What happens if you quit your job to be able to sail the waves? Will you be able to feed yourself thanks to your professional skills? Let's say you are no longer tormented by regular routine work, there are no long kilometer-long traffic jams - all this gray life... At the same time, you are paid for trips around the world on a yacht, or maybe you yourself earn on these trips. Do you think this does not happen? You are wrong.
Now many are moving away from the seemingly traditional building of their careers, the goal of which, as is commonly believed, is financial freedom, in order to take a break or leave for a while in order to live today, not tomorrow. People decide to leave everything, travel and live easier, freer and happier. At the same time, they do not at all look like those nomads of the 1960s and 70s. They are highly educated people with career achievements, traveling in relatively comfortable conditions.
If you have a savvy, and a large number of these thirty-forty-year-olds, and even fifty-year-olds are trained in digital technologies, then sailing life can be easily turned into a reliable business project that provides for a harmonious combination of work and personal life.
There is another option, if you dream of a very decent salary for the captain, then you can try yourself in the superyacht industry. In this case, you should not relax - hard everyday work and huge responsibility await you. And, most likely, such work will be extremely limited by the orders of the client.
We think that many people prefer the first option, in which a person is the owner of himself, the captain of his own yacht, can sail everywhere and always, whenever he wants, earning sailing trips, on them, and, possibly, in another area. - remotely. Dream, agree?!
In the past few years, thanks to the growing demand for remote work and the successful promotion of platforms to monetize the channels of bloggers and startups, there have been many ways to make money while traveling.
Creative work progresses along with a myriad of new platforms. And those who like to spy on real life online - hundreds of millions. Explore Patreon, the main platform used by travelers, and see for yourself. And the most popular products are video blogs and podcasts on YouTube. Various bloggers and vloggers invite sponsors to fund their work. Moreover, the structure of such funding is multi-level: more contributions - more exclusive access and events, as well as gifts from vloggers, etc.
Some vlog owners already have an impressive number of subscribers and are making good money. One of the first and best is considered to be the very media-savvy crew of four Sailing SV Delos, traveling in the Amel Super Maramu. They make up to four videos a month, earning about $ 15,000 per episode from 1,900 sponsors.
Sailing La Vagabonde is also a famous vlog with a huge number of subscribers and 2600 sponsors, telling about the lives of Riley Whitlum and Elaina Karausu, where they earn from 10 to 20 thousand dollars per video. Rainey and Elaina have covered almost 70 thousand nautical miles in 5 years of cruising. This is a very serious business, with the help of which they bought a new Outremer catamaran yacht a few years ago. And it's also real life: a few months ago, the young people had a child and together with him they moved from the states to the Caribbean on their boat.
Following the example of these famous vloggers, a whole community has already been created, more than 500 video channels, of those who travel the world on yachts. At the same time, some of these young people have serious financial obligations, including leasing.
Documentary films, reality TV shows, and other videos can make a lot of money, despite the fact that the boundaries have been erased. It is clear that this requires not only a lot of time, but also a sufficient understanding of digital technologies, social networks and daily intensive work to engage the audience. But it's cool when you are young and look spectacular in a swimsuit, because you are always in shape! By the way, the comments under the video can be aggressive and violent, which is why thick skin is important in this industry. But this is part of the "game" that any public person who is forced to communicate with the audience must cope with.
Seemingly light-hearted on video, “adventure” is a full-fledged job that requires filming and storyboarding, as well as editing that takes the lion's share of the time. For frequent episodes, you should be near places with good Wi-Fi. Now, fund-me platforms are changing all the kinds of creativity that were previously destroyed by digital media. On Patreon, the top-grossing projects range from amateur videos to daily newsletters of Bible quotes and political podcasts. Probably, some of your competencies could be useful with such a lifestyle. The skills of a lawyer, accountant, translator, coach or designer can be useful for work, both online and offline. As for freelancing, people, even those living in the city, increasingly prefer remote work, calmly paying their bills, while they save time, travel, etc. Many people think that the potential income is lower the more free time and freedom you have. So you can make enough money to go sailing the seas and oceans and enjoy it. The main thing is to want it and have a plan.
There are some sailing sailors who admit to working harder than they did in their previous office work. Moreover, earning less money, they get much more pleasure from life. The freelancing revolution has opened up many opportunities that can be used at any stage of your career. Are you ready to radically change your life - that is the question!?
Tasha and Ryan Hacker are another couple who have made sailing their job. In 2015, he sold the business and bought the new Fontaine Pajot Helia 44, known as the Cheeky Monkey. They launched their cruise yacht in La Rochelle and, for the next 18 months, sailed to the Caribbean Sea across the Atlantic, and then crossed into French Polynesia through the Panama Canal.
Tasha received income from three main sources: YouTube, where through Google and Patreon she earned from $ 200 to $ 3000 per month; wrote articles in popular magazines for $ 250-1000 each; investment income after the sale of their company. For her, filming videos was not just a part of funding their transitional lifestyle, but also an opportunity to be busy and a source to support and develop her creativity, activity and passion. A professional youtuber must be a disciplined person who allows his creativity to flourish. Although, the regular search for good access to the Internet makes you compromise with your desires.
Tasha gives some tips for those planning to make money on YouTube or on contracts with publishers to finance their alternative lifestyle:
"It is not burdensome for you if you like to shoot videos and then post them on the Internet or write. But, if you do not like spending hours at the computer, being in a beautiful bay, and the main motive is money, then this travel financing option will be quite difficult for you. It takes a long time to attract subscribers and love is the only thing that can make you move, even if there is no cash flow."
Petter and Octavia Bergman took a standard course at the yacht school 14 years ago and immediately fell in love with the business. Soon, they already purchased their first sailing vessel, the Hunter 44DS — SV Bella Marina, after moving to which they went on a year's sabbatical and sailed along the west coast of the United States and Mexico before settling in California. The couple immediately began developing a plan that would allow them to combine a successful career in Silicon Valley with yachting, as they missed the cruise lifestyle.
They started developing their own business idea (software for yacht management, created by yachtsmen for the same as themselves, and called Quartermaster), which could be used while sailing, even when Octavia returned to work as a top manager. in the field of software, and Petter to his studies on creating software. The couple hopes that in the future this will bring them income sufficient for their usual lifestyle. Despite the fact that the project is still in the growth stage, Octavia remotely continues its consulting activities. They also have property that provides them with rental income. But the total income, yacht owners say, varies greatly from one to ten thousand dollars a month, as it depends on the number of Octavia's clients.
For the past two years, they have been able to combine "distance" with the management of a yachting project, making slow Pacific crossings. Looking back, they are a little surprised, comparing their current life to the previous search for a balance between work and personal life, which did not exist, and admit that the present situation requires them to stay longer in various places with good Wi-Fi access. They have far less time for fun than other non-working yacht owners, but the couple are convinced that, despite a number of disadvantages of such a life, they made the right decision.
"This lifestyle provides us with the opportunity to sail, travel and enjoy the most beautiful sunsets and clear waters before we retire. The new way of life becomes acceptable, both in everyday life and at work. You can always find us on the Internet, which is everywhere. How can you not take advantage of this opportunity?"
Swedish woman Mia Karlsson and her American husband Andy Schell, who are over thirty years old, decided to create their business in such a way that it would correspond to their life credo. The couple organize charter flights on their yacht, passing on their experience and love of sea travel to clients. At the same time, Andy also releases his own radio channel, called "On the Wind".
The crews they recruit pay the couple tuition and sailing fees on their 1972 S & S Swan 48 Isbjörn yacht. Before each season, usually two years in advance, they draw up and adjust their sailing calendar and post it on their page on the 59-north.com Internet page, independently deciding on the time and place of their direction. This plan allows them to provide them with 10 voyages per year, each lasting 7 to 21 days, for a total distance of about 10,000 nautical miles.
"We have several tasks that we want to solve: to create our own business, in which our occupation would not be like“ work ”in the usual sense; earn enough to feel happy, but in no case do it just for the sake of money; lead a moderate, financially simple lifestyle; to have free time for personal affairs and entertainment, as well as meetings with friends and family."
"Our business is a way of life, thanks to which no one has yet become rich, because it cannot be scaled. My dream is to live what I love, so instead of just making money in a regular job and continuing to sail after retirement, I eliminate the part I don't need and provide my life with what I really love", - says Andy. He also talks about how they came to realize their business and what, in doing so, they used:
"We started to translate the idea into a business plan from the following premises: many studies prove that happiness grows in proportion to income, but its limit is about $ 70,000 per family per year. It turns out that we took this number as a goal and attempted to calculate how many clicks we need to make in order to achieve it in the form of profit, taking into account a small reserve for unrealized places, unplanned maintenance costs, and the like. We have acquired an old 45-year-old yacht on which almost all systems have been replaced. It cost us relatively inexpensively - 130 thousand dollars. Since then, we have additionally invested at least $ 150,000 in refurbishment."
In terms of income, at the end the pair surpassed its forecast of $ 70,000 per year. In addition to paid services for sea cruises, the podcast, at the expense of sponsorship money, provides Andy and Mia with almost 75% of all income, because his fame brings clients to them. During the fall, the couple host a series of workshops during boat shows in Annapolis and occasionally publish their articles in magazines.
In general, their earnings are about 200 thousand dollars a year, but taking into account the large amount of investments in 2016 and 2017 in re-equipment of the boat, they received about 40 thousand dollars “on hand”. But, this income, of course, will increase, while the bulk of the work on the yacht has already been completed. They also calculated that the budget for maintenance, insurance, salaries of seafarers, etc. is about 40 thousand dollars a year. In addition, $ 25,000 is a fund for new sails, which need to be changed every 50-60 thousand miles of passage or 5-6 years of operation. At the same time, such a business has an insignificant share of expenses associated with the maintenance of an office due to its absence, as such.
“Sailing as a job is not really freedom in reality. On the one hand, we are free to determine the time and place where we go, on the other, we have a plan that we stick to as soon as we go out to sea. In fact, a certain sense of freedom comes when we are outside the boat. In the offseason, in addition to keeping the business afloat and recording the next podcasts, we are free to do whatever we want and have a lot of free time.
Matt and Lucy Wilcox traveled for 14 years until they purchased the Lagoon 380, a 2005 38-foot catamaran yacht, to cruise the Bahamas and the east coast of the United States.
It was originally planned to live using accumulated savings, from time to time returning to normal work, but when it came time to return to their usual lifestyle, the couple realized that now they could not give up their current lifestyle on board their Independence yacht and both made a decision. become freelancers.
Previously, Lucy taught online courses at the university, so she got a similar job as an online teacher of English to Chinese students. And Matt is a freelance photographer and graphic designer looking for clients through freelance sites.
In addition, both write articles and are travel photographers and editors of the Bahamas Waterways Guide. Their workweek, with a total monthly income of $ 2,400, doesn’t last more than 20 hours. At the same time, the couple does not yet have the opportunity to visit a number of regions, due to the lack of cellular communication or Internet access there. they are planning the transitions based on Lucy's online activities.
Twice a week, on weekends, they change their location, explore new places or relax. In bad weather, when the time comes, they tend to increase their workload, and during crossings or boat affairs, some work may be delayed.
“A short working day on a yacht has brought more satisfaction and harmony into our lives. We currently earn about 25% of income ashore, but we have never felt more prosperous than we do now. The cruise lifestyle and freelancing affect us impeccably."
Another couple, Bruce Jacobs and Rachel Sproth, got the idea to go about their business, already owning three yachts, and started the Rubicon 3 charter company. Their business is a prime example of a small but growing number of well-organized yachting agencies providing services for those wishing to travel under sail.
“Rachel and I initially had different starting positions. Her father is a professional yachtsman and she has worked as a skipper for most of her life. I have been in the yachting business for 12 years in marketing and development”, says Jacobs.
In 2012, they took out a loan to buy the «Blackadder» (now «Hummingbird») yacht from Clipper Ventures when they learned they were selling it. Confident that they will surely recoup their investments, they have worked 60 hours a week each for five years in a row, raising their business, since having customers is still half the battle. The couple aspired to create a new type of yacht business, which was designed to provide good training, future salaries and safety to professional skippers.
Jacobs believes that anyone who is thinking of moving into the yachting business from another area should be concerned about the balance between their work and those in their personal life. At the first stage, two years, being young parents with a child, they worked tirelessly as skippers. Currently, the couple does this no more than 1-2 times a year, since managing the company has become their main occupation
“When you work for yourself, the balance between your business and your personal life is different. There is much more motivation and satisfaction from what has been done, but much less "free" time than before."
If we talk about money, then in the end it took 5 years to earn enough money for life, at the beginning of which they allocated themselves either very small amounts or nothing at all. And the couple offers to think hard for those who are going to do business in the yachting industry. Yachting as a leisure activity is strikingly different from yachting as your own business. A true love of yachting can turn into a routine due to the daily activities of the yachting business. Moreover, this is not yet the most profitable area for small businesses.
“My advice on organizing a full-fledged yacht business is that you need to carefully think over everything and draw up a plan. How are you going to succeed in business, what skills and new knowledge will be needed, what do you plan to achieve in 20 years? If you are not able to give an answer to these and other questions or do not really like the answer, then it is better to go sailing for your own pleasure."