Where would you spend the next 5years ??

Go to the USA to get the boat. There are plenty of very good condition and quality boats available for very reasonable prices. Plus any work needing done is simple to organise.

After that you have lots of options depending on where in the US you start. Pacific or Atlantic.....
 
Thanks all for your valued input, I think the states is looking very likely,
Next question what would make the perfect boat for such a trip ?
Criteria being:
Cost £130-150k (probably secondhand)
Length 40-45 foot
Easily purchased and sold in the states
Easily sailed by two
I do like the look of the modern deck saloon yachts, there seems to be a lot of Jeanneau DS 'S and alike for sale over there
I no a lot of sailers consider them to be a very average boat but I not contemplating heavy weather sailing more a chilled out relaxed start to retirement, having said that if I decided to being the boat back to the UK or the med would a Jeanneau DS45 for example be a suitable boat to cross the Atlantic in ? ( with a experienced skipper )

Have sailed the non deck saloon 45 across the Atlantic twice, no drama.
 
Just a thought: How about tying to circumnavigate the America's.
The north west passage is ice free in the summer, so you could transit in August and head down the west coast to arrive just in time for wintering in San Francisco or LA.

Not too sure about the bottom bit around Chile and the southern seas, it's got a bit of a reputation.

it would make an amazing yarn to tell your grand children!!!:)
 
Strange how little the Med. features in this thread.
There should be a chart with "Flotilla Zones" marked on it because if you avoid these regions in peak season you can have a wonderful time.
If you base in Sardinia then you can easily access France, Greece, mainland Italy, Africa etc..and beyond.
We did it in the five years between 2004 and 2009 and had a great time.
 
Strange how little the Med. features in this thread.
There should be a chart with "Flotilla Zones" marked on it because if you avoid these regions in peak season you can have a wonderful time.
If you base in Sardinia then you can easily access France, Greece, mainland Italy, Africa etc..and beyond.
We did it in the five years between 2004 and 2009 and had a great time.

The winter weather in the med it unreliable to say the least.
I'm sitting here in France and it's pouring rain, got the light on at lunch time!:ambivalence:
 
Strange how little the Med. features in this thread.
There should be a chart with "Flotilla Zones" marked on it because if you avoid these regions in peak season you can have a wonderful time.
If you base in Sardinia then you can easily access France, Greece, mainland Italy, Africa etc..and beyond.
We did it in the five years between 2004 and 2009 and had a great time.

Absolutely nothing wrong with the Med, that's on the list for the following five years, we have a boat at present on the Algarve, I no it's not the Med but having spent a lot of time there during the past two winters we've found the weather is still a little cold and have been disappointed by how everything closes down for the winter months, perhaps things are different the further east you go ?
 
...There seems to be a lot of Jeanneau DS 'S and alike for sale over there
I no a lot of sailers consider them to be a very average boat but I not contemplating heavy weather sailing more a chilled out relaxed start to retirement having said that if I decided to being the boat back to the UK or the med would a Jeanneau DS45 for example be a suitable boat to cross the Atlantic in ? ( with a experienced skipper )
No one "contemplates" taking on heavy weather sailing. But if you are out long-term cruising, it'll happen sooner or later, as will as lot of other problems you'd rather not think about at this stage.

If you are serious about this, then get a yacht that is designed for it. A well-crewed Jeanneau DS45 might be fine for an ARC, but not as a short-handed long-term cruising liveaboard.
 
The winter weather in the med it unreliable to say the least.
I'm sitting here in France and it's pouring rain, got the light on at lunch time!:ambivalence:
Hi Rustybarge,
Got the antifooling on yesterday,pouring today!Venice of the South looking less appealing!Supposed to be better tomorrow, but more rain coming!Was superb last week, but back to normal now!
 
Hi Rustybarge,
Got the antifooling on yesterday,pouring today!Venice of the South looking less appealing!Supposed to be better tomorrow, but more rain coming!Was superb last week, but back to normal now!

Hi Paulclan,
It's a small world, I spend the summers on my barge in Athlone, and from time to time the winters here in the Provence.
This winter has been horrid, maybe one sunny day a week.....

Please send us a Pm when you get further east towards Cannes, if you fancy a jar! I'm a bit stuck at the moment as my son's motorbike refuses to start, so it's the push bike. Luckily SuperU is only a 5 minute trip.

Where are you planning to cruise over the summer?
 
Personally I loved the western Caribbean, Guatemala, Belize, Cuba. Base the boat in Guatemala, safe during hurricane season and then explore out from there, check out www.riodulcechisme.com for boats for sale in Guatemala. Explore surrounding countries at your leisure....
 
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Thanks all for your valued input, I think the states is looking very likely,
Next question what would make the perfect boat for such a trip ?
Criteria being:
Cost £130-150k (probably secondhand)
Length 40-45 foot
Easily purchased and sold in the states
Easily sailed by two
I do like the look of the modern deck saloon yachts, there seems to be a lot of Jeanneau DS 'S and alike for sale over there
I no a lot of sailers consider them to be a very average boat but I not contemplating heavy weather sailing more a chilled out relaxed start to retirement, having said that if I decided to being the boat back to the UK or the med would a Jeanneau DS45 for example be a suitable boat to cross the Atlantic in ? ( with a experienced skipper )

http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/39-Essex-Yacht-Builders-Salar-40-1969_19653924
 
I must admit the states had come to mind, buying a boat should be straight forward enough, any idea what sort of loss I'd be looking at on a secondhand AWB over 5 years ? Approx cost £150,000. Just reading a thread about purchasing a boat in the states and shipping /sailing her back to Europe so I suppose that would be an option.
I assume I would need some kind of permit to stay that long ?
Defiantly food for thought.
Cheers Rusty..

For a real life, absolutely current update on exactly this, our friends have just bought a boat in the US. Their Blog Site is still in it's infancy but they will definitely be updating it as they enjoy their new life. It is at
http://richandger.com
Hope this helps
 
If you are serious about this, then get a yacht that is designed for it. A well-crewed Jeanneau DS45 might be fine for an ARC, but not as a short-handed long-term cruising liveaboard.

Horses for Courses and all that but I have done the Atlantic, we live on a well found 45 DS, there are two of us and I would be happy to cross in ours.
 
Excellent Subject. This thread gets to the heart of what goes for "Liveaboard". I agree the Med is too darned cold in the winter. I have spent four winters in the Med huddled over an electric heater. I am trying to avoid another one by aiming for the Caribbean again this year, in fact, just as soon as I can get my Moody into shape.

I have spent five full years in the Caribbean and Southern USA. I can hardly wait to get back there.

If I was going to buy a boat in USA I would definitely choose Southern California because the visa restrictions are easier to solve. If the boat needed more than 6 months work to commission (and it probably will) then all it takes is to focus on the essentials and float the easy run down to Mexico where work can be completed at half the cost as USA.

From Florida by comparison it is not so easy as it requires a very well found yacht to make the passage South and the repair facilities from Bahamas down are expensive (if actually do-able).

Don't under-estimate the advantage of buying and commissioning a boat in a country that speaks English. (for Brits, of course).
 
If I was going to buy a boat in USA I would definitely choose Southern California because the visa restrictions are easier to solve.


Am I right in saying that If you have to leave the US because your visa is running out, going to Mexico doesn't count as leaving the US, and immigration will not allow you to return unless you go further south or return to the UK?

As far as I know this also icludes some Carribean islands like Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands [usa]........?
 
Where I'D spend the next five years is different to you asking where I'd recommend YOU spend the next five years, but without a doubt, I would recommend Turkey (Aegean). Both summers and winters are fantastic.
 
Am I right in saying that If you have to leave the US because your visa is running out, going to Mexico doesn't count as leaving the US, and immigration will not allow you to return unless you go further south or return to the UK?

As far as I know this also icludes some Carribean islands like Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands [usa]........?

No Idea of present rules. When I sailed the Florida keys I would catch the so called I95 special from Miami every six month on a cheap day return to the Bahamas. The USA immigration post was actually at the Bahamian Airport before boarding.

If there is a rule about Mexico today, I have no doubt the reason is used to catch out drug smugglers and illegal immigrants. Innocents could be caught in the net.
 
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