Biking
Burlington Mooring Field
Another great day in Burlington…wonderful temperature,
plenty of sunshine and a great view of the lake. We had another lazy morning on
the boat while we waited for the second day of the USA Triathlon to wind down.
After lunch we took the bikes to town and rode along the Burlington Bikeway, which runs along the lake, so we didn’t have to deal with the hills (small mountains)
they have here in town. We rode up to Delta
Park, just past the Winooski River Trail Bridge…most of the path runs where the
Island Line railroad used to run. Most of the trail overlooks the lake, shaded
by trees, with several scenic overlooks. We did a little over ten miles.
Since Burlington sets on a large hill, we locked the bikes
at the waterfront and walked back up to Church Street. Spent a little more time
wandering around, looking in little shops and watching people. Our last stop
was the City Market, where we picked up a steak to cook on the grill for
dinner. We spent another nice evening on the boat enjoying a great dinner and
watching an amazing sunset over the lake. Key West has a sunset celebration
every night…I think Burlington could do the same thing. What a great place to
see the sun setting into the mountains of New York with the lake reflecting the
last bits of fading light.
Views of the lake from the boat
I stumbled upon your blog while researching Costa Rica of all things, and have now spent the better part of an hour clicking through and dreaming about living your life! For maybe 7 or 8 years now, I've been contemplating a boat-based retirement, doing the Great Loop, so I can't believe I found your blog. I've just looked at your Google Maps of the places you've been, up through Canada, the east coast, the gulf coast, the bahamas ... it's incredible and exactly what I aspire to do in ~10-12 years. I live in Vermont and boat (small recreational fishing boat) on Lake Champlain all the time, so looking at your pics of your Champlain stops was fun. So - question, and feel free to be vague if necessary, but what does a 1980's era Hatteras 48 run in terms of purchase price (ballpark) or your 36' Monk? I'm not a sailor, so motor yacht will be the way I go. I've read recommendations on Grand Banks Trawlers in the 40' range as being good ones to do the Great Loop, but if I was in the market some day to buy a sea-worthy boat to live on with my wife, what's the "average" cost?
ReplyDeleteSo glad you found us. We do enjoy our life, although the last month in the work yard is making me wonder why we have two boats! A 40' boat is the perfect size for cruising...we love our Monk 36, but at times she can be a bit small. She would be a great boat to do the loop in and is a dream to take through locks. A 1980's era boat depending on condition/size would run you $50-120K. We got an amazing deal on the Hatteras. But know that most places will not loan money on a 30+ year old boat. The cost of cruising and owning a boat like these have a lot to do with if you do the maintenance or have it done for you. If you're 10-12 years out...we might be ready to sell our Monk by then. :)
DeleteWe loved the time we spent in Lake Champlain...might even make it back that way one summer. We will spend our second season in Ithaca this summer, but want to spend a little more time in the 1000 Islands also. We plan to cruise that way in June sometime. You can follow us on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Thepearlmonk36/
Thanks so much for responding. You guys are living my dream retirement life! I hope I can pull it off some day. Question that just popped into my head - he you have a land-based home still as well, or are you 100% boat based now? One of my main sources of confusion is how to figure out total overall cost for finances (ie. the extra costs of living on a boat like lock costs, dock/mooring costs, pump outs, power hook ups, fuel, etc. to figure out if it's even feasible to do it full time. Anyways, I have some time to figure it out. Enjoy your time in the 1000 Islands this year. That's a beautiful place!
ReplyDeleteLiving on the boat doesn't cost any more than when we are living at home. We eat onboard about the same as we eat in at home....and yes at the moment we do still own a house. We paid it off over 30 years ago...but we still pay taxes and insurance. We turn the AC up when we leave and turn a lot of the breakers off so the electric is low, no water or sewer bill since we live in the country, no land line...so no real bills there. We do pay someone to mow twice a month. We are ready to sell, but haven't had the time to get rid of things and make that move. Last year he sold and packed up my Dad's place...that took months and this year we've been dealing with hurricane related issues. One day soon. We own the boat in Texas so we can be in the same cute town our grand daughters live in.
DeleteMost marinas are cheaper per night the longer you stay...day, week, month or year., and where you cruise will determine the cost of the marinas. No telling how things will be in 10 years though. Places come and go...we've seen a lot of change in the 8 years we've been doing this. If we are just traveling through an area...on the way to somewhere, we anchor. Here's my email...if you have any question...any time just ask.
Forgot the email! bayoubabies@gmail.com
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