How should you plan a sabbatical cruise with your other half, your kids, or for retirement? Elaine Bunting hears three crews\u2019 adviceAll photos: ARC \/ James MitchellIf Kate or Russell Hall wanted to know where their eight-year-old and six-year-old boys had got to, all they would have to do was look along the pontoon for their shoes. Two little pairs of sandals cast aside showed where the two boys had leapt aboard another yacht to play with kids they\u2019d never met until a few days before.
\nI met the Halls on the \u2018family pontoon\u2019 of the 2019 ARC transatlantic rally, where the organisers gather the boats with children on board. Here crews were quickly making friends, and kids hopping on and off each others\u2019 boats while the adults worked through long jobs lists in preparation for their imminent ocean crossing.
\nAcross the marina from the Halls, Ann Graydon and Richard Gauthier had befriended their cruising doppelg\u00e4ngers, another Canadian couple also sailing an Outremer catamaran, and were trading tips and advice with fellow cruisers.
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These kinds of friendships and bonds slip into place easily when you are away cruising. But just how do you get here? The financial planning, the boat and equipment choice, the homeschooling: where do you start? We asked three crews at different stage of life how they made it happen.
\nWorking together
\nKaj Maass and Malin Andersson
\nBavaria 38 Ocean Cross Ocean
\nOutside the fantasy world of YouTube channels, it\u2019s actually quite rare to see under-30s off cruising. Why? Because \u2018living the dream\u2019 involves such long-term planning and stringent savings that the plan often dissolves before it can be brought to fruition. But it can be done, as proved by Swedish sailors Kaj Maass (28) and Malin Andersson (29).
\n\u2018We wanted to spend our money on living experiences and not buying things\u2019
\n\u201cWe\u2019ve been sailing since we were kids with our families,\u201d says Kaj. \u201cNot racing sailors, but typical Swedish holiday sailors. Kaj, an engineer, and Malin, a pre-school teacher, met eight years ago when Kaj had a 20ft keelboat. They spent their last summer before university cruising and camping.
\nAfter university, they began saving hard and three years ago bought a Bavaria 38 Ocean. While still working, they moved on board. Cross Ocean cost them \u20ac80,000. They chose the Bavaria 38 because they were looking for a boat with a centre cockpit. \u201cWe feel safer and we wanted an aft cabin and a good, sea-safe galley,\u201d explains Kaj.
\nExtras and upgrades for long-distance cruising cost them another \u20ac30-40,000. They fitted a new engine, replaced the standing rigging, bought a Hydrovane and satellite communications. They dropped the rudder and the keel and reinforced the area around it. Of the total budget, around \u20ac10,000 was spent on safety equipment.
\nThe couple have lived on board ever since buying the boat
\n\u201cWe decided not to fit a watermaker or generator. I know how hard work it is to maintain that,\u201d says Kaj. \u201cWe wanted to concentrate on the things that matter in the real world.\u201d
\nSkimping and saving
\nThe couple stopped working last June and have taken an absence of leave from their jobs for one year \u2013\u201cbut we have budgeted for being away for three years if we want to,\u201d says Malin.
\nThey don\u2019t deny that skimping on all but the basics while working was hard. \u201cOur contemporaries were spending a lot of money on weekend trips and we were putting it all in the boat. We didn\u2019t go to any fancy nightclubs or restaurants. We decided to spend our money on living experiences and not buying things and I think it gives you more satisfaction,\u201d says Kaj.
\nKaj Maass and Malin Andersson on board their boat in Las Palmas
\n\u201cWe asked people what do we need per month and we saved enough for \u20ac2,000 per month for three years. Our budget has been stretched getting down here, with the cost of marinas. It has been around \u20ac2,500 per month.\u201d
\nTheir advice to other younger sailors planning to go before settling into a career and raising a family is: \u201cDon\u2019t dream too big. Set up a realistic plan. We saved around 80% of our income for two years. Our goal was to save \u20ac4,000 a month,\u201d says Kaj.
\nAnyone thinking of doing the same should have realistic expectations of the \u2018liberated\u2019 life of the long-term cruiser. Kaj puts it perfectly when he says that cruising is \u201csmall problem solving all the time.\u201d
\nKaj and Malin\u2019s Bavaria 38 Ocean Cross Ocean, which they refitted
\n\u201cLiving on board is like a job,\u201d Malin agrees. \u201cYou need to plan more of your day: for example, doing the laundry. But we love living on board and we enjoy being close to nature \u2013 you can explore a lot of places.\u201d
\n\u201cThe most important thing we have learned is the need to slow down. It\u2019s work all the time \u2013 planning navigating, maintenance,\u201d says Kaj. \u201cBut you can decide what you want to do. We share the responsibility and talk about our fears, and if we need help or we need a break for a while. We are quite organised and we are working together.\u201d
\nFamily time
\nRussell, Kate, Hugo and Felix Hall
\nHallberg-Rassy 46 Kathryn del Fuego
\nThe traditional, solid bluewater cruiser has rather fallen out of fashion in rally fleets. Yet these can represent a fantastic buy for couples or families with bluewater ambitions. Older models from builders such as Hallberg-Rassy, Mal\u00f6, Contest, Oyster and others have many virtues: steady, medium displacement cruisers with seakindly attributes, most with centre cockpit layouts, large aft cabins and a secure place for young children in the centre of the boat.
\nHappily, many of these types were well built, and have generally been very well cared for and regularly refitted. Some may have done many miles, perhaps even a circumnavigation, yet be capable of so much more. They also tend to hold their value, a big consideration if you have a time-limited plan.
\nRefitting a second-hand yacht for new adventures has some other advantages: in the process you get to know your boat from stem to stern, and understand how the systems work. They also come ready equipped with an inventory of 101 assorted items you are going to need. These persuasive factors mean a good-quality secondhand yacht may, for some, even be preferable to buying new.
\nA sensible choice
\nThis was what Russell and Kate Hall decided to do. The Halls had reached a point in their careers when they felt they could take two years off, and their two boys, Hugo (8) and Felix (6), were old enough to enjoy and remember the voyage. Russell sold his veterinary practice and Kate is taking a break from her job as a civil engineer and design director of the UK\u2019s HS2 high-speed train programme.
\nThey wanted a seaworthy centre cockpit boat with three cabins, straight spreaders for downwind sailing (swept back spreaders can be restrictive dead downwind and are more prone to chafing the mainsail), \u201cand we also wanted a draught no greater than 2m,\u201d adds Russell.
\n\u201cWithin our budget we were looking at an Oyster 47 a Hallberg-Rassy 46 and a Contest 48. Then it was a case of finding it, and that took quite a long time.\u201d
\nThe Hall family\u2019s 20-year-old Hallberg-Rassy 46 was bought last summer, lying in La Rochelle
\nEventually they found a 20-year-old, lightly used Hallberg-Rassy 46, which they renamed Kathryn del Fuego. They feel it\u2019s a sensible financial choice. \u201cIt will depreciate but it will still have a value when we come to sell \u2013 it\u2019s not a sunk cost. And we are letting our house so we have a small income,\u201d says Kate.
\nRussell spent six months refitting the boat, having a watermaker and a generator installed, changing all the electronics and fitting a bimini and solar panels. He left work six months before the family was due to sail from the UK, but still they were finishing off jobs as they left last summer.
\nTheir plan is to spend time in the Caribbean then sail into the Pacific and continue as far as Thailand before shipping back home \u2013 \u201c but we are flexible,\u201d they add.
\nHugo (left) and Felix Hall
\nThey readily admit that sailing with children is not easy. \u201cIt\u2019s really like sailing single-handed. There are jobs that require both of us and you have to rely on the children to keep themselves safe at times,\u201d says Kate.
\n\u201cSomebody said to us that living with kids on a boat for a year is like living on land with them for four years,\u201d she laughs. \u201cIt can be quite draining but it\u2019s also part of the reason why we are doing this, so it\u2019s the yin and yang.\u201d
\nHome schooling was a very daunting prospect, Kate admits. \u201cI was quite scared about it. But they are at an age where they can keep up with English and maths. We try to have projects that are relevant to the places we are visiting. So my advice would be: be easier on yourself.
\n\u201cWe started with five hours\u2019 schooling a day and now we do two or two-and-a-half. Chill and relax; it all works out. In fact, I suppose we school all day. It doesn\u2019t have to be with the workbook; there are always things to learn.\u201d
\nAsked what advice they would give, Russell says: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t need to be perfect, just good enough. We were very strict about our leave date. You could have a perfect boat and still things will break. But you do need to know your boat, or a small repair can take a long time.
\n\u201cWe have also learnt how good the yachting community is. Everyone really looks after each other. We may have left friends and family behind but you quickly make new friends while cruising. The kids also have to make friends in each port; they get good at doing that.\u201d
\nRetirement plan
\nAnn Graydon and Richard Gauthier
\nOutremer 51 2 Cano\u00ebs
\nAt the end of their careers and work commitments are Canadians Ann Graydon and Richard Gauthier. Ann and Richard bought their brand new Outremer 51 in 2017, and since then have been living on board and cruising in the Med. They were about to cross the Atlantic, and were discussing a wishlist for the next 10-15 years: San Blas; Chile; Baja; South Pacific\u2026
\nAnn Graydon and Richard Gauthier on board their Outremer 51 catamaran 2 Cano\u00ebs
\nAnn (54), a retired theatre nurse, and Richard (61), a former actuary, have been planning their \u2018freedom cruise\u2019 for over two decades. In 1992, aged 34, Richard started a spreadsheet in which he set out how much he would need to buy a new boat and set off in comfort at 55. He reasoned that \u201cusually people either have the time or the money, but seldom have both.\u201d
\nCalculating that \u201c$100 would be $300 at 55 and the big ticket items such as children\u2019s education would be done,\u201d he began investing. \u201cI knew that the earlier I started the less the saving requirement would be to do what I wanted. So I put away 7-10% of my income on a weekly basis and adjusted my standard of living to fit that.\u201d
\nPerhaps more could do the same, but people get often drawn on to what psychologists call \u2018the hedonic treadmill\u2019. As Richard observes: \u201cThe problem is that if you climb yourself into a standard of living, it [traps you] into continuing to work.\u201d
\n2 Cano\u00ebs gets off to a brisk start from Las Palmas in the ARC rally in November
\nBy resisting this, making shrewd investments and latterly downsizing from a house to a two-bedroom apartment in Toronto to keep a foothold in the market, they reached their retirement goal. For a time, Richard continued to work part-time, but eventually quit. \u201cYou have to be near an airport, read your emails every few days, have a phone signal. It polluted the first two years, so I just cut it. I have zero regrets.\u201d
\nIn equipping their boat, they have been pragmatic, adding only gear that will help them be self-sufficient with some basic home comforts. \u201cWe don\u2019t have a generator. A generator would weigh 300kg or more and sailing performance is important to us. Then there are the spares and maintenance to consider. We think that not having one is a big plus. We try to live with a low carbon footprint.
\n\u201cWhen we are at anchor, if it\u2019s sunny we can feed the boat with our solar panels. When we are on the go, we use our Watt And Sea hydrogenerators, and if we are sailing above 8 knots we will run out of food before we run out of energy. The Watt And Sea makes enough power for us to run the watermaker without starting the engine.\u201d They recommend having two autopilot systems. 2 Cano\u00ebs has a quadrant linear drive and a tiller pilot.
\nWaving off the fleet as they leave to start the 2,700-mile transatlantic crossing
\nSome things they have learned on the way: the small air conditioning unit installed for their aft cabin is \u201cjust good enough. We can run it on batteries for 24 hours but actually what we do is cool the cabin down before bedtime and then turn it off. Once asleep you don\u2019t need it.\u201d
\nThey have a hydronic heating system throughout the boat with fans in each cabin. The circuit goes through the water tanks so they can have both heat and hot water.
\nRichard says the most important thing (besides having the money to buy a boat and leave) is \u201cto make sure your spouse is on board with the plans\u201d and says it\u2019s important to build complementary abilities. \u201cWe switch around jobs and share tasks like maintenance and engine maintenance. You both need to have a complete set of skills.\u201d
\nWhat to take with you
\nA standalone induction hob: \u201cWe have a gas hob installed and this gives us both \u2013 it\u2019s useful in harbour and we can save on gas but it is energy hungry.\u201d
\nA 3 kg washing machine: \u201cGreat for doing a load of T-shirts, but not underway when moving. We\u2019re not fans of public laundries, so it\u2019s a thing we really appreciate.\u201d
\nSunscreens on windows to help keep down the heat.
\nElectric winches: \u201cGiven our plan to make sure we can sail as long as possible.\u201d
\nA domestic heating blanket: \u201cIf it\u2019s cold we can just put that on before bed.\u201d
\nRepeater instruments in the cabin: \u201cSet up to show wind direction, speed and history and visible from the bunk.\u201d
\nWifi network and 4G modem: \u201cWe can do everything from streaming to updating our charts.\u201d
\nIn-line filter for tank water: \u201cNo need to bring plastic bottles on board.\u201d
\nBoat hull logo: \u201cWe got a great logo from DesignCrowd. You choose your designer, work with them and they send you a PS file for the vinyl.\u201d
\nWhat to leave behind
\nSound system: \u201cA bit of a waste. In practice we listen on an iPhone using headphones and it is too noisy when sailing to hear music of quality anyway.\u201d
\nTV: \u201cWe don\u2019t want a TV. We both use our iPads instead.\u201d
\nFirst published in the January 2020 edition of Yachting World.
\nThe post Kickstart your Atlantic adventure: ARC 2019 entrants explain how they got there appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How should you plan a sabbatical cruise with your other half, your kids, or for retirement? Elaine Bunting hears three crews\u2019 adviceAll photos: ARC \/ James MitchellIf Kate or Russell Hall wanted to know where their eight-year-old and six-year-old boys … <\/p>\n