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sail-fish · 18-09-2011, 14:20

If you get a diesel heater you won't even notice the winter inside ;-) ours is programmable to come on before we wake up and heats the boat very quick and costs very little to run. It is essentially central heating. You will then love living aboard in winter.

Nostrodamus · 18-09-2011, 14:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by sail-fish

If you get a diesel heater you won't even notice the winter inside ;-) ours is programmable to come on before we wake up and heats the boat very quick and costs very little to run. It is essentially central heating. You will then love living aboard in winter.

We do have heaters and reverse cycle air conditioning so we don't have problems there. With the wife it is more the isolation of being in a country (France) where we do not speak too much of the language. It then makes it difficult to make friends so she can have girley natters.

SailPenelope · 18-09-2011, 14:36

I'm the woman aboard our boat, and I'm the one who wants to live-abaord. What are you doing to make both of you (and the kids) comfortable this winter? Heating, insulation, etc. All VIP.

I love being aboard with a storm brewing, hot tea in hand, kerosene lamps lit, content with my knitting, reading, and computer. But then, we live in Sunny So. Cal, where "winter" is a relative term.

Do what it takes.....well worth it. You know that!

sail-fish · 18-09-2011, 14:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nostrodamus

We do have heaters and reverse cycle air conditioning so we don't have problems there. With the wife it is more the isolation of being in a country (France) where we do not speak too much of the language. It then makes it difficult to make friends so she can have girley natters.

well that is not an issue of living aboard then but more the whole foreign country thing. Best thing is to do language school at night or whenever you have the time and study, study study (my flatmate did this in germany and was a pro in a couple of months). I on the other hand spoke to eastern Europeans who didnt know english so my german improved immensely. It will be overwhelming but after awhile full immersion (without english) is like coming out of the fog

barnakiel · 18-09-2011, 15:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nostrodamus

(...) It makes a lot more sense having a house you can call home and going there over winter with central heating, satellite TV, home delivery, a car and friends? (...)

Home and Garden Forum next door please. ;-)))

Sense is what one names sense. To me, sense is NOT to spend my life in a cubicle making money to pay for things which I do not need - houses, central heating, satellite TV, cars, to name a few.

When it rains, I can go out and walk in the rain. When it rains I can stay inside and sip my coffee. I have a house with an ocean view and I call it home.

Everybody should attempt to live their life in a way that makes sense to them.

b.

cdennyb · 18-09-2011, 15:07

Sounds to me that your woman would appreciate some warmer environment. Hoist that hook and haul buttt down south, like was stated earlier, this is a perfect opportunity to cruise the Caribbean! Provision-up and go. I'd probably want to move back on dry land if it was cold and damp and miserable as well. This is your chance... see the world mate... and see it with your mate.

Don1500 · 26-09-2011, 08:29

"Are liveaboards Stupid?"

That's what everyone (That doesn't) keeps telling me.

**sarafina** · 26-09-2011, 08:37

You have half the cruising battle won! Your wife has moved aboard the boat, you have begun.

Sounds as if you just need to do a better job of picking the battle field.

You want to cruise, she wants to be warmer and have people around she can talk to.

Go south, where it's warmer and go where there are people she can connect to.

Pick somewhere there is a healthy population of international cruisers, there will be plenty of english spoken.

If ya keep her where she is and she bails on cruising you have lost the war.

I think you have a good strategy, you just need to improve your tactics!

Target9000 · 26-09-2011, 08:46

According to my trusty diagram....

Some liveaboards are stupid.

kerrydeare · 26-09-2011, 09:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nostrodamus

...we live aboard our boat but ... we have only being doing so for a year ... It is coming up to winter and ... we face the prospects of a ... a host of other nasty’s we have chosen to live with ... Are liveaboards a special breed or are they just stupid? ...

People who live on boats are not easily classified as either "special breeds" or "stupid people." If you goal is to perform this classification, I'd advise another hobby.

Also, it certainly is nice to have a warm winter abode to return to in the cold season, which is what we do just now. However this option is not available to all. In fact, I would prefer to have several locations from which to choose, starting with northern Italy, Newfoundland, Bermuda, and so on, but that's financially out of reach. Of course having a well equipped vessel (or two) near each of these locations would add spice.

I'd suggest you evaluate your own situation to determine if living on a boat year round meets the needs of both you and your wife. A lot of folks who do this keep on the move to meet the needs of weather and personal comfort, but this too can easily become either routine, or a bit of drudgery under certain circumstances. Also, give it more than a year, before committing either way.

Report back in a few years to let us know if you are still liking this arrangement, and also to let us know how your efforts at liveaboard classification are going.

Best of luck.

Don1500 · 26-09-2011, 09:06

From what I understand there are a great many English enclaves on the Costa Del Sol.

A liveaboard must be cool with their solitude. In some places at some times it is not the enviable place you dream about when you start out. I am sure when every liveaboard started dreaming their dream it contained miles of clear sand beaches with a warm ocean and plam trees. Not glacial fjords with 20 feet of snow. But there may have been some that thought that was heaven, too.

goboatingnow · 26-09-2011, 09:54

While the UK winter cam be a PITA its not long. ( actually it's the summers I find depressing).

My advice hit southern France. All round v nice plenty of English spoken and lots of ex-pats. ( if that's your thing and for me it isn't. ).

Dave

Nostrodamus · 26-09-2011, 10:00

Quote:

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

While the UK winter cam be a PITA its not long. ( actually it's the summers I find depressing).

My advice hit southern France. All round v nice plenty of English spoken and lots of ex-pats. ( if that's your thing and for me it isn't. ).

Dave

We have a place in La Rochelle for winter right in the city. We plan on getting there by mid october.

Ishmael · 26-09-2011, 10:55

In about 20 years, I'm hoping we can split our time every year: 5 or 6 months here in the northeast US, 6 or 7 months in the caribbean - good bye cold weather! Hopefully we can keep the house and rent it out (we live in a resort/island community) while we live on the boat in the harbor during the summer months when in our home port. Then if either of us gets bored with it, too ill or old, or we just decide we hate it, we can move right back into the house (but the boat will still be there in the harbor for an occasional getaway!)

Typical "snowbirds".