The Expat Retirement Thread (or expat thread)

Thats why, if you are able, the best place to retire is on a livaboard vessel. The largest one you can dock by yourself. Get tired of any port or anchorage then just sail away. Always putting out a crab pot or a fish trap. Avoid the storms. If you don't want to run the boat, there are teams available to take it anywhere or just up and down a coast. Or there are plenty of houseboats on the inland waterway.

I found out living for awhile in Dana Point Calif.. harbors and the city's that own them, really cater to yachts. There is a small contingent round the globe that live that way. The harbors have gated entrances, so you can live even in Fla. or Cali. and have a pretty safe place. Lots of fine dining establishments set up on the shoreline, so it's easy walking to fine dining, gyms, sauna's. They cater well to the crowd that can afford yachts. Thing is, even a poorer fella such as myself can 'slip' right in.

Just like tax laws, they were written for the wealthy, but if you have the drive to fight with the IRS all the time, you can live pretty tax free also.

Even if you don't want to have a sailable vessel, some people liveaboard vessels that don't even have motors. They just want to live onboard in a harbor. The views are great, whales, dolphins, shorebirds all the time. Beats listening to the neighbors.

Check out the houseboats on lake Mead. Live on Stripers and bass/catfish.

On the open seas, I'd be a little concerned, I'd get hijacked, tossed overboard and the boat is being used by drug smugglers.

Quote: rxwine

On the open seas, I'd be a little concerned, I'd get hijacked, tossed overboard and the boat is being used by drug smugglers.

There is a lot of shoreline in the US and Canada. Baja if you are up to it. Or was it the Canadians that you were concerned about? They did hijack our ferry.

Quote: petroglyph

There is a lot of shoreline in the US and Canada. Baja if you are up to it. Or was it the Canadians that you were concerned about? They did hijack our ferry.

Definitely Canadians.

Your comment about storms reminded me of a recent news story about a dozen or so shrimp boats just off of Louisiana. For some reason they all stayed in harbor, got hit by one of the hurricanes and like half of them sunk. These were experienced guys.

Seems to me, if you can move out of the way, why hang around and take a chance. But I'm not a boater. (or sailor)

Found the story,

Quote:

ut the shrimpers of Cameron did what they do each time a storm approaches: They motored their trawlers 30 miles inland, tied them to a pier at the Port of Lake Charles and hunkered down in their cabins to ride out the storm. Hurricane Laura, however, delivered a destructive mauling unlike any they’d ever seen, tearing boats from moorings, sucking captains out of cabins and sinking boat after boat into the channel.

Fifteen shrimping boats tied up to wait out Laura. Only five survived, the rest sinking to the bottom of Bayou Contraband, the channel that cuts along the port.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/i-knew-i-was-going-to-die-shrimpers-rescue-each-other-from-sinking-boats-while-riding-out-hurricane-laura/ar-BB18v9nE

Quote: rxwine

Definitely Canadians.

Your comment about storms reminded me of a recent news story about a dozen or so shrimp boats just off of Louisiana. For some reason they all stayed in harbor, got hit by one of the hurricanes and like half of them sunk. These were experienced guys.

Seems to me, if you can move out of the way, why hang around and take a chance. But I'm not a boater. (or sailor)

Might want to go over their financials? Could be an insurance sale. I never thought the shrimp industry would recover from the BP spill.

I've talked recently to friends who are commercial fishers in Ak. They got killed this year, first with the Covid lockdowns, then trying to get their crews through the lockdowns, then several salmon fishery's nearly collapsed again this year. Fishing is always iffy, but this year was really hard up north.

I have a 15 year old g-daughter who got a check from the feds this year, after commercial fishing was declared a disaster [Ak], for fishing commercial [set net] last year. I'm proud of her for being able to register a commercial delivery at such a young age, enough that the feds recognized her as a commercial fisherman and sent her a disaster relief check.

Yeah, those are experienced guys. Not much can be done about a hurricane, except not be there when they happen. Not many hurricanes on the west coast.

Small boats can visit yacht clubs, plenty of fresh fish if you trail a line out as you travel, no need to actively fish. B3er fishing for the lazy. Natives will often sell you more fish than you can eat for five or ten dollars. One woman lived for a decade in the San Blas islands on a small!! Boat but some buy a catamaran and have a floating Condo with washing machines rather than throwing accumulated laundry onto shower floor. Motor wailers can be bèt of both worlds, cheap life but speed when you need it, c9op safety radio networks when in trouble waters. Free homeschooling, teenagers live aboard website,



Many Americans retiring to Canadian agricultural area just north of border, making a killing,

Some live afloat in Canadian waters on a fifty dollar pass, but subscribe to Washington shared agricultural farms mailed output.

Best option I heard of was a luxury condo in Vegas with some tenants being Free Play junkies that need to camp on quick trips.

Quote: rxwine

Found the story,



https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/i-knew-i-was-going-to-die-shrimpers-rescue-each-other-from-sinking-boats-while-riding-out-hurricane-laura/ar-BB18v9nE

"But the shrimpers of Cameron did what they do each time a storm approaches: They motored their trawlers 30 miles inland, tied them to a pier at the Port of Lake Charles and hunkered down in their cabins to ride out the storm. Hurricane Laura, however, delivered a destructive mauling unlike any they’d ever seen, tearing boats from moorings, sucking captains out of cabins and sinking boat after boat into the channel."

That's awful. That kind of fear is just awful. I never wanted to be anywhere near the gulf. I like low humidity.

Reminded me of Forest.

Quote: Evenbob

Nice place. Costs about $2K a
month for one person to live
modestly. Just as depressing
as any other place in the
winter. Sun goes down early
and it's in the 50's and rains
a lot. Believe me, 50's is cold
after you've lived there awhile.

Ever look at Paraguay? The Nazi's
loved it.

It is on the list there. Still early in expat development.

As to cold I can take 50F.

Quote: rxwine

Your comment about storms reminded me of a recent news story about a dozen or so shrimp boats just off of Louisiana. For some reason they all stayed in harbor, got hit by one of the hurricanes and like half of them sunk. These were experienced guys.

Seems to me, if you can move out of the way, why hang around and take a chance. But I'm not a boater. (or sailor)

A few years ago my company sent me down to Fort Myers to check out a casino boat they were looking at buying. They told meon Wednesday, I had to fly out the next day and inspect the boat on Friday. I rushed home after work, packed a bag and flew on Thursdday morning with zero preparation. When I landed in Ft. Myers the lady at the rental car place asked me why in the world am I coming to Ft Myers at this time. She informed me that a hurricane is scheduled to hit on Friday. I had no idea. The hurricane ended up missing Ft Myers so I went to the boat dock for my inspection and the boat wasn't there. It turns out they knew of the hurricane and hightailed it out to sea. I was stuck the next four days in Ft Myers as the airports were closed.