Retirement advice

[boatsRus]

Two weeks from tomorrow will be my last day at work. Retirement beckons and I thought it might be interesting and helpful to get some friendly yachting-related advice from those on the Forum who have already achieved this milestone. What should I do first - where to go and what to see? What should I avoid? Any hints and tips gratefully received. Boat and home are now both in Devon.

 

[southseaian]

Congratulations.
You could buy a new boat.
Selling the old one, choosing a new one and then getting it sorted to your liking should talk up the next two or three years.
or
Sailing around the UK stopping off at lots of places on route.
or
sail around the world, stopping or non stop
or
take up golf, I don't get it but it seems to keep a lot of retired folk very busy
or build a new boat..........and then...........

 

[johnphilip]

As my working commitments ran down I was looking forward to longer trips, perhaps round Britain or longer and more frequent trips abroad. My better half wanted a dog, so all that went out of the window, now trips restricted to short hops, all stations from Harwich to Weymouth being the best we have managed. Beware of dogs, can you rent one for winter walks only?

 

[EdWingfield]

As I approached retirement I began to take interest in those before me. The conclusion I came to that each of us are very different. Some blokes even apply to return to work on a part-time basis.
I already had a suitable boat so I prepared her for a round-uk trip. It took me 2 yrs. at present I am in German waters trying to solve 'the riddle of the sands'.

 

[Triassic]

Enjoy the initial honeymoon period and just try and use it to do all the things you wanted to do over the past couple of years, but couldn't because of work time restraints. Unfortunately it doesn't take long for you to fill your life back up with lots of other things (not just dogs) and you find yourself juggling priorities again.......

 

[AIDY]

the hardest part is coming to terms with not actually achieving something during the day.

 

[vyv_cox]

Almost impossible to answer without knowing personal situation. I was in the fortunate position of having a wife as enthusiastic about sailing as myself, kids well established far from home, no elderly relative concerns. I retired at the end of the year and we set off down the Atlantic coast in the following April. Left the boat in Rochefort in the following September and the next April carried on. Have now been in Greece for about seven years, spending half the year afloat, 12 years after retiring.

Edit: should have said, spent two of the first four months after retirement going around the world on accumulated air miles.

 

[alahol2]

For us the best thing about retirement was the ability to 'let's just go' when we saw a weather window of more than a couple of days. This related to sailing and camping. We also took to a decent walk through the countryside every week.
At the moment health problems are putting a halt to just about everything so make the most of the time you've got while you've got it.

 

[dunedin]

the hardest part is coming to terms with not actually achieving something during the day.

That's a fairly negative outlook - many retirees do constructive and / or charitable things which give great sense of achievement

 

[Tam Lin]

You could do what I did, buy an old boat thinking that you could sail her and ended up doing a major refit! Still, keeps you busy and that is the important thing. It doesn't much matter what you do as long as you are doing something.

 

[mikeallatsea]

Potentially the most difficult step is the first one and to do that you have to get up of your a... . After that the trick is to keep moving and your most valuable asset the freedom to make choices. Don't look back and if you find you have to don't stare.

 

[Lodesman77]

the hardest part is coming to terms with not actually achieving something during the day.

Sounds like your definition of achievement is somewhat narrow...

 

[LadyInBed]

Lock the house up and go sailing for a month or so.
It will clear the mind.

 

[TiggerToo]

... Beware of dogs, can you rent one for winter walks only?

I'd tell my wife to take up an alternative professional career:

http://www.theguardian.com/money/sh...-do-they-really-earn-more-than-average-salary

it could supplement the cruising pot

 

[TiggerToo]

the hardest part is coming to terms with not actually achieving something during the day.

that sounds like work... :ambivalence:

 

[jimbaerselman]

I retired (for the second time) after 15 years of professional sailing. That had included an awful lot of time doing long trips from A to B, but very little time in A or B and no time between. But what I really loved was exploring places, especially those where there was limited tourism, and discovering different cultures. And there was no better way than by boat, which took me to places that package tours don't go.

First, the Celtic fringes. Compare dour, craggy Scotland's magnificent scenery and sparsely populated islands with the rumbustious craic of SW Ireland. Then tumble with the tides, the overfalls, the pilotage, the rocks of the Channel Islands and nearby France. Compare that tumble with the easy life French Biscay in a slightly warmer climate; French holiday makers and sail boats everywhere, where tidal streams no longer mean you have to get up at 0400 to make the next leg.

And where France meets N Spain! In Hendaye, French side of the River Bidasoa they eat at 19:30 and go to bed at 22:00. The other side of the river, in Fuenterrabia, they eat a 22:00 and go to bed at 02:00 next day . . . OK, in holiday time. The rest of the N Spain coast is geared to fishing, and yachts are rare. In that sense, this is unspoilt cruising, a place where the ports haven't adapted to sail. I loved that.

And so on; contrasts between countries, cultures, climates, challenges. All the way to Turkey and Cyprus. 10 years exploring, 7 or 8 months a year aboard. Pottering.

What a lovely change from voyaging! And never a dull moment. My third retirement (agility gone, sadly . . .) is to write it all up, re-live the experiences, and buildi my web site hoping to help others enjoy this sort of experience.

So the advice is - don't retire. You'll die of boredom

 

[Strolls]

Beware of dogs, can you rent one for winter walks only?

One of my local rescues welcomes volunteer dog walkers.

 

[KellysEye]

When I retired we bought a boat with the intention of going long distance sailing for two years. We came back six and a half years later, there are so many places to see and look around.

 

[RAI]

Sail your boat south into the sunshine. It's cheaper and nicer and it costs very little to fly home when you must.

 

[johnalison]

We never intended to anything heroic, but in a series of 3 months cruises we have visited most places from Gdansk to Trebuerden and SW Ireland. This still leaves Scotland and S Brittany unseen, but we have no particular urge to go there.

One place will capture one person's imagination but leave another unimpressed, so where you go is entirely up to you. I would only advise getting a boat which is big enough to do what you want comfortably, and if like me you like to keep a boat for many years, one which you will still be able to handle as your strengths diminish.