UK boating Verse Med Boating ,

[julians]

Then obviously there are your other costs, taxi to airport in UK, or parking, car hire or taxi at the other end etc.

But depending on how your man maths calculator works you can convince yourself that you'd have all these kind of costs when going abroad/on holiday anyway, so it's not really any extra cost.

 

[Bigplumbs]

Return flights to mallorca prob average out at £150per person for me. Some are more expensive, some cheaper, but that's the average.

If you can go mid week to mid week you'd do it cheaper, flights around the Weekend are the most expensive.

It is not just the flight cost though is it what about the taxis and other costs.... Would I be correct that for 2 people this would be on the order of £400-£500 per trip which is a huge amount of money for most people

Dennis

 

[Bouba]

The thread is drifting to, not whether your boat should be based in the Med, but whether you should. I agree commuting is a pain and an expense. So we need another mindset. If you work in the UK and commute to the boat in the Med, it can only be justified by man maths. But if you live in the Med and commute to work in the UK, then the work pays for the commute!

 

[Bigplumbs]

The thread is drifting to, not whether your boat should be based in the Med, but whether you should. I agree commuting is a pain and an expense. So we need another mindset. If you work in the UK and commute to the boat in the Med, it can only be justified by man maths. But if you live in the Med and commute to work in the UK, then the work pays for the commute!

I think I understand that but not entirely sure

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

But if you live in the Med and commute to work in the UK, then the work pays for the commute!

Bouba that is brilliant! I shall add that to my compendium of man maths strategies immediately

 

[markc]

As jrudge said, half term can be a killer. We tend to book half terms nearly a year in advance and pay for them using Avios that we have collected during the rest of the year. Choice of airport makes a difference too - e.g. LTN is much cheaper than LHR if you're prepared to fly from there.

However, we're all a bit financially mad owing boats, so it's quite hard to justify to outsiders whichever way you look at it!

 

[Bouba]

However, we're all a bit financially mad owing boats, so it's quite hard to justify to outsiders whichever way you look at it!

But we are struggling to justify it to each other! It can only be a sign of guilt or at the very least practice for explaining it to the SWMBO

 

[petem]

It is not just the flight cost though is it what about the taxis and other costs.... Would I be correct that for 2 people this would be on the order of £400-£500 per trip which is a huge amount of money for most people

Dennis

The cost of keeping a boat is a huge amount of money "for most people" full stop. I suppose the £500 cost of a DJI phantom or 7 boats in your back garden is a huge amount of money too!

For me, the equation is £ / per sunny day on the boat. I remember when we had our last boat in the UK, I think we had one decent weather weekend on board all year. As for the cost of flights to the Med, I feel aggrieved if I pay over £100pp. Yep, there's airport parking, hire cars, etc but all these costs can be reduced if you're willing to put up with a little hassle (like using public transport).

And having the boat in the Med means we don't take other holidays during the summer so it's money saved.

 

[Bouba]

so it's money saved.

Even I can’t justify that one

 

[BruceK]

Even I can’t justify that one

I think for most people on the board, and most people with boats, the art of self delusion and justification is taken to mastery levels. And that goes for Med boating too AFAIC. The top 5 percentiles here will deride me for this but I'm sure its true. No ways can I justify the sums I pump into this hobby other than to simply say it's a way of life, we love it and costs be damned, just make it work.

 

[Bouba]

I think for most people on the board, and most people with boats, the art of self delusion and justification is taken to mastery levels. And that goes for Med boating too AFAIC. The top 5 percentiles here will deride me for this but I'm sure its true. No ways can I justify the sums I pump into this hobby other than to simply say it's a way of life, we love it and costs be damned, just make it work.

What you are saying is that we spend our lives thinking we are deluding our wives but we are really only deluding ourselves

 

[adey]

In December I went with a couple of friends for three days. Temperature was low 20s day but cold at night.
Flights were £9.99 each way (last minute). Parking at Bristol was £40. Transfer to boat was 1.20 each on the bus.
Day 1 land, beer, take boat to Tabarca Island (11nm)

Day 2 beer, some festival, paragliding, beer.

Day 3. Breakfast, fly home.

 

[BruceK]

What you are saying is that we spend our lives thinking we are deluding our wives but we are really only deluding ourselves

My wife plays her cards very close to her chest. What she knows, she doesn't let on. Plausible deniability I believe is the term used.
But she is every bit as invested into the lifestyle as I am. Every year she delights in refurnishing the cabin(s). This year it was carpets and drapes and soft furnishings. Now I know what the carpet bill came to because I had to pay for that and I can assure you she didn't hold back, not one iota!

 

[MapisM]

I think for most people on the board, and most people with boats, the art of self delusion and justification is taken to mastery levels. And that goes for Med boating too AFAIC. The top 5 percentiles here will deride me for this but I'm sure its true. No ways can I justify the sums I pump into this hobby other than to simply say it's a way of life, we love it and costs be damned, just make it work.

I used to think along those lines, in the past.
But since I followed swmbo's example of early retirement, I'm using a third type of strategy - the first two being jfm's commute to the boat every other day on one hand, and Bouba's reverse commuting (so to speak) on the other.
Being the simple mind that I am, I just live aboard from the early start up to the late end of the season, period.
I'm not saying that this makes the boat a sound investment, but if there's a more effective way of using a fair amount of practically wasted money, I've yet to find what it is!

 

[BruceK]

In December I went with a couple of friends for three days. Temperature was low 20s day but cold at night.
Flights were £9.99 each way (last minute). Parking at Bristol was £40. Transfer to boat was 1.20 each on the bus.
Day 1 land, beer, take boat to Tabarca Island (11nm)
..........
Day 3. Breakfast, fly home.

Thats as good an argument as any I've seen :encouragement:

 

[BruceK]

I used to think along those lines, in the past.
But since I followed swmbo's example of early retirement, I'm using a third type of strategy - the first two being jfm's commute to the boat every other day on one hand, and Bouba's reverse commuting (so to speak) on the other.
Being the simple mind that I am, I just live aboard from the early start up to the late end of the season, period.
I'm not saying that this makes the boat a sound investment, but if there's a more effective way of using a fair amount of practically wasted money, I've yet to find what it is!

We are thinking along very similar lines. Our promise to ourselves is as soon as the kids gain their independence we want a summer live-aboard. That's the plan at least.

 

[BruceK]

... and now for the self deprecating humour delivered by the much vilified Clarkson on boat ownership and Med boating...

... it has to be done

 

[markc]

That was a fun watch! That must be 20 years old judging by the boats... £250k for a new 48' squeeker, those were the days!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

... and now for the self deprecating humour delivered by the much vilified Clarkson on boat ownership and Med boating...
]

That is brilliant. Thanks for posting. As ever Clarkson absolutely nails it!

 

[MapisM]

£250k for a new 48' squeeker, those were the days!

"All boats are desperately unreliable and expensive to service" doesn't sound like an old statement, though...