Books for live aboard advice

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RobertArcher

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Hello
Can anyone suggest a good book that will give me half decent advice about costs associated with living aboard around the med, particularly mooring fees over winter? I currently have the RYA book of cruising (Rod Heikell). Thanks.
 
I'm going to start cruising from next year and I am a beginner. I have many concerns, not least boys stuff like batteries and the electrics. I wonder if any of you know of a good book that explains such dauntingly male mechanisms. How many years will it take me to hold a drill with love and not fear? To know which screw to choose, without screwing up? I am in so deep that I'm getting the bends each and every day.
 
Thanks, Woofie,
Actually I already have this book. Didn't realise it was about batteries. Thought it was about banks and safes.
Shame it's on the damn boat now in Mexico.
Gawd, what a mess I've got myself into!
 
We found 'Sail for the Mediterranean' by Clare James to be one of the most helpful. As to costs related to cruising and wintering, depends on your budget, size of boat and expectations. If you want to winter in a marina on South of France - expensive, on a greek island with no facilities - free!!! We are curently at Yat Marine in Marmaris, Turkey and have great facilities for £2 a day - but Turkey is relatively cheep hence there are a lot of live aboards here and we have a small boat.
 
Nigel Calders book on boat maintenance is invaluable and even duffers like me find it useful and effective reading. That and Brian Toss's Rigging Handbook are two of our most frequently used maintenance type books. Plus we do tear out and keep relevant articles from magazines.

On the deisel front, we have found a good course (not the on day RYA one but a longer session) to be really useful, starting from the lesser knowledge of these things of an adult woman. (The boys seem to learn stuff somewhere along the way; I refuse to believe they come from the womb knowing about piston rings and impellers.) Early advice to women that we have heeded is to be on top of the diesel stuff as that's the area of the greatest rip-offs. We would like to find a similar course about electrics. In the meantime, we learn as we go along, talking a lot to friends and anyone who does come to do work on the boat.

The spares list could go on for ever - and we revisit what we have annually and redecide whether we need to keep it. It's not just screws - what about blocks, rope, sailcloth etc. Plus all the tools to install/polish/remove the damn things!

There are some good spares lists in several books including the Pardeys' books, which are great on lots of other topics too.

HTH
 
Thanks for all the advice. Got the Calder book although nearly tossed it overboard at one point. Long story.
I will check out diesel courses whilst I am still in Japan.
Thanks again.
Love the 2 quid Turkey deal! I'm buying a flat in Turkey in Ozdere.
 
Hi
We are currently looking to buy a yacht in Greece. We have very little experience and I saw your post on "women getting ript off" could you elaborate on this point and also which engine course did you do? plus any other advice as we will be with no home and looking for a boat in the next 3 weeks!
Thanks

Joanna
 
Hi,

there's a general engine thing isn't there of kicking the tyre and shaking heads and 'gonna cost you luv!' Of course it happens to blokes too, but (at the risk of starting a flame war) - imho it happens more often and more easily to women, and more mechanics/engineers seem to have little conscience about jacking up the costs for female clients. This seems to be partly because women know much less (generally) about engines, so muttering about piston rings or carboretters (sp) works better on us.

This is certainly my land experience as a car owner - and we were told early on that the same is true of diesel mechanics in many parts of the world. The course was run by a really nice guy in Shoreham, Sussex, over six Thursday evenings at Shoreham Yacht Club. I don't know of any equivalents elsewhere. The great thing about Graham is that he is very committed to empowering sailors (of all persuasions) with reagrd to their engines - that's why he runs the course.

You don't say where you are right now, but it looks as if it'll be Greece in three weeks (gnash, gnash). Enjoy.

HTH
 
Thanks Greham.....Hey, I quite like the sound of that diesel course in Shoreham. I was born at St Mary's in Shoreham and might come and do the course whilst taking a trip down memory lane.
 
If you are buying in the Athens area, make sure that you get an independent survey to avoid buying a damaged charter boat.

We're running the RYA one-day diesel course on Aegina island, close to Athens, in the spring. You need to know more than this, but it would be a start.

Cheers

Melody
 
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