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CRUISING PLANS Mantra is currently at Larnaca Marina, Cyprus for the 2010 winter. I’m planing to set off cruising again on 3rd July, 2010. As you will have seen from the Immediate Plans Summary I am planning to spend the 2010 season cruising from Cyprus to France. Exact route is up for discussion. It is likely to be via Greek Aegean islands, the Corinth Canal, Gulfs of Corinth and of Patras, Greek Ionian islands, the south of Italy, Malta, Sardinia, Corsica, the south of France to Port St. Louis du Rhone / Port Napoleon where we would lower the mast and prepare for the canals. Then into the River Rhone and up the Rhone and the Saone to wherever we are going to enter one of the canal routes. I am currently researching places to spend the winter and would like to pre-book a winter berth.
Scenarios for 2011 onwards At present I am thinking in terms of continuing along the canals to Paris and then down the River Seine and crossing the Channel so as to get to England where I think I will look for a shore base and where I will put Mantra seriously up for sale. Again, I would discuss precise route with whoever is cruising with me. Whether I’ll buy another boat remains to be seen. If I were to buy another boat it would be one particularly for the inland waterways of Europe and some coastal cruising Watch this space! I have not yet succeeded in doing the uploading of details of the areas sailed previously, but sometime I hope to do so.
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EXPENSES & KITTY Food and fees costs are usually shared equally among both / all those on board. This is via a "kitty" system. However when there are only two of us and if the other person cannot afford to cost share, then I am prepared to subsidise provided the person can prove that they really cannot afford their living costs. I am not prepared to subsidise so that someone else’s savings are increased at the expense of my savings being depleted. A member of crew, rather than me, usually carries the thankless responsibility of being the "keeper of the kitty". WHAT CREW PAY FOR Except if I were to agree some other arrangement in advance, crew pay for: own fares on joining / leaving, own toiletries, cosmetics, clothing, careless breakages / losses, shore excursions & entertainment ashore, own supply of drinks & between meal grazing items, visas, re-imbursement of things used from ship's medical stores / first aid kit. Crew (& owner) contribute to "kitty" for share of cruising running expenses, mainly food & fees. In the case of a designated "delivery trip" owner might pay for some or all of crew fares on joining and/or leaving and owner pays for all food on board. WHAT OWNER PAYS FOR Owner meets expense of: boat upkeep, repairs, replacements (except for any careless breakages by crew), capital expenses, anti-fouling & lift-outs, depreciation, boat insurance, radio license fees, charts & pilot books, courtesy flags, diesel fuel and engine consumables. WHAT IS COVERED BY THE KITTY Kitty covers "food & fees" expenses which are more "running / operating / recurrent" cruising & on-board living & entertaining expenses; for example: food, cooking gas, drinks used in entertaining, outboard fuel, watermaker consumables, entry / clearance fees, harbour/canal dues, marina / alongside charges (other than when needed solely for repairs), mooring / anchoring fees, any bought water, entertaining other boats, kitchen rolls, toilet paper & cleaner, washing / cleaning liquids, etc. Though I pay for all diesel fuel used for the boat’s propulsion engines, the cost of diesel used for the generator comes out of the shared kitty. The generator’s diesel is in its own tank which is a different tank than the two main fuel tanks. Note that the kitty does not cover in-between-meals grazing items, nor does it cover drinks (neither alcoholic nor non-alcoholic) apart from drinks for entertaining. KITTY CALCULATION Accurate Calculation - Accurate calculation would involve too much clerical effort and, in any case, would not be 100% accurate. Estimated Calculation - Kitchen consumables, outboard fuel & oil, etc are bought in advance for ship's stores and either the actual cost (if known) or an estimate is used when a kitty item is taken from ship's stores and used. Luck of the Draw - Items like cooking gas are charged to the kitty at last actual cost (or estimated, if forgotten). The luck of the draw element lies in that a new tank of cooking gas is charged to the kitty when it is brought into use. Food and household consumables have a luck of the draw element as what is already aboard when a kitty period is started goes ‘free’ into the kitty and what is left on liquidation of a kitty stays in the kitty. The alternative of keeping a running accounting tally all the time is too burdensome.
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