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Stay Real, Stay Gone: More transformational tricks and tips to help you downsize your life and escape the rat-race under sail.
The follow up to the #1 Best Seller: Get Real Get Gone
In 2015, Rick Page wrote an unassuming little book in response to the many people who had seen him on TV and were asking “how do you live like a millionaire on so little money”? The answer was not what many expected.
The surprise success of Get Real, Get Gone clearly demonstrated that there was a need for a book that pulled no punches, and did not mind ruffling a few establishment feathers to help the aspiring nautical nomad negotiate the forest of marketing and misinformation that can often surround the idea of budget living and voyaging on a sailboat.
Stay Real, Stay Gone is the long awaited follow-up and is full of information and techniques to keep the dream on track. Like the first book, it is not simply a list of useful sailing life hacks, but also a collection of philosophical approaches to help you maintain the dream of a better life afloat through simple, sustainable living.
Those who enjoyed the first book will love it. Those who had their feathers ruffled, stand by to be plucked...
In 2015, Rick Page wrote an unassuming little book in response to the many people who had seen him on TV and were asking “how do you live like a millionaire on so little money”? The answer was not what many expected.
The surprise success of Get Real, Get Gone clearly demonstrated that there was a need for a book that pulled no punches, and did not mind ruffling a few establishment feathers to help the aspiring nautical nomad negotiate the forest of marketing and misinformation that can often surround the idea of budget living and voyaging on a sailboat.
Stay Real, Stay Gone is the long awaited follow-up and is full of information and techniques to keep the dream on track. Like the first book, it is not simply a list of useful sailing life hacks, but also a collection of philosophical approaches to help you maintain the dream of a better life afloat through simple, sustainable living.
Those who enjoyed the first book will love it. Those who had their feathers ruffled, stand by to be plucked...
- GenresNonfiction
333 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 5, 2021
20 people are currently reading
59 people want to read
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November 29, 2021Rick’s Get Real, Get Gone and Stay Real, Stay Gone books are the best up-to-date writings about cruising under sail compared to lots of other books I have read on the subject. I would say that in today’s world these books logically continue great classic writings of Lean and Lary Pardey’s about self-sufficient and capable cruising.
Rick’s books give readers true, based on vast first-hand experience, guidance for cruising under sail.
With a firm hand as Odysseus once did, Rick guides the reader between Scylla and Charybdis of the modern consumer society on the path to a safe and enjoyable sailing life. He steers his readership crew away from Scylla of unnecessary and vulnerable toys that cost a fortune and away from Charybdis of boats with bad designs and poor construction quality, away from both of these monsters that will eventually endanger your life under sail in the Big Blue Universe.
The right mindset and attitude are very important in every undertaking and living in the ocean is not an exception. From the very first page, Rick inspires you with the mindset of a true seafarer. The further you read the more you feel attuned to Rick’s ideas. These ideas are so true to your gut feeling, that you only wonder why you have not yet formulated them so clear and simple in your own head.
Starting with explaining the sea gypsy mindset and what to expect from such a life, Rick gives the reader grounded in real-life and very practical advice on all things related to cruising, such as:
- Design and construction that make a boat your real friend looking after you and forgiving you many mistakes you can do in the ocean.
- Equipment your boat really needs and gadgets and toys that will eat away your funds similar to the way electric current produced by salty seawater eats away anodes on the hull of your boat. What is even more important, gadgets and toys that eventually will endanger all life on your boat.
- Navigation tools that will help you not to go aground or get stuck on a coral reef.
- Reliable anchoring, heaving to and how to relax and take your time on the high seas.
- How not to be simply “at the mercy of the weather”, but deal with storms, safely hide and protect your boat from cyclones, and what should guide your decisions to stay safe in general. Very important to know.
- How to keep sailing and make your living at the same time.
- Crystal clear technique to make tight turns in confined spaces of marinas and to move accurately in reverse for long/full keel sailboats! The topic, not a single book I have read ever touched. Only Rick’s Stay Real, Stay Gone will answer your questions about using prop walk and prop wash to maneuver long keel to your advantage and with ease!
And these are just some examples of indispensable savvy sailor first-hand knowledge you will find in these two books. Must read.
For me, Rick’s books are also philosophical treatises proofed by the real-world experience of the author and illustrated by his practical advice. I would say it is Philosophy of Life exactly as ancient Greeks imagined philosophy and life as one whole phenomenon. This philosophy is a mixture of Epicureanism and Stoicism – that I like and try to follow myself. It is great to find a like-minded person who is not brainwashed by modern consumer society and enjoys real life and not its fake substitutes.
Rick writes with a good sense of humor and reading his books is a real pleasure.
Rick’s books give readers true, based on vast first-hand experience, guidance for cruising under sail.
With a firm hand as Odysseus once did, Rick guides the reader between Scylla and Charybdis of the modern consumer society on the path to a safe and enjoyable sailing life. He steers his readership crew away from Scylla of unnecessary and vulnerable toys that cost a fortune and away from Charybdis of boats with bad designs and poor construction quality, away from both of these monsters that will eventually endanger your life under sail in the Big Blue Universe.
The right mindset and attitude are very important in every undertaking and living in the ocean is not an exception. From the very first page, Rick inspires you with the mindset of a true seafarer. The further you read the more you feel attuned to Rick’s ideas. These ideas are so true to your gut feeling, that you only wonder why you have not yet formulated them so clear and simple in your own head.
Starting with explaining the sea gypsy mindset and what to expect from such a life, Rick gives the reader grounded in real-life and very practical advice on all things related to cruising, such as:
- Design and construction that make a boat your real friend looking after you and forgiving you many mistakes you can do in the ocean.
- Equipment your boat really needs and gadgets and toys that will eat away your funds similar to the way electric current produced by salty seawater eats away anodes on the hull of your boat. What is even more important, gadgets and toys that eventually will endanger all life on your boat.
- Navigation tools that will help you not to go aground or get stuck on a coral reef.
- Reliable anchoring, heaving to and how to relax and take your time on the high seas.
- How not to be simply “at the mercy of the weather”, but deal with storms, safely hide and protect your boat from cyclones, and what should guide your decisions to stay safe in general. Very important to know.
- How to keep sailing and make your living at the same time.
- Crystal clear technique to make tight turns in confined spaces of marinas and to move accurately in reverse for long/full keel sailboats! The topic, not a single book I have read ever touched. Only Rick’s Stay Real, Stay Gone will answer your questions about using prop walk and prop wash to maneuver long keel to your advantage and with ease!
And these are just some examples of indispensable savvy sailor first-hand knowledge you will find in these two books. Must read.
For me, Rick’s books are also philosophical treatises proofed by the real-world experience of the author and illustrated by his practical advice. I would say it is Philosophy of Life exactly as ancient Greeks imagined philosophy and life as one whole phenomenon. This philosophy is a mixture of Epicureanism and Stoicism – that I like and try to follow myself. It is great to find a like-minded person who is not brainwashed by modern consumer society and enjoys real life and not its fake substitutes.
Rick writes with a good sense of humor and reading his books is a real pleasure.
January 9, 2026
Stay Real, Stay Gone feels like the natural evolution of Rick Page’s earlier message: once you’ve escaped the gravitational pull of land life, the real challenge is staying out there without losing your way — financially, mentally, or psychologically. Where Get Real, Get Gone teaches you how to break free, this second book focuses on how to sustain a life of long‑term, low‑budget cruising with clarity and purpose.
In his second book Rick digs deeper into the mindset of long‑term cruising, and I found myself nodding along constantly. The many questions I felt I wanted to ask Rick after reading the first book, get their answers in this second book. It’s rare to find a sailing book that understands the emotional side of the lifestyle as well as the practical side.
What amazed me was why some readers felt the need to label him a communist just because he exposed some of the evils of capitalism, such as excessive consumerism and aggressive marketing. In my opinion, people in the West cannot truly understand what communism meant. As someone who lived under communism until 1989 (I live in Romania), I can tell you that Rick is not a communist at all, and those who have used this label too lightly do so out of ignorance. Because he assumes that his readers are intelligent people, Rick is simply arguing that critical thinking is more necessary today than ever, and yachts and sailing are no exception to this problem.
Once again, even if you do not agree with him on every aspect, you will not regret buying this book.
In his second book Rick digs deeper into the mindset of long‑term cruising, and I found myself nodding along constantly. The many questions I felt I wanted to ask Rick after reading the first book, get their answers in this second book. It’s rare to find a sailing book that understands the emotional side of the lifestyle as well as the practical side.
What amazed me was why some readers felt the need to label him a communist just because he exposed some of the evils of capitalism, such as excessive consumerism and aggressive marketing. In my opinion, people in the West cannot truly understand what communism meant. As someone who lived under communism until 1989 (I live in Romania), I can tell you that Rick is not a communist at all, and those who have used this label too lightly do so out of ignorance. Because he assumes that his readers are intelligent people, Rick is simply arguing that critical thinking is more necessary today than ever, and yachts and sailing are no exception to this problem.
Once again, even if you do not agree with him on every aspect, you will not regret buying this book.
December 19, 2021
Great prep for setting off on the big blue
The writing style is very witty and the amount of information covered is grand. Lots of stuff I haven’t read anywhere else. Only thing he got wrong was about Butch, which will be what my best egg for the sailing life comes from. Some parts are overly long but it is totally worth it to read trough the whole book, abs the first one (Get Real, Get Gone)
The writing style is very witty and the amount of information covered is grand. Lots of stuff I haven’t read anywhere else. Only thing he got wrong was about Butch, which will be what my best egg for the sailing life comes from. Some parts are overly long but it is totally worth it to read trough the whole book, abs the first one (Get Real, Get Gone)
February 5, 2022
Much better than the first book. This book gives more information on living aboard a boat for more budget conscious people. If you've read Get Real, Get Gone, I would highly recommend this book.
February 2, 2023
Humorous, inspiring, information to aid you on your voyage. Perhaps better than the first book.
August 20, 2023
Read the 1st one....so naturally...
Very good. Will pass recommendation to a friend. Definitely curious what Calypso 3 will be. I'd like to know his opinion on center cockpits.
Very good. Will pass recommendation to a friend. Definitely curious what Calypso 3 will be. I'd like to know his opinion on center cockpits.
April 28, 2024
Rick is entertaining. I appreciate his honesty, and though he says some bonkers things, the lack of sugar-coating is refreshing.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews