We're a mixed bunch, liveaboards. Everyone has their own story of why they gave up work, house on terra firma and maybe financial health to live in a small space with few of the 'essential' commodities of shore life, such as washing machines, let alone dishwashers!
Talk to almost any landlubber about your new life and they smile with envious admiration. Not that they all wish to run away to sea, but there is a sense that you are escaping the rat race even if they are not able. It's a fact that only about 5% of those who plan to sail into the sunset actually go through with it when push comes to shove. Many plan their 'escape' for years. Ours was a decision formulated over a couple of months. Redundancy, few chances to get an equivalent salary and maintain our expensive lifestyle. We decided it was important not to be dependant on others for our future but to create our own.
The finances for most are the main problem. We had 15 years to wait for pensions when we left UK so how to live until then? We sold our house but kept the mortgage, buying 3 new properties which could generate double the rent of our home. The interest only mortgage is paid plus enough for a basic living. Unexpected bills are always a nightmare so a good contingency fund is advisable. Being non-UK residents capital gains tax won't be payable when we decide to sell (as long as we don't return to UK permanently for 5 years)
Coming from a marina filled with experienced Solent sailors, many yacht masters, fastnet racers etc we imagined that all those who had actually made this leap of faith would be Tom Cunliffe incarnate with immaculately maintained boats. After a year away we are surprised to find ourselves at the more experienced end of the range with one of the better boats.
Some undoubtedly come away by boat because it is a relatively cheap way to live rather than because they love sailing. On our 2500 mile trip from the Solent to Sardegna we met many who had motored virtually the whole way. Some had taken many years to get to where they were, taking many bite-sized chunks and avoiding long passages as far as possible. You must like the water to live on a boat but the purist sailor is in the minority from our experience to date.
We wanted to avoid the western med as much as possible. Again our paths crossed a number of disgruntled Brits heading home and complaining of feeling unwelcome on the Costas...being turned away from marinas. Most were actually motorboaters and it seemed pretty obvious to us that Puerto Banus in August is not the place to be when the rich and famous are all parking their palaces on the quay! We went to Morocco to avoid much of this coastline as not to our taste. However many Brits don't do themselves any favours in not attempting to buy into a mediterranean lifestyle. Many seem more interested in cheap beer and 'English' food and the Spanish often don't help matters by the type of development that has been allowed.
We have so far only got so far as Sardegna. Most sailors seem to use it as a stepping stone to Greece, Turkey or Tunisia, which is rather surprising. The Italians have undoubtedly not yet made the best of their wonderful natural resources...and where they have as in Porto Cervo and Porto Rotundo you pay a high price. We love Cagliari as it's a great city, interesting all year round (unlike the holiday villages which are a desert in winter) and not expensive. This year we shall cruise Sardegna, Corsica, the Tuscan archipelago, Bay of Naples and islands, Puglia, Sicily and Aeolian islands and back here for next winter. We hope to make a landbase here , selling one of our UK properties. It is easy to rent property near the sea during the summer months when we plan to be away, so we can generate the same annual UK rent in 4 months here and have the benefit of it ourselves for the rest of the year.
Everyone is looking for something different when they sell up and sail into the sunset but as long as you avoid the 'obvious' mistakes it is a surprisingly easy thing to achieve!
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