SA
4 posts
Hi all,
Am in a bit of predicament, Have a 38 foot Bavaria that bought with my wife nearly ten years ago, my wife intending to get into it with me. Ends up she's scared out on the water and there's no making her into a sailor. I on the other hand want to get more into it. All we've had a chance to do is cruise around Pittwater. Gets more complicated: we have moved interstate with yacht still in Pittwater, and I can't decide whether to sail her (with professional help) interstate or sell her and get a smaller one. Hence I'm in the process of either getting her ready for sale or for sai (haha) I've moved back to my "hometown" where I have plenty of mates who'll be potential crew, but don't have the social network in Sydney for crew. Also a bit of tutoring wouldn't go astray. I'm therefore looking for somebody to come out with me every four weeks or so when I'm back in Sydney and either crew, or even better,if experienced, train me up, also giving me a chance to decide whether to keep her. For tutoring I'd be happy to pay (but I must admit can't afford the exorbitant type fees I see on some Sydney Harbour sailing school sites). Maybe an experienced retiree sailor who wants some spare cash (or just feels sorry for me). Yet even more complicated: I have a genetic low vision condition (my vision is small tunnels, I am not allowed to drive). My low vision is mainly a problem in very congested waterways and berthing (but I manage), the sooner I am out in open water the happier I am. Luckily where I have moved will be much easier for me than busy, crowded PIttwater.
Any advice is appreciated.
NSW
188 posts
? Plan C - Road Transport ?
ACT
243 posts
Where are you, interstate? If Southern Qld, then that's not too big a coastal sail from Pittwater, assuming the boat's seaworthy and properly equipped. Further afield is more challenging. Your profile says WA. That's no small expedition if that's where you want to take the boat. I suspect sailing is the only viable option financially, as by road will set you back tens of thousands to get to WA (at a guess maybe $50,000). Would likely make more sense to sell her in Pittwater and buy another in WA. A delivery skipper will generally charge perhaps $8-10 per nautical mile plus transfer costs (airfares taxis/ubers/bus and any accommodation needed). It's around 2300NM from Sydney to Fremantle, so if you hire one to go to WA, that may set you back between 20 and 30 thousand, add in a crew member as well and you'll be up for more. Another consideration is equipment. Do you have a tender and a liferaft in service? Also if you are in WA, I'd have thought it's a non-trivial cost to come back and forth to Pittwater to practice sailing every month or so, unless you'll be making the trip for other reasons as well. So a hard headed approach might suggest selling her and buying a boat where you now live. If it's adventure you want, you have the resources, and the boat's fit for purpose, then sailing her there's an option, provided you can get enough competent help.
VIC
637 posts
Bob,
I say either:
Pay a delivery skipper to sail it to Perth with you as crew and get one or two of your mates to come along.
1. You will get the adventure of a lifetime and you sail a boat halfway round the biggest island on the planet. Who cares if it costs 20 grand.
2. You'll find out if you actually have mates that will sail with you
3. You'll find out more importantly if you've got what it takes with respect to vision etc.
4. By the time you get there you'll be ready to be a skipper or.....
5. You find out it's not for you and you sell the boat knowing never doubting whether you made the right choice.
6. Leave it at a brokerage in Melbourne if you hate it and only get that far.
Sell the boat, cut your losses
1. Go to a couple of local yacht clubs and talk to the keelboat captain or like about who you can sail with.
2. Seems to me lots of Perth boats have masts that they take down - your boat probably doesn't have this?
Cheers,
Jon
SA
4 posts
Thanks, Jon,
good advice. Don't know why profile says WA is acutally SA. Still a long way. Less in the way of local yacht sales in SA compared to WA.
Leaning towards keeping her and organising the adventure of sailng to SA with a delivery skipper, will be a great learning experience.
She's a good solid boat and seaworthy, and I've customised her to what I need and like i.e. plotter at helm, autohelm, radar, etc.
Looking at smaller ones for sale on Boatsales very few if any have this sort of setup, and I'll still very likely have to sail it to Adelaide from QLD or NSW anyway. Smaller also less manageable in any sort of difficult sea conditions.
Getting her ready for sailing to SA or for sale is similar. The main reason for my post is effectively looking for either crew or a tutor to go out with in the meantime. I might try the crew finder sites. Can hire an instructor but ain't cheap. Going out with either will help me deicde whether to keep her or decide she's too big for my situation. Again, I'll likely have crew readily available in SA, which leans me to keeping her.
From what I hear a common problem: hubby buying yacnt for couple-cruising then finding wife not so keen long term!
Cheers, Bob.
NSW
1590 posts
I'd be happy to help on Pittwater but I don't really see how sailing around Pittwater where you have already been for 10 years is going to fully prepare you for sailing to SA.
About 45 years ago I looked for the worst possible weather forecasts on Pittwater and purposely went out to sea about 10 miles (or down to Sydney) on those days with a crazy mate and managed to scare the crap out of myself a few times surfing giant waves back in past Barrenjoey .
Even that however, although better than nothing, doesn't teach you much about navigation, other more treacherous bars, where and how to anchor up nor dealing with unforeseen situations or hazards specific to geographic areas that you might be forced to traverse or enter. I'd be doing a hell of a lot of reading up and questioning people about planned stopover locations. I was particularly worried about Lakes Entrance a couple of years ago and took a while and a few conversationsto satisfy myself as to the right time/ conditions to go in-and that's just one of many on the way.
On the other hand what is your risk tolerance like. If you never never go you will never never know.
I know it is hard to find a good boat particularly in smaller markets like SA and if you have one then maybe you should just pony up and pay the delivery skipper and treat it as a once a lifetime adventure/ experience which also teaches you heaps and might give you the confidence and skills for other adventures.
Maybe you could commission the delivery skipper just to Melbourne or other location on the way and then see how you feel about things once there. Not much good however chickening out in say Bega and trying to sell your yacht there ;).
WA
607 posts
As a neutral reader, your situation prompts for selling the boat but it sounds you are still trying to find reasons to hold onto it. It's hard to let it go but sell it and hunt for a replacement boat locally. Make sure it fits your situation so you can actually take her out. You can retrofit anything if it doesn't come with your desired features. Keeping it or sailing it to SA seems a stretch.
