Newbie seeking an adventure

[Kat Hall]

Hello, my name is kat and I'm new to all this sailing lark, however i have had a love affair with the sea all my life and always wanted to live by the sea. Now I'm planning to live on it!
I'm 52 and want to change my life....... my partner and i have a £20k budget to buy a sail boat either in the med or states.
We will then have around £600 a month to live on.... which we hope will be enough but need some candid opinions on that! We are not smokers or big drinkers and live modestly in the UK, hoping our income will be worth more elsewhere in the world .
My partner has his skippers licence and ran sailing schools in the army so has some experience and knowledge. We are not expecting a year round holiday, knowing it'll be tough at times but the freedom will be worth it.
Our plan is to be living on a boat late October...... but that depends on the sale of the house and finding a boat!
So any advice is welcome, we're looking forward to making new friends and exploring new places.


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[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Kat.

[atoll]

I would start by looking for a boat in the uk,there are quite a few deals that are in your price range,plus the amount of 2nd hand stuff available to do a refit is enourmous if you look on ebay,boats and outboards ,boat jumbles etc.

the med has become horribly expensive,so your budget would not go far.

there are some good deals in the states,but again you would have to pay vat if you ever come back to the euro zone,also factor in $150 a night board whilst looking for a boat,plus it is advisable to have a b1/b2 visa,the esta visa does not apply if traveling by yacht to the usa and for extended stays.

you might be better off looking in places like Trinidad,grenada,panama,langkawi with your budget

[boatman61]

Hi Kat... and crew...
Welcome to CF.
Okay.. is it doable for 20K and a £600/month budget...??
but this comes down to what you want in a boat..
Yes... comfortable but small and basic by todays standards..
No... all the bells, whistles and jaccuzi...
Another thing to consider are marina costs for anytime you need to use one in emergencies.. either go as close to under 10metres as you can get like this one..
Rival 32 for sale UK, Rival boats for sale, Rival used boat sales, Rival Sailing Yachts For Sale 1976 Rival 32 - Apollo Duck
else if your 10.1 metres you'll be paying the same as a 12metre boat..
Theres plenty of anchorages all around Europe and WiFi easily available with 'Boosters'.. or a quick dinghy ride so comms and work if any is managable and getting better.
There are cheaper boats that are well capable like the Westerly Longbows
http://westerly.apolloduck.com/display.phtml?aid=403582
one of which I lived as cruised the Med on with a GF for 4yrs.. great boat.
These two are quality build boats that can take some punishment and will leave you change for upgrades of wind and solar etc.
£600x1.37=Euro822... yeah.. no problem.. the odd delivery job will be bankable for rainy days..

[atoll]

I can't see that budget working in the med,unless they anchor out year round,which is not advisable or possible in a lot of the med.

they most probably would be looking at spending the winter/6months in a marina,or on the hard,costing between 2-3000 euros,leaving them 400euros a month to live on,which is possible,but not much fun.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by atoll

I can't see that budget working in the med,unless they anchor out year round,which is not advisable or possible in a lot of the med.

they most probably would be looking at spending the winter/6months in a marina,or on the hard,costing between 2-3000 euros,leaving them 400euros a month to live on,which is possible,but not much fun.

They'll have to bite the bullet on certain things..
Almerimar is cheap... a Lagoon 380 cost me 17.60euro/night..
book in advance and 6mths with the discounts is going to be around 1500..
The other alternative is use the Guardiana or Guadalquivier or the anchorages along SW Spain and the Algarve in winters..
Thats the secret.. find the cheap places to base and venture out from there.. no rush.. got the rest of your life..

[atoll]

Originally Posted by boatman61

They'll have to bite the bullet on certain things..
Almerimar is cheap... a Lagoon 380 cost me 17.60euro/night..
book in advance and 6mths with the discounts is going to be around 1500..
The other alternative is use the Guardiana or Guadalquivier or the anchorages along SW Spain and the Algarve in winters..
Thats the secret.. find the cheap places to base and venture out from there.. no rush.. got the rest of your life..

spending the winter in almiramar,miles from anywhere,with a bunch of impoverished brits is not what I would call living the dream
there is a reason why it is so cheap lol

[Kat Hall]

Wow, thanks guys, lots of food for thought there. We hope to find bits of work as we travel, i can turn my hand to lots of crafts which i was thinking of making and selling, my partner can weld and has a few blacksmith skills and will be taking his small forge welder. Maybe we are being naive but we are not looking for luxury, a simple lifestyle like we have at home but without the daily 9 to 5 grind.

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[boatman61]

Almerimars changed a lot.. Coastal motorway puts Almeria and the airport 25-35mins away.. regular ferries to N Africa..
If one likes the quiet life its not that bad a base.. if your a piss head the marina's big enough for the noise to dissapate.. hated it back in the 90's with the 4hr bus ride to Almeria..
Now.. not so bad... sking 2hrs away and warm enough water to swim afternoons in the winter