Practical options for workiaboard in the Med and maybe flying back to the UK monthly

[mr_rob]

Hi all,
I'm hoping those of you experienced with working on board could critique or help build some possible scenarios that would work.

I've got a job where I could probably agree to only come in to the office for a few days a month, and after completing the RYA Day Skipper/ICC and chartering a a couple of boats I've been thinking about possible options to "work from boat" and would love some suggestions.

Constraints
-UK passport holder - The usual Schengen problem of 90 EU days every 6 months. I also have an Australian passport but I guess they'd figure that out.
- Need to be able to visit London every month for a few days. Maybe a 5 day week. I mention London as it has strong airline links to many airports in the med
-Budget for a boat would be a 40-45ft catamaran of sorts

Scenario 1 idea
-Buy in November at the start of low season - cheaper to buy?
-Winter in Tunisia and see what the boat needs
-Sail around in Summer shoulder seasons
-Put the boat into charter during July/August peak season: attempt to solve the 90 day limit problem get some costs back.
-Potentially work back in the UK during this July/August period
-Winter in Tunisia or something at end of the season
-Happily married with no kids. Age is early 40s

Scenario 2 Negotiate no office visits and Sail to the Caribbean after the Med season. and back?
-Does anybody actually sail back and forth from the Med and Caribbean? each year? I suppose it takes 3 weeks each way with no guarantee of ability to work online with Starlink? Or is it better to visit the US/Lakes?

Scenario 3 -
-Please help me build these!

Unknowns
-Am I likely to get boat insurance? I have maybe 2000 miles experience.
-please help me build this out

The Wife and I once rode a bicycle for months through South America, camping. So we are familiar with roughing things a little and should hopefully have enough grit to adapt to some changes.

thank you
Rob

[SailingHarmonie]

From my experience the biggest factor in determining if someone can deal with the "liveaboard life" is if they have the mechanical chops to maintain the boat, and the attitude to actually do maintenance instead of fixing things when they break.

There is no simple answer to how much you need to know. Simple boats are simple to take care of, and much easier to deal with. Complex boats are... complex. A 45 to 50 foot cat is probably up there on the complexity scale, especially if you are looking for one with all the comforts of home.

On any boat there will be things that will hire a specialist to do/help with. If you have to hire someone to fix EVERYTHING, it becomes an expensive time sink to manage the workers and make sure things are done on time and done well. The amount of money sucked out of your wallet can be breathtaking.

[skipperpete]

I was under the impression that it was a 90 consecutive days in EU then 90 consecutive days out, is this not the case? I have a boat in France and was in the habit of flying in to Paris then TGV to my marina to travel on the canals as well as around the gulf de lion down to Marseille for the 90 days then flying out and back to work in Malaysia ,Singapore or Australia for 90 days. Initially my plan was to stay in the EU continuously with dual passports, (British and Australian) but that went awry with the Brexit and even further awry with the pandemic and the now very high airfares.
I wouldn’t consider that living on a 45-50’ catamaran is “roughing it” but it does put you into a higher cost bracket with marina berths and live aboard acceptance.

[mvweebles]

I had a dock-neighbor in the US who tried to do a similar transition into working from a new boat and moving it for seasons and such. He was always delayed and fix-it projects competed with his paying job. He ended up getting fired from work for poor performance, and his wife divorced him.

Careful of what you dream......

[mr_rob]

Thanks. Regarding the comments
Mechanical - I'm essentially an engineer to many extents although that word is used too loosely these days
I can competently remove/replace/repair car engines and transmissions and associated cooling and support anciliaries. I converted a car from automatic to manual once and turbocharged it. Repaired hydraulic fittings etc. Power steering. Brake caliper tear down and seal replacements etc. I could do with Diesel experience but I'm familiar with high pressure fuel systems and typical failure modes.
I've done some simple fibreglass and electronics repairs with a multimeter. I can do board-level soldering and assembly and rate/plan DC power systems
I've fabricated and gassed up refrigeration lines etc as well.

Skipperpete - Could you help me with the meaning of "live aboard acceptance"?

mvweebles, thanks for the warning

Still looking for suggestions on scenario planning thanks. Particularly around the timing of movements. I may go down to 3 days a week. Just to keep the kitty topped up really.
I spent 3 months off work in January, and to be honest it was boring. I think work would give me something to do besides fixing a boat. I'm thinking of a boat perhaps 5-10 years old

[psk125]

Live-aboard acceptance refers to marinas that permit people to live aboard. Many marinas do not.
Being able to make repairs and fix things is not the same as having enough time to do them all. Putting the boat into charter is another big can of worms. You will need to find a company to manage it. Owners renting boats out themselves is not permitted in many places - licenses, insurance, approvals are required. Your boat and your schedule will have to be acceptable to the management firm - two big hurdles, along with the Schengen issue. It looks like you need to do more research and thinking about your plans.

[barnab]

Originally Posted by psk125

Live-aboard acceptance refers to marinas that permit people to live aboard. Many marinas do not.

This is not an issue in Europe, especially if you stay in a marina for only a couple of month.


For 2 working on a boat you need enough working space, especially if one or both are in calls regularly. Ideally you have 2 spaces where each can have his/her office and not occupying the dining table.


Starlink will get you reliable internet most everywhere, faster and more reliable than cell (and no need to look for SIM cards).


I would forget about charter, it is a lot of work and after the say 2 month of chartering you will be fixing tons of stuff. Where do you store your personal stuff while you charter the boat?



Keep in mind there is a lot of Schengen in the Med, your options where to go for the other 90 days are limited.



Do not underestimate the additional work of living on the move - you will spend a lot of time planning where to go, researching regulations, looking for parts, where you can have something sent to....Being able to move only on weekends seriously limits your ability to choose good weather windows.



Keep in mind that when you are in one place for two weeks you basically spend only a weekend there - on the first weekend you prepare the boat and travel to that place, wash the boat, set it up for "marina mode" (like installing your office). Mon-Fri you work, then there is one weekend and the last weekend you move to the next place.



Working while sailing is something you should not plan for. Your boat will need your attention, even if your wife does the sailing she will need your help from time to time. Also, depending on waves and point of sail looking into a screen can make you seasick instantly.

[Tupaia]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

I was under the impression that it was a 90 consecutive days in EU then 90 consecutive days out, is this not the case? I have a boat in France and was in the habit of flying in to Paris then TGV to my marina to travel on the canals as well as around the gulf de lion down to Marseille for the 90 days then flying out and back to work in Malaysia ,Singapore or Australia for 90 days. Initially my plan was to stay in the EU continuously with dual passports, (British and Australian) but that went awry with the Brexit and even further awry with the pandemic and the now very high airfares.
I wouldn’t consider that living on a 45-50’ catamaran is “roughing it” but it does put you into a higher cost bracket with marina berths and live aboard acceptance.

The Schengen rules apply a rolling 180 days during which you can enter multiple times up to a maximum of 90 days. To calculate you need to work back 180 days from today to see how many of the 90 days you have used. The calculation will change the following day because the start of the 180 days would have also moved forward one day.

[more]

Originally Posted by mr_rob

Scenario 1 idea
-Buy in November at the start of low season - cheaper to buy?
-Winter in Tunisia and see what the boat needs
-Sail around in Summer shoulder seasons
-Put the boat into charter during July/August peak season: attempt to solve the 90 day limit problem get some costs back.


Rob

please explain how you plan charter boat July/August peak season.
what company in world accept your boat only 2 month,how you like stranger in EU gain charter document only for 2 month,how you find charter insurancy only for 2 month when local must buy annualy charter insurancy or marina minimum 6 month contract(some price like for 12 month contract,tax

in short you are big dreamer,very big
o now i see you plan buy used boat,and you think some company accept charter your boat.

[Lepke]

Originally Posted by mvweebles

He ended up getting fired from work for poor performance, and his wife divorced him.

So not all bad news.

[Sos]

I would look at keeping the boat in Tunisia. Good prices and cost effective repairs/improvements from the local yards.
Then spend your 90 days sailing from Tunisia in the Schengen area and then back to Tunisia. Gives the option of a years berthing contract which is a lot cheaper and always somewhere to return to.
Forget chartering - too much hassle and they like new boats!
Other option instead of Tunisia is Gibraltar but not easy to get a berth and more expensive. Good flight connections and a great place to stay!

[more]

Originally Posted by Sos

Forget chartering - too much hassle and they like new boats!

we dont like any boat. we be super hapy if customer pay as full price,dont come but we send video of boat how sailing.
customer want new boat.PS
this week brand new bali 4.5 5weeks old. charter for 4000€
boat have fix exspense 7000€ insurance,marina 21460€ botom paint 3000€
sombody must also buy this boat also this cost something

one big secret jeanneau 519 2017 this year income brutto 40000€ expense 47000€

way i tell you because i have on door angry poland guy

he why he must pay sombody for booking,no you dont need pay booking book by yourself.
customer complain why must pay cleaning boat,sheet,marina ecc.

[ausnp84]

Yes - it’s very doable.

We lived aboard in Valencia marina a couple of winters back - worked corporate jobs via Starlink. No kids, three dogs, UK and Aussie passports. All ok.

Moved out to the Carib in ‘22 and refitted a trimaran while still maintaining corporate jobs. Spent last winter sailing the island chain and still worked just fine.

The hardest bit has been the 0345 starts during the summer months (0900 in the UK) but otherwise, there’s been no issue balancing work, sailing, maintenance and life. Whenever we have a long passage we time it for a weekend or take some annual leave, otherwise we just sail in the afternoon after work and short hop our way along.

Let me know if you have any more q’s!

N

[Captn Caveman]

You could also use Turkey and Montenegro to pause the Schengen clock. Both have good winter-over options.

But there are two other options worth looking into:
1. With an Australian passport, you could pursue a bilateral agreement visa waiver extension. Australia has agreements with Italy and Portugal that could give you an additional 3 months past the 90 day Schengen window.
2. A digital nomad visa - assuming you are working online, which it sounds like you are with occasional trips back to the home office, you would likely be eligible for one of the digital nomad visas that are offered by Portugal, Spain, Greece, Malta and Croatia. Most are good for 1 year.

[mr_rob]

Thanks this is quite practical and constructive advice