Closing the loop

by John Curnow on 7 Jul 2016 It was back about six weeks ago that we looked at the then up and coming SEAbbatical Summit. You can go back and check that out here. It also came hot on the heels of Brent Vaughan’s book on the subject, which whilst it had a focus on multihulls and those that might be newer to sailing, did also offer insights into the charter business and getting out there on the big blue before you finished working in this life.

The summit was geared heavily to those looking to expand their repertoire, and in talking with charter companies recently, you really do see how cats now dominate their fleets. It also highlights to people that with proper planning and training, even a former bathtub sailor can get out there and do any of the things they want to.

So in a world where so much information gets put out there I thought it would be good to come back to it and see how it went down, what the lessons where and whether it was a success. In my mind I had thought 40 attendees would have been a great effort. They all had to pay a small stipend to account for venue hire and the like, but it was not a massive barrier and the number of comments about it is the only place where you can get all of the information was encouraging for the organisers.

I think it is fair to say that even the organisers were also very impressed with the 70 that booked in and appeared. They even went out on the Sunday on the three test craft, and it was somewhat inclement (quite nasty actually). Indeed some 88% of them rated the whole event as either Excellent or Very Good. So yes, that’s good work when you can get it and these people have not even had their pre-retirement adventure at sea yet.

In terms of material, the main subjects were Planning a voyage, Purchasing the right boat, Profiting from charter boat programs, Preparing skills and life, and then Prospering on return with an exit plan. Yet it was not a whole collection of industry stalwarts that delivered the knockout punches. These came from real world, 'we did it, and so can you' type people.

It was these sorts of stories that had the crowd invigorated and enthused. Who would not be with South Pacific crossings and circumnavigations of the planet’s biggest island, with your children on board all being regaled!

Well it has proven its worth and Multihull Central’s ‘learn how to go cruising’ course will next be on Sydney on August 13 and 14, just after the Sydney International Boat Show. The entry is done here. No pressure, but I do feel they’ll be having to expand it further around Australia and also over the Tasman.

Now no matter whether it is the Caribbean or Whitsundays, there does seem to be a growing number of people realising the value of having their boat in charter whilst they don’t need it full time. Apart from being able to go and get some practice if you’re new to the game, there is the maintenance beast that gets taken care for you. Many comment on how they did not realise how cost effective it was and that the boat actually stayed in better condition than if they tried to do it themselves with the limited time they have on offer.

The other subject that seems to be getting some traction currently is the dual port operations. It increases your income potential by taking the boat into peak season in two locations and also gets your skills up by making you do the transfers. It also takes the boat out of named storm zones, and the insurers are going to love that too! We will be following that subject with interest as it develops even more.

Are you out there plying the seas and got something to say? We’d love to hear from you via editor@sail-world.com Also, if you would like to receive our newsletter each week, then please go to the 'Newsletter' button at the top of the Sail-World home page and enter your details. Simple...