good tip for budget sailors

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oldvarnish

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I've been in contact with a young man who has done a successful Atlantic crossing in a 27 footer and on a very tiny budget.

His tip: get yourself down to the Canaries in November and the instant the ARC starts head for the skips - oilies, warps, fenders, cushions...he got the lot.
 
So you get to Barbados andinvite peoplw aboard for a snifta and they find them selves sitting on their old sofa and you wearing their clothes......!!!!
 
The only problem is that if you're sailing a 27 footer you either need to get to the Canaries without said equipment or chuck you stuff in another skip to make room for your salvage...... :)
 
You don't have to go as far as the Canaries. You can start with the skips at Chichester.

But please be careful when you jump in to have a rummage around - I'll probably already be in there.
 
LadyInBed said:
It never ceases to amaze me the stuff people skip.
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Hah. And the stuff they'll take. Forgive a repeat ...

The summer before last, my sea toilet stopped working on the way to Tobermory. The outlet pipe had collapsed where it goes round a tight bend, but thanks to amazingly helpful service from the chandler there I was able to get it fixed in a couple of hours, leaving me with two 4' lengths of hose to stick in the skip. Both were heavy, because they were completely full with impacted, erm, you know. "Lounge postings" is maybe the polite way to put it.

I took some other stuff to the skip an hour later. The hose had gone.
 
JumbleDuck said:
Hah. And the stuff they'll take. Forgive a repeat ...

The summer before last, my sea toilet stopped working on the way to Tobermory. The outlet pipe had collapsed where it goes round a tight bend, but thanks to amazingly helpful service from the chandler there I was able to get it fixed in a couple of hours, leaving me with two 4' lengths of hose to stick in the skip. Both were heavy, because they were completely full with impacted, erm, you know. "Lounge postings" is maybe the polite way to put it.

I took some other stuff to the skip an hour later. The hose had gone.
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That'll be the boatyard taking them to fix somebody else's loo and charge them £50 for parts.
 
We did very well some years ago when the 'Clipper' fleet came through Panama. They had to have a liferaft repacked and we got the flares, emergency rations etc that they had to replace-result!
12 fenders for £18 off ebay was another great buy...
Those major staging posts like the Canaries are great when you come across boats that are going no further-owners have had enough. We got a lifetime of spares for our Monitor in Guatemala for just under $20. I love a bargain.
 
Humblebee said:
Scope for a recycling box at the marina then? Throw your unwanted stuff in there instead of the rubbish skip. If it disappears, great. If it doesn't, it will be dumped eventually. At least give others the chance to salvage it.
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Humblebee,

that sounds a great idea.

Maybe some sort of CCTV / PIR sensor to prevent rich gits with 50'+ boats grabbing stuff to fit out boats and / or crews with, rather than deserving souls ...:)
 
Humblebee said:
Scope for a recycling box at the marina then? .
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Underneath the steps to Cowes Yacht Haven office so they can keep an eye out for rich folk who don't need the facility. I now have a smart blue tiller cover from someones old spray hood.

Left the tiller extension next to the bins in Haslar after fitting a wheel, gone in a flash as was the fourth boat hook, three is enough for us.
 
Brighton has an active "bin exchange" next to the bins on the east jetty, and on the little shelf in the entrance to the men's rooms. Mostly books on the little shelf, although I've left some random bits like unidentified hatch handles there and they were often gone by the time I'd finished my business.

Plymouth yacht haven did one better and fitted a bookshelf in the hallway to the facilities, which seemed well stocked with a used book exchange.
 
Yngmar said:
Brighton has an active "bin exchange" next to the bins on the east jetty, and on the little shelf in the entrance to the men's rooms. Mostly books on the little shelf, although I've left some random bits like unidentified hatch handles there and they were often gone by the time I'd finished my business.

Plymouth yacht haven did one better and fitted a bookshelf in the hallway to the facilities, which seemed well stocked with a used book exchange.
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There is a box in the laundry in La Linea where peeps put stuff. We had a tele on board, a Samsung, flat screen, been on the boat for years before us. Had to buy a digi box a few years ago to keep it working, wouldnt work in Spain or Gib so bit the bullet. Put it in the box, wasnt there more than ten mins! I did put the doofer and digi box with it!
Stu
 
skipper_stu said:
There is a box in the laundry in La Linea where peeps put stuff. Stu
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Similar in Faro but you have to watch out for the Gypos............they take everything, even if it's of no use to them.
Myself & another contributor to these forums helped ourselves to a whole skip full of new & used ropes which were disgarded by a well know company. Enough for me to completely replace all my rigging with new.
He sold a lot of it. Some on here bought it. Got a good deal :) No name no pack drill, of course :)
 
I skipped my jabsco toilet, a guy came from nowhere and pulled it back out. He could have just asked me for it.
 
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I skipped a flexible water tank complete with hose & s/s hose clips at my deserted club, & instantly regretted it.

Next morning I took my boat hook to fish it out from the bottom of the skip to find it had all gone! Some early birds at my club!
 
Hmmmm, reading all this has made me think. I'm going to get a tea chest, take it to a well healed boat club, sit cross legged by it with an old dog on a bit of string, with a sign saying "Any boaty bits gratefully received for penniless sailor".
 
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