Semi Retired & Commercially Endorsed

[jaminb]

Would thIs be a good position to be in? It is 10 years off till I will be financially secure enough to retire, by then I will be 59. This should give me enough time to gain longer passage experience, professional qualifications and build nautical miles. Currently I am a yacht owner and probably at day skipper+ standard.

Assuming I achieve all this will I be able to; sail the seas at others expense; avoid spending my pension; depreciating my own boat; meet like minded sailors? OR
Will I be too old, unfit, grumpy and intolerant of my crew to be employable?

I guess my questions are; is being a paid skipper a young man’s game? Is there any market for older experienced skippers delivering boats around the world ? and Is it a sensible retirement goal? All being well I won’t need to earn the money other than to buy the crew a beer and dinner to celebrate another successful delivery. Not interested in being a teacher or a charter skipper for 6 months at a time.

Real life experiences would be most welcome as well as those from the arm chair critics.

Thanks

 

[john_morris_uk]

Age is not negotiable. It happens.
Being fit is something you have an influence on barring medical emergencies.
Being grumpy is optional. You can choose.

PS. There’s not a load of money in being a delivery skipper. Too many people will do it for nothing.

 

[capnsensible]

Very doable. Depends entirely how much you want it.

Works for me.

 

[john_morris_uk]

Very doable. Depends entirely how much you want it.

Works for me.

On a less cynical note m, I agree. I’m turning work down almost every day atm as I’m full time preparing our own boat to set sail.

 

[Stingo]

There’s not a load of money in being a delivery skipper. Too many people will do it for nothing.

Zackerly

 

[capnsensible]

On a less cynical note m, I agree. I’m turning work down almost every day atm as I’m full time preparing our own boat to set sail.

I think once you get known in any business, people come knocking. I found that making myself available even if a tad inconvenient turned, over the years, to where I can set the rate and terms. Hard yakka but an amazing job!

 

[ProMariner]

Being a charter boat skipper and sailing instructor is not a bad way to spend a decade, it's tiring but more for mental rather than physical reasons, it's exhausting having to be 'nice' for maybe 20 hours a day. Only you can judge whether you are equipped to work in what is basically the holiday industry.

The biggest downside, is if you turn your hobby into your job, you can lose your hobby, temporarily at least. But the perks, sailing different boats with new people, in new places, week after week, endless fresh challenges and opportunities for self improvement, it can make the 9-5 seem impossibly flat and dull.

 

[capnsensible]

I'm lucky enough to know a good few delivery skippers. I reckon every one has experienced picking up a boat that was being delivered for free and then got, for some reason or other, in trouble. Then needed bailing out by a fully insured pro.

 

[Skylark]

@jaminb I worked in automotive engineering for more than 40 years and thoroughly enjoyed it but, by comparison, retirement is off the scale ?

I fell into this professional sailing malarkey quite by chance. You’ll find many financially secure, mature people doing the same. I don’t see it as a “married with kids and a mortgage” role. My motivation is solely for enjoyment.

Becoming a delivery skipper is one option as is instruction and I’ve done both. I’m now a YMI and “work” about once per month during the season. This works well for me and fits-in with time sailing my own boat and playing with my (many) other hobbies and interests. As noted by others, it doesn’t take long until you have an Inbox full of sailing opportunities.

Feel free to ask any more specific questions, I’m sure that many in here have walked the same path.

 

[Uricanejack]

You probably have better real world replies already.

I am just at the point of deciding if it’s something worth the bother.
I believe you need to decide what your goal is. And what you want to get out of it.
I don’t do delivery. Ive contemplated but up until now it just hasn’t been a practical option for me.
charter skipper. Not for me.

I really enjoyed sail training when I was young, foot loose and free. Life. family and other commitments lead me in other direction.
It is something I would consider as a future endeavour as an Old guy with itchy feet.
I also used to really enjoy instruction.
The point is you need to enjoy it. The financial return was never very good. The return was in the enjoyment, again life and other commitments got in the way.
It had always been a notion to return to instruction in later life, to keep me occupied and enjoying life.

The question for me is. How seriously I want to take it. Or how much of a commitment I want to make. The answer not full time.
Part of the issue being other commitments.
In my case I have my own boat. Retirement will actually give me the chance to sail it. Recently it has been growing weeds.
if I start working at sailing, when will I have time to sail my boat?
Back when I used to be an instructor. A big part of it was to be able to go sailing. On nice boats I count afford.
Having my own boat now. I want to sail my boat.
Money was never much of the motivation. For me.

My situation is probably a bit different. I already have all the certificates I’ll ever need. Except a valid seafarers medical. To be an instructor you need to be accredited by someone to instruct to an accredited standard. Which I would have to re do.
I’ve contemplated RYA but for me the logistics just don’t work. So I will probably stick with one of my local ones.
In any case it’s something you have to enjoy. I found I enjoyed it. Not just the sailing, I enjoyed meeting the people.

As for delivering, My availability is much greater. It would really have to be a trip I was interested in with someone I was interested in sailing with. I might be willing to sign on to crew. I don’t really want to be organizing and arranging things. So no skippering unless it really worked for me.
Financial return isn’t my goal. As for crewing, it really depends on the circumstances and how interesting it is. working is not an option at the moment but tagging along for fun might be.

Some people find it works, they probably want to work harder than I do and are better at business.

There is one thing about the delivery business which doesn’t appeal to me. Crew tend not to be paid. Which on principle I disagree with.
I crew for free with friend’.s,
I volunteer for free, with a charitable organization.
I don’t work for free. for a business
Which has been a reason why I have never yet crewed for delivery’s.
Except for a charitable organization.

 

[jaminb]

Thanks all for your thoughts.

I am only interested in delivery trips. I definitely wont be doing it for the money - other than sailing someone elses boat to save on the costs of sailing my boat. I can't teach my current crew so no chance of becoming an instructor. My wife and kids would like to see me, at least some of the time, so a charter skipper away for a 6 month season at a time is also probably off the cards.

I think I will pursue the qualifications as at least I will have the option nearer to the time I no longer have to helm a desk.

 

[R.Ems]

Since it should be relatively easy to get a YM Offshore, but preferably YM Ocean, with commercial endorsement, in a few years starting from your present position, then definitely go for it.
Check you can get an ENG1 medical sooner rather than later. (If six men throw a dice once, one of them will come up colour-blind).

But as said above, there are many highly experienced guys with galactic mileage, who are eager to do it almost for beer and exes; I wouldn't call it a 'competetive market' , it isn't really a jobs 'market' at all...luck and contacts are more important.

There is no globalalised central network of yachts which need delivering, online or otherwise.

 

[capnsensible]

It's all about insurance......

 

[Mark Payne]

I am 59. I own my own boat. I have been on a journey in sailing for all of my life. My own boat (year 7 of ownership) has taught me a lot. I am a celebrated educator in my own profession. I thought I might like to carry that on into my sailing career. I qualified to YM Coastal.

No way! I am not doing this as a profession! No no no! In my opinion… you lose A LOT of steam pressure from age 50 to age 60. If you dont have the hunger that comes from
a level of need and the ego to push you on then doing this stuff is an energy sink. I have lost the drive now. This is what retirement does and having the drug adrenaline of work and significance leave your body is a huge blessing. Hard at first but so good to be off the tread mill.

So no. Sail your boat. Make your plans. Enjoy your family. Be free. Time is very very short.

 

[capnsensible]

I am 59. I own my own boat. I have been on a journey in sailing for all of my life. My own boat (year 7 of ownership) has taught me a lot. I am a celebrated educator in my own profession. I thought I might like to carry that on into my sailing career. I qualified to YM Coastal.

No way! I am not doing this as a profession! No no no! In my opinion… you lose A LOT of steam pressure from age 50 to age 60. If you dont have the hunger that comes from
a level of need and the ego to push you on then doing this stuff is an energy sink. I have lost the drive now. This is what retirement does and having the drug adrenaline of work and significance leave your body is a huge blessing. Hard at first but so good to be off the tread mill.

So no. Sail your boat. Make your plans. Enjoy your family. Be free. Time is very very short.

It's a personal thing.

 

[Mark Payne]

It's a personal thing.

Yes it is. Agreed. The trick is to know yourself.

 

[Skylark]

I am 59. I own my own boat. I have been on a journey in sailing for all of my life. My own boat (year 7 of ownership) has taught me a lot. I am a celebrated educator in my own profession. I thought I might like to carry that on into my sailing career. I qualified to YM Coastal.

No way! I am not doing this as a profession! No no no! In my opinion… you lose A LOT of steam pressure from age 50 to age 60. If you dont have the hunger that comes from
a level of need and the ego to push you on then doing this stuff is an energy sink. I have lost the drive now. This is what retirement does and having the drug adrenaline of work and significance leave your body is a huge blessing. Hard at first but so good to be off the tread mill.

So no. Sail your boat. Make your plans. Enjoy your family. Be free. Time is very very short.

It’s often said that it “takes all sorts”. I’m glad to say that I have an altogether different view. In retirement, I did not want to suffer mental nor physical atrophy and have done Deliveries (selectively good fun), Corporate (tried it, not for me), Own-boat coaching (great fun) and Instruction (10/10).

I do on average one course per month during the season. I like meeting new people from diverse and interesting backgrounds. I find it both mentally and physically challenging. It “keeps me on my toes”. It is incredibly rewarding to watch students develop skills and increase in confidence and competence.

Plenty of time remaining for my other interests and hobbies and for friends and family.

Life is too short not to