These are peculiar times, my friend. Global pandemic restrictions and the Brexit fallout have combined in a perfect storm to make foreign holidays an uncertain and volatile commodity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They\u2019ve been on then off then on again (but you have to jump through 42 hoops before you can get on a \u2018plane and then you have to isolate for 24 days when you get back). And then there\u2019s the very real possibility that the rules are going to change while you\u2019re actually in the air flying to\/from your destination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Many people in the UK have figured out it\u2019s all too much bother and the simpler option has been to forego the overseas holiday and just stay at home. This \u2018staying at home\u2019 means there\u2019s a lot more money sloshing around in the UK economy than there usually is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a result of the cash surplus, the residents of UK PLC have been doing a lot of spending on other things. Gadgets and gizmos have been bought; every bin day the empty boxes that the latest tech was supplied in are easy to spot. Then there\u2019s household spending. Gardens have been redesigned\/landscaped, homes have been redecorated, extensions have been built, internal walls have been knocked down, new furniture has been delivered, kitchens have been redesigned and installed, and new carpets have been bought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Away from household spending, this consumer boom has also pushed up prices of other everyday objects. Second-hand cars are now selling for a small premium (let\u2019s face it, they\u2019ve travelled few miles in the last 24 months). Classic cars are changing hands for bonkers money compared to three years ago (do not I said DO NOT look at prices for a good condition E-Type Jag!). Even the humble used caravan is now trading at a substantial premium from the prices commanded just before First Lockdown. And don\u2019t even think about the eye-watering price inflation of pets! \u00a31,500 for a sprocker puppy? No wonder pet theft is becoming more common.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Boats, too, are now changing hands at a premium; good condition 20-year-old sailing yachts are actually selling for more than they cost brand new (for a depreciating asset, this is bonkers). OK, I might be partially responsible for this upwards curve, I\u2019ll admit. But it\u2019s a fact that there is a lot more GRP floating around UK waters than there was in November last year, when I had my refresher daysail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The foreseeable outcome of the increase of boats (though few actually saw it coming) is that the busy areas around the coast are now even busier (some might say congested), and moorings\/marina berths in prime areas are now either not available or are changing hands at previously unthinkable amounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A couple of days ago, in one sailing group on FB, a chap who regularly cruises from his home berth, down to the Scilly Isles and back, was saying that because of the increase of new boaters, there was nowhere available to him to put in for overnight stops at any of his regular moorings\/berths. Now, he might have just been having a moan, but there were a lot of supporting statements from other boaters, particularly those in the Solent\/IOW area. Apparently, the Solent is now so heavily congested it\u2019s been compared to a waterlogged M25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But, almost predictably, this is a north\/south problem. Or not a problem at all, if you\u2019re in the north. The further north you go, the more (and better, and wider and – inevitably – cheaper) choices you have. One quite well-known liveaboard couple experienced problems finding a berth\/mooring in Devon last week, so they turned 180-degrees and are now in Scotland where, we are told, they have the pick of the country\u2019s mooring\/berthing options, and (they tell us again) for less than 10% of the cost of identical facilities in the South.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I said to the good lady wife her indoors just a few days ago, \u2018If only Scotland was closer, I\u2019d keep the boat up there.\u2019 This isn\u2019t to say I\u2019m in the least bit discontent with Deganwy\/North Wales. I\u2019m not. I just wish that was a bit closer too. A five-hour round-trip for a daysail takes most of the fun out of the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe we should move\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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