post-cancer boat buying crisis

Good plan,
Decide where you will keep the boat first and then you will have a better idea of what type of boat will suite you. you might find a bilge keeler suites but if you are going to keep it in deep water then you can choose whatever. there are great boats about for modest amounts. Consider a Twister and you will allways find people to chat too. They have a good sail displacement and will look after you, of course lots of other boats similar will fit your requirements too. Good luck and Happy Days.
Steveeasy
 
dunedin said:
I suspect that, even if they were to be available, all the charter boats would be far too big to be ideally manageable by one adult, one boy (and a dog). Keep smallish (under 30 feet?) and keep simple might be better, particularly for somebody used to staying in a campervan
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I've been sailing a 26 footer with a small person for ten years now, and it's been just the right size. Plenty of room for two, easily manageable by one - particularly useful since I am no longer always the one.
 
Get yourself on YouTube and search for all the sailing related content .... there are hundreds of stories of other peoples endeavours and experiences, some good, some bad, some an inspiration - all food for thought.

What you are planning is achievable, and you're not necessarily nuts ..... be realistic and go into it with your eyes open and find your own way. There will be enough opinion and advice to make your head spin - especially if you ask any questions about anchors or traditional vs modern designs, trust yourself and seek out those few down-to-earth fonts of all knowledge who can really help you.

Go for it .... I did a fantastic week on an RYA course with my mum when I was around 10, we were on our own boat, a Kingfisher 20+ and those memories have stayed with me my entire life, as have all the family sailing holidays - adventures every one.
 
Just a footnote on why sailing is so powerful post-cancer. The process of cancer treatment, unless you yourself are an oncologist, can be immensely disempowering. Your fate is in someone else's hands. Your timetabling is out of your control and down to "the system". You spend much of your time endlessly waiting for late appointments in a dry sterile hospital environment under artificial light. If you're young and otherwise healthy, you feel out of place amongst the old and the dying. And depending on your illness and treatment you can end up weak and physically disempowered.

Sailing gives you everything back: freedom, self-reliance, a sense of controlling your own destiny and a direct connection to the elements. It can be as physical as you want it to be: suitable for gently easing a weakened body back to fitness but with the potential to stress every muscle you have and remind you you're not done yet.
 
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Don't waste time - Just do it. Not a bonkers plan at all - far from it and a great way for you and your son to explore a bit of the world together. Also great experience for him.
Some great tips above but the top two for me
1) Don't rush in and buy the first boat that you fall for. ( we've all done it) Take an experienced friend along to take off your rose tinted glasses. Bits break on boats all the time so you don't want one that is already knackered. Get something a bit better condition to start with and it will slow down the breakage rate!
2) Don't stint on the training / experience you get before starting off. As an absolute basic learn the rules of the road, how to navigate, basic meteorology, basics of how to sail in all directions , how to get the boat into and out of moorings and some basic boat maintenance.
 
Could your friends who you mention are ex pro sailers give you an introduction to sailing,just a week end with your son would throw up any real problems with your idea and give an opportunity to see if it’s possible with just your son and if he likes it.Certainly a boat up to say 28 foot is manageable but if you know little and your son less it could be a fraught adventure.
 
JumbleDuck said:
"When" we exit? We left at 11pm on 31st January this year.
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We have only exited as far as political rhetoric goes. Still under EU rules and rights until end of Transition, currently 31 Dec 2020. We can still be in Schengen as long as we want this year - but not much help with Covid. And boat position at end of Transition is expected to be key date for VAT status
 
Stemar said:
I beg to differ. Of course you're bonkers, but that doesn't matter. In the words of the advertising slogan, just do it!

However, a yacht is a different beast from a campervan. I'd think some training before even looking at boats. If I were starting from scratch, I'd do a dinghy course - your son might enjoy that, as well, which would get you out on the water, learning sail handling, then Day Skipper or the French equivalent. With that under your belt, you have a rough idea how to get going. You'll also know if you're fit enough. Cancer and its treatment can be pretty debilitating.

If, and God forbid, you find you aren't, an alternative would be to do a motorboat course and explore the European canals.
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I too would endorse taking a dinghy course first. You will learn so much more about the influence of sail trim and balance etc, which is much harder to appreciate in any yacht of the sort you appear to be contemplating. Is that important, you may ask ? I belive it is. Appreciating the subtleties of what is happening in any given situation has many advantages.
 
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Personally I’d run a mile from a Centurion compared to a Jeanneau, Bavaria, Hanse or Beneteau if I actually wanted to enjoy living on the boat.

Everyone has their different favourite ideas and it’s a personal thing, so for example joining a sailing club or doing dinghy sailing courses seem to me to be a way of avoiding getting on with it. The big thing is finding out whether you love sailing enough to put up with the continuous DIY.

So I would suggest a Competent Crew course ideally in the waters you would like to sail in. That gives you a week living on board a sailing cruiser with like minded beginners. Then go on a couple of flotilla charters with your son. That will lay down memories straight away and either you will think, “Nice holiday” or you will beg, steal or borrow to make this your full time life.

And if you can’t afford the course and flotilla weeks then a motor home and a land tour is probably far easier and more achievable.
 
Don't hesitate, just do it. The Wauquiez Centurian is a good boat. If you can learn something before setting off then do so, otherwise take someone experienced for a bit till you get the hang of it. There are plenty of kid boats around. Facebook kids4sail for plenty of advice, meetups and support. We had 3 years cruising with the kids and loved it all, they got so much out of it.
 
Do it, your not mad at all. My wife had kidney cancer. Removed and given the all clear 2 years after. 3 months on and they dscovered mets in the chest and skull. So don't waste your time. She is, thankfully, stable at the moment. Its incurable, as opposed to terminal (right now) and we have very similar plans to yours. We have the boat already, and I can sort of sail. (I learned by buying one and sailing) We need to work for another few years and get her son established on his own. My own two are already self sufficient (ish) Then we will downsize and sail for the med.
You have the advantage of being in france already so make sure your boat is there, wherever you buy it, at end of the transition period, and keep the harbour/marina invoice as proof.

Go for a weeks holiday and do a comp crew course, read the rest and once you have your boat, pay an instructor for a few days to teach you the basics of operating your boat and practical navigation etc.

It will be the best thing you ever did, good luck.
 
If you're a UK citizen already living in France you've probably got the residency/Brexit/Schengen visa thing covered already. I think broadly speaking you have two options, first is pick the area that you'd like to sail in and buy a boat there if you can - you won't be sailing the whole med in one season and it will take significant time to get from UK to the med. However second option is doing UK to med either through the French canals or by taking your time on the sea route which would be great adventures in themselves. Very best of luck with all your plans and keep coming back with any questions...
 
Go for it. Go small, go simple, but go. There has been a lot of good advice on here. As said, do not fixate on any particular type of boat, but on the one that needs the least work.
The suggestion to explore the canals is not all that wrong, to get you're feet wet, so to speak and until you have gained confidence handling the boat.
Another option would be to buy a boat in Holland, where thousands of miles of canals link up with inland lakes and a chance to practice sailing and all in a relatively less demanding and more benign environment.
 
As others have said go for it, you've had lots of great advice about learning so I won't repeat it. There are plenty of good, cheap boats out there, some at ridiculously low prices now. Just watch out for the big ticket expenses. A new engine can cost as much as your entire budget, sails half of it and rigging the same, but there are boats out there in your price range where they've all been replaced recently.

Take your time looking at boats, view plenty and bring a knowledgeable person with you with a checklist, it's so easy to get carried away and miss the basics, we did that once and regretted it from the moment we took possession, (but that ended up the only boat we sold at a profit).

Finally I wish you every success, go for it and have fun with your son.
 
It's worth noting that forum members will help regarding inspections of boats you like the look of, even if a long way to travel. I did a "survey" for a forum member who lived in Scotland, the boat was on the south coast!!

As you may have guessed by the replies you have already received, we are rooting for you, so just ask! Good luck
 
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