Selling up and setting sail...

[Halcyon Yachts]

I caught up with a couple in Mallorca who have recently sold their house and bought a boat. They have sailed from Western France to Mallorca so far, but have much grander ambitions for the future...

In the video they talk about their choice of yacht and also offer some great advice for people who are thinking of doing the same thing...

What advice would you give to someone thinking of selling up and setting sail?

Pete

 

[TQA]

Read Sell up and Sail by the Coopers paying attention to the chapter on the Ulysses Quotient.

Read the Bumfuzzles blog.

Most long term long distance cruisers fall betwen the two.

 

[capnsensible]

From what I see, its possible between voyages to become a bit introspective and maybe something of a recluse.

Keeping busy, being active, taking excercise both physical and mental is very important. Being at sea is the easy bit.

 

[RupertW]

I really wouldn't want to do that - I'd rather wait an extra decade than have a lifestyle with no going back. Sooner or later money from the sale will run out and/or you will be too decrepit to carry on sailing, and so have to start paying frightening levels of rent when you go back to living on land.

I can sort of imagine it in the past when somebody could make money from their house by the age of 30, take a decade sailing on the proceeds, then start work again and get back onto the property ladder, but these days if you can't make enough money from renting your house out to live on afloat, then it might be worth thinking about getting a simpler, cheaper boat.

 

[Hadenough]

My advice would be to check the publishing date of any "Sell up and sail" themed books. Most, if not all are now so outdated as to be worthless. Great reads but not applicable to this day and age. Recent blogs, as much as I hate blogs, seem to be the only current data available.

 

[Tranona]

That is probably because the subject has been done to death and there is a limited market for books since the rise of the net and particularly youtube.

RupertW describes the risk averse approach which usually results (but not always) in failing actually to do it because one is too old and less adventurous when one has the money and partners perhaps less keen to take the risk. Health also has an influence as in my case together with delaying 3 or 4 years because of the potential attraction of redundancy and paying off everything, so ending up with both the money and fallback of a paid for house but not able to actually go!

 

[GHA]

What advice would you give to someone thinking of selling up and setting sail?

Do it before you get old and your body starts falling apart....

 

[capnsensible]

If you want up to date tips, mine was from today.

I fixed some loose cables in the engine compartment. (mend).

Ran the engine for an hour. (Maintain).

Been practising Spanish on Duolingo. (Mind).

We went for a good long walk earlier. (Body).

Probably watch a movie later. (Relax).

:encouragement:

 

[RupertW]

i
RupertW describes the risk averse approach which usually results (but not always) in failing actually to do it because one is too old and less adventurous when one has the money and partners perhaps less keen to take the risk.!

That’s fair as I still haven’t made the plunge and done it but instead have gone for 3-6 months not working each year to sail or travel, but I have to be honest with myself and say that I enjoy work mostly and particularly enjoy London life and would feel I was missing out on the life I want to lead if I spent more than a few months each year away.

 

[Heckler]

Do it before you get old and your body starts falling apart....

Indeed!
PS, grass cut, all tidied up, back to boring!

 

[Heckler]

That is probably because the subject has been done to death and there is a limited market for books since the rise of the net and particularly youtube.

RupertW describes the risk averse approach which usually results (but not always) in failing actually to do it because one is too old and less adventurous when one has the money and partners perhaps less keen to take the risk. Health also has an influence as in my case together with delaying 3 or 4 years because of the potential attraction of redundancy and paying off everything, so ending up with both the money and fallback of a paid for house but not able to actually go!

Another indeed! I nearly missed the boat!

 

[Mr Cassandra]

I only recently bought a Beneteau First 45f5 to live on in the summer with my gorgeous girlfriend, some on here have met the girl and seen the boat.
Anyway,I sailed the boat from Monfalcone to Athens it took 3 weeks, to now find the girl has changed her mind, not only with the boat but me as well ,that will teach me.
I now have a boat that I do not want

 

[Motor_Sailor]

Go young, but go!

Life gets more complicated the older you get. When you're young, just the two of you, a small boat, pair of shorts and tea-shirt and $1 a day was the perfect way to have the life of Riley.

Whatever happens, you're young enough to start again, even if you loose everything.

 

[Tranona]

Go young, but go!

Life gets more complicated the older you get. When you're young, just the two of you, a small boat, pair of shorts and tea-shirt and $1 a day was the perfect way to have the life of Riley.

Whatever happens, you're young enough to start again, even if you loose everything.

If only that choice was available to all.

 

[sailaboutvic]

I only recently bought a Beneteau First 45f5 to live on in the summer with my gorgeous girlfriend, some on here have met the girl and seen the boat.
Anyway,I sailed the boat from Monfalcone to Athens it took 3 weeks, to now find the girl has changed her mind, not only with the boat but me as well ,that will teach me.
I now have a boat that I do not want

Bob sorry it's not worked out , only advise I can give is , find yourself another gorgeous lady or not so gorgeous, preferably someone who enjoy being on a boat ,

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Bob sorry it's not worked out , only advise I can give is , find yourself another gorgeous lady or not so gorgeous, preferably someone who enjoy being on a boat ,

Cheers Vic,it so hard to take.she was gorgeous and only 45 with a 7 year old child when I am 68 and married to a nice wife for 31 years who hated being on the boat. The girlfriend absolutely fell in love with sailing and me. wanted me to move to Austria to live with her. We had 18 fantastic months together She lived in Vienna and I in Wales.
With 20x20 hindsight I should have been more supportive, but could never raise the courage to hurt my wife by telling her i was leaving.I think the girlfriend has met someone local,closer to her age and generous enough to look after her and the child.
I am devastated but can understand that it probably the best decision for her,she phoned a couple of hours ago,to tell me she stilled loved me more than anyone she had met, but needed someone to be a father to the little one.

Beneteau First 45f5 for sale, as i do not want to be another sad man sailing alone.

 

[GHA]

If only that choice was available to all.

It is. Or was, just almost everyone doesn't jump for countless different reasons.

A very common refrain around happy hours is "No regrets, though we only wish we'd done it when we were a bit younger..."

 

[sailaboutvic]

although most wish they didn't it when they where younger , the fact is most people are realistic and know they need the funds to make it work , other then a very few here on these forum ,
when people decide to take a big step and go off cruising they don't want to lives on next to nothing , they want to see new places , explore new city's and eat at less as well as they did when they lived on land as well as having another money to maintain the boat and everything that goes with it .
I think when we talk about this subject we need to ask people if they want to just live on a boat or if they want to live on a boat and cruise , both have very different budgets,

 

[duncan99210]

I’ve spent the past 9 years living the dream, or as near to it as makes no difference. The army bids you farewell at the age of 55 so that bit was easy as the sums said we didn’t need to carry on working. Lived on board for 5 years, summers on board since.
In the time, we’ve seen too many couples who’ve had to cut short their dream, all too often due to illness. That has led us to the feeling that if you’ve got the dream and more or less got the rescources, then do it. Seize the day because the chances are that if you don’t it’ll pass you by.
Mind you, my son still doesn’t believe me when I repeatedly tell him all I’m leaving him is debts....

 

[sailaboutvic]

I’ve spent the past 9 years living the dream, or as near to it as makes no difference. The army bids you farewell at the age of 55 so that bit was easy as the sums said we didn’t need to carry on working. Lived on board for 5 years, summers on board since.
In the time, we’ve seen too many couples who’ve had to cut short their dream, all too often due to illness. That has led us to the feeling that if you’ve got the dream and more or less got the rescources, then do it. Seize the day because the chances are that if you don’t it’ll pass you by.
Mind you, my son still doesn’t believe me when I repeatedly tell him all I’m leaving him is debts....

I say the same to my son , he replied as long as your happy dad . Mind you he earns much more then I every did .