Dear readers,

​I sold my boat a year and a half ago. Not because I didn’t want to sail any more, but because I didn’t do it often enough. The boat was moored on the Elbe; it was paid for, well-maintained and, in principle, ready to go. It was just that I was out on it far less often than I’d imagined when I bought it. Work, family, other commitments, the weather, the tide: before I knew it, another weekend had gone by without the boat having travelled a single metre.

At some point, it wasn’t even the running costs that were the biggest nuisance. It was the thought that this lovely boat was moored in the harbour and you really ought to be out on it. Instead, you visited friends, tended to the garden, went away for the weekend, or simply couldn’t be bothered.

Once it was sold, that feeling was gone. No more craning, winterising, sanding, polishing or applying antifouling. No more appointments to lay the mast. No more worrying during storms or storm surges. No more Saturdays when you’ve actually got other plans, but still have to pop down to the boat because there’s another job waiting or you need to check the mooring lines.

I found that surprisingly liberating. And I’ve learnt that even without a boat of your own, you can still enjoy great weekends and lovely holidays. For a sailor, that’s perhaps not an entirely risk-free realisation.

The boat is missing – but everything else is there

There’s a catch, though: I’m slowly starting to miss the boat again. Not necessarily the whole package – I could still happily do without the winter storage and the usual maintenance. But I miss the sailing: knowing the boat, being able to set off on a whim, planning longer trips and having my own things on board. Not having to charter a boat every time, go through the induction, unpack and then pack everything away again. Or even just spending a weekend on the boat – as a holiday home on the water.

So owning your own boat would certainly have its appeal again. But please, not in the same way as before. After all, why should a yacht always belong to just one person? If you walk through a marina on a Monday, you’ll see lots of boats that probably won’t be moved again until next weekend. Some won’t even be moved then. Nevertheless, mooring fees, insurance, winter storage, crane bookings, maintenance and repairs all feature on the bill all year round. Not to mention the purchase price.

Of course, there are boat owners who sail almost every weekend or are out at sea for months on end. For them, this question hardly arises. But for people like me, it certainly does. Why not own a boat as a pair or a trio?

At the start of the season, holidays, public holidays and those coveted weekends would be allocated. Any time left over could be used on the spur of the moment. And yes: then along comes this Friday with sunshine and a 15-knot breeze, when, of all people, someone else has the boat. Annoying.

As a result, many things that previously felt like a single, large expense would suddenly be broken down. Whether it’s the purchase, the mooring, winter storage, the inevitable bills in between, or even the worries. It’s actually quite obvious. Which makes it all the more surprising to me that there aren’t many more owners’ associations.

The toothbrush stays on board

Perhaps it’s because a boat isn’t just a practical item. It’s a little home. The jacket hangs where it always does. The coffee mug is in its usual cupboard. You know which drawer sticks and where the torch is. And the toothbrush just stays on board.

In a co-ownership scheme, you’d have to come to an arrangement. Set up private lockers, hand the boat over properly and, presumably, accept that someone else will always hang the fenders in different places to you. That can be a bit of a nuisance.

But is that certain freedom that comes with sole ownership really worth so much to me that I’m prepared to shoulder all the costs and work – as well as the guilty conscience – on my own? I’m no longer so sure about that.

Perhaps even winter storage is more fun

After all, not only could we split the bill, though that isn’t even my main point.

Then there’s the work. I don’t miss spending a Saturday lying under the hull with a sander in my hand. With two or three of us, even that might be a different story. One person takes care of the engine, one the underwater hull, and one does the polishing. Or we could all do one thing together. A coffee now and then, a bit of a natter, and by the evening the work’s done.

Perhaps winter storage might even be fun then. At least a little bit. And there’s something else I find appealing: a owners’ association could bring together people who complement each other well. There are older sailors with decades of experience who can easily afford to maintain their boats. But hoisting, mast-setting and winter maintenance don’t get any easier.

On the other hand, there are younger sailors who have the time, energy and enthusiasm, but for whom owning their own boat is financially out of reach. Why not combine the two?

Not based on the model where one person pays and the other does the work. But because everyone contributes something: experience, time, money, practical skills, knowledge of the area. And in the end, everyone wants the same thing anyway: to sail. Or am I making it sound too simple?

Of course, there are reasons why a co-ownership arrangement can go wrong. Perhaps one person treats the boat differently from the others. Perhaps a new mainsail is suddenly needed. Perhaps one person wants to sail every weekend and the other only in the height of summer. Perhaps they simply don’t get on personally.

Above all, though, I find myself wondering: how do you actually find the right people? That’s why I’d love to know. Do you share a boat with others, or have you ever owned one? How does it work for you? How did you find each other? What surprised you? What’s annoying – and what, despite everything, wouldn’t you want to be without?

I’m particularly interested in hearing about negative experiences as well. And I’d also like to hear the opposite view: if you would never consider joining a homeowners’ association, why not?

Perhaps owning your own boat really is one of those areas where sharing sounds much more sensible in theory than it does in practice. Or perhaps not.

Because for me, the question has become quite specific by now. If I were to buy a boat again, I could well imagine doing so jointly with two or three other people. I’d prefer the Baltic Sea to the Elbe, though.

And there are probably plenty of other sailors who feel the same way: at some point, they miss having their own boat. But they certainly don’t miss the whole package of costs, hard work and a guilty conscience. Perhaps many simply have the same problem: they’d like to share, but don’t know with whom.

Then, when it comes to our next boat, perhaps we really wouldn’t need to ask: ‘Which one can I afford? Which routes can I manage? – think of a chain of trips – who’s going to look after the boat?’ Instead, we could ask: ‘How can we get the most out of the boat for ourselves?’

Lars Bolle

Editor-in-Chief, YACHT Digital

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