Living Aboard in the EU

[bru]

With Oracle, Java etc., a college education and a resume that includes NASA I think it's safe to say that you'll not have a lot of bother getting work in the EU. I reckon half the IT companies in London would be champing at the bit to secure your services!

Getting more on topic, what's your boat? If the class is RCD certified already it would make a significant difference to the viability of importing it into the EU

[Amfivena]

Though I'd add my two cents...

We are in a similar position - working full time to save up a cruising kitty so we can go cruising and I can return to grad school in Newfoundland. We considered, and then ruled out, moving the family to NL and ended up staying put until the money is sorted out.

The principal reason was our salaries would not be anywhere near what we get now in the US (particulatly my wife who is a nurse). It just made sense to stay where we are - and where we have secure incomes and know how to comfortably live inexpensively. A move would invoke actual moving costs, missed time at work and the expense of making a new life. Our rough calculations showed we would save at least twice as much over the next year staying put. I am now working with the knowledge that I'll shortly be able to spend 5 years or so going to school and taking long summers (with my wife not working) to cruise.

Now the job market in Europe will be better than NL - but living expenses are definitly going to be higher. How much are you going to realistically be able to save? Also, does it make sense to move to Europe and never travel anywhere? I see living in Europe as a great life choice, but a bad way to build the cruising kitty.

From where I sit, it looks like you need to decide what the priority is. Do you want to live in Europe, or build the cruising kitty? The best way to build the kitty is to stay put and focus on saving/paying off loans. The reward will be freedom to go wherever. Even a year's worth of money will allow you to sail to Europe and liesurly look for a job and liveaboard situation to keep the cruise going.

[ssullivan]

Good input, Amfivena. This is precisely the largest factor we are weighing out. I haven't worked up my obligitory Excel spreadsheet yet. Our idea is that it is a sort of "test run."

After reading these posts and doing some research, we see the 2 year Europe trip as a "test run" to see which place we like better for long term living. We will then have the opportunity to import or sell our boat, or the opportunity to come back to the States and go cruising before deciding which continent will be our long term home.

PS: The boat is a 45' Gulfstar Hirsh. Not sure if this is RCD certified, but seeing as how around 30 of them were made, I think it may not be.

[bru]

Very much doubt if your boat has been put through the RCD hoops, certainly can't find any reference to the class or the model anywhere

However, given the 6 figure (dollar) value of the model in the US, the higher cost of yachts in (Northern at any rate) Europe and the hassles and costs of selling a yacht in the US and buying another one in Europe ...

It might actually be worth putting your current yacht through RCD and paying the tax etc. I doubt if you'd make your money back if you sold it on within a couple of years but if your happy with the boat and plan to keep it then it may be viable

http://www.rya.org.uk/General/Issues/reccraftdir.htm

Gives a pretty good idea of the process and costs involved

[coot]

Originally Posted by ssullivan

We will have a much more valuable cruising kitty, assuming equal income in the EU vs the States, owing to the strong Euro.

You ask about living in various countries. You might start by trying to discover where this assumption might be valid. I have some friends from France who told me that salaries in general are substantially lower there than in the US, but basic needs are just as affordable because the costs are lower. e.g. food in the supermarket is cheap, but dining out is much more expensive than in the US.

If you now have Irish citizenship, do you need to spend any time living in Ireland?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Seems like you may be "adequately" qualified to find a job in Euroland . I am just hoping that you don't end up here competing for my next job. A NASA Rocket Man Vs a bloke with a 6 week Night School certificate in Welding (and no, I am not joking. that is it )

RCD & VAT?? I have no idea about these..............cos' we are not in the EU for these purposes

May be worth thinking about us as an option to store the boat. Even if only in the winter months or for the first year whilst you work out your plans or even as a base for your first extended cruise between Contracts - Whilst she is here you won't need to bother with paying VAT or meeting the RCD requirements (if you want to buy a bathtub and then set off accross the Atantic (or to France) from here it's perfectly legal. AND you don't have to pay VAT on the bathtub ).

I can't remember the rules off hand, but for locals (me!) we basically are restricted to only keeping the boat in the EU for 6 months a year unless we "want" to pay VAT (mine was bought as VAT paid from the UK for this reason - and this is not unusual). RCD is an interesting one - not come accross anyone who has run into any problems............yet. Maybe cos' as visitors from outside the EU we do not have to comply?? or I vaguely seem to recall that folk coming from outside the EU only start having problems when they become resident and work in the EU (for both VAT and RCD??) and then only after a fair mount of time (1 year / 18 months??), and not "just" visiting??

But I will leave you to wade through the paperwork - but might well be worth doing so. You may even be able to even keep her in the UK / EU and just have a trip outside the EU (N. Africa? / Jersey? / Norway?) every year or so.

I do of course reserve the right to be talking out of my backside


One word of caution though for those thinking of coming to the EU, you may get kinda used to 5 weeks paid holiday being the norm, plus Bank Holidays. and a 35 hour working week being not unusual. (actually worked at a Bank years back where the hours were 33 and 3/4's per week ). In fact that is why I have started by own business - cos' "back in the day" when working on Contracts I got used to to having longer drinking sessions than "only" 5 weeks a year holiday would allow..........although in my defence, when working I do go at 110%, but I also like to holiday at 120% - I figure life is not all about money (or climbing up greasy poles - that really don't matter or "having" to "Beggar they neighbour" to progress).........as yer can't take it with you

[ssullivan]

And this (David's reply) is why I'm so excited about Europe in general. I nearly fell off my chair laughing at this well written and informative response. If only I could have this sense of humor. I appreciate it, but don't know how to use it myself.

I'm sure we won't be competing. We'll probably both be competing with some Romanians, but I'll be on your side!

It's also a matter of culture for us. We are sort of "outsiders" here in the States, but always have identified much better with the folks across the pond. No idea why, but we think the same way and appreciate the same things in life. We aren't very keen on losing our European heritage, but it is under attack via immigration, programs to support immigrants (without any to support natives), etc... We are hoping to find that there is still a European culture alive we can enjoy, and that it hasn't been washed out by the waves of immigration, like it has in the area I'm in now.

This is not a racist or elitist comment, simply a comment that we are looking to be immersed in a culture we can identify with. I just can't identify with the hip hop culture, reggaeton, or the throwaway, junky food culture I'm in now.

Whew... bared a lot here, but maybe somebody will tell me that Europe is awash in too many immigrants and I'm thinking incorrectly. Hopefully, that isn't the case.

ADDED:

Then of course, there are always food related issues such as these:

FDA set to OK food from cloned animals - Yahoo! News

YIKES!

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

Seems like you may be "adequately" qualified to find a job in Euroland . I am just hoping that you don't end up here competing for my next job. A NASA Rocket Man Vs a bloke with a 6 week Night School certificate in Welding (and no, I am not joking. that is it )

RCD & VAT?? I have no idea about these..............cos' we are not in the EU for these purposes

May be worth thinking about us as an option to store the boat. Even if only in the winter months or for the first year whilst you work out your plans or even as a base for your first extended cruise between Contracts - Whilst she is here you won't need to bother with paying VAT or meeting the RCD requirements (if you want to buy a bathtub and then set off accross the Atantic (or to France) from here it's perfectly legal. AND you don't have to pay VAT on the bathtub ).

I can't remember the rules off hand, but for locals (me!) we basically are restricted to only keeping the boat in the EU for 6 months a year unless we "want" to pay VAT (mine was bought as VAT paid from the UK for this reason - and this is not unusual). RCD is an interesting one - not come accross anyone who has run into any problems............yet. Maybe cos' as visitors from outside the EU we do not have to comply?? or I vaguely seem to recall that folk coming from outside the EU only start having problems when they become resident and work in the EU (for both VAT and RCD??) and then only after a fair mount of time (1 year / 18 months??), and not "just" visiting??

But I will leave you to wade through the paperwork - but might well be worth doing so. You may even be able to even keep her in the UK / EU and just have a trip outside the EU (N. Africa? / Jersey? / Norway?) every year or so.

I do of course reserve the right to be talking out of my backside


One word of caution though for those thinking of coming to the EU, you may get kinda used to 5 weeks paid holiday being the norm, plus Bank Holidays. and a 35 hour working week being not unusual. (actually worked at a Bank years back where the hours were 33 and 3/4's per week ). In fact that is why I have started by own business - cos' "back in the day" when working on Contracts I got used to to having longer drinking sessions than "only" 5 weeks a year holiday would allow..........although in my defence, when working I do go at 110%, but I also like to holiday at 120% - I figure life is not all about money (or climbing up greasy poles - that really don't matter or "having" to "Beggar they neighbour" to progress).........as yer can't take it with you