Reality of Selling up and Living Aboard as a Family

[Serious_Dreamer]

You will also be told off/experience some antagonism from people who find the idea too scary. You're irresponsible. You haven't got enough safety equipment. You should go on a cruise. You'll be guided to YouTube scare stories. Shouldn't you have a license? The list of antidisestablishmentarianism goes on (always wanted to find a use for that word).

Yep, we have already had a lot of this, although I do always keep "this life isn't a practise run!" in the back of my mind when dealing with this. And that you can't take x,y or z material objects with you, but memories...
And well done on finding a use for "antidisestablishmentarianism" not an easy one to get into a sentence

 

[KevinV]

From the families I've met out in the Caribbean it seems much easier with pre-teens. Once they get to their teens belonging to a peer group seems to be much more important, as well as needing their own space, and being able to get away from their parents. I have seen it work though - with plenty of mutual empathy.

 

[Tranona]

Yep, we have already had a lot of this, although I do always keep "this life isn't a practise run!" in the back of my mind when dealing with this. And that you can't take x,y or z material objects with you, but memories...
And well done on finding a use for "antidisestablishmentarianism" not an easy one to get into a sentence

The main "don't do it" is related to using a boat as an alternative to a house in the UK as this is generally incompatible with "normal" living particularly with children. The 4 main downers are limited space, general discomfort, particularly in winter, finding a berth and maintaining any sort of work/ social and schooling routine. These constraints tend to go away if you intend becoming travellers heading south and west, although as several have said the schooling problem becomes greater when children pass into teens. There is also then the issue of funding without regular work/income. However if it is the semi off grid with a bit of travel that appeals canals still offer many opportunities for an on board lifestyle.

You therefore find travellers tend to be either young and childless or older and childless with a fair smattering in between with younger children taking a break before the children grow up.

 

[LittleSister]

The main "don't do it" is related to using a boat as an alternative to a house in the UK . . .

Exactly so.

 

[Sea Change]

You therefore find travellers tend to be either young and childless or older and childless with a fair smattering in between with younger children taking a break before the children grow up.

It's always nice to put things in numbers.
Using the excellent No Foreign Land app, I count 20 boats in this anchorage. This is clearly not 100% representative but it's a useful data source.
Of those, six have children onboard.
Of those, five have children all aged ten or under.

Cruising with older kids can be done, but for all manner of reasons it's much less common than cruising with younger children.

 

[mattonthesea]

Years ago there was an advert (I think it was Virgin money) in which a boy said that when he grew up he wanted to sail around the world. It then cut to him as a man saying now I worry about getting home in time for school. The camera then drew back to show him sailing with his pre-school children.

 

[V1701]

After the several years or however long it turns out to be of world cruising your boat will have gone down in value, probably considerably. House prices will have gone up, rents will have gone up so you'll need an exit strategy of some sort. Most marinas in UK will give you a flat no if you ask about living aboard but some are liveaboard tolerant. Those that are tolerant of a few quiet liveaboards may be less tolerant of a whole family with kids going off to school every day, that makes it pretty obvious. I think more people would wait til the kids had finished school & gone off to uni, then buy a boat, rent their house out to keep a foot on the property ladder...

 

[Wansworth]

Northern Spain,Galiciaisfar enough away from the UK for a family to experience ocean sailing for a few days.Galicia offers a different language and customs although there are the usually Lydls foreign food can be found.In a month you can experience a mini world cruise…..If the family stilllikes the idea the boat can be laid up and the family returns to theUKto sort out the real voyage.Ifits thought on reflection not to suit the boat is not faraway to bring back the following summer.

 

[Sea Change]

Northern Spain,Galiciaisfar enough away from the UK for a family to experience ocean sailing for a few days.Galicia offers a different language and customs although there are the usually Lydls foreign food can be found.In a month you can experience a mini world cruise…..If the family stilllikes the idea the boat can be laid up and the family returns to theUKto sort out the real voyage.Ifits thought on reflection not to suit the boat is not faraway to bring back the following summer.

We enjoyed Galicia, but our time there was cut short for family reasons. I hear the winters are a bit harsh though?

 

[Wansworth]

We enjoyed Galicia, but our time there was cut short for family reasons. I hear the winters are a bit harsh though?

In the rias there is a micro climate you have to go up into the mountains to find frost and snow…..but it can be damp .I installed a wood burner for my winter afloat in the ria de Vigo.

 

[Hermit]

What about a halfway house (if funds allow)? We are thinking (in a couple of years) of down/upsizing to a smaller flat but a bigger boat and spending a lot more time on the boat but with a flat for winter etc.

But, we are different in that our youngest is just about to leave for university.

Or maybe, instead of a yacht, a houseboat/dutch barge/widebeam canal boat or similar to get some of the feel of living afloat?

 

[Mike Bryon]

It’s perfectly doable.

Spent 13 years as live aboard with 4 kids (2 part-time) Wintered in UK and Northern France as well as Mediterranean and Caribbean. Had oil fired heating with radiators throughout the boat (self installed), cockpit enclosure and boom tent and dehumidifier. With this set up northern winters fine.

Kids went to local schools in UK, France, Italy and St Vincent and Grenadines. When passage making we hired private tutor. Paid E100 a week and flights and had literally hundreds of applicants to choose from. Returned to UK education system for A level ed. All 4 went to uni and have sound careers. Two are tri-lingual thanks in some part to the experience.

Boat was 60’ split rig, no watermaker, no autohelm, hanked on sails. Hand steered many, many thousands of nmiles. A good few years at anchor. Paid £110K for the boat sold it for 90K.

Funded by a mix of writing technical non fiction, rental from a house in Italy and occasionally local employment.

Kept it simple and it went great. Go for it.

 

[westernman]

In the rias there is a micro climate you have to go up into the mountains to find frost and snow…..but it can be damp .I installed a wood burner for my winter afloat in the ria de Vigo.

I am off to Vigo (via Porto) for a business trip for a few days in a couple of weeks.
Any recommendations?

 

[Wansworth]

I am off to Vigo (via Porto) for a business trip for a few days in a couple of weeks.
Any recommendations?

I am only a visitor these days Pontevedra is the nicest walkabout city,but seafood is the big thing as you probably know soVigo if your staying there will provide at least fresh fish and shell fish from the ria….I cannot recommend anywhere

 

[obmij]

I think the reality of boat living in the UK (with kids) would probably put you off the whole thing - but, I'm fully with you about life not being a rehearsal so maybe with a bit of tinkering it could work..

The key is the age of the kids - if they are nearing the end of school anyway, hang fire for a bit and do when they've finished. You could scratch the itch in the meantime (and increase your competence and understanding of what is required) in various ways. Example - buy a relatively cheap boat, keep it on an inexpensive mooring and sail locally. Get over to France and back in the summer. You can also crew offshore for little (or zero) cost so when you do step out into the blue with your family you'll be doing so from a position of greater confidence.

If they're young - why not take them out of school for a year or so, perhaps do an Atlantic circuit then come back - or not, as you wish.

Good luck whatever you decide.