Find me A…
£14,000 first cruiser. A young couple want a boat to start their sailing adventures in. With a limited budget and a desire to sail, Graham Snook helps find their ideal boat
Andy and Sarah are both experienced sailors, having sailed with family and friends and undertaken some lengthy coastal passages. There’s only one problem – this has always been on other people’s boats, and now they want a first yacht of their own.
The joy of being, young, married and child-free cannot be underrated, so it makes sense for Sarah (30) and her husband Andy (31) to make the most of their free time before mortgages, kids and responsibilities come on to the scene – and what better way than to buy a boat? Okay, there are many ways, but we’re a yachting magazine after all.
Andy’s a doctor, Sarah, a teacher, which gives them the freedom to move around the country, so concrete roots aren’t what the couple want or need at the moment. Therefore, while it could be argued that a house should come before a boat, the couple want to take holidays, and possibly sail around the UK before committing to bricks and mortar in a place they really want to be.
Having come from dinghy sailing, they want a boat to enjoy sailing, rather than drifting with control, and will happily pay more for a swinging mooring for a fin keel. They also want to encourage their friends into sailing, so a separate heads and cabin is preferable; the latter would be a boon if a child came on the scene.
The couple’s budget of £14,000 gives them plenty of options, however as it’s their first boat, they may have underestimated cost of ownership, and although they say they are happy to do some maintenance, leaving £2,000 to one side will help them in their first year of yacht ownership.