How do you know when

[SailingDog]

The boat needs cleaning and her sails putting back on then she is good to go for another season, here's the rub I don't think I can be bothered with crowded anchorages and marinas needing booking and paying upfront. Is it time to sell up ?
Hiring in the Med or Carribean with nearly guaranteed weather appeals.

 

[Frogmogman]

Isn’t there guaranteed weather in the UK ?

(maybe not of the sort you’d like, of course).

 

[neil_s]

Med or Caribbean means air travel. Perhaps you need a nice swing mooring in a quiet creek and a dinghy on the beach.

 

[Bouba]

Every year....the pool needs commissioning, the boat needs preparing, the car needs cleaning...and every year it’s a little bit harder and I keep asking...why?
But a few weeks down the road..when I’m splashing in the pool or gently bobbing on the breeze...I know why I do it. My only real question is..why don’t I pay someone to do it?
But..may I please add...share these thoughts with us, but never let the wife know what you are thinking ?

 

[michael_w]

Keep the boat in commission all the year round. No laying-up and fitting out chores. Simples

 

[Neeves]

Keep the boat in commission all the year round. No laying-up and fitting out chores. Simples

We too use the boat, catamaran, 365. It does mean, as we do not lay up for months, that our AF life is shorter (or its maybe the same length if we compared - in the water.). Its major financial investment - seems perverse not to use it 365.

We service items, windlass, winches, engines to the schedule recommended by the manufacturer and replace other items as necessary, as soon as possible.

it must be nice to be able to afford an expensive asset sitting idle, but ageing. - and paying rent for the privilege.

chartering seems sensible

Jonathan

 

[johnalison]

I can see the appeal of chartering for those for whom sailing is not a way of life but for many of us the routine, the chores, and the rewards are all part of the package. Our compensation is the satisfaction of taking our own craft to sea, and knowing that we don’t have to ‘enjoy’ every minute that is costing us money for fear of wasting time. An additional benefit is the ability to set off on a whim, or equally to call it a day if weather or illness causes a change of plans.

 

[SailingDog]

I can see the appeal of chartering for those for whom sailing is not a way of life but for many of us the routine, the chores, and the rewards are all part of the package. Our compensation is the satisfaction of taking our own craft to sea, and knowing that we don’t have to ‘enjoy’ every minute that is costing us money for fear of wasting time. An additional benefit is the ability to set off on a whim, or equally to call it a day if weather or illness causes a change of plans.

Interesting points, the whim essence feels less of a reality, going foreign is less straight forward and south coast areas feel more crowded.

 

[johnalison]

Interesting points, the whim essence feels less of a reality, going foreign is less straight forward and south coast areas feel more crowded.

I didn’t notice that you were Hampshire, though I believe that some people sail from there. I can see the appeal of chartering, especially for those youngsters still working, but it still deprives you of regular weekend or day-sailing. A foreign trip always includes, at least for me, an element of anxiety as well as the pleasure, with the business of making travel arrangements, the risk of something such as illness interfering with the dates, and in former times one’s detachment from home. A charter would be a good way of visiting areas outside one’s range, and I know boat-owners who have done this, but to me it would just be a sailing holiday and no more part of my life than a skiing holiday, which we used to do annually.

 

[SailingDog]

Med or Caribbean means air travel. Perhaps you need a nice swing mooring in a quiet creek and a dinghy on the beach.

Flying is Ok, nothing goes to windward like a triple7