It's the END .. Sold Up ..

[Silent Lady]

We have owned a yacht for the past 5 years but the weather has really got to us. A 3 hour trip each way has not helped. Ok. We have enjoyed ourselves but I can think of better things to spend £3000 a year on keeping a boat in a marina. When you think how much you actually use the boat is it worth it, I have booked 4 weeks ( 2 x 2 weeks ) sailing in the sun for less than it costs to keep a boat in the Uk. With the sale of the boat we have bought a Motor Home which has far more comfort than the boat. It sits on our drive way and costs next to nothing to keep. It really does make you wonder why we ever bothered to own a boat in the Uk.

 

[dylanwinter]

We have owned a yacht for the past 5 years but the weather has really got to us. A 3 hour trip each way has not helped. Ok. We have enjoyed ourselves but I can think of better things to spend £3000 a year on keeping a boat in a marina. When you think how much you actually use the boat is it worth it, I have booked 4 weeks ( 2 x 2 weeks ) sailing in the sun for less than it costs to keep a boat in the Uk. With the sale of the boat we have bought a Motor Home which has far more comfort than the boat. It sits on our drive way and costs next to nothing to keep. It really does make you wonder why we ever bothered to own a boat in the Uk.

well the more who quit the cheaper it gets for those who stay

but I can understand... although a camper van would drive me nuts

D

 

[jimmcgee]

no it wont !! , they will just put you price up , cos if you have a boat you must have plenty of money

 

[l'escargot]

Wish I could get the marina downt to 3k and the last time I chartered was in 2001 - it cost me 2k for 2 weeks with flights etc. OK it's not cheap owning but I couldn't spend so much time on a boat if I didn't own one, probably helps that I keep it 15 minutes away though - I wouldn't like having access to a boat restricted to 4 weeks a year.

 

[dylanwinter]

Wish I could get the marina downt to 3k and the last time I chartered was in 2001 - it cost me 2k for 2 weeks with flights etc. OK it's not cheap owning but I couldn't spend so much time on a boat if I didn't own one, probably helps that I keep it 15 minutes away though - I wouldn't like having access to a boat restricted to 4 weeks a year.

and......

just owning one makes me happy

the thought of not having one would be awful

I get value from mine even when I am not on it

Dylan

 

[NormanS]

and......

just owning one makes me happy

the thought of not having one would be awful

I get value from mine even when I am not on it

Dylan

Quite agree, and anyway, we are aboard for about 120 / 140 nights per year.

 

[erbster]

When I was looking for a boat, several people tried to persuade me not to get a trailer sailer. I am very glad I did choose one in the end, because I'm not tied to one area and it costs me very little to leave it in its storage shed.

However, you have to really *want* to own a boat.

PS I've got a camper van as well, but it does not sail as well as my boat! Had it for a few years and kept finding myself parking by the sea and looking longingly at boats....

 

[Lakesailor]

Quite agree, and anyway, we are aboard for about 120 / 140 nights per year.

You're not getting much value from your house, are you?

 

[dylanwinter]

Agree but we are talking 3o+ in the shade. We used to get down to the boat every two weeks but the weather was usually rubbish or the tide were wrong. We enjoyed our time with trips up the thames and across the estuary but there is more to sailing than long john's ,waterproof gear, thermal layers, hot water bottles etc. The Motor Home has central heating. Gas or Electric . Pitches from £4 a night or Wild Camping for a bit of fun. You also travel further 60+ mph as against 5 nmph

30 in the shade.... too hot for me

D

 

[l'escargot]

and......

just owning one makes me happy

the thought of not having one would be awful

I get value from mine even when I am not on it

Dylan

I think it comes down to how often you can get to it - I get to my boat for at least a couple of hours most days, if I don't get down there for 3 days I think I'm neglecting it...

 

[johnphilip]

Halve the cost of your boat

We have owned a yacht for the past 5 years but the weather has really got to us. A 3 hour trip each way has not helped. Ok. We have enjoyed ourselves but I can think of better things to spend £3000 a year on keeping a boat in a marina. When you think how much you actually use the boat is it worth it, I have booked 4 weeks ( 2 x 2 weeks ) sailing in the sun for less than it costs to keep a boat in the Uk. With the sale of the boat we have bought a Motor Home which has far more comfort than the boat. It sits on our drive way and costs next to nothing to keep. It really does make you wonder why we ever bothered to own a boat in the Uk.

For twelve years we shared a boat very successfully. The share was with friends we knew really well so we knew what to expect of each other.
Half the cost of marina fees, half the cost of antifoul, half the effort of scraping off the antifoul. Half the cost of the new mainsail or genoa and so on.
In practice having the boat for half the weekends (or occasionally going out together ) was another benefit, we had plenty of sailing whilst still having time for other activities / visits / friends. You could spend weekends inland without feeling guilty about that investment tied up and not in use, because she was being enjoyed by your partners. It actually gave us an excuse to go back to doing a bit of dinghy sailing.

 

[armchairsailor]

PS I've got a camper van as well, but it does not sail as well as my boat! Had it for a few years and kept finding myself parking by the sea and looking longingly at boats....

Why don't you fit a towbar? Problem solved!

 

[erbster]

Why don't you fit a towbar? Problem solved!

Yes, my camper makes excellent tow vehicle for my TS

 

[AMCD300]

Wish I could get the marina downt to 3k and the last time I chartered was in 2001 - it cost me 2k for 2 weeks with flights etc. OK it's not cheap owning but I couldn't spend so much time on a boat if I didn't own one, probably helps that I keep it 15 minutes away though - I wouldn't like having access to a boat restricted to 4 weeks a year.

I recognise that Avatar......

 

[Skylark]

We've used our boat fairly infrequently over the last couple of season, thanks primarily to the weather. Poor weather, wrong tide, awful road congestion all resonate with me. For the equivalent cost per night, we could probably stay in some very up-market hotels. But, put simply, I love being on my boat. In or out of the marina, I find it very relaxing. Even with relatively high maintenance associated with being afloat, she's a delight to own. It's also nice to mix with like-minded people. On the rare occassions we get out, I enjoy the sailing and especially the navigating. Isn't it nice to bbq on a beach, especially those with difficult access from the land. During the week, winter and summer, I'm usually thinking about the odd jobs. Gives me a great balance compared to a hectic life around Manchester. Our 2012 summer holiday aboard was a wash-out. After just 3 days and with a lousy forecast, we went home and hopped on a plane to Grease. Wouldn't change it for the world. Worth every penny. I'd now like something slightly larger and I'm hoping to spend more time afloat. The UK coast line is top of my list of places to see and there isn't currently a number 2 on the list.

 

[fireball]

Ian - you're not the only one having given up sailing because of the rubbish weather here in the UK.
No - we haven't - but the boat is a major tie and if you don't use it then you do wonder why you have it ...

A lot of ppl get over emotional about boat ownership - but at the end of the day, it is just an object sat in the water (or trailer) that is there for your enjoyment - if you're not enjoying it then why have it ...

 

[uxb]

I think it comes down to how often you can get to it - I get to my boat for at least a couple of hours most days, if I don't get down there for 3 days I think I'm neglecting it...

I'm glad I'm not the only one! I'm lucky that I can stroll down to my boat in a few minutes so its easy to visit. Before I had a 3 hour drive but came up for weeks at a time and lived aboard.
Even thought have a very nice house I find myself going down to the boat to read or have a brew...tea somehow tastes better there.

 

[PhillM]

I think the distance from your boat does make a huge difference. I could not do what I am doing with mine if I lived far away.

Being committed to a multi-hour journey each way, without knowing if you can sail or not, must be a pain. And on days where you have decided not to travel, then the weather turns unexpectedly better, you still miss out.

Falling out of love with a hobby is always a sad affair, but I'm glad the OP has found a new one. Good luck with it - I wish you clear roads and firm campsites.

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

I think the distance from your boat does make a huge difference. I could not do what I am doing with mine if I lived far away.

Being committed to a multi-hour journey each way, without knowing if you can sail or not, must be a pain. And on days where you have decided not to travel, then the weather turns unexpectedly better, you still miss out.

Falling out of love with a hobby is always a sad affair, but I'm glad the OP has found a new one. Good luck with it - I wish you clear roads and firm campsites.

Our boat used to be a few minutes away, but it was too easy to look at the weather and decide sailing was not on. We then moved it four hours away. Much better. We then made a commitment to go, and if the weather was not right we enjoyed using it in harbour.

I think this really depends on the sort of boat and how you use it. Cruising boats are best if they are kept in a cruising ground. Day boats are best close to home. If you just want something to potter in get a garden shed.

Oh yes, and Dylan! If you think that less people sailing will make your sailing cheaper you clearly went to the same nonsensical school of economics that Gordon subscribed to. Prices go up if demand decreases. That's why computers are cheap and chart plotters, which are basically stupid computers, are expensive.

 

[seanfoster]

I can relate to the OP's view, living in the centre of the UK (about the furthest point inland!), it was a real pain having to travel a minimum of 3 hours (up to 6 hours in holiday traffic) to get to the boat, normally filled with excitement on a Friday evening but dread on the return trip on a Sunday evening.
I had my 28ft yacht on a swinging mooring in Poole Harbour so average yearly running costs were around £2K, and one year I only got to use her for 3 weekends due to workload, a very expensive weekend break!

I absolutely agree that to get the most of out of your boat you really need to live close-by, I dream of being able to just hop on the boat on a nice summers evening after work, even if just to sit on the mooring.

With this in mind I am currently renovating a 26ft yacht which tows very nicely on a trailer, I can keep the boat at home to do all of those lovely little jobs (I've got to say pottering is one of the great pleasures of boat ownership) and put her in the water when the weather is better.

My ultimate aim is to buy something much larger, keeping her i the Ionian and living on-board 4-5 months of the year when retired. At least the savings from not paying for marina fees etc will go towards my dream.