You are twenty years old, you are under employed, the economy sucks, and you live paycheck to paycheck.. BUY A BOAT!

I so wish someone would have smacked me over the head with the idea of living aboard a boat when I was younger; or to be honest, that I would have listened when they did.

It is tough for everyone, but being at the start of your employable years and trying to make it all work in this financial climate must be near impossible. So, you rent an apartment for $900/month and have zero spending cash; or take in with some roommates, and admittedly that is fun for about three weeks until you realize you life long friend is a slob, and steals your macaroni and cheese. Want out?

Right now a solid, mid twenty foot sailboat can be had for a song. At the marina I live they are having auctions every six months. The last auction no one even bid on a San Juan 24, so it could have been (and was) picked up for $200. Granted it wasn't in show room condition, but nothing a little sweat equity wouldn't have solved.

Living on a small sailboat does take some.. or really quite a bit of adjustment, and I won't gloss over it:

• Typically you have to use the marina facilities instead of your head (bathroom), but on the plus side, you never have to buy toilet paper, and someone else dutifully cleans it each day.
• You don't get to sit around your home all day doing nothing. It is cramped, and after the most rudimentary morning routines, you find yourself getting out and doing things. Most live-aboards have a favorite coffee joint they meet at before they begin their day. I do, and I consider it my extended living room.
• If you need absolute quiet, and a solid bed to sleep on.. stop right here. Living aboard a boat, you are living in the elements. If it's windy, your boat is gonna be 'a rockin. If it's rainy, it will get stuffy and moist inside.

Now, think on this. You pay $250/month moorage. On a nice weekend, you go sailing. On a week off you go cruising. Have you ever seen one of those multi million dollar mansions on a wonderful piece of waterfront property? My home has a 360 degree waterfront view.. top that. And best of all this is yours, your boat, your home. Want to move? Simply untie the mooring lines and go somewhere else. Lose your job? Can't even pay moorage? Go live 'on the hook' (anchoring) for a while, most places you can do that for free.

So you're broke, you already have one of the prerequisites for being a sailor. Sure there are sailors out there that have a ton of money stashed away, but there are more who are just like you (and me). Being a sailor is about learning how to fix the motor when it doesn't work instead of calling a mechanic; finding and fixing that leak that only appears two days after it rains; understanding electrical systems; becoming your own expert on brightwork. Once you join the club, you will find nothing but help from all those who just went through it, and sailors are the most welcoming helpful group I have ever come across.

All that and I haven't even talked about the real fun.. Sailing! Slipping through the water without leaving a trace. Here again, having big bucks is not the issue. With the right boat, and enough skill one could travel the entire globe without spending a cent in gas or diesel. Don't believe me? Check out The Long Way by Bernard Moitessier