Sailing around the Med with a 4.5k budget

[sailaboutvic]

Re: A serious reply!

GHA
Thank you so much , you made my point nicely,
As I said living or in some case surviving on a boat or by the sound of things a ramshackle hulls on water .
There not exactly cruising anywhere, or exploring anywhere and it's not mine or I guess many other image of living a dream , much more like a night mare .

Some thing out of the sixty , commune for hippies . But instead in tents floating sheds
I guess the guy with the huge beard is one that got left behind .
He must of missed the boat

I some how don't think when people are talking about leaving there job , selling up and going off cruising its this they have in mind.

(Obviously very low budget and having a lot of fun. Seem to remember some more low budgets ) ( Another English couple met in Brazil then in carib - again not sure of budget but way below the poverty line )


You do make it sound so wonderful , I can hear the rush of people racing to give up their notice

Of course those here who may be on a very low budget and are enticed by your images , looking for just that type of life change (just don't tell the wife )
and wouldn't it be a life change .

first have to acquire a boat on their low budget , seen by another thread there a few to have in Essex guys .

Then fit it out to the extent that it won't sink before reaching Senegal or some other godforsaken place on their low budget ,

Which just leave sailing thousands of miles and the expense of doing so to get there on their low budget , oh dear seen they just blown they low budget even before crossing the channel .

I think I stick to the Med , our Med hippie are less likely to rob you or steal your dinghy and the local less likely to shot you for your Sneakers .
I sure we all remember Peter Blake (RIP) who when off the beaten track in Brazil, two of his crew also shot ,
The French guy killed and wife raped ,
The Australian just this year in Antigua .
The women who found her husband shot die floating in the sea after leaving the cabin she hind in .
Martin Griff who was shot and killed while sleeping on deck .
I can keep going if on like .

By the way we have quite a lot of friends who are cruising the world ,
people we known for years and trust not to romanticizing the facts .
way they tell it isn't quite the same .
More of people stuck in run down boats unable to find a way out begging for a ride or asking for a few Dollars to raise enough for a flight out .

I Just remember I started this thread to put a bit of humor into sailing off in to the sun set .
well you done that for sure . Well done .
No offence intended
Keep watching YouTube and reading all them blog .
Give you a few more ideas to write here about .

 

[lindsay]

If you want general inspiration for low cost sailing, in contrast to the all bells and whistles of most Med sailors, just check out Glenn Tieman, starting on the James wharramwebsite, who sails the South Pacific on a home built wooden multihull for "dollars a day"

 

[GHA]

Re: A serious reply!

GHA
Thank you so much , you made my point nicely,
As I said living or in some case surviving on a boat or by the sound of things a ramshackle hulls on water .
There not exactly cruising anywhere, or exploring anywhere and it's not mine or I guess many other image of living a dream , much more like a night mare .

Some thing out of the sixty , commune for hippies . But instead in tents floating sheds
I guess the guy with the huge beard is one that got left behind .
He must of missed the boat

Think you must have been reading a different post

Yes there are some floating hulks around but also people with well maintained simple boats cruising the world on what must be starvation rations to many on here, and having a great time.
And just like find round Europe some people like a place and just end up staying setting up a little business.

I some how don't think when people are talking about leaving there job , selling up and going off cruising its this they have in mind.

(Obviously very low budget and having a lot of fun. Seem to remember some more low budgets ) ( Another English couple met in Brazil then in carib - again not sure of budget but way below the poverty line )

You do make it sound so wonderful , I can hear the rush of people racing to give up their notice

You ain't met them or been there..... why so consistently negative? Not for everybody for sure but those that go obviously didn't ask you if it was a good idea.. - which is why it's maybe a good idea to post the alternative view, in case people read what you post and think , 'Oh well, lets not bother then.... ' before even checking it out.

I think I stick to the Med ,

Good idea :encouragement:

I sure we all remember Peter Blake (RIP) who when off the beaten track in Brazil, two of his crew also shot ,
The French guy killed and wife raped ,
The Australian just this year in Antigua .
The women who found her husband shot die floating in the sea after leaving the cabin she hind in .
Martin Griff who was shot and killed while sleeping on deck .
I can keep going if on like .

Yes there are bad areas but these days with web access everywhere it's easy to research. Though you need to heed the warnings - I was robbed while sleeping peacefully in one of the lesser known Cape Verdes - the warnings were there, boats have been robbed in this anchorage - beware. I didn't beware and paid the price, laptop and phone gone. My fault. The really bad areas are thankfully well know, few and far between and incidents very rare. Dinghy/outboard theft can be a problem if you don't lift it at night in many places, not just the locals either. but that happens in the UK as well. Also when you get to know a place very occasionally the stories come out that the guy hurt was messing with the wrong people or shagging the wrong woman, not every case for sure but does happen.

Stay in the Med - thousands love it there. Thousands also love the deep wide oceans, some cruising far and wide doing it for years on end on a shoestring, top of the "need to get" list being an open mind and positive outlook. Then a good tool kit .
Each to their own


For a fun thread you don't half get carried away with all the negative stuff about places you've never been....

Nuff for this thread , bye

 

[sailaboutvic]

Re: A serious reply!

Oh dear who's getting upset and annoyed now ?
Shame after all you wrote and your assumptions you made about the Med , Med cruisers and on people you happen to came across not to mention the expertise and financially situations you gathered by watch ( few French kids and the Brit couple )
Cruising on low budget that not once have you manage to give any figures
what a shame
who know if you did we may had agreed.

As for making assumption about me or what I might think and my negatives not wanting to except there are people out there doing it on a budget,

I posted here and #41#78 and other thread that I have no doubts there people out there living on a boat on a small income , living on a boat,
That's it self isn't what the majority of people's would consider cruiser though,
there people living on boats on the east coast in the U.K. living on income support but I don't think one would call the cruisers .
we have to accept our view our not the same .
Keep smiling life too short to hold a grudge.

 

[GHA]

Re: A serious reply!

we have to accept our view our not the same .
Keep smiling life too short to hold a grudge.

I don't really have so much of a personal view or horse to back in the matter, just cruisers who I've met and seen doing it.

Sometime the forums fell less like having a discussion and more like

..............

Each to their own, enjoy being afloat

 

[Stingo]

Re: A serious reply!

Not sure what GHA And others are waiting
for ,
why not jump aboard and go for it ,

Hahahaha.
GHA has been out there for a long, long time. I bumped into him way back in 2010 up some or other river in Brazil.... and then again in Trinidad, Grenada, Carriacou....

 

[sailaboutvic]

Re: A serious reply!

Hahahaha.
GHA has been out there for a long, long time. I bumped into him way back in 2010 up some or other river in Brazil.... and then again in Trinidad, Grenada, Carriacou....

Hi stingo
Not sure what your point is fellow sailor .
I am I00% sure I never said he hasn't , not here or in any other posting I every made in 16 years .
If I have please direct me to it so I can make a public apologize.
I did how ever know his wasn't out there now , hence that comment and it was suppose at the time to be tongue and cheek also if I honest I was at the time getting a bit fed up with assumptions being made about us cruiser that sail in the Med .
shame our exchange off options when off the rails .
Which isn't at all unusual on these forum ,
but it take both party to accept that's the case and move on ,
which I think we both have .
I also know he plain to return and I wish him well and that his pennies quickly mount up so he can return to what he loves doing , cruising .
But thanks for given me the year , I must now put it in my diary so I don't for get .

 

[GHA]

Re: A serious reply!

Re the pennies Vic, ain't that the stopping the next ocean adventure - one thing about having lots of fun in the tropics is that the sun is fierce on your boat, have lots of fun and neglect the maintenance a bit then sooner or later you pay the price, with interest!.... Mea culpa. Which means pretty major refit including making the steel boat structurally simpler so everything is easier. Cheap yard and do it all yourself doesn't cost that much.

One thing I've learned from long term cruisers not on a huge budget - their boats tend to be simple and strong

 

[GHA]

Re: A serious reply!

Free on amazon -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loose-Cannon-Deck-Transatlantic-Adventure-ebook/dp/B078GTVRNK

8500 dollars for a boat, 3000 dollars for a re fit, leaving North Carolina with fifty Euros, and arriving almost a year later in Largs Scotland.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f47/cheapest-transatlantic-205498.html#post2689883

Maybe of interest to somebody

 

[sailaboutvic]

Re: A serious reply!

Free on amazon -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loose-Cannon-Deck-Transatlantic-Adventure-ebook/dp/B078GTVRNK




http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f47/cheapest-transatlantic-205498.html#post2689883

Maybe of interest to somebody

I not a great book reader I have to say but I down loaded it and so far got to chapter six .
He remeinds me of nearly every solo male liveaboard sailor on run down boat sale I met , always a can in his hand ..
He must of drank Carolina dry
Ok on the the next six chapters maybe we see some work done on the boat .

 

[Kukri]

Re: A serious reply!

I suppose a lot depends on where you want to go but sitting on your anchor and showering on board a bigger boat is likely to be cheaper than sitting in a marina in a small one?

 

[sailaboutvic]

Re: A serious reply!

Still reading , more beer drank , he got his leg over a few times , been arrested but not much going on the refit side .
Maybe some thing will happen to morrow , had enough of it to night .

 

[vyv_cox]

Re: A serious reply!

Free on amazon -
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Loose-Cannon-Deck-Transatlantic-Adventure-ebook/dp/B078GTVRNK




http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f47/cheapest-transatlantic-205498.html#post2689883

Maybe of interest to somebody

An instruction manual on how not to do it! I'm only half way through, he spent more money on drink than on the boat and set off with little food, no engine, leaks everywhere. I assume he made it eventually but not the way I hope most of us would.

 

[GHA]

Re: A serious reply!

Nick doing it on next to nothing on a boat he built on a beach in NZ.

Wylo's galore up the Guadiana winter before last for his birthday.

https://vimeo.com/284310686

 

[KellysEye]

You would need to anchor and cook your own food. Bear in mind everything on a boat except for electronics is made for weekend and holiday sailors so everything will break more that once I generally spent a day or more a week servicing or fixing things. Carry two spare parts for everything, exploded diagrams and all the tools needed.

 

[Tranona]

You would need to anchor and cook your own food. Bear in mind everything on a boat except for electronics is made for weekend and holiday sailors so everything will break more that once I generally spent a day or more a week servicing or fixing things. Carry two spare parts for everything, exploded diagrams and all the tools needed.

if you could afford all this you would not be in the 4.5k annual budget category. One of the features of this category is extreme economy, either by a small very simple boat or the boat is falling apart.

So, as usual, another piece of absolutely useless advice in relation to the scenario.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Re: A serious reply!

Nick doing it on next to nothing on a boat he built on a beach in NZ.

Wylo's galore up the Guadiana winter before last for his birthday.

https://vimeo.com/284310686

.
Let not taken any thing away from Nick , if what he say is correct and not all in his imagination good for the man .
there no doubt there many more just like him on boats , in our towns and city's getting through life with very little .
Raiding bins and scrounging what every they can to get through from day to day .
he admitted this himself in the film .


But I doubt very much them who come on our forum or who have a dream of sailing off into the sun set on very little money are cut from the same cloth has our Nick .

Let do the sums and ask ourself , can a single guy live on basic food for say £35 per week , I would say yes . That about £1800 year .

So as long as you got a boat that floats you can sail has many times you like around the world on as little as £1800 PA , even less if you can live on £20 pw
But sailing and finding some free place to anchor will be all you be doing ,
Being a good scrounger would help .
But before anyone does ,do watch Nick film .

Nick never said how he lost his other boat , I would had like to know .
Could it been because some bit of old steel he scrounge which he was using for a anchor let him down and his engine badly maintained would start , maybe he didn't have a engine at all ?
Shame people leave out all the need to know stuff in there blogs and films .

I not making fun of Nick just watching that short film tell you so much about him and his life , could I life like that , no way .

I agree with what GHA and others that have said , people have lot of stuff they don't need on boat ,
when I start we had a little depth sounder with little light that flashes , a tailing log and a compass, pencil chart and a rule and a rubber And that was it .
Oil light for a anchor light and a primer stove which you pump to cook on .
One battery for the little lighting we had in side and the nav lights .

but the reality is for many many people now unless they have GPS , plotter , AIS , so on so on , they wouldn't get far before being lost or get run over by a ships .

We have all the stuff we need to make our life living full time on board comfortably.
We could do it , but wouldn't chose to do it any other way ,
we don't have a ice cream maker , bread maker or a ice maker ,
but we do have a fridge as it make our life comfortable.
Boats and people have come a long way since 1977 when Nick set off ,
I wasn't long sailing then .

 

[Tradewinds]

Re: A serious reply!

I've a huge admiration for Nick Skeates. He was in NZ when we were there back in 97 and we saw him again sailing into Horta, Azores 2 years later to anchor in the main harbour (we were moored up behind the inner wall with most of the other yachties getting our paint and paint brushes ready to leave our 'mark'). He was a bit of a legend even back then. The video was interesting but blimey that interior - shabby chic with knobs on!! I couldn't live the life he leads but we need people like him to give those with limited means the inspiration to go out and give it a try.

BTW I'm with GHA on this - when we were cruising full time (on a 'budget') there were quite a few cruisers doing it for not much money and having the time of their lives. A lot of these people were a bit farther afield than the Med though.

.
Let not taken any thing away from Nick , if what he say is correct and not all in his imagination good for the man .
there no doubt there many more just like him on boats , in our towns and city's getting through life with very little .
Raiding bins and scrounging what every they can to get through from day to day .
he admitted this himself in the film .


But I doubt very much them who come on our forum or who have a dream of sailing off into the sun set on very little money are cut from the same cloth has our Nick .

Let do the sums and ask ourself , can a single guy live on basic food for say £35 per week , I would say yes . That about £1800 year .

So as long as you got a boat that floats you can sail has many times you like around the world on as little as £1800 PA , even less if you can live on £20 pw
But sailing and finding some free place to anchor will be all you be doing ,
Being a good scrounger would help .
But before anyone does ,do watch Nick film .

Nick never said how he lost his other boat , I would had like to know .
Could it been because some bit of old steel he scrounge which he was using for a anchor let him down and his engine badly maintained would start , maybe he didn't have a engine at all ?
Shame people leave out all the need to know stuff in there blogs and films .

I not making fun of Nick just watching that short film tell you so much about him and his life , could I life like that , no way .

I agree with what GHA and others that have said , people have lot of stuff they don't need on boat ,
when I start we had a little depth sounder with little light that flashes , a tailing log and a compass, pencil chart and a rule and a rubber And that was it .
Oil light for a anchor light and a primer stove which you pump to cook on .
One battery for the little lighting we had in side and the nav lights .

but the reality is for many many people now unless they have GPS , plotter , AIS , so on so on , they wouldn't get far before being lost or get run over by a ships .

We have all the stuff we need to make our life living full time on board comfortably.
We could do it , but wouldn't chose to do it any other way ,
we don't have a ice cream maker , bread maker or a ice maker ,
but we do have a fridge as it make our life comfortable.
Boats and people have come a long way since 1977 when Nick set off ,
I wasn't long sailing then .

 

[GHA]

Re: A serious reply!

Getting quite fond of Cap'n Fatty

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Outfit-Sai...?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1534523654&sr=1-2
http://fattygoodlander.com/buy_outfit_and_sail

Not read this one yet but stormproofing is excellent IMHO. Should be on every offshore boat's bookshelf along with ocean passages and landfalls

http://fattygoodlander.com/the_big_fat_interview_about_storm_proofing

 

[Zing]

Re: A serious reply!

Advise needed on how to start a internet Crowdfunding please
Since leaving Malta in late feb we sailed to Tunisia for a cheap haul out .
Haul out 160 euros ( normally you looking at 250 a lift plus hard standing and pressure wash )
antifounding paint , and other bits connected to haul out maintenance 460
22 weeks @ 100 a week food and cleaning products 2200
Fuel to fill tanks 280
Six meals out at @ 30 euros for two 180
The odd beer coffee and ice cream out and treats 60
We needed to do a few little jobs on the way , 230 in bits
Cruising permits 50
As you can see we getting desperate,
Still another four months to cruise and we down to our last 900 euros
We still going to need more fuel at some point , and this time it be 1.55 and not .45 a liter we got it for last time , marina fee for our three month winter stay around 1500 at less
Another 26 weeks of shopping ,2600
Any thing that breaks or need to be replace .
Maybe a few more meals out birthdays coming up .

Off cause this is very basic full time budget for cruising and living full time aboard .
Missed out loads of stuff And We not got to winter jobs yet .

Oh forgotten to mention the sail we blow out 2100 good job it's the first in 40 years we blown one ,although it needed replacing any way but lets not count that other wise we wouldn't have a budget left and be looking for a job

Now you could find a river some where , not move the boat in which case the only expense you have is your day to day living expense , cut out the cleaning product as no one will want to visit you and your pounds in .

The obvious target for budget trimming is food. You’ve got €5000 a year down for it. You would make a massive dent in that if you went vegetarian and made your own bread and alcohol and didn’t eat or drink out. With a bit of ingenuity vegi food is as good as anything.

Two people can get all the calories they need to support life from flour in bread for a total cost of €250 per year. The expenditure on top of that is for healthy nutrition and pleasure. It does not have to go massively higher. Lentils, cabbage, broccoli, carrots, spices and herbs are not going to cost much for example. Sugar for alcohol is dirt cheap.

Then you could anchor out around the Greek islands. Not many do it, but it is done. That is another €1500.

In summer, position yourself near a posh marina and do boat work and or bar work. Another €2000+. Do the odd delivery too. Work is not ideal, I know, but it keeps the balls in the air.

So these simple measures restore €7000+ to the budget. Enough for that engine overhaul that will surely come sometime. I don’t follow all my own advice, so it’s not a personal account, I do make my own bread and mostly eat vegi, and my budget is luckily very different, but I know people who do all of this without feeling like they are suffering. Just the opposite in fact.