Living aboard/ airline pilot

Hey all,

Im a 31 year old guy who figured he would get his midlife crisis out of the way early and buy a New (to me) trawler, so i picked up an old mainship 34.

I'm Living in Boston starting out in the spring down the Intercoastal to FL and running around from there!

Didnt know if any other pilots or flight attendants might be here doing the same and helping with advice on the lifestyle of commuting and leaving a boat for a week at a marina to fly!

Open to ideas and meeting new people in the liveaboard east coast lifestyle. Cheers

Welcome aboard. Nice boat.

“Midlife, maybe. Crisis, hardly.”

Thesaltyrudder said:

Hey all,

Im a 31 year old guy who figured he would get his midlife crisis out of the way early and buy a New (to me) trawler, so i picked up an old mainship 34.

I'm Living in Boston starting out in the spring down the Intercoastal to FL and running around from there!

Didnt know if any other pilots or flight attendants might be here doing the same and helping with advice on the lifestyle of commuting and leaving a boat for a week at a marina to fly!

Open to ideas and meeting new people in the liveaboard east coast lifestyle. Cheers

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Just a few years older than you flying Purple tails and we're planning on someday doing the same. Closing on a Grand Banks soon hopefully. Post some pics of your new baby.

Pilots, we're not well suited to boats.


Welcome to the floaties.

My wife teaches so we have the freedom to do what you speak of in the summertime. We have yet to set off but I have given it some thoughts. I'll share the biggest sticking points I've come up with.

It takes awhile to really get used to how long it takes to get places in a boat. Couple that with finding marinas close to descent airports for commuting and transportation to the airport and it is going to take some planning. I think you would be fine until you get to about Norfolk. After that there are some really long runs until you get to FL.

With that in mind, if we do it, I have decided we would probably have to stay at least a month at a time in the different marinas that we find. First, monthly rate would be cheaper, especially considering you would probably be staying at the more expensive marinas closer to town and the airport. You could possibly anchor out, but I wouldn't be comfortable leaving my boat unattended on an anchor for four or five days at a time. Second, if we don't stay at a marina for extended periods, I would basically spend all my off days moving the boat and never getting to enjoy the different stops. My wife would but I would be away at work. Third, since we decided to stay longer at each stop, we could drive the car ahead to the marina, then fly back and get the boat and continue so on throughout the trip. Having a car of course would make it much easier to get to work, not to mention the store, especially if the airport is far away from the boat.

Finally, you have to plan for hurricanes. Things would not go well if I was away at work and my wife had to prepare for a hurricane alone. Or for that matter if your boat was left alone while you are at work. And you can't plan on having advance notice for these things either. The first hurricane of this season was a low pressure system that came out of GA. It moved into the Gulf and came back ashore 2-3 days later in LA as a Cat 1. Also, I don't know how all parts of the country are, but some marinas in New Orleans require boats to be either moved or taken out of the water depending of the tropical forecasts, so that is another thing to think about when looking at marinas to leave your boat at.

All in all though, if you can navigate those issues, it would be an incredible way to live. Keep us updated.

Stiggy, just pulled it out for the season to spruce her up. Im with atlas, living the dream of endless contract negotiations. Ill post some goodies when i can. Thats why i made the cargo switch from republic though, to spend two weeks home.

Jsplichal2, those are great points. Im on the cargo side with 2 weeks off usually, made the switch for that reason. Seems like hurricanes will definitley be the real hurdle in my case. I do have family i can bank on down south, but i wouldnt feel right about leaving a boat anchored that long. How does security of an anchorage work in such a case? I figure ill spend most times at the marina. I am lucky enough the company will positive space me from any airport with commercial service though!

Thanks for all the input!

I didn't even think about cargo - that may just work. As far as security goes while at anchor, think about leaving your car parked in the woods unattended for two weeks. Probably about the same.
Depending on how determined you are to stay down south, you could just do what many retirees do every year, move with the seasons. That is stay up in your neck of the woods over the summer, i.e. hurricane season and the weather is great, and move south as the temperatures cool. Winter down in FL etc... taking advantage of year round boating and virtually eliminating the hurricane risk.

Or if you have your mind set on leaving Boston in the spring - you could start the Great Loop up there and spend hurricane season on the Great Lakes. Lots of airports to commute out of and assuming you're a baseball fan, lots of parks to visit - Phillies, Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Indians, Tigers, Cubs, White Sox, Cardinals, Royals, etc..... Not to mention all the minor league parks.

Thesaltyrudder said:

Stiggy, just pulled it out for the season to spruce her up. Im with atlas, living the dream of endless contract negotiations. Ill post some goodies when i can. Thats why i made the cargo switch from republic though...

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I hear you on the contract stuff. I was at Atlas on the 74 prior to here. That could be the best job in the industry if they could get out of their own way. The large blocks of time off would definitely be conducive to your plan. Good luck!

Salty,

Got your stuff in at the majors so speak? Purple is slowing hiring after the 1st of the year.

I'm not a pilot, but there is a large coterie of them at the Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina where I berth. Other Tampa area airports are probably the same. I also remember a bunch in San Diego at the marinas right next to the airport, but that isbthevwrong coast for you.

Welcome...Always glad to see "stick actuators" on board. Life at 8kts

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

Welcome...Always glad to see "stick actuators" on board. Life at 8kts

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Should be fun to see him gather speed so he can "rotate".

gkesden said:

I'm not a pilot, but there is a large coterie of them at the Clearwater Beach Municipal Marina where I berth. Other Tampa area airports are probably the same. I also remember a bunch in San Diego at the marinas right next to the airport, but that isbthevwrong coast for you.

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How far is the Clearwater Beacj Muni Marina from KTPA???

And good luck to the OP!!! Yes, that schedule is much more conducive to pulling that lifestyle off. I have always thought about that but just don't have the time off necessary to really pull it off. Hell I just bought a boat and trying to get it from the West Coast of Florida to Texas and am struggling with the logisitics as far as schedule goes.
Also, my airline, UAL, is hiring like crazy. Not sure if you're interested but get your stuff in if you are not. We just announced a completely new recruiting department...

Welcome aboard from another thirty-something liveaboard. I pilot large watercraft m'self, and I do a month on-month off shuffle. Just started living aboard a couple of months ago, and am attempting to follow the seasons snowbird style. I'll also be leaving my vessel at marinas while I'm away. So far so good.

TF Member South of Heaven is another Bostonian Liveaboard, and is also a thirty-something, if memory serves.

Sorry ive been so slow at getting back fellas. I had a week off of sick leave and trying to run around usa to see old flight friends especially here in Pittsburgh.

I would go to United/fed ex, or any major, maybe not delta though, bad taste in the mouth and i want to enjoy who i fly with more then being a sky god... but i feel the cargo life with big blocks of time off works better for me and I commuted for 5 years and love being positive spaced for work. Im a community college guy with part 61 training and payed off all my training single handed so im not chasing a pay rate, just good times and stress free lifestyle. Plus not having a 4 yr degrees limits me.

Honestly boys, i hate the crazy rat race of the airlines, im ready to live the easy life have some beers, enjoy my company and learn a few new skills as a 747 First officer. I mostly work for the catering...

Thesaltyrudder said:

.... Plus not having a 4 yr degrees limits me.

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There are plenty of sites will provide you a 4 year degree, some actually accredited.
While you searching the computer, you can find divinity too. Then you can earn extra money around the docks on Friday night too.

jsplichal2 said:

... think about leaving your car parked in the woods unattended for two weeks. Probably about the same. ...

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Kinda depends on which neck of the woods you are in.

Old Timer

I've had Lady Sue, 1982 Mainship I, original Perkins (and almost everything else, except stuff in the reefer) for 28 years, and know almost as much about the boat as Jay Leonard, so if I can be of any help, let me know. She is shrink-wrapped on her cradle now, but spends the season on Raritan Bay along your route to Florida. Jim Ferry sue46jim2gmail.com

Thesaltyrudder said:

Hey all,

Im a 31 year old guy who figured he would get his midlife crisis out of the way early and buy a New (to me) trawler, so i picked up an old mainship 34.

I'm Living in Boston starting out in the spring down the Intercoastal to FL and running around from there!

Didnt know if any other pilots or flight attendants might be here doing the same and helping with advice on the lifestyle of commuting and leaving a boat for a week at a marina to fly!

Open to ideas and meeting new people in the liveaboard east coast lifestyle. Cheers

Click to expand...

If you are flying into and out of RSW YOU have many options to anchor your boat! In SW Florida.

Flew for FDX for 20 yrs, based in Asia most of the time, and lived on our 43' monohull for several. Our schedules were...more-or-less...week on/week off then, but now I can't say.....been retired for 9 years??. You must know seniority plays a very big role in your schedule! Lots of American pilots, hired by local airlines in Singapore and Hong Kong, bought boats to live on, but most did not travel much...they just used them as a place to live during their contracts. But I can highly recommend the cargo world-never had a box bitch about a hard landing, or coffee to cold or to hot, or to early or late!

Saltyrudder, it was not clear to me whether or not you are currently living aboard the boat and planning to leave Boston in the Spring headed south in it. I could not imagine living on such a small boat in the winter in Boston.

Xsbank said:

“Midlife, maybe. Crisis, hardly.”

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I guess that all depends upon how long the doctors say you are going to live.

I wish him many hours of happiness.

Hello Chris,

Welcome to Trawler life and live aboard lifestyle!

I retired in May after over 40 years of NWA/DAL employment and spent many years on the 747-400 flying 12/13 day trips. I would have liked to have finished on the whale but instead I took the last ones to the desert and finished at the top of the list on the A350. Life was good!


Usually I completed 6 to 8 Pacific crossings in those 12/13 days and always looked forward to returning to the boat to recover from my series of 5 hour naps. We seldom had a layover over 24 hours except for one 36 hour layover due to FAR 117 (which freighter guys don't have to suffer with).


For the last 8 years I have been moving my boat from the Tennessee River to the Gulf Coast and back each Fall and Spring. Your type of flying will easily fit with your lifestyle on your boat.

Enjoy the 74' and the unique trips Atlas has! Good luck with negotiations and never take them personal. It's just business!

Tell Jeff C. hello for me!

Rusty
M/V Kristine
DeFever 53 POC
Orange Beach, AL

oceancrosser said:

Usually I completed 6 to 8 Pacific crossings in those 12/13 days and always looked forward to returning to the boat to recover from my series of 5 hour naps. We seldom had a layover over 24 hours except for one 36 hour layover due to FAR 117 (which freighter guys don't have to suffer with).

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ALPA is working very hard to make the frieghter guys "suffer" equally from FAR117.

Baker said:

How far is the Clearwater Beacj Muni Marina from KTPA???

And good luck to the OP!!! Yes, that schedule is much more conducive to pulling that lifestyle off. I have always thought about that but just don't have the time off necessary to really pull it off. Hell I just bought a boat and trying to get it from the West Coast of Florida to Texas and am struggling with the logisitics as far as schedule goes.
Also, my airline, UAL, is hiring like crazy. Not sure if you're interested but get your stuff in if you are not. We just announced a completely new recruiting department...

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Sorry. I missed this question. I'd say 35 minutes most times of the day. The airport claims 30 minutes. The Clearwater municipal marina downtown vs beach is a few minutes less, just because one doesn't need to cross the bridge.

Baker said:

ALPA is working very hard to make the frieghter guys "suffer" equally from FAR117.

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Caution... thread creep.


FAR 117 for us international guys was the worst thing to come down from the FAA. I had never been more fatigued with the "new rules" than all the years I flew without it.


Cruise safely...



Rusty

ben2go said:

Pilots, we're not well suited to boats.

Welcome to the floaties.

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Hey! Why not? I flew for BOAC/British Airways for many years before leaving to run my business. Not having a 150 ton, 4 engine Boeing 707 in my garage, I bought a Fleming 55.

I'd say there's a greater challenge to driving a boat than flying a plane. Why? Before 'casting off' for a flight, ground staff would brief on the weather, the trip, the conditions, and serviceability of the plane and the fuel load. I only had to listen and make final decisions. From chocks away to chocks in, air traffic controllers would guide me and look out for my safety.

With a boat, I create the nav plan, I keep her serviceable, I decide on the fuel and I check the boat before casting off. On passage, I have to keep the boat safe with my own look-out. Not only that, but I have to watch the sea state at all times and act accordingly.

Who says driving a boat is easier than flying a plane? I love it!

greatpapabear said:

Who says driving a boat is easier than flying a plane? I love it!

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Hello Greatpapabear!! (Speedbird!)

Excellent recap of the responsibility of the Captain both on the sea as well as the air!

There are many many cruisers who have transitioned from the cockpit to the helm and they love it!

All the best,

Rusty
M/V Kristine
DeFever 53 POC