My ultimate dream is...
Buying a sailboat. It doesn't have to be big. Anything like a 26 footer will do. My idea now is to travel all around the world in one of these.
I have heard of people who have visited the world on a 12 footer. I think a 26 has ample room for a family of four. Anything bigger than that would be a nuisance. Can you imagine cleaning up a 50 footer?
The price of such a cutie in Brazil is the big problem: around U$$ 25,000. And that's the price of the bareboat. Being so technically inclined, I'll surely want to outfit it with a lot of gear that costs a fortune. Let's see!
1. Radar. Costs around 2,000 bucks in the U.S.A. In Brazil, after paying all the taxes, around US$ 3,000.
2. VHF radio. Around US$ 500,00.
3. SSB radio. Around US$ 1,500,00.
4. Engine. Around US$ 15,000,00.
5. Autopilot. Around US$ 1,500,00.
6. Notebook to be used in navigation. US$ 1,500,00.
7. Navigation computer program. US$ 500,00.
8. Liferaft. US$ 2,500,00.
9. GPS. US$ 900,00. That I have already bought.
10. Epirb- This is a must have. US$ 1500,00.
If you add it all up, we come to a figure of US$ 53,400,00. That reminds me of an old saying:
"The wind is free, it's the sails that cost you a fortune."
I won' give up, though. Being a hell of a stubborn creature ever since I was born, I'll find out a way of saving that much money.
Did you ever think of the joy of sailing the above dreamboat in Rio de Janeiro, heading to those terrific Caribbean islands? We could then go as far as Florida and visit some friends. The possibilities are many! What about going to California later on? Well, well, well. It's getting late and I have just awakened from my dream.
I have been doing some research on the prices of different equipment. Here are a few links (I have no commission whatsoever) that I found interesting:
For GPS:
For raster scan radars:
For marine radios:
Visit these sites, if you're window shopping like me, you'll love it. Some of them give you the list prices of all the equipment. Some simply don't. As my search for prices and ideas continues, I'll post some new addresses here.
For those who will be sailing in Brazilian waters, here goes the link to a nice site to visit. After all, the weather is always a major concern, right?
For those of you willing to investigate the direction and height of waves in the seven seas, go to the site below. Great for sailors!