Analysis of the past season

[chubby]

So how many sit down with the season`s logbook and work out how many days aboard, nights slept aboard, miles on the log and hours on the engine, ports visited and nights at anchor, buoy or alongside? How many miles under sail and engine and days alongside. You can then estimate fuel and mooring costs: the variables beyond the basic cost of keeping the boat even if it never leaves the berth. then resolutions for next season? Could be interesting or do I want to know? Or are somethings best not analyzed too deeply?

 

[harvey38]

Considered both of us work full time and live over 250 miles away from the boat, I think we did pretty well, 57 nights onboard but as still very much work in progress, only 13 engine hours.

 

[Minerva]

So how many sit down with the season`s logbook and work out how many days aboard, nights slept aboard, miles on the log and hours on the engine, ports visited and nights at anchor, buoy or alongside? How many miles under sail and engine and days alongside. You can then estimate fuel and mooring costs: the variables beyond the basic cost of keeping the boat even if it never leaves the berth. then resolutions for next season? Could be interesting or do I want to know? Or are somethings best not analyzed too deeply?

The 2021 season was very good for us and we got a lot of use from the boat so I sat down and done some maths. Think the boat cost per night worked out at just below that of the cost of a night in a premier inn.

We have got significantly less use this last season so I will decline to do the same level of analysis thank you very much!

 

[The Q]

nope don't do the sums,
The sailing boat I sailed every Sunday throughout the season plus regatta week, the motorboat only got used for accommodation during regatta week.. Next year will be different as I will have retired.. more time sailing and much more time getting the boat back into useable condition.

 

[SaltyC]

Better not analysed tooooo deeply.

For me headline figure this years boat mileage is not viable ( weather permitting another 150+ miles next month), due to family problems and other commitments.

However, nights on board reasonable, the average overall mileage is up due to volunteering with charities so youngsters and disabled can experience the freedom of sailing and delivering friends boats to cruising grounds to allow them to continue sailing - impacted on use of own boat!
I am not however based on South Coast so full service marina @ £200 / m annual contract is not too onerous.

 

[Concerto]

Already included these in this post.
Round Britain summary of the trip including costings

 

[Sandy]

My year's analysis was easy. I loved my Bay of Biscay crossing and stepping off the Continental Shelf allowed me to become an ocean sailor.

 

[johnalison]

My late brother came out with us on a then almost new boat but didn't endear himself to me by pointing out that the day's sail had cost me about £1,000 if one divided the boat's price by the few times we'd been out.

 

[Supertramp]

Sailing is a part of my life I choose not to analyse. An indulgent choice should be enjoyed not evaluated. Can you put a value on days like this?


Save the analysis for engine replacement, berthing choices and insurance. And they're all less than my heating bill!!

 

[steve yates]

Ive only just got round to analysing my miles logged from 2016 and 2017
I try to logwhere I went and the miles, Idont bother woth engine hours or anything else like that

 

[Mister E]

If I analyse the costs of owning the boat it would not be worth it for the use.
I prefer to think about the good sailing and the really nice nights aboard, they are priceless.

 

[Lightwave395]

Days like this with me making the tea and OH enjoying herself on the helm, those are the only important things, I long since gave up keeping records and fretting over what I spend on the boat

 

[chubby]

Dabchick had 1157 miles on the log, 169 hours on the engine so roughly 70% motoring or motor sailing and 30% under sail alone, 70 days out with 50 overnights included, 25 at anchor, buoy or midriver pontoon and 25 alongside, 17 of those as part of rallies or festivals/events. 17 ports visited including France and the CIs but 9 visits to my favorite : Newtown River.

Next season: sail more and motor less and try a wider variety of places, perhaps more time along the Dorset coast, this season only one visit to Studland, and yes did anchor outside the VNAZ and did not knowingly annoying the seahorses!

Do skippers look for new places, even after many years I haven't been everywhere or back to the old favourites?

I haven`t dwelt on the cost except anchoring off and cooking aboard is better value!

 

[Piddy]

Summer cruise for 11 weeks (I was 'working from boat') . As far West as Scilly and a brief sojourn to Channels islands. Something like 1000miles travelled (log was under reading a lot of the time). Everything went according to plan apart from broken headsail foil bearings in St. Peter Port requiring a new foil. New solar arch and panel worked a treat with fewer than 100hrs clocked on engine. Mix of marinas (in bad weather), anchor and buoys for mooring - averaged £20.10/night for the whole trip (38' Moody).
Best year ever!

 

[LadyInBed]

Dabchick had 1157 miles on the log, 169 hours on the engine so roughly 70% motoring or motor sailing and 30% under sail alone, 70 days out with 50 overnights included, 25 at anchor, buoy or midriver pontoon and 25 alongside, 17 of those as part of rallies or festivals/events. 17 ports visited including France and the CIs but 9 visits to my favorite : Newtown River.

How does that compare to previous years?
I've had a crap year by anyone's standards. I don't bother with day sails, if I can't get away for the best part of a week, I don't bother. This year, medical appointments stopped me getting away, fingers crossed for next year.

 

[Daydream believer]

I keep accurate costs of all my annual expenditures, since I retired. It is more important now that I am on a fixed income. The advantage of doing a few extra days work, to buy new rigging, or sails for the boat etc. are long gone.
I have computed that when the wife & I went on several months cruising together, until she decided she had had enough , cost was £114 per night or £798 per week. Looking back on that, I am somewhat glad she got on a plane & went home, before I went bankrupt
The dearest year, sailing on my own amounted to £590 per night but that was because covid reduced the number of nights one could actually go sailing.
2022 has also been a disaster, as I have been suffering the effects of the covid jab & could not sail the first half of the year. However, money for new furler & rigging etc still have to be found. This year will amount to another high figure.
But it was well worth it (as has been every year) as I had a fabulous time on 2 cruises with the sailing club. One of which was to introduce the parents of cadets to cruiser sailing on a trip to Brightlingsea. Something they had never done. I was assigned a mother plus 6 & a 9 year old daughters; whom I had never met before; on my boat. That was an experience I can tell you. Trying to get 2 young girls ( & young mother) to maintain some sense of decorum, in a small yacht, is somewhat difficult . It did require some careful manouvering on my part, to avoid some embarrassing moments.

 

[PetiteFleur]

Used to do all the mileage, costs etc etc but not done for several years. Only did one cruise this year with friends, Ramsgate, Sandwich, Queenborough then Chatham Maritime museum, Brightlingsea then back to the Deben. Oh, and a 'boys trip' on a friends boat, Holyhead, Isle of Man then back to Milford Haven.

 

[FairweatherDave]

I enjoy looking back at the season and try to write up each trip with the interesting bits, the good bits and the mistakes. I could guestimate engine hours but normally just guess how much diesel I think i have used - this year perhaps 70 litres, maybe 90l, so 40 hours motoring max?? ish. But really the only statistical analysis is how many nights aboard, which this year is 30, with 5 of those in marinas. I don't log the mileage total - if I've had a night on the boat that implies at least a day on the boat and that is always quality time sailing, swimming or exploring nearby. Highlight was my huge trip west from Chichester (to Weymouth) and particularly Chapmans Pool and walking/scrambling around there, and Lulworth Cove. Getting further west next year is now seen as possible by the family, so who knows? I don'tdo the costs other than I know how much I pay for the swinging mooring and time ashore- divide that all by 30 nights and it is over 100 pounds a night, which given that is also divided by 3 people and the daytime is excellent and well spent means I reckon sailing is excellent value

 

[Jonny A]

I keep a tab on how many hours I spend under way each year, did just > 100 hours this season, which I think was OK but I'd always like to do more.

 

[lustyd]

Took a sabbatical this year and spent two months on board Anam Cara in July and August (plus weekends here and there). We sailed to CIs and France then to Falmouth and back up the coast taking in many new harbours. About 50:50 split marina and anchor including 9 straight days at anchor which was a real highlight. All good practice for jacking in the career in a couple of years and heading south, although realised we need a different boat so the planning has begun again!