Moved abroad - what to do with yacht

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GBR6400T

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Work has recently taken me (and my family) from London to Zurich, and we have spent the last 4 months getting used to that. One challenge I want to resolve is our yacht - we have a 33ft Westerly currently Solent based, and are debating what to do with her.

I am very reluctant to sell, as she is ideal for our purposes when we do get to sail, and we have owned her for a number of years (17).

We have just had a week on her, and some friends may take her out, but she will receive little other use this year. I am fortunate that someone is keeping an eye on her though.

Options I am considering:
- Lay up ashore and shrink wrap for a couple of years - will this preserve things whilst we work out options?
- Move to Lake Constance - bigger than Zurichsee and just over an hours drive away - a big lake, but a lake none the less
- Move her to Genoa - 4-5 hours away, but then Med sailing, and the closest open water

I have the Yachtmaster Offshore, but will presumably need to look at local licences, and holding tank etc.

Are there any other options I should be thinking about? Has anyone here made a similar move?
 
At 17 years I imagine the boat is owned outright. As you say, she suits you fine and you would like to keep it. Assuming that you are only away from the UK for a few years, if I was in your situation I would place her in storage. When you return the boat will be there with no associated hassle of buying another one. In the meantime, charter when you are abroad. I was placed abroad with my family for 4 years and I placed my motor bikes and tools in storage - quite a lot of stuff that I had would have had to pay to take with me. When I returned to the UK, I was glad they were there as it had taken me many years to build up the tool set and collect the bikes (we even managed to put the dog in storage with the in laws - he was pleased to see us :-). I think to sell her and buy again would be an unnessary expense. Look for a yard that stores caravans and place her there, it may be at a lower cost compared to a marina hard, or even better an industrial yard with unused space.

I am currently making plans to move my Rival to an inland yard for refit. So far the cost is £400 for the lift out at the marina, £300 to truck her 80 miles, £700 for a second hand cradle. The yard is owned by a family friend, so no cost. To keep her in a marina yard I am looking at 6 months £2700 undercover. These prices are Scotland, Firth of Clyde. I would not wrap her in shrink wrap, but place a frame over her deck with a ridge and cover with a tarpaulin, open at both ends and leave hatches in the vent position.
 
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Thank you for the helpful responses ;)

I agree that these things are best used and am therefore exploring options. I don't imagine laying her up would be an easy job!
 
With rates through the floor in the UK a temporary move to Zurich is something I am seriously considering. There have been posts in the past here from people familiar with the formalities of the exams for licenses for the Zürichsee and hopefully one of those people could comment. Personally I wouldn't be contemplating the cost of moving a venerable 33' boat by road to Switzerland and then dealing with the formalities to launch it. The choices would be to sell the current boat and buy a small boat for the inland seas locally, or more likely move my boat the med. As well as the driving option, look at the Swiss airlines schedule, fares and route map to see your other potential mooring options further afield which could be (long) weekend trips but with cheaper fixed costs than Italy. Of course with a new job you're probably too time poor to sail the boat to the med and anywhere beyond genoa by road would add to the cost...

Do let us know what you decide and how it works out.
 
Get a boat buddy? Someone to look after and keep her in good condition for when you do get the chance to sail but gets to use the boat when you or friends do not want to use her.
Just another option to consider.
 
newbiedave said:
Get a boat buddy? Someone to look after and keep her in good condition for when you do get the chance to sail but gets to use the boat when you or friends do not want to use her.
Just another option to consider.
Click to expand...

if you have this option, it is one I'd seriously consider.

Enjoy Zurich (I would NOT contemplate taking boat to the lakes): that is specialised sailing ... better get an appropriate boat for it.
 
Welcome to Zürich!
Forget about bringing her over. The formalities involved will drive you mad. And your yachtmaster is worth squat on the lakes but there are english speaking training centres around the Zurichsee where you can do your swiss licenses if lake sailing is your thing. I drove past Bodensee last weekend and frankly you couldn't get a fag paper between the boats on there. Not my idea of fun!

Plenty of flight's from ZRH to the med though, Croatia being a fave with my colleagues who sail. The fastest I've made it to Genoa is 5 1/2 hrs so if you are contemplating putting here there then plan 6hrs by car to be safe as the Gotthard is always a bottleneck unless you go in the middle of the night.
 
GBR6400T said:
Work has recently taken me (and my family) from London to Zurich, and we have spent the last 4 months getting used to that. One challenge I want to resolve is our yacht - we have a 33ft Westerly currently Solent based, and are debating what to do with her.

I am very reluctant to sell, as she is ideal for our purposes when we do get to sail, and we have owned her for a number of years (17).

We have just had a week on her, and some friends may take her out, but she will receive little other use this year. I am fortunate that someone is keeping an eye on her though.

Options I am considering:
- Lay up ashore and shrink wrap for a couple of years - will this preserve things whilst we work out options?
- Move to Lake Constance - bigger than Zurichsee and just over an hours drive away - a big lake, but a lake none the less
- Move her to Genoa - 4-5 hours away, but then Med sailing, and the closest open water

I have the Yachtmaster Offshore, but will presumably need to look at local licences, and holding tank etc.

Are there any other options I should be thinking about? Has anyone here made a similar move?
Click to expand...

What sort of value is it, should you decide to sell?
Roughly.
 
If you've owned the boat for 17 years I can understand why your not mad on the idea of selling. I'd probably get a cover made for the boat and then lay her up ashore. If the boat's to be left like that for what might be years then a proper fitted cover will last and protect much better than tarps or shrink wrap. If you leave her with a dehumidifier on board then there's very little to go wrong since it's damp that causes harm when boats are neglected.
 
Seems expensive to keep her on the solent for one weeks sailing a year. I would lay her up in a cheaper yard somewhere and get a mate to do some regular checks on her
 
There's an offer of a berth in Port Solent in exchange for use of the yacht on the For Sale forum (you'll have to go back a couple of pages to view it).

There's already been a response so a deal may have already been done.

If not, it might be an ideal solution for you.
 
Thank you guys, all useful food for thought.

You are confirming my views around the lake sailing, although we are looking at a charter up on Bodensee in a few weeks time. Lay up or keep her in use in the UK seem to be the favourite options
 
GBR6400T said:
Work has recently taken me (and my family) from London to Zurich, and we have spent the last 4 months getting used to that. One challenge I want to resolve is our yacht - we have a 33ft Westerly currently Solent based, and are debating what to do with her.

I am very reluctant to sell, as she is ideal for our purposes when we do get to sail, and we have owned her for a number of years (17).

We have just had a week on her, and some friends may take her out, but she will receive little other use this year. I am fortunate that someone is keeping an eye on her though.

Options I am considering:
- Lay up ashore and shrink wrap for a couple of years - will this preserve things whilst we work out options?
- Move to Lake Constance - bigger than Zurichsee and just over an hours drive away - a big lake, but a lake none the less
- Move her to Genoa - 4-5 hours away, but then Med sailing, and the closest open water

I have the Yachtmaster Offshore, but will presumably need to look at local licences, and holding tank etc.

Are there any other options I should be thinking about? Has anyone here made a similar move?
Click to expand...

From the little I know of Switzerland, the chance of getting a mooring should probably happen some time in the next century...
 
Sybarite said:
From the little I know of Switzerland, the chance of getting a mooring should probably happen some time in the next century...
Click to expand...
I can agree with that. Long waiting lists and astronomical prices. When I first arrived in Switzerland 38 years ago I gave up all thoughts of keeping a yacht afloat and went for a dinghy on a Trockenplatz, which was relatively easy to find - first on Thunersee, then Murtensee.

Then I moved to the Adriatic, some seven hours drive from my home in Bern, where I have had a yacht for over 30 years. It is half the price for a marina berth on the Italian east coast than the west and the cruising is excellent with easy access to Slovenia, Croatia and the Ionian. The Italian lagoons have their own charm and Venice is only a day's sail away.
 
I work in Norway, but my boat is in UK. When I can't use her, my son does. She is in a marina with great links from the airport, and thus a weekend flight across is not impossible.
 
Talbot said:
I work in Norway, but my boat is in UK. When I can't use her, my son does. She is in a marina with great links from the airport, and thus a weekend flight across is not impossible.
Click to expand...

How about this?Would flying back for a few days sailing every now and then be an option?The boat would probably still get more use than many we see in marinas whose owners live quite locally.
 
If you're no longer going to be regularly day sailing, why tie your boat to one location?

How about every time you have a week sailing, finish up somewhere different, then fly back from there. So in the time you are in Switzerland you could cruise all the way up to the Baltic, and/or down the Atlantic coast of France, or up to Scotland etc, all just one week or so at a time. If you got 2 or three weeks during the summer I suspect you'd probably end up getting as much sailing as most people, more than many, and you'll get to see a lot of new people. Cruise planning can then become your new hobby for those long winter's nights.

Or take up skiing.
 
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