st599
Well-known member
Citizenship doesn't but residency does, a UK resident can't use UK temporary import and an EU resident can't use EU temporary import.
Planning ahead for the big retirement cruise
- Thread starter efanton
- Start date
[199490]
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I think the OP is an Irish citizen so he can use the boat in Northern Ireland without limit and in the mainland U.K. for 18 months without paying VAT.
I have dual nationality (actually tripple but that’s another story) but my home address is in mainland U.K. so I will have to pay VAT immediately on mine if I ever bring it to U.K. which is a bit of a pain unless I become resident in the Irish Republic ( doesn’t work with a NI residence). Oddly I still have a Euro bank account with Bank of Ireland based off my brother’s NI address whereas the French bank I had one with has closed it.
Brexit is so f**ked up
[199490]
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Was just about to say that. Residency is the thing for imports.
efanton
New member
Thanks for the link
Some really useful info there and have only been reading a hour or two
efanton
New member
Gave up on the Jay walking videos 3 or 4 videos in. Dont know if its his 'YouTube persona' but he gets real fecking annoying real quick and strikes me as bit of a idiot just chancing his arm at anything he does.
However Sailing Option is a fantastic watch. Highly recommend watching ALL their French canal videos. Learnt a lot regarding the different type of locks, how best to handle them, some really useful mooring spots (many for free) and some towns and villages worth a stop even if only for a few hours that I would have cruised past.
efanton
New member
Yes I am Irish.
When it comes to purchasing a boat we have the same problems as those in the UK. Buy a boat in the UK and as soon as you bring it back to Ireland VAT is due. Problem is here is that the VAT man will charge VAT on what he thinks the boat is worth, not on its real value. Even if you produce sales receipts they don't care, they will claim the boat based on it age is worth X when in reality is worth a lot less on the open market. Totally kills the idea of buying a boat in the UK that needs a little bit of work and bringing it to Ireland because he is going to tax you on the value of that boat in perfect condition. I would imagine HM Customs and Excise will do the same in the UK.
However with the Common Travel Area it means that Irish people can travel freely to the UK and vice versa without need of visa's or red tape. I could if I wanted take the boat to the UK and cruise the canals and rivers for a year or so and all I would need is a CRT permit.
efanton
New member
Found another goldmine of information for French Canals, rivers and the Med
The River Seine
Very detailed yet concise blog of his trip down the Seine.
What is most useful from his blog is he lists suitable marring spots that might not necessarily appear on maps or charts.
This is what I am finding hardest while planning my trip.
Canal AC seems to be the only reliable planning tool I have found, but it doesn't recommend mooring points at the end of each day.
I am trying to plan for 8 to 9 hours cruising per day, (obviously with rest days for the towns or cities I would want to visit), but there appears to be no planner that accounts for time spent in locks, (or waiting at a lock while the French éclusiers have their hour's lunch) or that will recommend mooring points.
I know you can moor to the bank on most rivers and canals in France, but you want to moor somewhere where you have something to do in the evenings
I guess I will have to wait until I buy the guides and maps I will need but I have been putting that off until nearer the date I travel so that they are reasonably up to date and don't leave me in a situation where something major changes and I have to replan a large section of my route.
So far I find the only way to find good mooring points is through youtube or blogs.
The River Seine
Very detailed yet concise blog of his trip down the Seine.
What is most useful from his blog is he lists suitable marring spots that might not necessarily appear on maps or charts.
This is what I am finding hardest while planning my trip.
Canal AC seems to be the only reliable planning tool I have found, but it doesn't recommend mooring points at the end of each day.
I am trying to plan for 8 to 9 hours cruising per day, (obviously with rest days for the towns or cities I would want to visit), but there appears to be no planner that accounts for time spent in locks, (or waiting at a lock while the French éclusiers have their hour's lunch) or that will recommend mooring points.
I know you can moor to the bank on most rivers and canals in France, but you want to moor somewhere where you have something to do in the evenings
I guess I will have to wait until I buy the guides and maps I will need but I have been putting that off until nearer the date I travel so that they are reasonably up to date and don't leave me in a situation where something major changes and I have to replan a large section of my route.
So far I find the only way to find good mooring points is through youtube or blogs.
Tranona
Well-known member
You are going to France - just chill and take it as it comes. Even if you plan you are still at the mercy of the weather, shortage of water, closures and strikes! Remember also that much of France is empty so the canals rune for miles without any close by habitation so be prepared to spend many nights on your own in the middles of nowhere.
Ferris
Active member
8-9 hours cruising per day doesn’t sound like much fun. 2-3 hrs per day for me and enjoy the trip.
[199490]
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Totally agree. My aim is to do most of my moving in the mornings and see the towns, vineyards etc in the afternoon and evenings
[199490]
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Did you start right at the beginning? I started with his crossing to Calais. I found it got better around about Paris but I did think it was a bit rushed as he neared the Med ( missed some wonderful areas on the Rhône) and I’ve given up when he got to Malta and is just bumbling round there.
I’ve read some of the Ancient Mariner Blog although the start isn’t relevant to me as I’m going in via Dunkirk. His recommendation of the Fluviacarte guides seems sound, I bought the first two on EBay for £30 and they seem very detailed.
efanton
New member
Trip I have planned will cover at least 5 countries, Yes, its going to be a slightly long one.
General plan is to set off at 9.00am, take a break about 1pm for a hour or so (which coincides with the écluseur's lunch break) and continue on for another 4 or 5 hour depending on a suitable mooring point for the night.
Many of the towns ands villages can easily be covered in a evening as you have 5 to 6 hours before you put your head down. As a solo you can only watch so many sunsets in solitude, and going to a pub or restaurant every night is not in the budget. Lounging on a boat just waiting for the morning to come just isn't my cup of tea.
There are many places I do actually want to visit, and for those I have planned 'rest days'. For instance I will be spending at least 3 full days moored in the Paris Arsenal Marina, Which will give me plenty of time to explore Paris and see the things I missed on previous visits.
For those towns that I do want to explore or places that I definitely want to visit I might only do half days, if I have not planned a full 'rest day'.
Travelling at boat speed there's lots you will see without actually stopping, and to be honest its just as enjoyable as walking around a town or city most of the time
If getting caught up in tourist traps and long queues is your thing then the trip I have planned is definitely not for you,
But to cover what I want to do in the 8 to 9 months I plan on travelling I have to make progress and miss out on visiting every little town or village I pass.
Basic plan is 10 weeks in France, a few weeks to get through Belgium into the Nederland's, 4 weeks in the Nederland's, 10 weeks in Germany as II will have to double back a bit to get to the final stretch of going down the Danube and get as far as Budapest if possible , and then the long trip back home.
But having thought about what the Options crew did (break their journey over winter) and return to continue the journey, I am considering doing something similar. That would enable me to travel from Germany into the Czech Republic and stop in Prague where I lived for 6 years and possible over winter there. I really loved living in Prague and it would be great to take the boat there but that would have added at least 3 weeks minimum to the journey. Got a load of friends there so as long as I can find somewhere suitable to moor up the boat over winter its definitely on the cards if I can afford to do it.
It would also guarantee that I could plan for actually getting to Budapest. With the current plan it looks doable but I haven't actually fully planned this part off the trip yet and will possibly fall short by a few weeks or maybe a month or more. The distance from the Rhine junction to Budapest is about 1200km if I remember correctly If I motored 9 hours a day every day for this portion of the trip without stopping for a day anywhere this would take 3 weeks minimum, and I still have to get back !! Obviously I do want to stop for a few days each in Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and a few full day stops on the way through Austria and Slovakia
I know its a bit ambitious, but is doable. It just means putting in the hours at the helm. This is probably the last chance I will ever get to do something like this so my attitude is go for it, and even if I cannot complete everything I had planned it would still be an achievement to remember (until the Alzheimer's sets in lol).
Given the choice of doing this as I have planned, or doing 3 or 4 hours each day as you suggest and barely covering the Canals of France which would you choose?
Which ever choice you make doesn't mean its right or wrong. some would go the way I hope to do it others would go the relaxed route you would choose. I will be retiring soon and there will be plenty of time for relaxing later, hopefully.
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efanton
New member
Started reading the Ancient Mariner once he had completed the channel crossing and all the way down to Paris. Have done that about 5 or 6 times now as there are so many useful details that you take for granted on the first read. Will read all his other blog posts as I get a chance. Definitely someone who I would follow as he gets the balance right between detail and a good read.
How's the trip so far? Hope you are enjoying yourself
[199490]
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Not gone far, just moved from Dordrecht where I was having some electrical work done to Biesbosch which is a big nature park that was recommended by someone here. Staying until Friday then meeting up with friends to plan the rest of the travels around the Netherlands
efanton
New member
Keep us updated if you can. I suspect that the Netherlands will be even more enjoyable than France
North of Dordrecht is the Unesco site of Werelderfgoed Kinderdijk where they have restored the old original windmills, dikes and pumping stations which should be interesting. Its one of the things on my list.
I'm finding planning for the Nederland's a little bit troublesome. There is so much to see and so many possible routes. I have 4 weeks pencilled in for the Netherlands and I am certain that whatever I plan I am going to miss some interesting places.I plan on entering the Netherlands near Maastricht (easy access from France) and then leaving for Germany via Nijmegen. Problem is the canal the system seems to be split into two distinct areas, south and west of Amsterdam, and then off to the north east of the country between Zwolle and Groningen. Its hard to see any way to cover it all so once I hit Amsterdam I will have to make a choice between the two.
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Alicatt
Well-known member
To the south of Groningen is the Friesland area, there are routes around there like the one based on the Elvestedentocht ice skating race between 11 towns for a distance of about 120 miles along the canals.
Geithoorn, while beautiful is so jampacked with tourist boats, Sneek has a wonderful Shipping Museum, we spent a day in there and did not see it all, there is a few of the major Dutch boat hiring companies are based in Sneek.
Friesland canals are where my wife discovered she liked boats, so it is kind of special to me!
Geithoorn, while beautiful is so jampacked with tourist boats, Sneek has a wonderful Shipping Museum, we spent a day in there and did not see it all, there is a few of the major Dutch boat hiring companies are based in Sneek.
Friesland canals are where my wife discovered she liked boats, so it is kind of special to me!
Alicatt
Well-known member
This just popped up on my facebook page: Vaarroute 's-Hertogenbosch | Zuiderwaterlinie
Canal routes in the South of Holland the above is one for den 'Bosch
Canal routes in the South of Holland the above is one for den 'Bosch
efanton
New member
Thanks for that.
Some things to do there that I have not seen on other sites.
Could possibly incorporate parts of those 5 routes to get me from Maastricht to Amsterdam
thanks again
Alicatt
Well-known member
We will be in Roermond tomorrow looking at a newer/bigger boat, and later in the month in Maastricht for the evening with André Rieu in the Vrijthof, we have been thinking of taking our boat to Maastricht to spend the night there after the concert