Work Continuation Planning - jobs in boating

[BlueSkyNick]

As one races to towards the latter years of a busy career in a high tech industry, major business pressures, long hours, lots of travel, all that stuff - and a reasonable amount of dosh in return - questions come to mind about how long should/can/how it carry on.

Without getting into the pension funds performance issue itself, lets just assume one feels the need to continue to derive additional income from somewhere. It is also about a gradual wind down from work rather than a sudden, abrupt halt.

Putting aside all the old favourites, like running a B&B, or a small holding etc., there is a certain appeal in establishing some form of a business in sailing.

There seems to be a range of options:
- a free lance instructor - allows freedom of time, not well paid, not enjoyable year round in the UK
- skippered charters, trips of a few days etc, - reliant on the boat always being up to spec
- Running a chandlery - good margin, allows free time if willing to pay people to work there, requires a lot of capital up front.

There must be others.

It doesn't need to be in the UK either, other shores are receiving genuine consideration.

What does the panel think? All (serious) comments and ideas gratefully received.

Regards
Harrassed of Hampshire.

PS I Posted this before reading about CodStewart's Job Wanted ad. Pure coincidence.

 

[jimi]

I'm thinking of taking up yacht surveying ..

 

[tcm]

i have had these thoughts, but i always run up against the same problem - that then sailing would be "work" not "play"

Yonks ago i had motorbikes, I wd drivem, fixem everything. in university hols i found you could get paid for doing despatch rising round london, which was great - pre-internet, pre-fax machjines evertything was taken around by bike and there were at one time about 5000 bikes doing this in london. There were fab trips such as a dash to leics from trtaflgar squarte for which i got 80p a mile plus double that to do it inside 80minutes and with no speed cameras it is not too hard even on a friday afternoon. And so on.

I took the bike back to uni and they had a bike club, which i joined. We set off for somewhere 20 miles away, nice jolly. But it began to rain. I caught myself thinking well not too bad, cos 20 miles there that's 16 quid and i should get a return job so...wait a minute - i'm not getting PAID for this! Although i contined with despathc rising, i don't think i have ever ridden a motorbike since just for fun. Which is a bit of a shame....

Aside fromthe above of course- you would have to be in yer chandlery while everyone else is out sailing. The other option is several of yer to get together and man the sailing school/chandlery between you, somehow. Difficult...

 

[Sans Bateau]

Yes tough one this.

I Have been running this business for five years now, I have never had a 'job' as such. When I was looking around prior to this business with the question, what do I do now? I seriously thought about a business in the marine industry. All the same possibilities that you have highlighted were considered. However, two main negatives, firstly don't mix business with pleasure, sailing is meant to be for R&R. Secondly there are lots of others doing exaclty what you are trying to do.

If you can afford to why not do some charity work associated with sailing? That way there will not be the normal work pressure that comes with any business. As I have said, apart from brief encounters with employement I have always run my own business and there is no easy way to make money (that is legal anyway). If anyone has found the secret, then let me know!

 

[iangrant]

Bignick
Sat on a beach in Antigua off Deep Bay an awb turned up and anchored off about 2 hundred yards from the beach. A sun tanned fella came ashore in his dinghy and wandered around between the sunbed strewn "White/pink" people, a couple of casual conversations later he had a handful of dollars a family of 4 and their friends in the dinghy and was off to the anchored off boat (about a 40 footer) for the day trip in 80 degrees F5/6 NE down the coast and back.

Aparently this is the norm for him when he has no island hopping charters. I'm assured there is big demand for more "private" day trips by the local running the beach sports shop. The big cats (mostly Wadadly) are becoming a little too commercial.

I'm off there later this year, but sadly coming back again in May 2006....unless.....

Ian

 

[Goodge]

As a lot of people here I have also given this some thought in recent times.

The best I have come up with is a combination of teaching / skippered charter/ charter.

I don't think freelance instructor would pay enough so if you own your own boat you can do skippered charter or bareboat charter.

That way your boat will earn you some money and also you can earn some income from instructing / skippering.

But then you look at the competition and all the big boys are doing these things so your up against it from day one.

That said look at that guy from Canary sail on that C4 programme. He had far less experience than I know you have and now he is ' living the dream' as the program stated.

As Pete Goss wrote in my copy of his autobiography 'Anything's possible'.

Perhaps there are quite a few of us restless souls on the forum.

 

[Evadne]

Buy a pub!!

If you want to make money out of South Coast UK sailors, and don't have a plot of riverside property big enough to turn into a marina then the one thing we all really want is a great pub in easy walking distance of a nice place to tie up.
Could I suggest Bembridge? Since the demise of the Row Barge Inn and the removal of the ability to park in the marina, what the place is crying out for is a decent (and not necesarily a Folly clone) pub in St. Helen's or on the Duver. The first one to open will be a license to print money between May and September, IMHO.
I'm sure others will be able to suggest ideal harbours or anchorages around the world that are crying out for a decent hostelry.
Unfortunately you will still need a sizable wedge of dosh in your back pocket to do this, though.

 

[Birdseye]

The sailing world is full of people trying to turn a hobby into an income. Not surprisingly, this tends to depress the returns available. Look at chartering, for example. Or how cheaply you can get a sailing course. And chandlery isnt such a brilliant bet - how many have gone bust over the years.

What you really want is a winter job unrelated to sailing so you can spend the summer doing what comes pleasantly - sailing.

Went through exactly the same thought processes as you, from a similar background, and in the end decided that my remainag years were worth more than any income I was likely to get from working. So I pulled my horns in a bit (which I dont even notice) and now do sod all apart from ride motorbikes and sail. Life's great!

So hang loose. Wind down . Let the ambitious youngsters take over. Go African. Hakuna Matati (I think!)

 

[peterb]

Instructing

[ QUOTE ]
- a free lance instructor - allows freedom of time, not well paid, not enjoyable year round in the UK.

[/ QUOTE ]

You're right in saying it's not well-paid, but it also needs qualifications. When I took my instructor rating only 3 out of 8 passed. That was many years ago, but the ratio hasn't changed very much. The standard required is well above YM.

 

[Rowana]

I totally agree with birdseye. I "retired" almost exactly 2 years ago - end of march 2003.

Spent the summer sailing & playing golf.

Come September, my old company offered me 2-3 days a week for some "consultancy" work which ended up as 4 days to the end of march again.

Spent last summer sailing & playing golf.

Come October I got a phone call from my old boss who had meantime moved on and had a project for 6-7 months, and was I interested. "What's the rate?", says I. "How much do you want?" says he. So I'm now working again until april/may time.

Guess what's on the plans for this summer ??

That's assuming I get my wee heart problem sorted in time. Going to see the specialist on the 17th

 

[Colin_S]

My old Geography teacher, according to Friends Reunited, has retired to France and tops up his pension by doing some maintenance, gardening, etc. for other Brits whilst they are back in the UK. Could that be applied to boats?
Or.... how about offering your services, on a commission, to locate boats for purchasers, including initial viewings and reports. Must be plenty of wealthy buyers who do not have or want to waste the time taken with tracking down the right boat.
I guess both of these services already exist in one form or the other but could they work?

If all else fails, buy a jetski, L plates and a top box and start a pizza delivery service in the Solent /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[bob_tyler]

Yacht surveying Jimi?????? Thought that you couldn't even find your holding tank /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif

 

[jimi]

Erm .. erm ..erm ;-)

 

[graham]

Nick I think that you should think allong the lines of combining and capitalising on the skills you allready have.

You are a strong leader with obvious man management skills as well as a capable yachtsman.would there be a market for personell selection weekends ,assessment of people considered for promotion etc?

A few days and nights aboard a small yacht will generally give you a good insight into a persons strengths and weaknesses.

 

[jimi]

Well he's crap at organising any sort of catering so he'd need a competent partner .. I see him more as a bouncer myself

 

[graham]

Come to think about it it did take me a whole weekend to teach him how to make an egg sandwich .....You are right bouncer may be more appropriate.