What would you have done, doughty liveaboards?

bobnewbury

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Here's a little poser for you:

End of the 10 year countdown to sailing into the blue yonder accelerated a bit. Boat paid for, and it looks like I may have early retirement forced (?) upon me. The plan therefore was to leave next May (ish).

In an uncharacteristic rush of blood to the head we decided to give some thought to finances and look into pensions etc. My pension should be payable from (say) next April, and will amount to about £370 per week & a lump sum of about £40K. This, we calculate, should be enough to live on if we bugger off to the Med.

Then we looked into Liz's pension arrangements. We assumed that her pension would kick in when she hits 60 (April 2011) but found that due to an obscure clause in her scheme, she could retire at 55 (April 2006).

Now here's the rub. It seems that if we leave next year as planned, she can't get a pension until 2011 and then it will be worth £140 per week. If she stays one more year, she gets a pension of £150 per week AND a lump sum of £23K, which she does not get at all if she leaves one year earlier.

So, by a back of the envelope calculation, the extra year's work is worth 5 years @ £150 per week + £23 000 = £62 000.

Apart form the psychological let-down of building up to leaving and then having to add a year, the question is - Is a year's cruising worth 62 grand?

Answers on a postcard. I'll post this on the liveaboard site and see what the voices of experience say.

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HaraldS

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Not easy, but I'd stick to the original plan.
Along the same kind of thought chain, I could have stayed on another year and another year to pile up more money and maybe a higher safety margin. But then that goes off your healthy part of life for easily more than it is worth.
Your original plan had factored in less money and expected pension for your wife only a few years down the road. So that windfall looks like an option and not a necessity.
In six days leaving for an open ended journey, and I wouldn't postpone for a year for a million.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.taniwani.de>http://www.taniwani.de</A>
 

Talbot

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Very simple, look upon the extra year as a prolonged shakedown, and use the money to provide a bit more per month, + a safety measure for accidents.

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mainshiptom

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Ok, Why dont you move on board but stay where you are so you can carry on working until the money comes in !

I just moved on board and it is great ! Lots to do fix and arrange, I bet that once you have leaved on board for a month you will have a list of things to do for a year !

It is really nice to wake up on board every morning even if you still go to work ! Beacause you can look forward to coming back in the evening !

Tom

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Nauti Fox

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Welcome to the liveaboard club Tom.Wish I'd done it years ago.Feed the ducks in the morning before going to work,and the swans when I come home.Why do they get up so late?Hope you're enjoying St Kats and we WILL meet up soon(got to repair an engine oil seal)
Regards, Al.

<hr width=100% size=1>No dear,the water goes in the other one.
 

heerenleed

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It depends on a number of things. First of all, of course, can you manage with less money, or would the extra dosh make your life a lot easier. Also, the question is, do you already live aboard? If not, I agree with those who say: move aboard now and leave a year later. You will find that moving aboard will start a completely new life, very different from land life and already very satisfactory. Also, living aboard will make clear what changes you want to make on the boats interior. You need time to do it all, and why not keep one salary going as long as you need to work on the boat anyway.

If you are close to burn-out and are really very much fed-up with the rat race, then leave now.

Whatever you do, enjoy it

cheers and fair winds

<hr width=100% size=1>Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbergen, Netherlands
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.heerenleed.tk>http://www.heerenleed.tk</A><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by heerenleed on 19/07/2004 10:02 (server time).</FONT></P>
 

mainshiptom

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AL

It is great ! after six days on board, TThe order came on Thursday night (from swmbo) you nee to come home on friday night ! Ok gone home on friday night to return to the boat on Saturday morning !

Sorry Can not leave the boat on her own??

It is great , we run out of bread every day and the dingy was racing with some pirates on sunday !

Trust you fix your engine soon !

My Perkins are still going strong !

Tom

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