"Voyaging on a small income"

Re: \"Voyaging on a small income\"

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I was extremely lucky, it was Mrs_E who made the suggestion, I think that she was quite taken aback when I said that I thought it was a good idea as well.

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Oh woe is me! and thrise woed! (sorry Franky) alak and alas, there be no way that I could prise Mrs Smiffy from her house and garden. Still, she is quite happy to get me out from under her feet for a few months at a time (yes I have been looking at the Postman and the Milkman a bit sideways of late).......
 
Re: \"Voyaging on a small income\"

"But if you speak to her nicely, maybe she'll lend you some full stops." (as we were talking of economy it was just a thought!)

I think people that work or publish are great as i provides more income and a regular income is essential to economic planed liveing aboard.If your looking for a job hear or there to get by then you wont enjoy yourself!(or not as much!!)

If you "live" in say the UK then your not an "economic liveaboard"as you will as you say have filghts (un ecological!!)home, people visiting,that will intail marinas in summer and eating out more!(we are talking about a minimum with comfort,as a guide,i travell as well and drive a landrover that follows me & my girl friend tries to forget!!thats not in my cruising buget)

These days its far more difficult to live well and inexpensivly when i was sailing in the 70s i got free fish and lunch at fish markets in Spain!Found lots of free places to moore in France and Italy you could eat out very well for very little and live very well lots of ports were without costs!.

Times have changed a lot!I worry that soon many of us will become the new very poor!!Perhaps i should again take the left over fruit and veg after the market as practice for later?

At the end of the last centuary i had to sell my comfortable hillyard becouse i couldnt aford nor justify or find! places to leave her during the summer (wood hates the summer heat and on hard standing is death in summer!)and since summer was anchor i had to sell her!

My new "compact" cruiser has huge advantages of sails at mass produced prices a beam that corrisponds to the old size places ie 8mx2.40m with fenders! how many boats today have a beem of 2.20m?

Often from 1996 when many Italian free ports went pay (a lot) there was a FB sized boat that had often laid along side( and i had wonderd how two could possiably live aboard such a small boat? )This boat would always find a small (free) place in port while i was left with lots of others out in the anchorages!!Nothing has changed yet!"compact" boats can still find places!

Today it seems boat=second house second home owners want comfort comfort = costly!I really enjoy sailing on a buget and hated being told as i was this summer by the captains that found me often mud bound on the Atlantic coast" there are no free places" (its almost true)i had to pay the rate!!Imagin in the UK the capitanerie comeing out with a boat to ask for mooring fees !!!!Or at low tide by bike or van!!!!!!(along the river banks!)Unthinkable in the UK!Thats how europes going.

I love shopping at the markets discovering good inexpensive cafes finding iron mongers with old boat fittings at old prices!!Noteing places to antifoul and where to get the paint!It takes years to find these places but only a season for them to vanish!

Liveing on a buget is still a great way to cruise afterall anyone with enough money once moored can eat where thay want shop where they want travell about and see what they want but thats boreing!!!

Ive just had lunch!
Large salad grilled dorade boiled potateos (could have had chips)green beans, chocolate mouse, cheese bread half liter wine coffee read the local paper watched the weather forcast all for 9 euros or £10!!Thats the saveing ive made by being allowed to stay tonight on the visitor pontoon without charge!!
I came in to see if the crane up to 4 tons still costs £30 in and out--it dose!!

Now i have to look for a connection!
 
Re: \"Voyaging on a small income\"

Great inspirational stuff, thanks for starting the post. We too are lucky in that we both share the dream. There are lots of ways to live it and living it is what counts. I gave up my proper job and now earn a kind of living writing, which is portable. We are a family of 6, so obviously need a bigger boat and budget. We have to take it easy and 20K is hard to earn and hard to live on (if it includes everything). We don’t eat out very often at all, the bigger boat makes anchoring much more comfortable and we get a ‘deal’ for the winter to keep down the cost but the kids are young and in the winter they need safe access ashore to go to school. We catch some great fish. We are learning to do most jobs ourselves. So far we have managed to sail for two months each year so keeping disruptions to work and school to an acceptable level. This is our last winter in the UK!

I explained to the kids we have a choice we can go on holiday for two weeks and they can have an ice-cream every day or we could go away for 2 months and they could have an ice-cream every week. None of them where old enough to do the maths so they went along with the 2 months.

Within reason you manage with what you’ve got. But Europe is getting more expensive for sure – but then there is always the rest of the world…

best wishes
 
The short answer

is NO! It isn't possible

At least not in Europe.

This is partly because of inflation - £15 in 1973 is the equivalent of the following in 2005 £155.38 using the retail price index
£158.89 using the GDP deflator
£280.09 using average earnings
£329.45 using per capita GDP
£356.55 using the GDP.

The second is the cost of mending the boat, almost ignored by Annie Hill, my experience is that there's no such thing as an unbreakable boat.

I just about manage, when by myself, on my UK state pension of £90/week - that goes for a ball of chalk when joined by the wife.
That means anchoring 10:1 nights, eating local food and buying in local markets (not supermarkets), avoiding tourist destinations except out of season.
I do eat out, and avoid 'cheap' pizzeria and the like, about once a week.

So Annie's book is an old curiosity, for the bookshelves of nostalgia - I hope no-one is misled into starting the cruising life based upon her say-so.
 
Re: The short answer

Hi Charles, I think you may be dismising Annie's book a bit to much, there is still some good advice to be gleaned from it's pages. What you said about equivalent costs is no doubt true (sadly)......but it all depends on what you can manage to do yourself, and what sort of lifestyle you find acceptable. Also, where you intend to cruise. Of course you couldn't live on 15 sovs a week, but live aboard cruising need not cost the earth. and can be done well inside the figures you quoted, but again, it depends where you are headed (IMHO).

I don't think that there are any hard and fast rules about this one? (Oh Lord! I've done it again, that Pops will be after me!)
 
Re: The short answer

Gosh Charles i wish you could have joined me in Napels!You would have loved my cafes!And the safe mooring i thought you were a superrich Brit and would have looked down at my saveings,but good food good contacts (free entry to pompei!)and good breakfasts

Then i had my Hillyard now im downsized for speed ease of handling? and price of place.

I hope you will remain in the med? The atlanics not great the Baltic cold and cold cheep yes good value no!

The meds hard now vis a vis prices crowding but still possiable???Im not to happy myself.
 
Re: The short answer

Smiffy

" don't think that there are any hard and fast rules about this one? (Oh Lord! I've done it again, that Pops will be after me!)"


I'm watching you!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Re: The short answer

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This is partly because of inflation - £15 in 1973...

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It is strange that you are all assuming 70's costs. In fact the edition I am reading was updated at 1995 levels. Threfore either you are referring to another edition, or A Hill has forgot to update her figures.

Still, tree hugging and idealistic as it is (all teh more fun reading it for that), it does make some interesting points. I imagine one has to read it with a pinch of salt and apply it to your own circumstances.
 
Re: The short answer

[ QUOTE ]
Smiffy
I'm watching you!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yaboo, you will never catch me though, at least not if you only have one LEG .....END /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Anyway, missed ya chance, I was in Falmouth back in July /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Re: The short answer

[ QUOTE ]

Still, tree hugging and idealistic as it is (all teh more fun reading it for that), it does make some interesting points. I imagine one has to read it with a pinch of salt and apply it to your own circumstances.

[/ QUOTE ]

Curious as to why you describe her book as tree hugging? Never heard anyone else describe it as such. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Re: The short answer

In Napels you were in the most expensive port there was! I had a wonderful lithogrophic chart updated 1953 origanal 1919 mine showed all the old factories leather works linen factory the old docks and oleficio

i was able with bins new chart(1969) able to find a mooring now used by private boats it was a bit rat infested but i put piri piri araound the deck they dident come on

How could i have asked someone staying in the mafia central to join me in the prolateriate area?And i couldent have justified spending a weeks cafe money in one night just to have a hot shower!

I dont have the charts hear but i will find them and go down there again?Perhaps by now it may well be one big marina

You can see what trying to live on £15 is like! It seems Charles and i had simular bugets but i was saveing he enjoying!!!!I bugeted £40pw he £90 pw the difference i saved for unforseen extras

Which is best??
 
Re: The short answer

Smiffy

So where did you go?

With banter like this I'd be more inclined to share a bottle with you than try to thump you! Anyway, my LEG END is very fast... or did I dream it!

Pops
 
Re: The short answer

Hi Pops, I was on Passage from Chichester to Bideford, called in at Falmouth Marina to have a bit of kit installed on the boat. I spent four very pleasant days there, did a bit of wandering, and got some small jobs done on the boat.

I thought that Falmouth Marina was very nice, great facilities an' all, and to be honest, I don't think their visitor rates were all that bad, but then I have only got a small boat, (I think they took pity on me really) /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Anyway, make mine a large one, anything will do, meths, lamp oil, paint stripper............

PS. Is that a Stuka on your avatar?????????????????

Charlie. (running for cover) /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
Re: The short answer

[ QUOTE ]
Hi Pops, I was on Passage from Chichester to Bideford, called in at Falmouth Marina to have a bit of kit installed on the boat. I spent four very pleasant days there, did a bit of wandering, and got some small jobs done on the boat.

I thought that Falmouth Marina was very nice, great facilities an' all, and to be honest, I don't think their visitor rates were all that bad, but then I have only got a small boat, (I think they took pity on me really) /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Anyway, make mine a large one, anything will do, meths, lamp oil, paint stripper............

PS. Is that a Stuka on your avatar?????????????????

Charlie. (running for cover) /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

A Stuka? Mmmm. Yes it is, and it is mounted on my transom. It is fitted with a small thermonuclear device. It is currently airborne and on its way to Bideford. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Don't mess with the baldies!

It is just possible that we might get drummed off this thread for heinous thread-drift crimes at this rate, but I have to confess to enjoying it a bit. I apologise to the original poster, but don't know how to find out who that was whilst typing this.

Keep your head down!

Pete
 
Re: The short answer (Thread Drift)

Thread drift, is that like leeway? if so, I am used to it, I have a bilge keeler.................I know, go wash me mouth out with soap!

I am a bit confused though, if this here Stuka, is mounted on your transom, and it's on it's way to Bideford, that must mean that there is a very unhappy LEG END dangling underneath it.........................this is getting surreal /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

I think you had better PM any reply before we do get flamed /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Re: The short answer (Thread Drift)

Me too, humble apologies sir /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Naples

was the most unpleasant, unwelcoming and filthy place I've ever been in.

The only safe, comfortable anchorage I found was at the exit of the main sewer.

It was obvious that Rod Heikell hadn't had more than a superficial look at the place 'cos his pilot book is full of errors. Furthermore I don't blame him.

Over the weekend the anchorage I was in at Procida became wall-to-wall anchored powerboats (mainly RIBs).

By the way it's the Camorra in Naples - the Mafia are far more polite and sophisticated, In the words of a Scilla Capo "it's a business like any other though some might consider out competitive practices extreme"

I found the Adriatic pleasant enough - providing you keep away from the marinas (and avoid the 2850 odd charterers), VERY expensive marinas and fish in the restaurants, but good markets in the major cities such as Pola, Split, Sibenik. Buying food in the islands was a mug's game, better stock up on mainland. Thousands of anchorages, many idyllic (the Cornatis I found repulsive). Good winds, flat water, better sailing than the rest of the Med.

I haven't yet done the Eastern Med; many tell me the best part, so I won't be leaving for some time - next spring it's back to Croatia, and up to Trieste to leave the boat for summer. Lucian Comoy has been tremendously helpful.
 
Re: The short answer

More apologies to tiggertoo. Have smiled at your game of tennis Pops/Smiffy. I stand corrected but I don't think it's a Stuka (Ju 87). Looks more like a US Thunderbolt. Retires in haste to Anderson shelter.

If you get "drummed off" I promise to resign in protest!

Cheers, Ron
 
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