moving aboard tips and sugestions

For the discussion of liveaboard specific topics.

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Andyloc
YF Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:48 pm
Location: Exeter

moving aboard tips and sugestions

Post by Andyloc »

Hi All ,
my wife and i are hoping to be living aboard within the next nine months. We have finally decided that living to the expectations of others doesnt work and ultimatly makes you unhappy so we have decided to sell the house buy a bigger boat and live aboard. our budget boatwise is in the 25-40k bracket and hopefully in the 32-40 foot size range. Any sugestions and ideas would be appreciated. We live in south devon so will be looking for a berth over the next few months with a view to being afloat by late spring next year maybe earlier who knows.

cheers

Andy
Jeff
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Post by Jeff »

Hi Andy!

Have you read our blogs? They're linked to from this website's main forum page - about halfway down. We're doing the exact same thing as you at the moment... except we're also sailing around the UK. We started off in Plymouth with a berth in Plymouth Yacht Haven, then spent winter in Sutton Harbour (the best toilets and showers in the UK so far!) before setting off to sail around. At the moment we're anchored in the river Colne, near Brightlingsea.

We're in a Westerly Tempest which is just 30.7 feet and it's _just_ big enough for the pair of us plus small dog, but we're hoping to get something larger soon. I've got my eye on a Westerly Seahawk. The Westerlies seem to offer good value boats which are very solid with nice interiors and tardis-like space usage. We've looked at a number of much larger boats which seem to have less space than we do.

Something you might want to consider, other than selling your house, is to rent it out. We've put all of our worldly goods into our attic and let our house out on a long term let. Aside from the obvious financial benefits it also saves us a considerable amount of money that we'd otherwise have had to pay to a storage company. Also keeps us with something to fall back on should something go terribly wrong. A nice insurance policy.

Best of luck!!
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Andyloc
YF Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:48 pm
Location: Exeter

Post by Andyloc »

Hi Jeff,

thanks for your reply , yea iv read your blogs and have to say they r great. i actually bumped into you at tuf lock exeter a couple of months ago and was going to take you up on the offer of a look in Isabella but a work call put an end to that so maybe another time.
We have decided to sell as the house is way to big for us and we will buy a small flat to rent out at the same time as purchasing the boat. A winter of sail training both theretical and practical awaits us and neither of us can wait till the spring when the new lifestyle begins. keep up the great blogs and ill keep you posted of our progress too.

cheers

Andy
Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:54 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
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Post by Jeff »

Ha! Small world! Thanks for the positive blog feedback!! :)

Keep us posted on your progress - and best of luck. You won't regret it!!
To join our mailing list and receive notification of blog updates, please send an email to watchblog@yacht-forum.co.uk and we'll keep you posted. You do not need to sign up to the forum to do this, and we absolutely WILL NOT share your contact details, or send you anything but notifications of new blog entries.
Andyloc
YF Newbie
Posts: 4
Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2010 7:48 pm
Location: Exeter

Post by Andyloc »

Hi all,

does anyone have any details of marinas in the plymouth / dartmouth areas that accept livaboards and whether they are are upfront payment contracts or monthy payment contracts. Also what the availability of berths is in these areas.

cheers

Andy
Jeff
Site Admin
Posts: 751
Joined: Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:54 pm
Location: North Yorkshire
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Post by Jeff »

Hi Andy,

Unsure about Dartmouth but I think there's something like a 5 year waiting list for very very expensive moorings there, and I'm unsure if they allow living aboard.

In plymouth, all of the main marinas seem to either allow you to live aboard, or turn a blind eye. The marinas I believe all have spaces at the moment. They are as follows:

Mayflower. Nice view. All tide access. Quite nice facilities on site. Bit bouncy in a swell. Not in the nicest part of town. Quiet.

Sutton Harbour. Good atmosphere, right in centre of town. No swell. Have to go through a lock to go in and out - but it's easy (and fun) to do so. Best marina facilities we've encountered anywhere in the UK (and we've seen a few!). Brilliant location if you like a bit of culture. Not so brilliant if you like open countryside. Liveaboards encounraged and welcomed.

QAB. Gets swell. All tide access. Not the nicest location but very very close to town centre and the aquarium.

Yacht Haven. All tide access. Gets swell. Liveaboards encouraged. Facilities could be better but not terrible. Quiet location but a distance from town - 10 mins by car or water taxi. Right next to a nice quiet beach and the SW coast path. Brilliant for dog owners. Bit desolate in winter though.

Personally I'd winter in Sutton Harbour and summer in Yacht Haven or Sutton Harbour.

Swell isn't all that big of a deal. You get used to it fairly quickly.
To join our mailing list and receive notification of blog updates, please send an email to watchblog@yacht-forum.co.uk and we'll keep you posted. You do not need to sign up to the forum to do this, and we absolutely WILL NOT share your contact details, or send you anything but notifications of new blog entries.
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