Redundnacy looms!!!

[snowleopard]

me too...

seems at least half of us are ex-IT. i dropped out of contracting just as the bubble burst and went off for a year and planning the next trip.

a couple of hints on dragging reluctant females along-

there's the coercive approach: "when i go, will you be coming too?"

the implied threat: "amazing number of women looking for crewing places on this website" (actually true, www.worldcruising.com)

the persuasive "i'll sail the boat to the caribbean and you can fly out to join me"

or the oblique, a sailing friend's wife said to mine "i always go with him because if i don't someone else will"

tongue out of cheek now: before we left my wife wouldn't leave harbour unless there was another experienced crew aboard but for the return crossing from the caribbean it was her idea to sail 2-handed.

 

[Abigail]

Just been made redundant too. We had fortunately found and financed the sailaway boat and planned to spend 2 years or so doing it up to live on - so now we're doing it in six months. We agreed terms on selling the house yesterday - scary and exciting.

On your partners' reluctance - there are several v good books on how to get to an agreed way of life, which give her a real voice (not just being told all the blokes on the YBW forum think she'd better get with the programme!) Depends on why she's reluctant - eg distance from family/friends, or fear, or cold etc. Look at eg

Sell up & Sail - Bill & laurel Cooper ( and do the quiz!)
Living Afloat - Clare Allcard
Best tips from Women Aboard - Maria Russell
Cruising Woman's Advisor - Diana Jessie
Changing course - Debra Ann Cantrell.

Of all these the Cantrell may be the most helpful, but you have to excuse the american approach at times!

Lin and Larry Pardey have both written very clearly about the way in which to introduce your partner gradually to the good bits, and not straight into a F8 in the dark on a short handed boat!

There are lots of women out there happily sailing (tho I find I am in a tiny minority of women skippers), but as I get more and more into it the bigger a decision it really is.

It looks at its simplest about 10 miles off shore with the wind just aft the beam, good supplies and clear visibility.

Good luck

Sarah

Sarah&Pip

 

[colvic]

Can direct you to numerous people who have done just that and haven't regretted it. We were forced into doing something when I couldn't work anymore and though the last year has been traumatic were going onward and return to sunnier climes next week. Health, apart from one nackered main lump of muscle has never been better,

Phil

 

[tr7v8]

Re: me too...

Ummm, suprise I am an IT contractor as well!
Finished in December after a 4 odd year contract, oh well, something will come along, have tried to get out of IT, many times over the 20 odd years but it always draws me back in.
I'd suggest if that's your dream go for it, otherwise you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Certainly DON'T wait for retirement!

Jim
-------------

 

[philmarks]

Great advice!

 

[david_e]

Hope everthing works out OK for you whichever way you go.

I find it ironic that with all these good IT bods about we are lumbered with the biggest w*****r of an IT manager you could get.

I reckon I spend 15% of my working life either looking at an egg timer or unfreezing my laptop

 

[Gunfleet]

Chris - misspelling looms! Bugger redundancy, we've got redundnacy. Seriously, I wish I felt bad for you. Axsherly, I wish I was forced to go the same way. It would clear up some indecision. Good luck mate.
(crewing opportunities?)
John

 

[jonlaw]

What an opportunity to 'Go For It'

John

 

[BrianJ]

Hey Chris.. why not just sit at home and watch the CRICKET !!!!!!
BrianJ

 

[Stingo]

Yeh, great idea because you could nip off to the fridge (and take your time about it) get a cold one and not miss any action (when England are playing).

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.stingo.co.uk>http://www.stingo.co.uk</A> - now showing at a computer near you

 

[LadyInBed]

Re: me too...

Yep, and me. Stopped contracting after Y2K, took a supposedly permanent job as systems mgr, but got made redundant after a take-over.
I've now had just over a year of leisure and got the boat how I want it, so it’s now the dilemma of whether to go on my own, if I can't persuade the wife to come along. I've been off twice before on my own between contracts, so thats not too much of a problem, but not the prefered option, or to stay home and become a plumber.
My first inclination is to go south then become a plumber when the money gets low!

 

[wishbone]

Hi Chris, met a guy a few years ago who was made redundant in engineering he was doing 6 months stints of sailing in the Med, he was renting out his flat in London, everyone thought he was about 40 ish turned out he was collecting his pension at 66, that’s what sailing could do for you !! Good luck

Wishbone

 

[Chris_Robb]

Bill - I think I am will do much the same as you - Boat in Brittany now - was to go to north coast Spain at Easter, bu I might bring it back to Plymouth initially as I work out how the land lies.

Irony of my redundancy is that the only salesman being kept has made no sales in the last 12 months, I have with 2 contracts in the pipeline - they think that they can pass these over to him! hardly genuine redundancy!

 

[Chris_Robb]

Re: me too...

Thanks for hints on how to co-erce! Up to now this has been one of the topics she has just refused to discuss. She does actually quite like life on a boat - but she has these things called roots and friends whch make these things so much more difficult in reality. However compromises will have to be made, which also means she will now have to engage in discusion.

 

[Chris_Robb]

Friend and roots are the main obstacles - but trying the warmer climate routine this year - north spain unless we come back to Plymouth.

Got her sell up and sail last year - was a mistake to give it to her for Christmas though!

Good luck with the plans

 

[Chris_Robb]

Hope your IT manager is not reading your emails! Our IT manager is also a Anchor

 

[Chris_Robb]

Actually I can spell - just can't see my mistakes! Just noticed the mispelling this morning.

I am thoroughly elated with the situation. This is a real opprotunity to do something else, especially as there os little point trying to find a job in the same industry for at least a year or more

 

[Chris_Robb]

watching paint dry

Morning cobber - actually its all over so quickly now that the paint doesn't have time to dry.

Might even get out to Oz - give you a call if I do

 

[Chris_Robb]

This is one of the plans I'm working on! Real obstacle is the aged dog! (no thats not SWMBO) what do we do with it?

 

[ccscott49]

Get his jabs and take him with you! or find him a new home (No) or don't bother with the jabs and don't take him home and cruise the meddy first, which I guessed you might anyway, he only needs the jabs to go home again, not to leave. The only long lassage he needs to make is across biscay and some arrangement could be made, or bring him down to Portugal by plane. Dogs' not a problem.