Im retired. I no longer have to sell anything, write anything,report to anyone, read reports of others, raise capital, make payroll, hire people or fire people. Most of the work I've done has been enjoyable and the biggest fear I had was retirement. I sold my business in 1968 and kept working for 4 years so I could keep my hand in.
Man, was I confused? My wife suggested that we buy a sailboat so we could have some fun on weekends aqnd that was the end of my working life. Within a year I retired, sold the house, stored the furniture, bought a bigger boat and we left the Chesapeake Bay for the Bahamas. That was 8 years ago and even though I've not sailed further south than the Bahamas, you can see The Southern Cross from the lower end of the Ragged Islands. I'll be there in April. Nothing to do but fish, dive, beach comb and a little maintenance.
Oh yeah, the maintenance. Two diesel engines (auxillary propulsion and genset), one outboard engine , two refrigeration systems, water maker, 8 pumps, 2 heads, communications, navigation and rigging. There's not much in the way of services in the out Islands and we avoid Nassau and Freeport like the plague so if something breaks I get the call. There's other sailors of course and we help each other out but there is plenty of work for everyone.
I don't know how many years I can keep this up. Some small pieces of me don't make the trip anymore. I turned them over to the surgeons as a result of encounters with melanoma and prostate cancer, but they were relatively small pieces that I don't really need anymore.
This thing we do with lathes and mills and brass and steel, may give me something to do full time when I retire from cruising. Maybe I'll get some real machines and build a real shop but for now I is great to know that there is a group of good people with good ideas that share the same interest.
Jerry
