Planning and completing your SEAbattical

by John Curnow on 27 May 2016 If getting out into the big blue before you have finished working in this life is part of your dreams, then this new book could well be for you. Its author, Brent Vaughan, has been around boats all his life and for the last twenty years has also worked inside the marine industry.

Apart from being an accomplished F18 sailor, he has watched many a cruiser go from idea to reality. Seawind is one of the brands he represents, and they have now sold over 400 units worldwide. In addition to that, the brokerage section of his business, Multihull Central has helped many, many more find the right craft for the job.

Yes, there is a strong cat focus, but so many of the lessons and practical programmes all the way from planning to exit strategy are applicable to monohulls, as well. It is purpose built to ensure you can have a career or operate a business, and yet still get quality time for you and all those immediately around you whilst cruising in remote and exotic locations.

Sitting down with Brent only a few days ago I asked him how it all came to being. “I have been working on it for a little while now and it encapsulates the key tips and hints and good advice from lots of my wonderful customers. Doing what I do you get to see lots of people who succeed, but also those that fail to launch, which I found frustrating. Mainly this is because they get a bit lost when trying to make it all happen, and so the boat never gets used for its intended job. I wanted to do something about that, hence the book.”

“The inspiration to make the book happen had to be all the great people cruising around the world sending me emails and photos of some of the most exotic locations you could imagine. In interviewing a lot of my customers about it all, I saw how we could develop a road map of how to go cruising, especially before you retire. The feedback is always the same, ‘We had a great time, just wish we had done it earlier!’ I used this as a drive to help people get out there in a younger stage of their life.”

“The benefit lies in seeing different cultures, explore, ponder the world, take in new ideas and then come back hitting the ground running. It is not a holiday, it is an adventure that enriches people’s lives to make something better of it. We have had people say that it was tough, challenging, yet exciting and fun. Then when we returned we realised that the life we left behind has not altered, but we have changed. I find this quite inspirational”, said Vaughan.

“In the end, the book is about going from novice to making it a reality, and here’s a step by process that will allow you to be there yourself. Choosing what it is you want to do will help you select the right boats to go look for. Then there are the ways to fund it, preparing and developing your skills, setting up your craft, taking off and then close the loop by looking at the ultimate cost and tax situation when it comes time to move the whole thing on.”

So if you are in Australia in the next little while you may like to totally immerse yourself in all of this great material. It will cost just $49 per person for a whole weekend of ‘this is how you do it’ intel. There will be expert speakers who have done it all before and you also get to do sea trials on various craft.

The first of these exposés is at Brisbane’s Royal Queensland Yacht Squadron on June 18 and 19. It will then be on in Sydney on August 13 and 14. As Brent says, “In the one weekend you will get inspired, educated and experienced, so you can work on making your own clear path.” See www.multhullcentral.com for more information and to book in for this life-changing event.

‘SEAbbaticals: How to pursue paradise by sea, before you retire’ is now available in both hard and soft copy from Amazon.com for AUD25, and all profits from that go to support Sea Mercy. This is a not for profit organisation dedicated to bringing free health care, education, economic development, disaster response and recovery assistance to areas across the South Pacific. Fiji after the recent cyclone is just one example of their work.