Cost of a Cruisin' Vacation

A week away on a sailboat.  Cruising around, visiting beaches and small towns.  Sounds extravagant, right?  Well, here's the breakdown* on what it really takes to sail your home around for a week of fun!

Luna Sea with her new canvas - ready to go!

Sunday:

8pm: Slip away from the dock and motor sail on the outside all the way up to Charleston, SC from Savannah.

Money Spent: $0

The gorgeous sunset that welcomed us as we headed out.

Monday:

11am:  Glide on up to a slip at the Charleston Harbor Resort and Marina  (make sure you get your Active Captain discount!) Enjoy a 4 hour nap after your overnighter!

4pm: Head over to town via the ferry to grab some dinner at Tabbuli and roam around downtown Charleston.

Slip for the night: $90.85

Fuel: $77 (we still have well over 1/2 a tank - even after a week of motoring)

Ferry: $12 for both of us

Dinner: $35 with 2 meals and 2 mojitos (hello $5 drink special!)

Dessert: $12 for overpriced gelato and a water...

Tuesday:

9am Tour: Walk on over to the Yorktown from the boat slip and spend a few hours touring the ship and looking at planes.  There's also a tour of a submarine included.  Take your time and enjoy the morning.

12pm Lunch: Walk down the dock to Charleston Harbor Fish House for a DELICIOUS Mahi lunch for two, including a beer a piece.

Untie the boat and head on south to Edisto Beach.  Drop anchor and throw in the paddle boards for a sunset paddle surrounded by 20 or so dolphins.

Tour: $40

Lunch: $50.43 (we both splurged!)

Anchor at Edisto Beach for the night: $0

Wednesday:

Wake up after a stormy night and take the dinghy to a nearby marina.  From there, walk to a place to rent a couple of bikes, then head a few miles to the grocery store.  Grab a few items (fresh veggies, bread and small bag of dog food. Almost ran out - Oops) and then pick up lunch at McConkey's Jungle Shack - exploring the entire island throughout the day.  Head back to boat - just beating the next storm, and pull up anchor as soon as the rain passes.  Head off to find another good anchorage, further south down the ICW.

Bike Rental: $30

Lunch: $38.68 - included a beer each and tip

Bi-Lo: $24.24

Anchor at Edisto Beach for the night: $0

Thursday:

Set anchor just outside of St. Helena sound and enjoy the strong breeze and beautiful surroundings.

$0

Friday:

Winch that anchor up and head on down the ICW - drop it back down just off of Daufuskie Island.  Would have loved to head over to Marsh Side Mama's to grab dinner with friends, but too much holiday boat traffic encourages settling in to enjoy dinner in the cockpit.  And a nap.

$0

Nap time!

Saturday:

Wake up, enjoy a cup or three of coffee and a magazine in the cockpit.  Notice how warm it's getting and hop in the river for some water aerobics before raising anchor and getting underway.  Motorsail the last leg back to home marina - just in time to wash the boat and settle in to watch the evening's free fireworks!  (Happy July 4th!)

$0

Grand Total: $409.85

We were on vacation and so we had a few splurges.  But overall, it was one heck of a bargain week and we truly had a hard time getting back into "work" mode.  

*At least this is what it cost for us - but we like to eat/drink at home, so that is a huge money saver.  Costs obviously will vary based on personal choices.