What keeps you in a Cold Climate?

[BrianH]

The thread "How Warm are you?" made me think deeply about those of you who are living the dream but in a cold climate. So much so that empathy made me shiver. This is a question directed at you. Well, those of you who clearly feel like I do about the awful cold that currently grips us, currently -18°C where I am.

I am a summertime liveaboard – a wannabe liveaboard, I suppose you could call me. In fact, I don't really qualify to hang around here in company with you full-time heros. I spend my winter days in a warm and comfortable house where my hot shower is an easy amble down a heated corridor and I only venture aboard when spring has sprung and the fitting out needs to get underway. In other words, I am a wimp of the first water when it comes to liveaboard life. So my semi-shorebound life dictates where I keep my boat and where I consequently cruise when I do get aboard.

I did once spend the long Christmas-New Year break I used to get before retirement, on board in Northern Italy; it was truly awful. It was typical northern Adriatic weather, cold and clammy, with freezing frost alternating with freezing fog, the depressing tendrils of which cloaked the abandoned marina with a melancholic ambience. The restaurants were closed, the local town was deserted, whoever was still around stayed at home in hibernation mode. Never again. I have just heard that my boat is frozen into her berth by thick ice in the marina; I am glad I am not aboard.

Which is why I admire you permanent liveaboarders who are based in Europe, yes, even you Mediterranean ones, because I know how uncomfortable and restrictive winter, even there, can be. But it all begs a very big question in my mind, and it is this. What keeps you sailing-boat denizens – those of you who are truly free of the ties of work and other committments – in such dreadful conditions?

I know that some of you are new to the game, that you or your boats are not yet ready. Perhaps some of you have family committments – but all you others?

You live full-time on a boat. Boats can move, the world is your oyster. So much of the world has a warm and pleasant climate – all year. The Caribbean is beautiful, central America is fascinating, New Zealand's Bay of Islands are a paradise as is the Gulf of Thailand. The Canaries are close, the Azores are not much further, they all have a permanently warm climate. How can you stay in these dreary, dreadful conditions when you don't have to?

"There lay the boat, swinging to her mooring, there blew the wind; I had no choice but to go."
E.B. White 'The Sea and the Wind that Blows'

 

[nauticalnomad]

The thread "How Warm are you?" made me think deeply about those of you who are living the dream but in a cold climate. So much so that empathy made me shiver. This is a question directed at you. Well, those of you who clearly feel like I do about the awful cold that currently grips us, currently -18°C where I am.

I am a summertime liveaboard – a wannabe liveaboard, I suppose you could call me. In fact, I don't really qualify to hang around here in company with you full-time heros. I spend my winter days in a warm and comfortable house where my hot shower is an easy amble down a heated corridor and I only venture aboard when spring has sprung and the fitting out needs to get underway. In other words, I am a wimp of the first water when it comes to liveaboard life. So my semi-shoreside life dictates where I keep my boat and where I consequently cruise when I do get aboard.

I did once spend the long Christmas-New Year break I used to get before retirement, on board in Northern Italy; it was truly awful. It was typical northern Adriatic weather, cold and clammy, with freezing frost alternating with freezing fog, the depressing tendrils of which cloaked the abandoned marina with a melancholic ambience. The restaurants were closed, the local town was deserted, whoever was still around stayed at home in hibernation mode. Never again. I have just heard that my boat is frozen into her berth by thick ice in the marina; I am glad I am not aboard.

Which is why I admire you permanent liveaboarders who are based in Europe, yes, even you Mediterranean ones, because I know how uncomfortable and restrictive winter, even there, can be. But it all begs a very big question in my mind, and it is this. What keeps you sailing-boat denizens – those of you who are truly free of the ties of work and other committments – in such dreadful conditions?

I know that some of you are new to the game, that you or your boats are not yet ready. Perhaps some of you have family committments – but all you others?

You live full-time on a boat. Boats can move, the world is your oyster. So much of the world has a warm and pleasant climate – all year. The Caribbean is beautiful, central America is fascinating, New Zealand's Thousand Islands are a paradise as is the Gulf of Bangkok. The Canaries are close, the Azores are not much further, they all have a permanently warm climate. How can you stay in these dreary, dreadful conditions when you don't have to?

"There lay the boat, swinging to her mooring, there blew the wind; I had no choice but to go."
E.B. White 'The Sea and the Wind that Blows'

Installing an engine, then new sails. Then save 10 grand and im off. end of 2012 if all goes to plan...
Who cares where, im not from here, Its too damn cold so im off to wherever

 

[ribrage]

Ive stuck around due to family but not for much longer, time to spread the wings and fly, well sail really, the only flying will be on easy jet with me buying the tickets to get back to visit from time to time.

roll on spring !

 

[maby]

There is always this implicit assumption that liveaboards either don't need to work, or can get along on pin-money. Not always true! We are semi-liveaboard in the south east of England and have several friends in the same area that are full-time liveaboards. We all work nine to five - the boat is just a floating flat. So, we live in a cold climate because there are higher paid jobs here than in the Med or Carribean. It would be equally valid to ask all the five or six million that live in London why they are not in Barbados.

 

[BrianH]

There is always this implicit assumption that liveaboards either don't need to work, or can get along on pin-money. Not always true! We are semi-liveaboard in the south east of England and have several friends in the same area that are full-time liveaboards. We all work nine to five - the boat is just a floating flat. So, we live in a cold climate because there are higher paid jobs here than in the Med or Carribean. It would be equally valid to ask all the five or six million that live in London why they are not in Barbados.

Not at all. I clearly made the following conditional qualification to avoid this point -

What keeps you sailing-boat denizens – those of you who are truly free of the ties of work and other committments – in such dreadful conditions?

It is why I have stood on the sidelines of world cruising all my life - young family - divorce - alimony - child support - another relationship ... and last but not least, a fascinating and absorbing career that fulfilled me almost as much as sailing. By the time I retired at 69 - reluctantly I must add - it was somewhat late. Not impossibly so but I had become too soft and settled in my comfortable life.

 

[maby]

Not at all. I clearly made the following conditional qualification to avoid this point -


It is why I have stood on the sidelines of world cruising all my life - young family - divorce - alimony - child support - another relationship ... and last but not least, a fascinating and absorbing career that fulfilled me almost as much as sailing. By the time I retired at 69 - reluctantly I must add - it was somewhat late. Not impossibly so but I had become too soft and settled in my comfortable life.

I stand corrected - but the same arguement still applies - there are plenty of retired people (and more than a few rich younger people) that still live in this country.

 

[Downsman]

How can you stay in these dreary, dreadful conditions when you don't have to?

Depends on the individual. At the moment the Sussex Downland is white under the snow, the clear sky a pale winter blue and the land is beautiful..to me.
More beautiful than a hot frazzled brown hillside in Spain and deserted streets when the local population crawl into the shade at Midday.
I've lived aboard fulltime (no house) cruising for 16 years, Wintered in the Med, the Canaries and the Caribbean. All very nice, quite enjoyed it in fact but now the boat smells of the wood stove, it's warm and cosy and tomorrow I'm off for a walk along the river where the Redshanks and Little Egrets are feeding. I could leave if I wanted to, perhaps that freedom of choice is the magnet that let's me stay and enjoy another winter at home.

 

[maby]

We lived in the south of Spain for about a year. Saw rain one morning in the whole year - we were going up the walls waiting for a storm by the end.

 

[BrianH]

How can you stay in these dreary, dreadful conditions when you don't have to?

Depends on the individual. At the moment the Sussex Downland is white under the snow, the clear sky a pale winter blue and the land is beautiful..to me.
More beautiful than a hot frazzled brown hillside in Spain and deserted streets when the local population crawl into the shade at Midday.
I've lived aboard fulltime (no house) cruising for 16 years, Wintered in the Med, the Canaries and the Caribbean. All very nice, quite enjoyed it in fact but now the boat smells of the wood stove, it's warm and cosy and tomorrow I'm off for a walk along the river where the Redshanks and Little Egrets are feeding. I could leave if I wanted to, perhaps that freedom of choice is the magnet that let's me stay and enjoy another winter at home.

A perfect, beautifully phrased answer. Thank you.

You will, of course, have observed a certain tongue-in-cheek, almost trollish, whiff to my original post ....

It was all brought on by the present extreme conditions - so cold that I can't even summon up the will to drive the short distance here to go skiing. The 20 kph wind we have with the sub-zero temperatures cuts like a knife and keeps me indoors with all the memories of my idyllic Caribbean cruising days and I do sometimes wonder why I am here and not there.

The grass is always greener.

 

[RichardS]

It's a puzzle to me also.

I've always been a "fair weather" everything. Fair-weather motorcyclist, fair-weather dinghy sailor, fair-weather cruising sailor. The only time I voluntarily venture out in cold weather is when I go skiing (it goes with the territory I suppose!)

Richard

 

[Downsman]

You will, of course, have observed a certain tongue-in-cheek, almost trollish, whiff to my original post ....

Noting your location I suspected a gentle wind-up..

Fair-weather motorcyclist,...Aaarggh! Age has caught me. If I'm in the UK, as soon as the first frost appears I join those ranks..

 

[KellysEye]

It depends what you want to do. I've been talking to somebody who will be heading off and he's sailing up to Greenland etc. He is a mountain climber.

 

[BrianH]

We lived in the south of Spain for about a year. Saw rain one morning in the whole year - we were going up the walls waiting for a storm by the end.

I can agree with you there. Actually, Spain, as much as I love the real Spain after living and working in Madrid a lifetime ago, along with the Mediterranean in general, wouldn't make it to my list of preferred destinations. And it didn't feature in my short examples either.

Although I keep my boat in the Adriatic it is only there because it is a half-day's drive from my home. Even then, I wouldn't dream of being there in August - trying to sleep in an airless cabin (because of mosquito netting at every potential entry point) with the thermometer nudging 40°C in late July, is bad enough.

 

[ukmctc]

I have heard its not so great in "The Med" or "The Carrib", various posts on here also tell the horror stories of life in those places. Its not all sun, sea, sand and fun infact apart from the sun its the same as UK!

I'm a full time liveaboard, I have to work too at least six months of the year to pay for the six months I cruise.

I'm a firm believer in exploring my own country first, then off to others to do the same.

 

[Roaring Girl]

We spent 3 winters aboard in the UK then migrated south but became part time because we do have to work and can earn more in the UK. If we could be aboard 12/12, we would be, but would stop somewhere congenial for 6 months to (i) make jewellery (ii) get to know a place well (iii) enjoy overwintering life, which we miss (iv) do the boat jobs - in that order really tho (ii) and (iii) are neck and neck.

 

[mike_bryon]

No way is the Caribbean the same as the UK (except for the sun)! Here you can cruise and anchor all year; live well on little and are largely free to do what you want. The Med is great too but it’s now expensive, overregulated and you have to overwinter. I’ve lived aboard (yes full-time as if that is some form of qualification) in the UK, Med and the Caribbean. The Caribbean is by far the top of the three and the UK the nastiest. I’ll be back this summer but from what I heard the UK is getting worse and worse. I’m not looking forward to it.

 

[BrianH]

No way is the Caribbean the same as the UK (except for the sun)! Here you can cruise and anchor all year; live well on little and are largely free to do what you want. The Med is great too but it’s now expensive, overregulated and you have to overwinter. I’ve lived aboard (yes full-time as if that is some form of qualification) in the UK, Med and the Caribbean. The Caribbean is by far the top of the three and the UK the nastiest. I’ll be back this summer but from what I heard the UK is getting worse and worse. I’m not looking forward to it.

Exactly my sentiments - and ranking, although I did have some memorable sailing out of Singapore when working there. But who wants the risk of getting to SE Asia from Europe? Fluky winds, I agree, but hey, I'm in the Adriatic. Which is another reason why the Caribbean scores so highly, providing the right passage plan is observed.