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Am I doing the right thing?


gary955

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Following on from my thread searching for a deep drafted mooring on the G&S. I'm off to Holland on thursday to possibly make an offer on a largish displacement motor yacht. I've made such trips before and been thinking about this for a couple of years but this time it all looks feasible!

The boat has dimensions that will fit a reasonable number of rivers and estuaries in the UK and a lot of continental inland waterways but certainly the UK waterways could only be connected by the sea.

The boat would be more than capable, having been originally designed as a trans ocean motor sailer. But I know nothing of lumpy water, although i intend to learn over an extended period by venturing out (with suitable training) from the safety of the glous and sharpness.

This week I've been for a cruise on my narrowboat with my girfriend for a few days. It's been lovely with the stove keeping us warm, the quiet and peace of the canal with almost empty visitor moorings has been a joy.

My boat is not the shiniest with some oxidation of the paint and a little rust in places on the roof, but inside she's lovely with an engine room and a trad back cabin, the girfriend particularly likes the bath. I honestly wouldn't swap it for another narrowboat. I lived on it for a couple of years and can handle her with unconsious skill, single handed or with company. I wonder if I'll get frustrated by being a learner on a different type of boat....or even be totally inept!!

Today as I was turning into Avoncliff aquaduct i was going slowly enough and the engine was softly thumping quietly enough for me to have a brief conversation with a woman standing at the railings.

"That looks very relaxing" she said."it's lovely" i replied "and this is a lovely time of year for it"

"you're soooo lucky" she said.

And I am, I'm very fortunate indeed to enjoy all this, so should I move on or just be thankfull for the wonderful life I already have?

 

Edited as more points occur to me

Edited by gary955
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Garry only you can really answer that question.

 

I was once given a bit of sage advice, "Listen to what others say but do as you want, as it is you who has to live with that decision".

 

My experience of the sea comes from a yottie perspective.

The sea has its own challenges and rewards, sometimes, abject misery if you are out in anything above force 6 and you are soaking wet. You can't say "I'll just pull in and make a cup of tea". I have found nothing to beat a good night crossing arriving at the Channel Islands in beautiful sun.

 

One great advantage of being on a NB, your glass of wine / beer stays where you put it.

 

If you follow your head you may never do it, what is your heart saying?

 

Best wishes whatever you decide.

Edited by Ray T
  • Greenie 3
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Chalk and Cheese indeed. A sail boat in the Irish sea in a force 8 is exciting, and relaxing too if you're built that way. I used to be, but I'm now older the thought of what I used to do fills me with fear TBH. I'm not fit enough now either. You might have to get up to the top of your mast and mend something in bad weather for one thing. If you can't do these sort of things, personally I would steer away from the idea.

 

Having said that I'm sure there are calmer ways of going about it, waiting for good weather etc but as said above if your gear fails you or it gets a bit rough you can't just drift to the side and open a nice red.

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............ so should I move on or just be thankfull for the wonderful life I already have?

 

Edited as more points occur to me

 

My partner and I are a few paces ahead of you and making the same sort of decisions (albeit, possibly for different reasons).

We own and live on a 66ft narrowboat (with a bath) but recently bought a 1931, 66ft wooden gaff rigged Ketch, which we plan to move on to. We are currently on the G&S while we prepare the Ketch as a liveaboard, our intentions are to explore the west coast of Scotland whilst we get our sea legs, then a few years around Scandinavia before sailing further afield.

We wont be ready until late next year and until then will be on the G&S, if you think our experience might help you, we would be happy to meet.

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Thanks Ray and Joshua for realising that it was a bit more of an existential conundrum than the issues of sea sickness or the practicalitys of a bath at sea, although all the responses are welcome and I appreciate all those that take the time to answer.

Joshua We'd love to meet up to discuss our plans and to learn about yours.......love to see your boat. I'll pm you

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I have to admit this is still an unrealised ambition of mine and I suspect it may well remain so now.

 

I'm all for people realising their dreams and trying out new experiences but one of the considerations for me, not having vast amounts of cash, is the difficulty of reselling a sea going craft compared to the ease of selling a narrowboat.

 

A good friend of ours had a super Fisher 30 which had been her late husband's pride and joy. It was in immaculate condition and had been fastidiously maintained yet it took two years to sell and in that time had maybe half a dozen enquiries. It wasn't overpriced like so many yachts/cruisers are, she almost had to give it away in the end.

 

So what to do if it doesn't work out is a big factor for me, i think the dream will only be realised if I ever have enough money to have both types of boat.

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I have to admit this is still an unrealised ambition of mine and I suspect it may well remain so now.

 

I'm all for people realising their dreams and trying out new experiences but one of the considerations for me, not having vast amounts of cash, is the difficulty of reselling a sea going craft compared to the ease of selling a narrowboat.

 

A good friend of ours had a super Fisher 30 which had been her late husband's pride and joy. It was in immaculate condition and had been fastidiously maintained yet it took two years to sell and in that time had maybe half a dozen enquiries. It wasn't overpriced like so many yachts/cruisers are, she almost had to give it away in the end.

 

So what to do if it doesn't work out is a big factor for me, i think the dream will only be realised if I ever have enough money to have both types of boat.

 

Look for the positives.

 

If they are not easy to sell, you can pick one up at a 'giveway price', when you come to sell, you sell at a 'givaway' price and have lost nothing.

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I have to admit this is still an unrealised ambition of mine and I suspect it may well remain so now.

 

I'm all for people realising their dreams and trying out new experiences but one of the considerations for me, not having vast amounts of cash, is the difficulty of reselling a sea going craft compared to the ease of selling a narrowboat.

 

A good friend of ours had a super Fisher 30 which had been her late husband's pride and joy. It was in immaculate condition and had been fastidiously maintained yet it took two years to sell and in that time had maybe half a dozen enquiries. It wasn't overpriced like so many yachts/cruisers are, she almost had to give it away in the end.

 

So what to do if it doesn't work out is a big factor for me, i think the dream will only be realised if I ever have enough money to have both types of boat.

Im sure there are plenty of narrowboats that sit around for sale for years at a time as well.

 

Selling a sea going boat is no more or less difficult than selling an inland vessel.

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