Giving up

The drive from Botolph Claydon to Arisaig is around 400 miles taking 11 hours - and costs £75 worth of petrol. This week I spent around £150 on paint and anti-foul and I will have a £350 bill to settle before leaving the boatyard so >as I was driving up I did the usual thing of thinking that sailing is a stupidly expensive thing to do and not worth the candle. However, by the time I had settled into the boat, got a glass of scotch in my hand and settled down with a good book it all felt better.

Today I wire brushed the rusty spots on the keels, hammerited them, antifouled the whole hull except the keels and masked up some of the deck.

This evening the sun went down over the Island of Rhum - beautiful sunset.

Aiming to get the boat back afloat on Monday and then sailing up to Stornoway. Really looking forward to it

S2220025 slip

yard boats

harmony

S2220029 boats

This is about Dylan Winter's Blog, Sailing around Britain.

19 Responses to “Giving up”

  1. 17 September, 2014 at 10:37 pmBarry Getzen says:

    Looking at pictures 1 and 4 it seems to me you got a bargain.

  2. 17 September, 2014 at 10:39 pmAndrea says:

    Well, we will be looking forward to your visit. Nice moorings or the marina to chose from – or anchor in Cromore perhaps. Kettle is on :-)

  3. 17 September, 2014 at 10:48 pmArt Vandelay says:

    Careful Dylan, with the vote tomorrow, Scotland will close the border and you have no way home…Good Luck

  4. 17 September, 2014 at 10:56 pmJames says:

    Hope you brought your passport !!

  5. 18 September, 2014 at 12:52 amJ. Peter Haliburton says:

    “sailing is a stupidly expensive thing to do and not worth the candle”, that sounds like something my wife would say. I’m glad you put that thought behind you.

  6. 18 September, 2014 at 7:31 amEd Pearson says:

    I know the feeling. My boat has been in the yard for almost a week now, and I hope to be able to launch her tomorrow or the next day. Between the yard bill, bottom paint, a new propeller strut, and all the inevitable odds and ends, the total will be close to $2000 this time around (not to mention all the time spent grinding, sanding, drilling, painting, and fretting). It’s been five years since the last haul-out, so I suppose $2k every few years isn’t too bad (and it could have been quite a bit worse, had the prop shaft been bent). But it’s still a bit of a bitter pill to swallow.

  7. 18 September, 2014 at 12:20 pmJ. Peter Haliburton says:

    When it comes to hours of enjoyment vs money spent, not many get Dylan’s value. My boat costs me about $2500-$3500 CAD a year, depending on what needs doing, and might see 20 hours of use this season. Even the summers it wasn’t launched, probably $1000+ was spent on maintenance and upgrades. It is ridiculously expensive considering my meagre income.

    At least I don’t go into debt for it. I saved up, sold stuff, and paid cash for the boat, and only do what I can afford with it. I hate owing money, and worse, paying interest. Much rather be patient and earn the interest.

    I did a blog post (http://py23serenity.blogspot.ca/2014/08/time-to-part-ways.html) on the possibility of selling Serenity, but with so much invested, I’d be out a substantial chunk of cash in the current market. Also, if I don’t have the boat, than I can’t go sailing. At least I have the potential of sailing now.

    In the meantime, I have Dylan’s sailing videos to watch. It is almost like doing it myself. The money I pay for his subscriptions is a fantastic investment. Keep on turning left, D!

  8. 18 September, 2014 at 12:31 pmGlenn Webster says:

    At least you haven’t had to pay south coast prices D! You know that costing you have could easily be doubled down south!!!
    It’s a bitter pill we have to swallow to get the return of the enjoyment, tranquility and the love of sailing.

  9. 18 September, 2014 at 1:16 pmApplescruffs says:

    “The drive from Botolph Claydon to Arisaig is around 400 miles taking 11 hours – and costs £75 worth of petrol, as I was driving up I did the usual thing of thinking that sailing is a stupidly expensive thing to do and not worth the candle”.

    But it will get cheaper the further south you get…….well….up to a point any way….. and then it will get more expensive again….and then it will get cheaper …..

    Not sure where this is going…but you get my drift.

    Are you on two bags yet or is that just us wimps ?, and did you know that your ‘ heat your home with a tea light’ vid has passed five and a half million hits on you tube !

    All the best

  10. 18 September, 2014 at 2:17 pmdjeffery says:

    The cheapest way to maintain a Centaur is to KTN (Keep Going Nowhere) like the character up our creek off the Chesapeake Bay. He is anchored first, last, and always. There is apparently no legal way to force him to vacate. Unless there is some sanitary/pollution statute being violated. Shame to a Centaur going nowhere.

  11. 18 September, 2014 at 4:15 pmJes says:

    Not being pedantic but from Arisaig to Stornoway is turning right, going north again!! What’s happening?

  12. 18 September, 2014 at 7:43 pmEuan Mckenzie says:

    what price memories like these. I know eventually you’ll have to confront it but in the meantime don’t ruin the experience you planned for yourself by thinking that way. Enjoy and we’ll look for you when you get down to the clyde

  13. 18 September, 2014 at 8:11 pmHenrik Scheel says:

    You should not worry to much about Money spend on sailing. It is expensive, but you would probably spend them on something else if not sailing. Financially it won’t make any difference.

  14. 18 September, 2014 at 9:02 pmdylan winter says:

    in the long run – dead right

  15. 18 September, 2014 at 9:03 pmdylan winter says:

    five weeks of great sailing to come I hope

  16. 18 September, 2014 at 9:04 pmdylan winter says:

    I know – but I want to see Stornoway

  17. 18 September, 2014 at 9:05 pmdylan winter says:

    okay – I will count my blessings -I will be afloat tomorrow so suddenly everything will change

  18. 19 September, 2014 at 8:31 amPaul says:

    Its costing you a heap right now, but you’re on a fantastic adventure, something that most of us would love to have the time, energy and money to do! You will still be selling DVDs long after you have done the big lap! Then you can buy a cheap tow hack and keep Katie L in the backyard, and the cost of owning a small boat and sailing will be quite reasonable.. There will still be DVDs for you to make and sell us then too. I’d like to see you do one exploring the Lake district and telling us all about the history of that area.

  19. 19 September, 2014 at 10:41 pmMark the Skint Sailor says:

    I had similar thoughts when I had a power boat, which seems infinitely more expensive to run than a sail boat.

    I had an epiphany when sailing with a friend of mine that this boating lark could be a lot cheaper if done with some forethought, hence the skint sailor ethos of doing things as cheaply as possible, so I enjoy the sailing and don’t have to keep an eye on the bank account.

    Hopefully you’ll feel better once the boat is in the water and you’re doing what you enjoy doing. But for me I couldn’t enjoy it if it was costing me an arm and a leg.

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