Live aboard advice re API

[winship]

Is it viable today? THE big question. Returning from years of live aboard cruising with out a foot in the property market and no regular income is only for the young and well qualified. But letting a house can be a fraught experience also, a subject discussed quite often with fellow cruisers. I opted for having a relative live in the house rent free but paying for all maintenance. Some people HAVE found honest tenants and a reliable Estate Agent but there are also sad stories. One agent advised me to buy a small modern house with a small or no garden and let it unfurnished, that was 20 yrs ago, there seems to be a glut of property to let in some places just now. To be really sensible (and how many of us dreaming of a life afloat can qualify) one should either be 'of independant means' or old enough to have a pension. One observation. I have met many Cruisers, living on small yachts, as small as 26ft O.A, earning what they can for a few months and enjoying it. BUT...they were young mostly, and they did their topping up of the kitty in the developed countries i.e where there was a shortage of people willing to work for low wages. Perhaps I should drop out of this discussion, I'm being too practical and depressing.

 

[Guest]

Sabbatical

I have always envied Yanks and Ozzies who still manage to wangle 3 or 6 months Sabbaticals.

It would seem an ideal time to try out the life and see how things go. We only ever read the books and articles of the ones who carry on with it. A large majority seem to pack it after a very short time due to bad weather sails, missing family and friends or just plain not getting on with your mate.

 

[Guest]

Why are we brits so obssessed with property? you seem to assume that everyone has to come back and buy a house sometime. I know my parents belivieve this but many freinds abroad find it odd, they just rent when and where they need to. We had a house in the north of england for 13 years, it cost more than renting and the price went down over the last ten years so didn't make any capital. We are now moving aboard (I,m 47) and looking foward to more freedom. I havn't a clue where we will go but some ideas what sort of things we want to do. I've retrained as a nurse to increase flexability in earning a living. What put us off 'sabaticals' was the sense of a deadline they seem to imply and we didn't want to be tourists we wanted to be travellers.

Roly, Voya Con Dios, Glasson, Lancaster

 

[chrisc]

This is hardly in the spirit of Raleigh all those others
there are other considerations in life than keeping a nice tidy house!

 

[winship]

Re: Live aboard advicere Chris C re API

I was responding to a request for advice with particular reference to the financial aspects of live aboard cruising. Having a lot of experience, my own and others, I thought I could give a balanced picture. Obviously I'm treading on some peoples dreams. Raleigh was a poor example, he was well subsidised by the crown as I'm sure you know.

 

[Guest]

I hahve looked into this in detail and have come up with a plan that i hope will work for me.
I am 29 with no mortage...we rent ....
I do earn a good wage so can afford to get a bigger boat.

My plan is simple. So at present i am paying off all of my debts..and i mean all of them. Then i will get a Marine mortage for say 60k. yes i know it's a lot. Then i will live abord this boat whil i pay the mortage off. I beleive that me and my G/F can pay this off in about 3 years if we work hard.
Then we work for a further year or so until we have about 30-40 k in the bank.

Then we bugger off until we want to come back.

If we have had enough after a few years..well we will have a nice deposit on a house when we sell the boat.

Thsi is my 6-7 year plan which i have already started.

Let me know what you think of it..??

 

[ccscott49]

Excellant plan! Go for it, dont bother planning to come back, you'll not want to after the Blairites have finished with UK. Probably wont be ablr to afford it either.

 

[charles_reed]

Well, my impression is that there are more doing it now than ever before.

The majority, in European waters, appear to be German - followed by Dutch and Brits in that order.

It's mainly the Brits, though, who appear to have this obsession with retaining their foot on the property market.

The majority of the folk one meets, of whatever nationality, are retired and have been self-employed - the next largest group to this are ex-Forces.
Of those under retirement age, most have houses/apartments being rented out AND have saved for 4-8 years to put enough on one side to be able to make the break for a period of 3-6 years.
Less than 60% of the total spend most (>75%) of their time on board - and those are mainly the non-retired.
It is quite significant that the PAYE retirees are conspicuous by their absence - though many of the ex-Forces have done a stint in civvy street to top-up their service pension.

A few supplement their incomes - it's usually wheeler-dealing or writing for boating mags (no doubt JJ can attest to the number of PBO/YM contributors from their boats).

You can live in Europe, on a boat, far more cheaply than you can in the UK.
Living costs range from 50-65% of the UK and berthing costs from 20-50% of this country.

Probably the thing that strikes one most forcibly about the UK are the costs, the public squalor and the private affluence compared to S Europe, and the gross overcrowding, on road, public transport and on land (except European beaches July-Sept).

The real risk is that you'll find the rest of Europe so much more attractive than the UK (under this or any other hue of government) that you'll not want to come back.

 

[billskip]

Re: Sabbatical

I just went and bought a boat with the LOTUS EATER in mind that was 4 yrs ago..I have nothing but my boat and get along hand to mouth...its great.. got nowt so got nowt to worry about

 

[ccscott49]

Re: Sabbatical

Got access to a computer though!

 

[billskip]

Re: Sabbatical

you would laugh if I told you why....