Cruising Costs

Support our adventure by contributing to our cruising kitty below:

 

Thank you very much for your support



Click on image to enlarge:

This chart includes only cruising related expenses.  It does not include ‘home based expenses’ such as mortgage payments/association fees/etc or the income we receive from renting our condo.

Fuel was high for this quarter because almost all our travel was into the winds and we had to motor to make our way to the Leeward Islands.  We’re hoping this average will reduce substantially as we have now rounded the corner of our eastern route and will be heading on a more southerly course.  E to SE winds will help save us fuel $’s.

Groceries will probably have the monthly average increase as we have to replenish our stores.  Before we left the US, we provisioned greatly (not included in this chart) and have only had to subsidize this slightly with fresh fruits and vegetables, and some bulk items we bought at Cash N Carry in Puerto Rico.

Meals Out are a maintainable expense.  We have tried limiting our restaurant visits and are trying to focus more on consuming the stores of food we have on-board.

Drinks are strictly alcohol purchased for consumption ashore.  Any alcohol bought to replenish supplies on the boat is added in the Grocery column.  Remember, a lot of our internet use was obtained by going to bars and having a drink in order to get ‘free’ internet.  We will try to find other ways to obtain internet so we can control this cost better.

Internet is strictly where we had to pay a fee for WiFi connections.

Shopping includes some general items purchased at places like Walmart (in Puerto Rico) and various drug stores (examples:  shorts and shoes for Larry, a sundress for Tracy, replacement sunglasses for the ones we thought we lost, some boating supplies, some health products, etc).  It also includes the items purchased online for Carl to ship to us (examples:  turntable for the microwave, replacement parts for outboard motor, WiFi antenna/booster, epilator for Tracy).

Travel includes things like taxies/buses/etc.  It is mostly transportation to various places.  This will probably increase as we get out and explore more of the islands and do tours, hikes, etc.

Marinas are times when we either paid for slips at a marina or mooring balls.  We try very hard to limit this expense in particular because it could very quickly get out of control!

Customs are the fees for clearing in and out of various countries.  This # is a little misstated because in December we paid for a 3-month cruising permit for the Bahamas.  It is not included in these #’s.  Also, we spent considerable time in US Territories where we did not have to pay customs fees (Puerto Rico and USVI).  Going forward, the fees should be smaller per nation but we will be hitting a lot more nations along the way.  We expect this monthly average to increase over time.

One Time is an unexpected expense.  In this first 3-month period, we had to purchase two laptop computers.  We already know this category will increase substantially for the next 3-month period as we have to either fix or replace our mainsail.  We hope this # will eventually stabilize as we stop having these unexpected large expenses … keep your fingers crossed for us because this column could make or break our adventure!

Other is small, miscellaneous expenses including things like bank fees for withdrawing funds, laundry (not on the boat), postage, tips/fees for using restrooms, etc.

If you have any specific questions, please feel free to inquire.