Boating always ends up taking a special place in the newcomer’s heart, but for some it breeds a radical change of lifestyle…for the better.
 
Sadly there aren’t many people out there that can honestly say they make a living doing what they love, but those that take their boating skills to the highest level live the dream every day of their lives.

A Booming Market

What so many fail to realise is the way in which sailing’s status as a rather unique niche means that the overwhelming majority will never look into the job prospects it offers.

And as such, this translates as a booming jobs and career market for those looking to explore the possibilities. For those willing to go as far as RYA yacht master courses, there really are no limits to how far a career can go.
 
One of the most exciting ideas of all is that of going all-out and starting up a brand new business.
Some assume that it’s all about following the grain and getting into tuition, but there will always be huge demand for pretty much every role in the thrilling world of sailing and power boating.
 
Whether you’re looking to sell speed boats, offer private trips, start up a water-taxi service or teach newcomers how to blast their way down the water at high speeds, it all begins with a few courses and ultimately hits high gear with yachtmaster training.

A New World

It really isn’t until a person takes a step away from dry land into the realms of the boater that they realise just how different the two worlds are. There’s a physical and psychological block that prevents the average ‘land lubber’ from ever realistically considering all of the opportunities the nautical world offers – often never realising how easy it can be to make the transition.
 
Nobody is born knowing how to pilot a motor boat and no speed boat business just ‘happens’ overnight for a random lucky few.

No, instead it’s about making just a few simple moves with a few simple courses to realise your dream!

The Vendée Globe is the only single handed, non-stop round the world yacht race. The race takes place every 4 years - it started in Les Sables d'Olonne 12 November 2012 and finishes at the same location in France. Alex Thomson (Hugo Boss) broke the British record coming in 3^rd in 80 days and Mike Golding (Gamaesa) finished 6^th in 88 days. Other competitors are currently making their way to the finish line.

The two British skipper’s yachts were equipped with M-Link Media systems from Livewire Digital Ltd and Inmarsat FB250 terminals. This combination gave them access to a variety of workflows to enable them to tell their dramatic stories while sailing solo in some of the world’s most dangerous oceans.

Live interviews could be conducted with any of over fifty mainstream broadcasters worldwide who have M-Link receive servers. Two-way interviews could also be conducted from the yacht to any standard corporate video conferencing system, via Livewire Digital’s M-Link Bridge service.

Someday, you might find the need to transport your yacht overland for some reason or another. It might be easier or cheaper than making the move by water, or you might run into another set of circumstances that make shipping necessary. You could tackle the process yourself, but it’s often easier to hire out the work to a company or individual who has the expertise and has done it before. Here are a few things you should keep in mind when choosing your transporter:

Are they capable?

There are many companies out there, and the ones that offer cheaper rates aren’t necessarily the best for every job. Many work in relatively specialized niches instead of taking every customer that requests a quote. Try to find a company that has worked with craft similar to yours. If they won’t give you information about past jobs, then move on immediately. You want to find a company that is proud to show off past successes instead of one that’s all talk. If you still think you aren’t getting the full picture, you can request to be put in touch with a past customer or two to see what their experiences were like. It can be difficult to ascertain the true ability of a company before you actually use them, but with a little work you can usually get a pretty good idea.

26 January 2012 - With a quick thank you to Mansueto Group in Sanremo Italy, we now have an italian tax imposed on yachts that enter Italian waters.  As an example if we stay in italy for 4 months over summer it will cost us approx 40,000 Euro's just for the pleasure of being there.

If yachts didn't already pay enough each year a new tax is just what we need, however what will be the outcome of this?  Will other countries adopt a similar tax.... meaning we all could be paying 130,000 euro's a year extra just for having a Yacht?

Luke

The Cruising Kitty charts the cost to get cruising at www.thecruisingkitty.com