Realistic costs of living on a yatch?
Discussion
Say you sold your house and you just wanted to get away from it all, and you chose the option of buying say a 2nd hand yatch and set sail from the UK to anywhere you desire...... what sort of living costs are you looking at roughly?
I know, not first hand but friends of a friend, of a couple who retired early (this was 10 years ago) and they bought a yatch after selling up their assets in the UK. Basically it was the selling of their two cars and their house.
They got in their yatch with not too much sailing experience and set off for the Mediterrainian. I think they only return these days to the UK to visit their family every now and then.
But barring the cost of the yatch itself, then living costs would just be the likes of food and 'docking' fees in order you can get to the shore to buy more food and water...would that be about it?
Or would 'docking' fees at any particular harbour not apply if you anchored out 1km from the coast and used a small motor boat to get to shore?
If thats right then it seems like if you've got your sea legs and you've got enough money to see you until the end of your days for the likes of food/water then it could be a nice life style to end off your working life in the UK?
I know, not first hand but friends of a friend, of a couple who retired early (this was 10 years ago) and they bought a yatch after selling up their assets in the UK. Basically it was the selling of their two cars and their house.
They got in their yatch with not too much sailing experience and set off for the Mediterrainian. I think they only return these days to the UK to visit their family every now and then.
But barring the cost of the yatch itself, then living costs would just be the likes of food and 'docking' fees in order you can get to the shore to buy more food and water...would that be about it?
Or would 'docking' fees at any particular harbour not apply if you anchored out 1km from the coast and used a small motor boat to get to shore?
If thats right then it seems like if you've got your sea legs and you've got enough money to see you until the end of your days for the likes of food/water then it could be a nice life style to end off your working life in the UK?
I believe they are called Yachts.
I know a lot of people who have done this.
There is/was a good profit to be made buying a boat in the UK, sailing to OZ, selling then doing it again.
Well, not so much a profit, but the increased sales price would pay for the journey.
I met a couple in Panama who were doing to for the third time.
The normal journey is starting in the UK, heading over the Bay of Biscay and the taking the ARC over to the states.
Then one sails down the coast through the Caribbean, through the Panama canal, then either down to OZ or out to Hawaii and maybe Canada and Seatle.
Getting back is a bugger though as all the winds blow the other way.
So long as the boat doesn’t break it can be relatively cheap.
If the boat does break it can be very expensive.
It depends on the boat.
Some have built in twin diesel engines with the body of the boat built around them, others have a removable outboard bolted into a hatch.
I've met people who've been sailing round the world for years on a shoestring budget picking up casual work when they need money and living on fresh caught fish and self hunted lobster.
Then again, I've met people who've spent many hundreds of thousands over just a few years of sailing.
I know a lot of people who have done this.
There is/was a good profit to be made buying a boat in the UK, sailing to OZ, selling then doing it again.
Well, not so much a profit, but the increased sales price would pay for the journey.
I met a couple in Panama who were doing to for the third time.
The normal journey is starting in the UK, heading over the Bay of Biscay and the taking the ARC over to the states.
Then one sails down the coast through the Caribbean, through the Panama canal, then either down to OZ or out to Hawaii and maybe Canada and Seatle.
Getting back is a bugger though as all the winds blow the other way.
So long as the boat doesn’t break it can be relatively cheap.
If the boat does break it can be very expensive.
It depends on the boat.
Some have built in twin diesel engines with the body of the boat built around them, others have a removable outboard bolted into a hatch.
I've met people who've been sailing round the world for years on a shoestring budget picking up casual work when they need money and living on fresh caught fish and self hunted lobster.
Then again, I've met people who've spent many hundreds of thousands over just a few years of sailing.
I thought the second poster's job in moments like this was to quote the OP?Snowboy said:
I believe they are called Yachts.
I know a lot of people who have done this.
There is/was a good profit to be made buying a boat in the UK, sailing to OZ, selling then doing it again.
Well, not so much a profit, but the increased sales price would pay for the journey.
I met a couple in Panama who were doing to for the third time.
The normal journey is starting in the UK, heading over the Bay of Biscay and the taking the ARC over to the states.
Then one sails down the coast through the Caribbean, through the Panama canal, then either down to OZ or out to Hawaii and maybe Canada and Seatle.
Getting back is a bugger though as all the winds blow the other way.
Where are they getting the boat to sail back in if they've sold the one they had in Aus?I know a lot of people who have done this.
There is/was a good profit to be made buying a boat in the UK, sailing to OZ, selling then doing it again.
Well, not so much a profit, but the increased sales price would pay for the journey.
I met a couple in Panama who were doing to for the third time.
The normal journey is starting in the UK, heading over the Bay of Biscay and the taking the ARC over to the states.
Then one sails down the coast through the Caribbean, through the Panama canal, then either down to OZ or out to Hawaii and maybe Canada and Seatle.
Getting back is a bugger though as all the winds blow the other way.
BoRED S2upid said:
Sounds like an ideal early retirement to me, do this from 50 - 60 then come back and work in B&Q until the government coughs up your pension then worry about money for the rest of your days.
I met another couple in that age bracket.They'd sold everything, put half the money in some old age investment scheme that would pay for some nursing home in Florida.
The rest of the money went on a boat and kiting it out – they just planned to sail around until they were too old to do it anymore or ran out of money.
Every morning the chap would jump off the back of the boat and swim round it for morning exercise.
I sailed through the panama canal with them.
He did the same swim in the morning in the inland lake.
There's alligators in that lake.
He didn't care – he went for a swim every morning regardless of sharks, alligators or anything else.
Depending on where you go, how big your boat is and how much you want to enjoy life, its anywhere between £5k and £20k per annum. That's mainly Diesel and berthing fees. That doesn't include sinking fund for up-keep of the yacht - budget for a new wardrobe of sails every 2 years if you're doing a lot of passage-work and a major engine overhaul annually. You'll have to haul-out at least annually and, if you're smart, you'll spend a surprising amount on keeping offshore safety gear, navigational software etc up-to-date
Friends recently took their Bowman 40 across the atlantic, round the carribean, up the east coast of the states and back to the UK for just over a year and spent just under £20k
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