Cruising while spending very little–thanks to the advice of those in the know
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Cruise. Summer sunset. Grand Harbour Marina. Lying in the cockpit sipping dry martinis with olives, the Chef, on tiptoe, hands you the evening’s menu: would the gentlemen prefer to dine on lobster in pink sauce or sea bass in a salt crust? Polished brass, deck pulled to a mirror finish, everything in its place like the crew’s shoes lined up two by two on the dock. The only concern? Deciding what time to cast off the moorings? Better a moonlit sail or dawn departure in the morning’s dusty breeze? Mah…The skipper thinks of everything anyway. Good. If your priority is “navigating the economy,” forget what you have just read because another journey is about to begin. Although, contrary to what you may think, saving money is a bit like playing: tricks and small sacrifices can be worth hundreds of euros and undo daily neuroses.
IF YOU WANT TO SAVE MONEY
Establishing a starting budget, organizing the common cash box, and marking each expense in a dedicated notebook are three small actions that help keep you in control. If you want to sail without too much effort, a great solution is to adopt an au pair skipper/rider, that is, a person willing to gain boating experience in exchange for room and board. He will be the one to take care of the most tedious tasks.
Avoiding Marinas is the first commandment of the budget boater. At the roadstead you can enjoy the most unrestrained luxury at no cost: nature, silence and the ability to feel all with everything.
Diesel refueling is a real expense to watch out for, the better to use the wind and sails in exchange for plenty of time on your hands and no schedule to keep.
The expense? With the list of what is really needed and only on a full stomach. Never stop at the first store on the harbor or tourist streets (price increases exceed 50 percent). Prefer stores and supermarkets in areas further inland than the waterfront. To shorten distances bike on board equipped with cassette and bags. Most useful for all transportation needs at no extra cost.
Restaurant no thanks. The pleasantness of a dinner cooked on board and eaten in deshabillé in the cockpit, without anyone invading your living space with cacophonous chatter or exhausting waits, is priceless. If you really feel like “going out,” don’t give in to the lure of a trendy locale, choose taverns and inns off the preordained paths.
Long live bartering. Keeping in the boat, beer, wine, cigarettes, can prove essential for good relations not only between mooring neighbors but also for exchanges of favors and hospitality. One night moored at packet, one landing at the gas pump dock. Try it to believe.
The ever-lurking breakdowns are the real pain in the wallet. Keeping the good mechanic’s manual handy helps, and if you really are in denial, before relying on the big services, favor a local worker who can be tracked down (anywhere in the world) by the very effective word-of-mouth: savings are assured.
Stefania Mattioli
WHO IS STEFANIA MATIOLI
Stefania sailed for nearly four years throughout the Mediterranean aboard Barbagianni (a self-built catamaran in the Cremona countryside). Who better to give the right advice to keep the shipboard budget under control?
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