Boat love is like any love: expensive, time consuming, and utterly hypnotic. And I have a problem. I have fallen in love with a boat.Being a professional sailor, I realise how stupid this is, and I really should know better. From working for owners and using their credit cards to pay the bills, I know full well that the saying \u2018owning a boat is like standing in a shower and ripping up bank notes\u2019 rings true.
\nI\u2019ve now learned that process begins right at the purchase stage, because apparently it\u2019s a rite of passage to buy a boat that\u2019s triple your original budget\u2026
\nLike any sensible sailor, I called upon the advice of trusted friends, colleagues and clients. Should I buy the boat? Am I crazy?
\nNaturally, I picked my advisers carefully: all people who would say \u2018YES!\u2019 Romantics, who don\u2019t care for details. Remortgage my house? Sure! Spend a significant proportion of my income on berthing fees? Dreams are priceless!
\nBoat infatuation is intoxicating. I\u2019m coming to realise that buying a boat is like embarking on a new relationship. The first stage is the dreamy honeymoon phase. Your love can do no wrong! Even their flaws are endearing. Looking up at the deckhead, I saw some water damage. \u201cHmm, it looks like the deck is leaking. I\u2019d probably enjoy replacing the teak.\u201d Right\u2026
\nWhat happens next? The sugar coating will wear thin. Flaws become irritating, infuriating. Lesson 1: just like people we can\u2019t expect boats to change. Especially older ones \u2013 they really get stuck in their ways.
\nArticle continues below\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSecond hand boats: Buying a yacht to upgrade<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAmong brokerage listings it\u2019s rare to see a yacht openly advertised as \u2018work needed\u2019. After an initial conversation, the potential\u2026<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSecond hand boats: How to finance a yacht<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\tIf you are one of the many boat owners who buys with cash, then great \u2013 you can saunter on\u2026<\/p>\n
So, the second stage is one of realisation. Realising that her slow acceleration upwind wasn\u2019t just a bad day; it\u2019s who she fundamentally is. Understanding that she will never be as tidy as you want her to be. And, disappointingly, she will always \u2013 always \u2013 groan and creak in her sleep at anchor.
\nFrom realisation to withdrawal. After a time, all those flaws are going to feel too overwhelming to cope with. Maybe you made a bad call? You want out? You might be getting frustrated, angry even. But you\u2019ve committed now. There\u2019s no easy \u2018out\u2019. No-one wants to buy an unloved boat. So, defeated, you\u2019ll resort to apathy.
\n\u201cHow\u2019s the boat going?\u201d your enthusiastic advisers will enquire, excited at the prospect of onboard sailing holidays (the real reason they all encouraged you to buy the boat).
\n\u201cDon\u2019t even ask,\u201d you reply, as you dream of dry earth, a house far from the sea, possibly becoming a farmer\u2026
\nSo why go through this pain and misery? There are thousands of repeat offenders, who are into their second, third, even fourth boat marriage. There must be a good reason? Ah, the final stage: true love. To pull in another clich\u00e9: \u2018stormy seas make better sailors\u2019.
\nThe first phase of owning a boat is the \u2018honeymoon phase\u2019
\nThe conflict, the aggravation, possibly depression, are all a necessary and unavoidable part of the process. If you do it right, out of fury emerges an honest acceptance of one another and a sense of deep almost connection and love. Now you have the boat of your dreams.
\nBut dreams are never quite as imagined. The final stage: heartbreak. You lie awake at night worrying about her in a storm. You feel guilty for not maintaining her better. You reluctantly have to say no to other opportunities to spend time with her. She\u2019ll be a tether, constantly pulling on your heart strings. And for many, many people this all gets too much to handle. And the boat goes up for sale.
\nSo, if the economics of a boat never add up. If owning a boat is painful, slow and full of bad surprises. If there is an exceptionally high neglect and divorce rate, then why buy a boat? Why risk the heartache?
\nIf you\u2019re reading this you probably share my dream of sailing off into the sunset \u2013 perhaps on your own yacht. But is it worth it?
\nIn the end, to buy a boat or not comes down to the \u2018why\u2019. The \u2018why\u2019 must be greater than all the costs. And those costs are great. So identify what that reason is. What are your deep psychological needs that a boat can fulfil? For me, it\u2019s freedom, adventure, and beauty.
\nI hope the boat I end up buying will align with my values, help me be my best self, and be an extension of my soul. So, ask yourself: why? And if you have an answer, if it comes from a passion that runs deep in your veins, then welcome to the club. We share the same problem!<\/p>\n
If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/p>\n
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The post \u2018Boat ownership is a wildly impractical love affair, and gets complicated when you\u2019re smitten\u2019 \u2013 Nikki Henderson appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Boat love is like any love: expensive, time consuming, and utterly hypnotic. And I have a problem. I have fallen in love with a boat.Being a professional sailor, I realise how stupid this is, and I really should know better. … <\/p>\n