Cheaper to charter

[dk]

Just to make you desk jockeys a tad jealous, we are just setting off for a month-long charter in the Med in a 40-footer for the equivalent of 6 month's mooring fees in the UK! What's more, we've rented out the house in our absence.

This will give us more sailing than we could ever do in the UK, and at the end of it we just hand back the keys and it's someone elses problem to maintain and store all winter.

So why do we keep a boat over here I keep asking myself?

 

[ccscott49]

Big deal, I have 12 months in the med for less than 6 months mooring in the uk! tee hee Just joking, enjoy yourselves, you have definitely got the right idea, to be honest if I wasn't living onboard, I couldn't afford a boat in the UK.

 

[Guest]

Depends on your priorities

If you just want to do some sailing, then chartering is the sensible option. But many people (including me) get a lot of pleasure from owning a boat - getting to know its ways; getting the best out of it; looking after it; planning and working on improvements and developments - in short - a "relationship" with the boat - and with the friends you make amongst fellow local boat owners. As for mooring fees - how would £80 per year for a mooring in a superb and accessible sailing area suit?

 

[jonjo]

A provocative but interesting post.

Your figures do not add up however, at normal charter rates a 40 foot yacht is going to cost £6000 for a month. Reading between the lines your charter fee is about £3000? Please tell us more about this deal.

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Depends on your priorities

I tend to agree with you, but if I had a house, I couldn't afford a boat aswell, unless I had a trailer sailer or something, but I think I would go for a motor boat, then I couild go somewhere, which is what I enjoy, not just the sailing, but getting there aswell, but I miust admit the idea of chartering and handing the boat back is a good one for me anyway. But I would also like a project, but one I could fit in a big garage would be nice, like an old riva or chris craft. Hmmmmmmmm along with a nice old healey and a velocette and a bonneville and a.........

 

[dah]

Re: Depends on your priorities

I am in agreement with Macmillan. I took early retirement and went to the west coast of Cumbria. Bought a boat (1978 Centaur) which I look upon as a hobby/project to keep me sane (along with golf and the lakeland fells). Mooring fees in the estuary are zero so I do sail on a realtively tight budget (living on my pension). The up side is the number of good and cheap harbours and marinas around the Solway and the Irish Sea/Isle of Man. On average overnight charges are approx £6-£8. The downside as always is the inconsistency of the uk weather.
However, if I had to pay into the thousands of pounds to sail then like ccscott , The boat would have to go. The moral is, you can sail to a budget in the Uk, and have an enjoyable hobby at the same time with a little research.

 

[Guest]

Getting somewhere?

Interesting notion - the idea that you need a powerboat to get anywhere. I seem to have been to have been to quite a few places in the last 30 years or so of cruising under sail, albeit rather more slowly than I would have done in a powerboat. But, at least, when you arrive by windpower (and a fair few of those years were spent without an engine) you really do feel as if you have "got somewhere". There is a lot to be said for travelling slowly.

 

[dk]

I might have exaggerated slighty, but it isn't far out as I live on the Hamble!

I simply emailed/rang around 27 small Greek charter companies that I found on the web or in directories stating the best price I could afford - £3,000. Surprisingly I was offered quite a few newish smaller boats, or bigger but older ones. It's cheaper for them as they don't have to clean it and prepare it every week. The boat I have booked is a Greek 1990 Apollo 12 (39ft) - well worn but fully up to latest EU charter regs.

I'll post the result when I return and then publish the charter company details if it is any good.

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Getting somewhere?

I was actually talking about if you had limited time, which most working people do have and trying to cram as much leisure time as they can into a small hole in the work schedule, different strokes etc. I think I'll back out of this queitly!!

 

[bedouin]

I often think the same thing. Given that I have restricted time available I would get more sea-miles per pound by chartering that I get from my own boat, and get a much wider variety of sailing conditions.

No intention of selling though!

 

[WayneS]

But for me I cannot attach a value to the fact that my boat is there if I am bored on a Friday and the forecast is good. It is a good getaway, even if we do not leave the mooring.

I think that chartering has it's merits and I will do it occasionally, but never sell my boat