That's settled then ...

... until the next time!

Following on from last weekends' boat viewings and yesterdays engine discussions, Jane and I spent a good couple of hours over breakfast (of the coffee and cigarette kind - we really must give up the coffee ... oops, I mean cigarettes) discussing exactly what we both want boat wise over the short, medium and long haul.

We've kind've had this discussion several times already but I still had the feeling my dear lady wife wasn't being totally frank about what she wants. There's a tendency for me to talk (and talk and talk) her into doing what I want to do and for once I'm desperately keen to avoid that situation.

The first big question lurking in my mind was whether Brigantia is just too small and cramped for Jane to enjoy being on board. One or two veiled comments had hinted that this might in fact be the case. Clearly it would be madness to start spending serious money bringing our current boat up to scratch if there is a pressing need for something larger.

I'd figured that we could, just about, scrape together enough money to buy a somewhat larger boat such as a Westerly Centaur ....

Westerly Centaur - A Layout

At 26 feet a Centaur would only be 3'6" longer than Brigantia and still less than 8m, the minimum charge for our moorings, so our annual costs would be much the same. Full standing headroom, a much more usable heads and a cabin you could actually socialise in would be major benefits that Jane would appreciate.

From my point of view, they're good, tough little sailing boats with an inboard diesel and few vices. In fact, you could say that a Centaur would be akin, for us, to Brigantia on steroids! All the same advantages plus a whole lot of extra good points.

So why, you might well ask, did we not buy a Centaur in the first place? The simple answer is we couldn't afford to buy one for cash, not be a very long chalk, and 12 months ago Jane would not have entertained the possibility of borrowing money to finance a boat purchase.

We still can't afford to buy one for cash but we could, although it would put a strain on our finances, borrow the difference between what Brigantia would fetch and what we'd have to pay for a reasonable example of a Centaur.

But, and it is a big but, a Centaur would only be a modest improvement. A bit better below decks than Brigantia, simply due to her extra size, but we'd still inevitably have to spend a fair bit of money bringing the boat up to the state we'd like it to be in and we still wouldn't have the boat we ultimately want.

After some debate we put this one to bed once and, I hope, for all. Jane is happy, or so she categorically assures me, to make the most of Brigantia for the next three seasons by which time we should be in a much stronger position financially (we'll have bought the car outright, fully recovered from the outlay on Brigantia and, perhaps, even managed to save up some pennies towards a new boat).

It does leave me pondering a puzzle - how much cash can we scrape together to spend over this coming winter. If, as is now definitely the case, the plan is to keep Brigantia for three years and then trade up it makes the most sense to spend money on the big jobs sooner rather than later so that we get maximum benefit from the improvements. At the very least, that means the new engine, standing and running rigging needs to be done this winter and I would really like to replace the sails as well. Not sure we're going to be able to afford that but more of that in another post.

Having settled that, we wandered on into a discussion about what we would really like ultimately. I've no doubt we'll be returning to this theme again and again over the next three years (you have been warned!) but whilst it could be viewed as idle speculation I find such discussions invaluable for evolving our thoughts and for piecing together what we both really want.

Now right away we hit a snag! What I dream of is something like this ...

She's a cracker isn't she?

30' LoD, designed by Ed Burnett and Nigel Irens and up for sale for a mere £130,000 (Sandeman Yacht Company)

However, the simple truth is that, even if we could afford her, below decks she offers little more in way of accommodation than the aforementioned Centaur. In fact, she actually has fewer berths and no double berth at all!

She certainly isn't going to provide the sort of living space for lounging, entertaining and so on that I'm coming to understand Jane is looking for.

Jane, on the other hand, definitely leans towards the modern look ...

It's not hard to see why the layout of a Moody 333 would appeal to my good lady. What's not to like? Well, if I'm being honest ...

... this is not what I'd call pretty. Not ugly, I'll grant you but it doesn't tickle my fancy.

However, I'm forced to concede that practical considerations must take precedence over mere aesthetics.

Much will depend upon both our future plans and our finances. The hope is that we can find a way to cut back our work commitments or even all but retire before we're 60 i.e. within the next decade. It's a tall order and it's not easy to see how we'll be able to manage it but I'm a great believer in putting myself in the way of opportunities and who knows what may happen?

If one of us can land a job near the coast that will keep the wolf from the door and if our youngest and his girlfriend reach the point, as we all expect them to sooner or later, of wanting to set up home together, we would seriously consider renting our house to the kids and moving on board the boat. So "next boat" has got to be something we could genuinely see ourselves living on board full time.

In all honesty, the gaff cutter I dream of just isn't going to fit the bill. It's not just a question of money - there just isn't ever going to be enough internal volume in a traditional hull form of around 33' length on deck to fit the sort of accommodation in that we'd want and need if we were living on board full time. We'd have to be looking upwards of 40' and that comes with a whole raft of issues.

Not only does the initial outlay rise dramatically, even for older and tired boats, but the running and maintenance costs go up significantly with every metre of extra boat length. And then there's the problem of two people, neither in the first flush of youth nor particularly fit for that matter, handling a boat of that size.

Now there will be howls of outrage in some quarters I'm sure at this. I'm not for one moment saying that you, or we, couldn't live on board a 30' gaffer. Of course we could, I'm merely suggesting that we wouldn't want to. I'm pretty well certain that Jane certainly wouldn't and to be honest I'm not sure I would either.

I reckon we could budget on £30k. Ideally, £25k, perhaps as much as £35k and that price range should put us in the market for any one of a number of older, but still perfectly viable, designs.

I rather fancy the Westerly Corsair ketch ...

... which looks, to my eye, rather more attractive than the Moodys of a similar size although a Corsair may be beyond our budget. However, the slightly smaller and older Westerly 33 Discus ...

... is, whilst slightly smaller, basically the same in all key respects. Clarke and Carter have two on offer as I write, both lying in Burnham Yacht Harbour, and priced right at the extremes of our probable price range. The one pictured above is for sale at top dollar having had a lot of money spent on it, the other example is a bargain basement price and needs updating and improving. You pays your money etc.!

You might be wondering why I'm leaning towards ketch rig. Well, it has all sorts of practical advantages but, when you get right down to it, it's really a case of if I can't have three sails with two at the front, I'll have three sails by having one at the back!