I have a silly "buy a yacht and bugger off dream"
Discussion
Talk me into or out of it please.
I'm just scunnered with work and the politics of Brexit/Scottish independance and want to quit my life as it is.
Having sailed some in the past (dinghys, rare trips on larger yachts and a couple of tall ship voyages)I find myself very much attracted to buying a yacht and sailing away from it all.
Following "Sailing La Vagabonde" on youtube hasn't helped.
Being realistic, I don't have huge amounts of cash to spend, £70k is my cash pot + another £60k+ if I sell my flat. Possibly another £15-20k from collectables.
Is this anyway close to "buy a yacht and bugger off"?
Recently hit 50, no wife or children. Job is very work specific and not really transferable.
Reading this back, I'd laugh at anyone asking the same questions. But I'm still interested to hear your thoughts.
I'm just scunnered with work and the politics of Brexit/Scottish independance and want to quit my life as it is.
Having sailed some in the past (dinghys, rare trips on larger yachts and a couple of tall ship voyages)I find myself very much attracted to buying a yacht and sailing away from it all.
Following "Sailing La Vagabonde" on youtube hasn't helped.
Being realistic, I don't have huge amounts of cash to spend, £70k is my cash pot + another £60k+ if I sell my flat. Possibly another £15-20k from collectables.
Is this anyway close to "buy a yacht and bugger off"?
Recently hit 50, no wife or children. Job is very work specific and not really transferable.
Reading this back, I'd laugh at anyone asking the same questions. But I'm still interested to hear your thoughts.
My brother has just bought a boat (28' iirc) to live on over the summer while he learns to sail from scratch before selling up, buying and outfitting a bigger one to bugger off round the world diving.
He seems to think £40k (+20 for fitting it out) will get him something that will do the job. Albeit slowly. And £15k a year for basic running costs. But that's assuming nothing goes wrong.
He's 41 with no dependents, a job he's bored with and some money. And his man maths says he could do this or carry on the job and spend £10k a year on a couple of dive trips and still not get to go everywhere he wants.
ETA I should probably point out that the figures may be way off and I meant this as a supportive "you're not the only one" type post. HTH
He seems to think £40k (+20 for fitting it out) will get him something that will do the job. Albeit slowly. And £15k a year for basic running costs. But that's assuming nothing goes wrong.
He's 41 with no dependents, a job he's bored with and some money. And his man maths says he could do this or carry on the job and spend £10k a year on a couple of dive trips and still not get to go everywhere he wants.
ETA I should probably point out that the figures may be way off and I meant this as a supportive "you're not the only one" type post. HTH
Edited by Bill on Monday 20th March 07:01
db said:
Following "Sailing La Vagabonde" on youtube hasn't helped.
Be honest, you're not watching it solely for the sailing....are you? 
Regards your own dream, do it.
I had a similar idea nearly ten years ago now. Never followed it and life has now gone in a different direction.
You can't regret something you don't do, you can only regret not doing it.
I know a few people who have done this but they have all had considerable incomes (retirement, business, investments etc) to cover daily expenditures for as long as they lived. A couple sold their houses and used the capital to buy the boats. Selling up everything and just living off the proceeds for a few years until it's all gone seems a bit daft. What then?
HOGEPH said:
If it flies, floats or f
ks, rent it....
Nobody has ever posted that on a sailing thread before!ks, rent it....OP, my wife and I are looking to do similar next year, albeit only for 3-6 months.
My current plan is to look at actually buying the boat in Croatia/Italy or somewhere like that and then head down to it and enjoy a lazy summer playing about the Med and slowly working our way home.
I'm very much of the opinion that one should scratch these itches as they will be the things that are remembered and enjoyed years later, far beyond the extra hours at the office etc.
db said:
Talk me into or out of it please.
I'm just scunnered with work and the politics of Brexit/Scottish independance and want to quit my life as it is.
Having sailed some in the past (dinghys, rare trips on larger yachts and a couple of tall ship voyages)I find myself very much attracted to buying a yacht and sailing away from it all.
Following "Sailing La Vagabonde" on youtube hasn't helped.
Being realistic, I don't have huge amounts of cash to spend, £70k is my cash pot + another £60k+ if I sell my flat. Possibly another £15-20k from collectables.
Is this anyway close to "buy a yacht and bugger off"?
Recently hit 50, no wife or children. Job is very work specific and not really transferable.
Reading this back, I'd laugh at anyone asking the same questions. But I'm still interested to hear your thoughts.
I have visions of Robert Redford in All Is Lost I'm just scunnered with work and the politics of Brexit/Scottish independance and want to quit my life as it is.
Having sailed some in the past (dinghys, rare trips on larger yachts and a couple of tall ship voyages)I find myself very much attracted to buying a yacht and sailing away from it all.
Following "Sailing La Vagabonde" on youtube hasn't helped.
Being realistic, I don't have huge amounts of cash to spend, £70k is my cash pot + another £60k+ if I sell my flat. Possibly another £15-20k from collectables.
Is this anyway close to "buy a yacht and bugger off"?
Recently hit 50, no wife or children. Job is very work specific and not really transferable.
Reading this back, I'd laugh at anyone asking the same questions. But I'm still interested to hear your thoughts.
I did a bit of 'adventure 'sports when I was younger so a lot of my friends were/are people who live alternative lives, probably a far higher proportion of them than most peoples friends went off in search of 'the dream'.
We're all now mostly in our mid fifties and probably around half of the 'dreamers' have returned to 'civilisation' while conversely around half of the 'straightliners' are looking at early retirement and some way of 'living the dream' now.
Of the ones who went down the boat route, only one guy who went to live on a barge in the south of France is still on his boat. Most of the yacht people found somewhere nice after a year or two and settled there.
I was thinking of heading off in a boat myself but I started and committed myself to a biggish property project and am still tied to that.
I'll be seriously thinking about it again in a few years but will probably rent my house back here and drift around the world on a lower budget, working as I go.
We're all now mostly in our mid fifties and probably around half of the 'dreamers' have returned to 'civilisation' while conversely around half of the 'straightliners' are looking at early retirement and some way of 'living the dream' now.
Of the ones who went down the boat route, only one guy who went to live on a barge in the south of France is still on his boat. Most of the yacht people found somewhere nice after a year or two and settled there.
I was thinking of heading off in a boat myself but I started and committed myself to a biggish property project and am still tied to that.
I'll be seriously thinking about it again in a few years but will probably rent my house back here and drift around the world on a lower budget, working as I go.
You certainly have enough for the initial outlay and a few years to tide you over, if planning more than a couple of years afloat you would need to think about how much income you would need to sustain yourself and where you would find it.
I expect costs of sailing abroad are greater now than they used to be in terms of bureaucracy, and the apparent increase in security risks in large parts of the sunnier climes available to you would concern me.
I'm too sensible and risk averse to give it a go, but I can understand the appeal Given the total lack of experience that some people have when they embark on this (who seem to survive perfectly fine), I really shouldn't be so worried about trying it myself.
I expect costs of sailing abroad are greater now than they used to be in terms of bureaucracy, and the apparent increase in security risks in large parts of the sunnier climes available to you would concern me.
I'm too sensible and risk averse to give it a go, but I can understand the appeal Given the total lack of experience that some people have when they embark on this (who seem to survive perfectly fine), I really shouldn't be so worried about trying it myself.
db said:
Talk me into or out of it please.
I'm just scunnered with work and the politics of Brexit/Scottish independance and want to quit my life as it is.
Having sailed some in the past (dinghys, rare trips on larger yachts and a couple of tall ship voyages)I find myself very much attracted to buying a yacht and sailing away from it all.
Following "Sailing La Vagabonde" on youtube hasn't helped.
Being realistic, I don't have huge amounts of cash to spend, £70k is my cash pot + another £60k+ if I sell my flat. Possibly another £15-20k from collectables.
Is this anyway close to "buy a yacht and bugger off"?
Recently hit 50, no wife or children. Job is very work specific and not really transferable.
Reading this back, I'd laugh at anyone asking the same questions. But I'm still interested to hear your thoughts.
Go for it, or at least do the learning part. I have done the dingy and powerboat courses and will be following up with a VHF and Day Skipper course sometime soon. I am going to get a Hawk 20 which we used on the powerboat course to get some experience then see about buying something bigger (http://www.hawk20.co.uk/for-sale/) . Not sure about sailing around the world but each to their own. I'm just scunnered with work and the politics of Brexit/Scottish independance and want to quit my life as it is.
Having sailed some in the past (dinghys, rare trips on larger yachts and a couple of tall ship voyages)I find myself very much attracted to buying a yacht and sailing away from it all.
Following "Sailing La Vagabonde" on youtube hasn't helped.
Being realistic, I don't have huge amounts of cash to spend, £70k is my cash pot + another £60k+ if I sell my flat. Possibly another £15-20k from collectables.
Is this anyway close to "buy a yacht and bugger off"?
Recently hit 50, no wife or children. Job is very work specific and not really transferable.
Reading this back, I'd laugh at anyone asking the same questions. But I'm still interested to hear your thoughts.
Good article here.
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/the-com...
Hey db,
This is exactly what my parents did about 6 years ago when they retired from the Foreign Service. My dad bought a 52-foot storm damaged Ketch in the BVI, spent a year renovating it and then he and my mum took off on what can only be described as their adventure of a lifetime! Currently they are exploring French Polynesia and will then head off towards Australia via the many, many beautiful islands of the South Pacific. I'm not the least bit jealous ... honest! ;-)
Cost-wise it really depends on so many factors that it's practically impossible to say how much you should keep in reserve to live a comfortable life. I've had this discussion with my dad several times and from memory it goes something like this:
Annual boat maintenance and repairs/upgrades: 1.5~ 2% of the boat value
Annual insurance premium: 1~3% of boat value depending on where in the world you are sailing (bear in mind that insurance companies can (and will) stipulate that you can't sail in certain areas deemed high risk)
Monthly food bill: anywhere from £300 to £700 per person, again depending on where you buy your provisions from or whether you "dine out" a lot when moored up
Then there are many other variable costs which are impossible to put a figure on but a bit of research could point you in the right direction:
Visa/check-in/check-out costs
Marina costs
Communication costs (satellite comms airtime - for weather, text, e-mail, voice - can be purchased in blocks and topped up locally but is expensive)
Haul-outs to check/clean hull
Etc, etc.
I'm sorry the above isn't more specific or precise but it's what I can remember.
Having seen how incredibly happy my parents are doing what they are doing I can only say that I can highly recommend it. If you can make the figures work for you then DO IT! ;-)
All the best,
Dan
This is exactly what my parents did about 6 years ago when they retired from the Foreign Service. My dad bought a 52-foot storm damaged Ketch in the BVI, spent a year renovating it and then he and my mum took off on what can only be described as their adventure of a lifetime! Currently they are exploring French Polynesia and will then head off towards Australia via the many, many beautiful islands of the South Pacific. I'm not the least bit jealous ... honest! ;-)
Cost-wise it really depends on so many factors that it's practically impossible to say how much you should keep in reserve to live a comfortable life. I've had this discussion with my dad several times and from memory it goes something like this:
Annual boat maintenance and repairs/upgrades: 1.5~ 2% of the boat value
Annual insurance premium: 1~3% of boat value depending on where in the world you are sailing (bear in mind that insurance companies can (and will) stipulate that you can't sail in certain areas deemed high risk)
Monthly food bill: anywhere from £300 to £700 per person, again depending on where you buy your provisions from or whether you "dine out" a lot when moored up
Then there are many other variable costs which are impossible to put a figure on but a bit of research could point you in the right direction:
Visa/check-in/check-out costs
Marina costs
Communication costs (satellite comms airtime - for weather, text, e-mail, voice - can be purchased in blocks and topped up locally but is expensive)
Haul-outs to check/clean hull
Etc, etc.
I'm sorry the above isn't more specific or precise but it's what I can remember.
Having seen how incredibly happy my parents are doing what they are doing I can only say that I can highly recommend it. If you can make the figures work for you then DO IT! ;-)
All the best,
Dan
Wow, so many replies and many things to consider. Thank you for all for your thoughts.
Last night's post was a result of a wine or 2 too many, but it's something that's been on my mind for quite a while now.
Could I afford it? Possibly in the short term, but I have no idea how long I'd last financially nor what I'd do when the cash runs out.
Do I really want to live in a floating caravan on a budget? Quite undecided about this, so RYA courses/sailing holidays would be a sensible option.
I think the bigger question is what I'm unhappy with and what to do about it.
And I really don't have an answer to that.
Last night's post was a result of a wine or 2 too many, but it's something that's been on my mind for quite a while now.
Could I afford it? Possibly in the short term, but I have no idea how long I'd last financially nor what I'd do when the cash runs out.
Do I really want to live in a floating caravan on a budget? Quite undecided about this, so RYA courses/sailing holidays would be a sensible option.
I think the bigger question is what I'm unhappy with and what to do about it.
And I really don't have an answer to that.
Crossflow Kid said:
db said:
Following "Sailing La Vagabonde" on youtube hasn't helped.
Be honest, you're not watching it solely for the sailing....are you? Entertaining stuff to watch but it does help that she is quite easy on the eye.
Plenty of other video blogs and Youtube channels of people doing similar on far smaller and cheaper boats.
I think at 50, your finances don't suggest that sailing away is necessarily the best long term plan - as you say, how long might the money last and what would you come back to?
That said, I'd do it - we have family plans to do something similar before it is too late and I have often fantasised about buying a boat and disappearing for a few years. My personal inspiration was the "My family gap year" prog on CH4 a few years ago.
A few thoughts :
Can you not keep the flat and rent it out thereby generating some income and maintaining something to come back to? The pot sounds like enough to me to get going.
The other thing I would definitely consider in your position is to become a crew member (probably Skipper, possibly Engineer (no real experience necessary)) on a flotilla for a season. You are never too old and you'd get to spend several months on a boat in the Greek Islands. Might not be a long term plan and will never make you rich, but I'm sure it's be a world apart from where you are now. http://www.sailingholidays.com/ After a year of this, you'd be ready to either get off the water or buy one and go.......
Bob
That said, I'd do it - we have family plans to do something similar before it is too late and I have often fantasised about buying a boat and disappearing for a few years. My personal inspiration was the "My family gap year" prog on CH4 a few years ago.
A few thoughts :
Can you not keep the flat and rent it out thereby generating some income and maintaining something to come back to? The pot sounds like enough to me to get going.
The other thing I would definitely consider in your position is to become a crew member (probably Skipper, possibly Engineer (no real experience necessary)) on a flotilla for a season. You are never too old and you'd get to spend several months on a boat in the Greek Islands. Might not be a long term plan and will never make you rich, but I'm sure it's be a world apart from where you are now. http://www.sailingholidays.com/ After a year of this, you'd be ready to either get off the water or buy one and go.......
Bob
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