what services do you really want? - your advice needed!

[alorwin]

Hi!

We're doing a bit of reserch about the services you really think you might use if they were available when in port.

We are a yacht based, portable couple who are going to be offering a service to other yachties liveabord and otherwise in the med.

We'd like to pick your brains on the the sort of services you really miss out on, or would find really handy or useful when in port. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Any ideas are welcome, even if they might involve some initial investment because we want to provide a service that is going to be useful to others like us. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

Thanks for reading and we look forwards to spending time reading your ideas - absolutely any are welcome, no matter how obscure! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[philmarks]

Depends if I have female company at the time ;-)

 

[White_Lady]

Hi,
If you filled your bio in, we would know where you were based,and could advise accordingly! /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[Anonymous]

We will be going to the Med this summer, so this is not from personal experience, but from my parents' experience of around 20 years liveaboard, much of it in the Med, they would have liked a local 'guardiano' who is trustworthy, speaks English, understands boats and understands the local 'scene' on both sides of the law! They used to use a local guardiano in Italy on occasions, but it wasn't alway possible. The idea is that you pay them when you are not there but since they are 'your' guardiano they are always available to help at any time.

The price would have to be very modest if we were to afford it, I am afraid.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do. As someone else asked, where will you be operating?

David

 

[snowleopard]

we often found ourselves needing help getting shopping back to the boat and taxis were sometimes a hit-and-miss affair.

if your port doesn't have a liveaboard vhf net you could start one. it might not bring in money itself but would put you at the head of the queue for getting business. the best we came across was in st maarten run by a guy called jack who lived on his boat and did s/s fabrication. his format was- arrivals & departures, buy sell or swap, security issues, club and business notices, general chat. everyone listened in. it was at 7.30 a.m. but even so we set our alarm to be up in time.

 

[alorwin]

We can definately see where you are coming from on the shopping issue! Isn't it a pain in the bum and you always end up carrying it miles till the end of your finger tips have lost all circulation!!

Do you think a Tesco equivalent of ordering your shopping and getting it delivered for a small cost would be of any use? or do you think that is part of the fun, shopping when you are abroad, picking out bits you wouldn't normally buy?

The VHF sounds really good as a listener. We don't have anything like that where we are, but I've heard of places that do and they always sound like they have more of a sense of community to them!

Thanks for the ideas!

 

[DavidJ]

I visit my boat about every other month (in Spain) I want to be picked up from the airport and delivered to a freshly washed and sparkling boat with the shore power plugged in and a cool beer in the fridge.
David