is almost done. Lots of false starts on cabinet refacing and I ultimately solved my own problems rather than hiring someone else to do it. The finish line is in sight.
Over the past six months I've flirted with getting sucked into another 5 year corporate deal. Both of us got to the point where someone had to blink, and neither of us did - thankfully.
For Halloween this year I'm going to dress up as a pirate. In 2015 I'm going to become one and dress up as a businessman next Halloween. I'm looking forward to switching roles and being more of one and less of the other.
I purged a big cabinet today and divided it into donate, yard sale, Craigslist and eBay. It felt great. The paring down continues, but I still have a long way to go.
The shopping count of sail boats I've looked at is only up from 2 to 4 even though I check multiple times each week. I'm still looking for a 36-40 ish footer that is live aboard ready, can be single handed and has the engineering to trust to cross oceans. It's a tall order. I remain selective and trust in the fact we'll find each other when the time is right. I've joined a sailing club and have done some racing this summer that got my blood pumping.
This whole thing is proving harder than I thought, but they say nothing worth doing is easy. I hate cliché's but I know for a fact this one is true. It also shows me I'm on track.
Fair winds friends,
-V
PS: I'm going to go see Stanley Paris at Epping Forest Y.C. this week which will be my second time meeting him. If anyone is going to be there- let me know and come shake hands.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Friday, May 23, 2014
Going to look at a boat
I'm so close I can taste it. I've been shopping for more than 2 years and am only going to look at my second boat. I've read more than a dozen books, and have even met some of the authors. I know exactly what I'm looking for.
The owner and I bonded right away in a phone call and I told him I've got the money in the bank, but still may be just tire kicking. I also know I'm looking for a boat that is rigged for crossing oceans which this one is. I told him I'd bring cold beer and would be happy to swing by whenever he's planning to be on board. He said if a sailor is coming to look at his boat - we're going sailing. Hell yea! We'll see what happens.
If I buy it I'll post pictures and details at how I decided this was the one. I HAVE TO GET THIS DECISION RIGHT- and I will not rush it.
For those who know me, not much happens in my life by accident. I'm an organized person and a planner which makes me a great captain, and one day, great pilot. I'm sending white light and butterflies out to the world trusting that the right seller and the right boat will come my way. I'm confident based on my past experience and research that I'll know it when I see it. It could be this weekend, or it could be 6-12 months from now. I can live with either and I'll pull the trigger when its time.
A close colleague of mine who is a pilot has been pushing me not to delay getting my license any longer b/c I'm not getting any younger. Ground school is already done and he says, "What are you waiting for". He doesn't see the whole picture. You can't live in a plane and the idea of going 6 knots with following seas instead of 200 mph like I normally do is more appealing. If I were going to do it, I'd be doing it in a Velocity experimental which I have flown right seat 50' above the Atlantic Ocean. It was awesome. www.velocityaircraft.com/
Free Advice: Don't get too emotionally committed to any transaction (whether it's a company, a house, a plane, or a boat). You'll arrive at the best deal when you're prepared to walk away from it, and nobody gets everything they wanted. The deal you walk away from today might be the best deal you've ever made later. Yes, you can quote me.
For those who dabble in corporate mergers and acquisitions like me, you can see an example of this by learning how AstraZeneca has not jumped towards their first suitor, and rejected 2 offers even as Pfizer was applying pressure. Not the same realm or scale obviously, but you get my point. http://goo.gl/YnAVZ5
Have a great Memorial Day, and thank a veteran like me for their service,
-V
The owner and I bonded right away in a phone call and I told him I've got the money in the bank, but still may be just tire kicking. I also know I'm looking for a boat that is rigged for crossing oceans which this one is. I told him I'd bring cold beer and would be happy to swing by whenever he's planning to be on board. He said if a sailor is coming to look at his boat - we're going sailing. Hell yea! We'll see what happens.
If I buy it I'll post pictures and details at how I decided this was the one. I HAVE TO GET THIS DECISION RIGHT- and I will not rush it.
For those who know me, not much happens in my life by accident. I'm an organized person and a planner which makes me a great captain, and one day, great pilot. I'm sending white light and butterflies out to the world trusting that the right seller and the right boat will come my way. I'm confident based on my past experience and research that I'll know it when I see it. It could be this weekend, or it could be 6-12 months from now. I can live with either and I'll pull the trigger when its time.
A close colleague of mine who is a pilot has been pushing me not to delay getting my license any longer b/c I'm not getting any younger. Ground school is already done and he says, "What are you waiting for". He doesn't see the whole picture. You can't live in a plane and the idea of going 6 knots with following seas instead of 200 mph like I normally do is more appealing. If I were going to do it, I'd be doing it in a Velocity experimental which I have flown right seat 50' above the Atlantic Ocean. It was awesome. www.velocityaircraft.com/
Free Advice: Don't get too emotionally committed to any transaction (whether it's a company, a house, a plane, or a boat). You'll arrive at the best deal when you're prepared to walk away from it, and nobody gets everything they wanted. The deal you walk away from today might be the best deal you've ever made later. Yes, you can quote me.
For those who dabble in corporate mergers and acquisitions like me, you can see an example of this by learning how AstraZeneca has not jumped towards their first suitor, and rejected 2 offers even as Pfizer was applying pressure. Not the same realm or scale obviously, but you get my point. http://goo.gl/YnAVZ5
Have a great Memorial Day, and thank a veteran like me for their service,
-V
Friday, May 9, 2014
Breaking away is proving harder than I thought.
When I met with my real estate agents the first thing they told me was that to get maximum value out of my house, I had to renovate the kitchen which is the only room I hadn't renovated in my 1980's era original house. So here I am 5 months later, 75% of the way through the renovation which I'm doing on a budget to be able to maximize the sail boat fund.
I want to break free first and foremost, and hopefully sail around the world once I tune up my skills, which are decent, but not trans-ocean caliber. I've accomplished my first goal of being able to make a very solid living with a laptop and an Internet connection. I haven't even come close to liquidating everything yet but I have been making some sacrifices, a short list of which I have included below.
These are very first world problems, and I recognize how lucky I am to have to deal with them. I bought first house in '96 which I renovated and upgraded through 5 others in 9 years while living in them under construction to land in my current waterfront house of my dreams which I've lived in just as long. The goal in all of them was to move forward with my financial goals, and share them with others. It even cost me my first and probably only marriage.
It will be my same goal on my floating one. I have no desire to live exclusively on a self made isolated island of privileged expats. I want to spend less time working and sit around camp fires, risk catching a disease far from healthcare, cook with strangers eating food I've never seen, and play guitar with people I just met.
That said I know I will have to lean heavily on the community of experienced cruisers because nobody makes it in this world alone-especially when you are crossing oceans. I can't wait to join the club, and look forward to participating in the virtuous circle.
A friend of mine told me a story about some friends she knew that broke my heart. They bought and owned a ~50' sail boat which they day sailed for years. Then they moved on board chasing their "sailors lifestyle" dreams, and bogged it down with so much stuff they boat never left the slip again. I'm not going to let that happen to me.
I've been doing a lot of reading on the topic of circumnavigation and one of my inspirations right now is from "Captain Fatty" who bought and rigged his first boat, liquidated his belongings, and was left with 2 boxes of stuff he thought he couldn't live without. He ends up deciding to chuck them concluding (paraphrasing) "Do you want to hang on to this stuff, or do you want to sail around the world?" Six months under way later he couldn't even remember what was in the boxes. (I'll add a link to your book Cpt. Fatty when I have time to get back to this - You're the man).
I know I'm not through the toughest part of the paring down process yet, but here are a few sacrifices I have made. As I wrote them down I can't help but think- "Do you realize how many people would love to have these problems? What exactly are you running away from?"
The answer is I'm exhausted by the grinding down of my spirit in corporate America. Everyone and every organization is so lean it isn't fun any more - even when you're well paid. I'm not going to let chasing the Jonses and consumerism take priority over my need to do something amazing with my life- even if it kills me. I'd much rather die in my 40's chasing dreams than drooling in a wheel chair in my 90's trapped in a body that doesn't work, tormented by regret of the things I didn't attempt to do.
2014 "Sacrifices" to date
When I met with my real estate agents the first thing they told me was that to get maximum value out of my house, I had to renovate the kitchen which is the only room I hadn't renovated in my 1980's era original house. So here I am 5 months later, 75% of the way through the renovation which I'm doing on a budget to be able to maximize the sail boat fund.
I want to break free first and foremost, and hopefully sail around the world once I tune up my skills, which are decent, but not trans-ocean caliber. I've accomplished my first goal of being able to make a very solid living with a laptop and an Internet connection. I haven't even come close to liquidating everything yet but I have been making some sacrifices, a short list of which I have included below.
These are very first world problems, and I recognize how lucky I am to have to deal with them. I bought first house in '96 which I renovated and upgraded through 5 others in 9 years while living in them under construction to land in my current waterfront house of my dreams which I've lived in just as long. The goal in all of them was to move forward with my financial goals, and share them with others. It even cost me my first and probably only marriage.
It will be my same goal on my floating one. I have no desire to live exclusively on a self made isolated island of privileged expats. I want to spend less time working and sit around camp fires, risk catching a disease far from healthcare, cook with strangers eating food I've never seen, and play guitar with people I just met.
That said I know I will have to lean heavily on the community of experienced cruisers because nobody makes it in this world alone-especially when you are crossing oceans. I can't wait to join the club, and look forward to participating in the virtuous circle.
A friend of mine told me a story about some friends she knew that broke my heart. They bought and owned a ~50' sail boat which they day sailed for years. Then they moved on board chasing their "sailors lifestyle" dreams, and bogged it down with so much stuff they boat never left the slip again. I'm not going to let that happen to me.
I've been doing a lot of reading on the topic of circumnavigation and one of my inspirations right now is from "Captain Fatty" who bought and rigged his first boat, liquidated his belongings, and was left with 2 boxes of stuff he thought he couldn't live without. He ends up deciding to chuck them concluding (paraphrasing) "Do you want to hang on to this stuff, or do you want to sail around the world?" Six months under way later he couldn't even remember what was in the boxes. (I'll add a link to your book Cpt. Fatty when I have time to get back to this - You're the man).
I know I'm not through the toughest part of the paring down process yet, but here are a few sacrifices I have made. As I wrote them down I can't help but think- "Do you realize how many people would love to have these problems? What exactly are you running away from?"
The answer is I'm exhausted by the grinding down of my spirit in corporate America. Everyone and every organization is so lean it isn't fun any more - even when you're well paid. I'm not going to let chasing the Jonses and consumerism take priority over my need to do something amazing with my life- even if it kills me. I'd much rather die in my 40's chasing dreams than drooling in a wheel chair in my 90's trapped in a body that doesn't work, tormented by regret of the things I didn't attempt to do.
2014 "Sacrifices" to date
- Doing 90% of the work on renovating my kitchen in my "off time" in parallel with a consulting gig that takes 50-60 hours per week.
- Taking my first vacation in 2 years. This may not sound like a sacrifice, but it cost me heavily $ wise, but enriched my life experience account. Getting the down time verified I am on track with where I am headed.
- Renting my guest room on AirBnb to cut down on my mortgage expense.
- Sold the motorcycle and deposited 100% of the funds into the sail boat war chest.
- Passing up the Porsche 911 I've been dreaming of owning for over a decade, and was so close to buying I paid to have it transported to Jacksonville. Conclusion: Do you want a Porsche or do you want to sail around the world.
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