To which continent to retire?

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I'd give Nicaragua a second thought, I lived there for 10 years, I even have a Nicaraguan wife. You'd have a target painted on your back down there. In Nicaragua, the locals don't consider it a crime to rip off a gringo, its the national sport. One of the guys in our crowd developed 40 acres for people who wanted to come down there and retire and build a place. The local sheriff (who is a Sandinista) was going to arrest him and hold him in jail till he agreed to sell at his price. He got wind of the sheriff's plan and split to Costa Rica before the sheriff could arrest him. This is just one story, I have seen with my own eyes fellow gringos getting royally ripped off in Nicaragua. Costa Rica isn't as bad, but you still have to be careful, I lived there for a number of years as well. Every time I see these "Blue Sky's" ads about retiring to Nicaragua, I have to laugh.

I love your plan and I wish you all the luck in the world. I'm doing something similar, I went to Europe to check it out the year before last, the coast of Spain is great, as is France, Italy and Greece. The local people make all the difference in the world.

Butch
 
BandB said:
OMC

Definitely on the list of places we want to go. As to retire, would have to be a bit away from Monaco. Close enough to visit would be nice of course.
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B. and B.

Since more than one year, there is still champagne waiting for you aboard, in Antibes, cooled at the right temperature. I would also add for Mme B. , it's a 100% Chardonnay.
 
Irish Rambler said:
B&B,
If you need any help just holler and we'll do our best to point you in the right direction.
As I explained in an earlier post if you read 'Windmills and Wine' in 'Voyagers and boaters on the go' here on TF it will give you some pointers from a European inland waterways angle.
We cruise fairly regularly from France down to Spain.
Oliver is on the Med coast towards the Italian side and he'll help you in that direction..
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Your 'Windmills and Wine' thread & electronic book are definitely the best travel guide, no flattery here.

Merci beaucoup, of course always ready, and glad, to help nice and interesting people.

IR, by the way, Fougère & Picpoul wines aboard as well, if someday the tramontane would push you from the Département 11 to the Département 06.
 
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omc said:
Wrong statement. Behave conventional wisdom
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It was only a joke :)

But honestly don't tell me Monaco is not a "bourgeois" place, I know France and I won't compare Monaco with some other ports on Mediterranean coast except maybe Antibes or St Tropez. Far from more western parts of the coast.

Anyway all the coast is wonderful, Mediterranean sea is just incredible.

L.
 
Europe. The Med. The British isles, the northern European coast (Amsterdam, Antwerp, Denmark, Baltics etc.). Pity it is just so cost prohibitive.

If it was cost effective to ship our boat there and keep it there until the tax period elapsed and then ship it back we would in a heart beat.
 
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You are so right, the coastline of the Mediterranean is special. I loved Spain the most, like I said, it was the people who made the difference. Italy is a close second.

Butch
 
Irish Rambler said:
B&B,
If you need any help just holler and we'll do our best to point you in the right direction.
As I explained in an earlier post if you read 'Windmills and Wine' in 'Voyagers and boaters on the go' here on TF it will give you some pointers from a European inland waterways angle.
We cruise fairly regularly from France down to Spain.
Oliver is on the Med coast towards the Italian side and he'll help you in that direction..
Click to expand...

IrishR,
That is very tempting! I have spent some time in the Rousset valley, Aix, around Marseilles and a few points east. Was begging for job assignment there!
The western side where you are looks very tempting to me for a bunch of land and water-based reasons. Thanks for bringing your little piece of heaven to my attention!

Boat trade for a couple weeks sometime?
 
We have an invitation to visit family of a very close member of our extended family in Spain and intend to do so, perhaps even sometime this summer. We also have a desire to check out a boat line that isn't often seen in the US so sometime intend to charter one in Europe.

Then we do intend sometime to cross the Atlantic, to spend a couple of seasons in Europe, coastal cruising. The inland waters might excite us when we actually see them but at this point don't so much, the canal cruising. I think from what you know of us you can guess that it's too ____ for our tastes.

We want to see the world, but it's so big, so much to see, so little time. The Pacific, Australia, New Zealand and the rest are on the list eventually as well.

All we've detailed as to plans is this year. Who knows what next will bring.
 
As you know from my posts were now in the South of France, we've quite a few couples from NZ, Oz, South Africa, Canada and NZ who've bought boats and spend the summer 6 months here, then go home over the winter, that also gets around visa's etc.
We've well kept 33' aft cabin cruiser, turnkey, fully serviced for sale at 45k Euro if you're tempted.
Anyone with a trawler yacht similar to a KK can cruise extensively, internally, on the European inland waterway system on the 'Grand Gabarit' (large scale) canals with masts down all the way from the North sea to the Black sea, Poland, Czechoslovakia etc
 
Many people from Oz, NZ, Canada, South Africa buy a boat here in the South of France and come for the summer 6 months and rent out their house while they are away. That offsets the holidays with pay and gets around the visa problem, they then either return to their own boat/house for the winter.
We have a 33' aft cabin cruiser for sale at 45k fully serviced,turnkey ready to go for sale if you're tempted down that route.
Many people are not aware they can extensively travel the larger waterways in Europe with a trawler yacht like a KK with masts down.
For shipping your own you can either use deck cargo or ship ro/ro from the states to Liverpool by Atlantic Container Line on a Mafi trailer.
 
MurrayM said:
As you go by our territory you might want to veer off the Inside Passage treadmill and check out; Oyacumish River, Kitlope River, Foch Lagoon, McMicking Inlet, etc...
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I will thanks.
Hope we can meet up there.
 
Wxx3 said:
I will thanks.
Hope we can meet up there.
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That would be great. Most people, except Crusty Chief (hey...MK Bay Marina's breakwater didn't break this winter!) don't make the 120 mile detour off the inside passage to come to Kitimat, but something tells me going a little off the beaten track isn't a problem for you :D

While the town kind of sucks being 5 Km away from the water, there are many places to explore in and around Douglas Channel. Of the hot springs in the area, Europa hot springs is the nicest, Weewanie a close second, and Bishop Bay is usually a crowded gong show being so close to the Inside Passage.

Check out this post for photo's of the Brim and Owyacumish Rivers for a peek into Gardner Canal: Trawler Forum - View Single Post - When Badger's grow up...

PM me when you get closer, if you want, and I'll give you my contact information,

Murray
 
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Be careful, in the 80s and early 90s I spent a lot of time working in Venezuela. I often thought it would be a nice to buy a place in Puerto La Cruz and retire there. Look at Venezuela now, of course if you are living on your boat you can cast off and go somewhere else.
Good Luck
 
OMC,
Thank you for your kind offer and as the man with the wheelbarrow said 'Its in front of me'
We definitely look forward to meeting you at sometime over the summer, we've just finished a 3 day research trip for TF and for anyone interested I'll be updating 'Windmills and Wine' thread over the next few days.
Its great to tour various oceans, rivers and waterways by boat and I absolutely love it, but I'm a bit of a culture vulture and I suggest giving a thought to buying a cheapo car to widen your horizons and see the hinterland rather than just whizzing from port to port.
 
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missing data

It seems that this turned out to be a tours-guide thread.
What I was really looking for is real-life experience on liveaboard/anchoring lifestyle on different continents, as a comparison.
There are lot of great entries here and I am glad it was shared. It just did not bring me closer to the information I was looking for.
Thanks to all, anyway. I enjoyed reading it.
 
We've, collectively given you a broad overview, for my part if you have any specific questions regarding living in Europe just ask and I'll help if I can. If not I'll find out for you.
 
I like what you said

Good response, there are a lot of great places to live along the coastline of the Mediterranean, Spain tops my list with Italy being a close second, on second thought, maybe Italy should be first then Spain. For me it's a hard decision. I went there the year before last looking for the "perfect" place to live. It's there I know it is and perhaps one day I'll move to Europe. It's all about getting EU visa. I'll join you by saying if there is anything I can do to tell you about the Mediterranean coastline just let me know.

Butch
 
Leoka.
I've lived aboard since 1985 both in Ireland and for the last 10 years in France so ask any question and I'll help if I can.
Assuming you're free from work the first question should be climate as that's a daily influence, then begin to tick of the rest of your boxes, inland or sea which will influence the boat you buy, then healthcare, culture, language and cost.
I'm sure others have different thoughts but those were my main criteria which led me to be in the South of France.
 
Be very careful, I traveled on business to Venezuela for years, it was a very nice place. I thought a good spot to buy some property near the coast, Puerto La Cruz, to retire on. That would have been a disaster I think we all know what has happened down there. Think of folks living in Cuba in the late 50s it seems ok now but they went through some rough times.
Good luck
 
Freedom is not free but in the USA we are great. Enough said.
 
North America. No question about it.
 
USA!

 
Hands down South Africa for us...still a first world country so there's good medical....beautiful as all get out...insane variety of wildlife and sea life...incomparable wines..and the Rand is tanking right now while the dollar is surging....and $6M Rand luxury home on a wildlife preserve is like 500 USD.....I would bet that labor, dockage and other boat related expenses are of a similar value
 
Good to see you are showing off a nice American built boat, Mark; although most of your photo's are of Chinese boats. ;)
 
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