Giles and Paula's Great Retirement Adventure
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Those of you who have listened to Iron Cast Season 2, Episode 1, will have heard me talk about how Paula and I have come up with a hair-brained scheme to keep us intellectually and physically challenged as we transition from full-time work, through semi-retirement to full retirement.
Basically, the plan is to buy a boat, learn how to sail, navigate, maintain a boat and diesel engine etc etc, and then explore. Our current level of knowledge extends to knowing that the pointy end probably should point forward….
We have fallen in love with Nordhavn's, and as luck would have it, the European dealer is located about 15 miles from where we live.
We popped down to meet them a couple of weeks ago, to discuss whether our dreams were completely ridiculous (and possibly dangerous) or actually achievable) with Phil (one of the directors). He showed us a few boats and we fell in love a little bit more. Paula likened them to floating cottages, that could be used year-round, so we are viewing it like buying a second home.
Trouble is, there are virtually no used boats on the market and the 2 models we liked, have multi-year waiting lists. And to be frank, we don't have multi-years to sit around, this is something we need to do, whilst we are fit and healthy.
Phil phoned me yesterday, and he has found one that will likely become available late this year or early next. It is a 2014 "52". He says that it is highly specced, low-mileage, and has lived most of its life in the Mediterranean. I am awaiting him to send me the full specs (and price - so it may still remain a pipe-dream).
Waiting a year or so to take delivery actually suits us very well, we can do some courses, learn how to navigate and drive a boat without risking the lives of ourselves and others, and sort out a local berth.
Here it is.....
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This is absolutely wonderful, @Giles. The boat looks just … wonderful. I hope that the $$$ works out, too, and I'd hope that a year's lead time might make it easier even if it's an extra $ or two than initially hoped for.
Are you going to have your pets along for the ride, too? Or would Alex be looking after those? On a more personal note, I admire what you two are doing and wish it'd been the route my folks had taken. Retirement's been tough on them: no activity and no work. They've aged a lot in just three years and it's worrisome. Glad you two are about to embark on a new adventure together.
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This is absolutely wonderful, @Giles. The boat looks just … wonderful. I hope that the $$$ works out, too, and I'd hope that a year's lead time might make it easier even if it's an extra $ or two than initially hoped for.
Are you going to have your pets along for the ride, too? Or would Alex be looking after those? On a more personal note, I admire what you two are doing and wish it'd been the route my folks had taken. Retirement's been tough on them: no activity and no work. They've aged a lot in just three years and it's worrisome. Glad you two are about to embark on a new adventure together.
Thank you so much, I really appreciate that.
Nope, pet's will have to stay at home. Alex has his own home in London, and whilst he comes down to Gosport for a few days most weeks, we don't want to impose upon him or Kira (plus, they both travels themselves for business a lot).
So we'll have to plan what and when we do things quite carefully.
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“Paula likened them to floating cottages"
she's not wrong. This boat would be amazing for you two to live, explore,fish with..or whatever else you two might have in mind.
Hope this all works out for you with this one ! -
Fishing will have to be done when she has her back turned….....
Wait so you're not gonna have something like this?
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Learning about maintaining the diesels won't be as bad as it sounds if you are even halfway mechanically inclined.
Ive worked on my share of Detroit diesel marine engines and they are just workhorses.
You can learn your way around a diesel marine engine in a pretty short amount of time actually. -
She's a beaut, G.
I look forward to hearing what she (or another lucky lass should this one not work out) will be named.
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A heartfelt congratulations to both you and Paula. The entire endeavor sounds amazing, but the thing that is truly inspiring to me is that you both committed to taking this journey as a team and using it as a way to experience this “era” as an adventurous extension of your lives together. I’m trying to imagine my wife and I staring at a malfunctioning marine-Diesel engine and one of us not winding up being thrown overboard by the other[emoji1787]. I kid because I’m a wee bit jealous and seriously can’t wait to follow along.
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That boat looks capable! Very cool
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Congratulation on making it this far Mr.G and Paula! Was delighted to hear you talk about this in the podcast. Well earned rest after a decade or so of answering our wacky questions and request.
Boat looks solid and reminiscent of the boats I would see in Subic Bay back home. Hope it fairs well to all your plans and projects. Looks like you can store a ton of alcohol on there
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She's a beaut, G.
I look forward to hearing what she (or another lucky lass should this one not work out) will be named.
Better be the Paula middle initial here or there could be trouble
