Feasibility?

puddock

puddock

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Joined
3 Oct 2008
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Location
Me: Aberdeenshire, Scotland. Boat: Lossiemouth
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It's coming to that time of the year again where I'm getting itchy feet (and thoroughly sick of the UK weather).
Trying to get advice on the feasibility of heading South and living aboard, while continuing to work month on/ month off.
Flying to work to & from locations other than Aberdeen isn't a problem.
By continuing to work, I can continue getting a regular salary of @£80k+ per annum, I continue to pay into a good pension (relatively speaking).
Boat is a Westerly Storm, pretty much ready for long term cruising, with plenty of storage space and comforts for me.
My idea at the moment, would be to head toward Northern Spain/ Portugal, spend a year or two exploring around there before going into the Med. Ideally, a mix of socialising & isolation is what I'm hoping for.
My concerns would be leaving the boat for 30 days at a time.
Any suggestions on that one? Also any other input you have would be greatly appreciated.
 
puddock said:
It's coming to that time of the year again where I'm getting itchy feet (and thoroughly sick of the UK weather).
Trying to get advice on the feasibility of heading South and living aboard, while continuing to work month on/ month off.
Flying to work to & from locations other than Aberdeen isn't a problem.
By continuing to work, I can continue getting a regular salary of @£80k+ per annum, I continue to pay into a good pension (relatively speaking).
Boat is a Westerly Storm, pretty much ready for long term cruising, with plenty of storage space and comforts for me.
My idea at the moment, would be to head toward Northern Spain/ Portugal, spend a year or two exploring around there before going into the Med. Ideally, a mix of socialising & isolation is what I'm hoping for.
My concerns would be leaving the boat for 30 days at a time.
Any suggestions on that one? Also any other input you have would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...

Guess your concerns are worrying about the security of your boat. No need. Plenty of safe & secure marinas
in Spain/Portugal with 24hr security.
 
Mate of mine has been quoted 300 euros for lift out /in and storage ashore in Vigo for his Nic 32.In the inter months there is quite a lot of surge in some marinas.
 
Would think that would be a relatively expensive choice as marinas would be the only viable option for leaving for 30 days at a time, most of the time? As opposed to, say, keeping a boat in a marina somewhere hot & sunny that you like? So how about you get another boat & keep it somewhere else?
I'm working at the moment on a casual basis that allows up to 6 months off without notice & as long as I don't go over that I come back & go back to work again. I'm off to Greece mid April to try to find a small, half decent & not too expensive boat to keep there & spend up to half my time there. This weather & the prospect of another summer like the last one has definitely prompted me to do something like this sooner than I might otherwise have done. Good luck with whatever you decide...:)
 
No problem leaving the boat. Mine is ashore out there just now and security is good. You should be able to move around quite a bit find but somewhere fairly easily when you need to return home.

Transport is the only slight problem. People tend to say that it is easy to get there with plenty of flights. True, as long as you don't live in Scotland. I expect that you are used to that. We'll be flying from Edinburgh to Stansted and then on to Oveido (Asturias) before a 4 hour drive to Vigo.

I expect that you'll end up with an overnight stop in a hotel en-route to/from Aberdeen. Might be worth checking out flights first and looking for nearby marinas.

We coulnd't find a direct flight from Oveido, Coruna, Santiago, Vigo, Porto and so on to Edinburgh or Glasgow. We might have missed one but there can't be many.
 
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Mistroma said:
Transport is the only slight problem. People tend to say that it is easy to get there with plenty of flights. True, as long as you don't live in Scotland. I expect that you are used to that. We'll be flying from Edinburgh to Stansted and then on to Oveido (Asturias) before a 4 hour drive to Vigo.

I expect that you'll end up with an overnight stop in a hotel en-route to/from Aberdeen. Might be worth checking out flights first and looking for nearby marinas.

We coulnd't find a direct flight from Oveido, Coruna, Santiago, Vigo, Porto and so on to Edinburgh or Glasgow. We might have missed one but there can't be many.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't be looking to travel to/from Aberdeen. My company will fly me to/from wherever I'm located to my place of work (Azerbaijan at the moment).
 
If your looking for "dive off bot before brekfast" conditions the sea round Galici is quite cold even in summer.Its not so cold in the inter but its damp but once the northerlies set in there is good siling in the rias.t the momment its wet.
 
If you can earn £80k or so, the world is your oyster! Find all the surge free marinas in the Med, and plan from there. I'd start with Lagos on the Algarve, and have a year there - not the cheapest marina in he world, but lovely, with a great liveaboard community, and great links from Faro Airport. I used to leave our boat for up to 6 weeks at a time without issue, or worry.

Bayona, near Vigo, or Cascais, near Lisbon wouldn't be bad for a while if you couldnt make Lagos in one trip. Not sure about links from Bayona, but one way car hire to Porto airport would work.

Just get going.... Before health, or procrastination, take over!
 
Last edited:
Richard10002 said:
If you can earn £80k or so, the world is your oyster! Find all the surge free marinas in the Med, and plan from there. I'd start with Lagos on the Algarve, and have a year there - not the cheapest marina in he world, but lovely, with a great liveaboard community, and great links from Faro Airport. I used to leave our boat for up to 6 weeks at a time without issue, or worry.
Just get going.... Before health, or procrastination, take over!
Click to expand...

If you go to Lagos you might as well stay in England. There is no difference apart from the weather.
On your six months off can I have your job! 80K a year for six months work sound good to me.
 
5 on 5 off

puddock said:
It's coming to that time of the year again where I'm getting itchy feet (and thoroughly sick of the UK weather).
Trying to get advice on the feasibility of heading South and living aboard, while continuing to work month on/ month off.
Flying to work to & from locations other than Aberdeen isn't a problem.
By continuing to work, I can continue getting a regular salary of @£80k+ per annum, I continue to pay into a good pension (relatively speaking).
Boat is a Westerly Storm, pretty much ready for long term cruising, with plenty of storage space and comforts for me.
My idea at the moment, would be to head toward Northern Spain/ Portugal, spend a year or two exploring around there before going into the Med. Ideally, a mix of socialising & isolation is what I'm hoping for.
My concerns would be leaving the boat for 30 days at a time.
Any suggestions on that one? Also any other input you have would be greatly appreciated.
Click to expand...


Puddock

Leaving Peterhead would be a good start and anywhere south of Aberdeen would be a good move , though I could see you missing the crown and anchor .

I've been doing much what you are suggesting for a quite some time and know a few others on platforms doing the same, I do five and five as coxswain on a seismic research ship (currently in oz) so similar six months work and large budget (for now) .

My only problem with leaving the yacht has been harbour or marina staff moving the boat in my absence - this has happened three times in the last five years, I'm now of the opinion that leaving the yacht on a finger pontoon when im away is the best option regardless of cost.

PM me if you want more details

Ian
 
Nostrodamus said:
If you go to Lagos you might as well stay in England. There is no difference apart from the weather.
On your six months off can I have your job! 80K a year for six months work sound good to me.
Click to expand...

Not everybodys cup of tea but...... Your salient point being "There is no difference apart from the weather"

30 days of work in a situation like this is potentially 24/7, not a straightforward 8 hour day, with Weekends off ... You might not like it if you had it.
 
cscott of these parts does similar. Works offshore, then lives in the sun. He's worth chatting too, not least because he's a top geezer.

I've managed to upgrade from boat being 250 miles away, not sailable, and prohibitively expensive to get to regularly, to it being nearby with easy access on a lovely river, but I've not figured out how to sort the weather situation out yet; which I've had enough of.
 
Would work very well as long as you are single. IMO wife/partner and kids usually make this sort of shift pattern difficult. Sail for a few weeks then leave the boat in a marina - plenty around or base yourself in one marina for 6 or 7 months then move on.
 
It is bucketing down in NW Spain at the moment..
The air is almost liquid..... And as commented, it isn't called the green jewel for nothing... It rains a lot them some. Indeed Nostro was heard to remark on the rain last year... (that was before the weather finally warmed up and he was treated to naked Dutch ladies every day)..

Being on a boat in heavy rain is not for the faint hearted. Unless you have a cockpit tent ... you will drag water into the cabin every time you step in or out.. Then there is the condensation on everything...

Beer costs are similar to the UK There are lots of places that do a menu of the day at £10 including a wine... howevere it is not top quality grub... but marina costs are in a different order of magnitude.. On a winter rate we are paying more than summer rates in the UK..

We will tell you about life on the hook once we get that far..
They are also levying a tourist tax of £50 for every 30 days..
And don't forget the 183 day rule... you will be taxed on the value of the boat after 183 days in Spain..

On the plus side... very nice people..
 
Tomahawk... don't worry about the 183 days rule. You have a cat so they will be paying you to keep it. Charge the 12% of the Spanish economy which should work out at just under a euro a day.
When you going to get down here. We even had a day without rain yesterday.
 
Nostrodamus said:
Tomahawk... don't worry about the 183 days rule. You have a cat so they will be paying you to keep it. Charge the 12% of the Spanish economy which should work out at just under a euro a day.
When you going to get down here. We even had a day without rain yesterday.
Click to expand...

Nostro

So far I haven't managed to get anyone to pay us for staying in their harbour... You could always set up a consultancy to sort these things as you seem to have a way with the locals.. Payment in beer or other similar appropriate sort..
 
chinita said:
Nostro,

Just remind us.

How long were you in Lagos, and did you get more than half a mile from the marina?
Click to expand...

Chinita,
We were there for almost two days which was far too long for anyone without a shell suit to their name.
Yes we did walk for miles in all directions as the marina was just too British.
There is some wonderful scenery but to date it was the most expensive marina we have been in during our two years.
 
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