# Hello for Perth Wa



## Bartlettsrise (Jan 27, 2011)

Hi we are Jason and Fiona from Perth WA. Currently we are ashore enjoying our family, horse, and friends.
Although we have sailed a little we are now looking at 
our first Boat. The current plan is to become a cruiser
within the next 4-5 years and sail the South Pacific 
for many years to come (once the last child turns 18)
We are off next week end to Brisbane to complete our 
second round of boat hunting. We are currently looking at 
a Cat around the 40ft mark. Some of the brands we are looking at
are
Schonning 
Grainger 
Chamberlin 
Monabello
Crowther 
Exodus
I hope to add to the forum in the near future as the process of buying boat
progresses. 

Jason and Fiona
(Watch this space)


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## brummytezza (Jan 6, 2011)

Jason/Fiona

Ignore those that say a boat owner enjoys two joyful days during ownership - the day they buy a boat and the day they sell it!


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## smackdaddy (Aug 13, 2008)

Hey bart - welcome to SN dude.


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## Ilenart (Jul 23, 2007)

HI Jason & Fiona,

welcome to Sailnet. Also suggest you check out some of the local cruising scene up and down the WA coast. The Quindalup cruise in Dec / Jan run by the Fremantle Sailing Club is pretty popular.

Also I hope you have started enquirying about boat pens, as they are pretty hard / expensive to find in the Fremantle area, especially for cats.

Have fun, Ilenart


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## Bartlettsrise (Jan 27, 2011)

Thank you for the advice for the boat pens. I believe there is about a 5 year
waiting list for Freo. We are looking down Mandurah way if possible or if that new mariner ever starts in Cockburn.
Our second boat hunting trip has shown us what we don't want in a boat.
Our front runner has gone out of business. So that leaves us with Grainger as our preferred builder. Now the only problem is to find one for the right price. For now we will live our dream with our friends on there cat. 
Thank you for making us feel welcome to SN
Regards
Jason and Fiona
"The adventure Continues"


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## Bartlettsrise (Jan 27, 2011)

*under offer for our dreams*

Fiona and I have just committed to a 41foot Catamaran. We take delivery of her on the 6th of July this year. We will commence our homeward trip towards
Perth not long after. 
Will be looking forward for advice on our trip as we do have a 2 month time frame make it from Cairns to Perth. 
Have booked into a marina berth for the 1st of Septemeber (What could go wrong with this plan ).

Jason and Fiona
The adventure now has a start date.


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## LaurenceU (Mar 7, 2011)

Hi Jason, Fiona,

Congratulations you have moved quickly. I envy you. I've just joined SailNet and have similar dreams and aspirations. I'm from Perth but currently living in Houston and business takes me to Norway sometimes. While here I'm looking at the possibility of buying a cruising yacht in North America or Europe. The AUDollar is pretty good at the moment.
I'm still wrestling with question as basic as monohull or cat. I've grown up with monohulls but find the living space that the modern cats provide with all round views from the saloon hard to resist. The dominating cats here in north america seem to be the Lagoon and Fountaine Pajot designs.


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## LaurenceU (Mar 7, 2011)

Hi Jason, Fiona,

Congratulations you have moved quickly. I envy you. I've just joined SailNet and have similar dreams and aspirations. I'm from Perth but currently living in Houston and business takes me to Norway sometimes. While here I'm looking at the possibility of buying a cruising yacht in North America or Europe and starting my cruising from here.

I'm still wrestling with question as basic as monohull or cat. I've grown up with monohulls but find the living space that the modern cats provide with all round views from the saloon hard to resist. The dominating cats here in North America seem to be the Lagoon and Fountaine Pajot designs. Seems to be quite good value compared with Australia.
What yacht did you purchase?

happy sailing 
Laurence


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## Ilenart (Jul 23, 2007)

Bartlettsrise said:


> Fiona and I have just committed to a 41foot Catamaran. We take delivery of her on the 6th of July this year. We will commence our homeward trip towards
> Perth not long after.
> Will be looking forward for advice on our trip as we do have a 2 month time frame make it from Cairns to Perth.
> Have booked into a marina berth for the 1st of Septemeber (What could go wrong with this plan ).
> ...


For the WA section I would recommend the West Australian Cruising Guide, available from FSC. Their are also equivalent guides for NT and QLD. This thread contains details.

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/oceania/58138-cruising-guides-australia.html

From your details I'm not sure of your experience, however have you considered hiring a Skipper for part or all of the trip?

Ilenart


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## In2TheBlue (Feb 22, 2011)

wow, you guys move quick. well done and happy sailing


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## Bartlettsrise (Jan 27, 2011)

Hi LaurenceU, 
I have a Grainger 41 under contract. if you google that it will come up on Yachthub.com. I have been looking now for over a year and looked at about 20 different styles of boats. But always keep coming back to this design. Look and proforms like a dream. I did get an phone call for another Grainger
for $100k less for the asking price from a broker. Another great boat, but I am under contract for this one besides the current owner have been more then fair with us.

Jason and Fiona


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## Bartlettsrise (Jan 27, 2011)

Hi Ilenart,


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## Bartlettsrise (Jan 27, 2011)

Lets try that again. (don't press tab and enter quickly)
Hi Ilenart,
Thanks for the information. i do have a bit of experince. I have skipper
to assist me on the most of the trip. So good times ahead. 

Jason and Fiona


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## Bartlettsrise (Jan 27, 2011)

*Almost Owners*

Fiona and I have just returned from our Test sail of the new (to us) boat. 
Past with flying colours  Survey all good. It's now listed on the web page as Sold. Take delivery of her in Cairns on 07 July. As soon as I can find out how to put pics on I will but for now:
Used Chincogan Grainger 41 for Sale | Yachthub

Jason and Fiona
Nearly the owners of
SV Kinetic Energy *In only 103 Sleeps*


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## LaurenceU (Mar 7, 2011)

*SV Kinetic Energy*

Congratulations Jason and Fiona,

All the very best for your adventure. I hope to read about your progress. Laurence


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## datapolo (Mar 29, 2011)

Hi, sorry to barge in on this thread but it seems to be the only one I can find on a search that is a bit relevant!

I am expecting a job offer to move from my job in Angola to Perth and one of the attractions was the normal working hours and the great sailing. I have a Van der Stadt 33 in Liverpool, UK and a Island Trader 38 in Mallorca, Spain and was thinking of shipping one of them out but having looked at the various clubs on the internet the availability of places to keep a yacht seem limited and outrageously expensive to the point I may not take the job!

Can anyone in Perth advise on what the real cost of keeping a 33' yacht in Perth are likely to be and what are the options - and what is a 'pen'?

Thanks, and again sorry for butting in!

Cheers,
Mike


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## Ilenart (Jul 23, 2007)

datapolo said:


> Hi, sorry to barge in on this thread but it seems to be the only one I can find on a search that is a bit relevant!
> 
> I am expecting a job offer to move from my job in Angola to Perth and one of the attractions was the normal working hours and the great sailing. I have a Van der Stadt 33 in Liverpool, UK and a Island Trader 38 in Mallorca, Spain and was thinking of shipping one of them out but having looked at the various clubs on the internet the availability of places to keep a yacht seem limited and outrageously expensive to the point I may not take the job!
> 
> ...


G'day Mike welcome to Sailnet. You could of started a new thread to ask your question, however I will have a go.

For a 10m pen (pen = berth or slip) that would fit a 33ft yacht you would expect to pay A$350 to say $600(?) per month. However some clubs / marinas may only have 12m+ pens available, so you would pay more. However the issue is more availablity than price. For example my club has at least a 2 year waiting list for pens.

Also note that with a lot of the clubs you need to be a member before you can join the waiting list. So you have a joining fee (A$1000 to $3000) plus annual memberships (A$500 to A$1000).

If you want to avoids clubs / joining fees you would be looking at private marinas, however they are considerably more expensive. Pier 21 near Fremantle is advertising a 7m pen (which is to small for both your boats) for $4,000 per year and a 21m pen for A$21,000 per year.

Other options include moorings on the Swan river or near Rockingham. However most of these you would have to purchase for A$10-20k as the local authorities are clamping down on renting moorings. You could also look at storing your boat outside of the Perth metropoliton area (ie Rockingham, Mandurah or Bunbury).

Yes it sucks, however the WA government has really dropped the ball with regards to mooring facilties in Perth / West Australia. You really need to have a pen / berth lined up before shipping your boat out here, otherwise you could have your boat sitting on the hard and / or paying big $$$.

Hope this helps, Ilenart


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## datapolo (Mar 29, 2011)

Ilenart,
thanks for your swift response - its appreciated!

Yeah, I thought about a new thread but I obviously needed to target someone that might be subscribed to a thread and might get a notification - it seems to have worked anyway and thanks again!

I just can't believe how expensive sailing is in Perth and I thought we were hard done by in Europe! At the moment I pay about GBP3,000 ($4,800) a year for the 33' boat on a serviced, pontoon berth in a secure marina in Liverpool City Centre. The ketch is on a swinging mooring in Mallorca and that's Eur2,400 a year. So a lot cheaper. I also had a look at boat prices in Perth and it seems that they are maybe 2x or 3x what we pay in the UK for say a 1980's model.

All in all it looks pretty depressing! My agent sent me an email today telling me how great it is in Perth but its not looking good from a sailing point of view!

Seems I may be staying in Angola!

Cheers and many thanks,
Mike


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## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

Unfortunately, Ilenarts' prices aren't just Perth, but Australia in general.

Yes, this is an expensive place to own a boat, but I'd like to think it makes for highly dedicated sailors!


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## datapolo (Mar 29, 2011)

Hartley18,
thanks, well that really is depressing - I really thought it was a Perth phenomenon. The only positive I can see so far is that I could start a good boat export business to Australia! Many of the boats in the UK hardly get used - a sharp hike in marina fees would probably just lead to a lot of boats for sale rather than busier sailors. Are most of the boats in Australia in use?

Seems I am going to have to negotiate hard if they really want me!

Cheers,
Mike


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## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

datapolo said:


> Are most of the boats in Australia in use?


Ahh.. Nope. With berthing prices the way they are AND a +2-year waiting list in most places, do you really think someone with a berth could afford to give it up just because they discovered golf??

Mooring-minders are a common sight and being dealt with as best as the authorities can.. but there is certainly a shortage of quality boats.

Methinks an import business might do quite nicely - so long as you have someplace to park the goods when they turn up...


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## datapolo (Mar 29, 2011)

Golf? - pah! Spoils a good walk!

Import business - something to consider then ;-)

Thanks for the info - seems sailing is for the elite in Australia but in the UK with a bit of dedication working class people can and do go sailing. There are a lot of affordable yachts - a nice 1980 Westerly 26' can be bought for around GBP10,000, a 1980 UFO27 for a similar price or less with pontoon berths available for less than GBP200 a month. So entry into the sport might just require buying a cheaper car and drinking a bit less and you are covered.

Are there any restrictions in who can sail in Australia? Is it compulsory to have a certificate to skipper a yacht?
Cheers,
Mike


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## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

Datapolo, none of us who have sailed overseas are saying that Australia is "the best place in the world" or anything like that. Some of our sailing venues are amazing, but we simply don't have the extensive navigable coastline of, say, Europe or the USA.



datapolo said:


> Are there any restrictions in who can sail in Australia? Is it compulsory to have a certificate to skipper a yacht?


No and no - although in a few states you must have a boat license. Over here, anyone can sail so long as they can handle the weather eg. At the bottom end of the country a Sea Survival course is recommended if you think you can make it past The Rip into the Roaring Forties..


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## Ilenart (Jul 23, 2007)

datapolo said:


> Ilenart,
> thanks for your swift response - its appreciated!
> 
> Yeah, I thought about a new thread but I obviously needed to target someone that might be subscribed to a thread and might get a notification - it seems to have worked anyway and thanks again!
> ...


Your welcome. Hartley's right, Oz is an expensive place for yachties. Bit weired when you think of all the thousand's of miles of coastline we have. Ahh well.


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## datapolo (Mar 29, 2011)

I think it's more than odd - its bizarre! Seems Oz in general is expensive which surprises me no end but maybe I was just being naive.

Is the cruising around Perth interesting? Weather predictable?


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## Classic30 (Aug 29, 2007)

datapolo said:


> Is the cruising around Perth interesting? Weather predictable?


:laugher :laugher :laugher

P'raps you should fly over and see for yourself.


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## datapolo (Mar 29, 2011)

Yeah that would be the best Hartley but I am in Angola,don't get any leave until May, and they want me there by the end of May after a 6 week visa process!


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## Ilenart (Jul 23, 2007)

datapolo said:


> Is the cruising around Perth interesting? Weather predictable?


Sailing in the Swan river is pretty good. However its mainly for afternoon racing, for cruising you would get bored after a week. Rottnest Island (12NM of the coast) is also good / excellent, however it is bloody crowded every holidays / long weekend.

Apart from that options get fairly limited. Another big hassle is the Seabreeze (known locallly as the Fremantle Doctor) often results in medium to strong (18-25kt) SW winds, which makes heading south into a headwind farily difficult.

However on the plus side the weather is warm to hot (think it is often described as southern Mediterranean), which means you can go sailing 9 months of the year and still wear shorts and teeshirt.

I think a big part of the cost is strong demand (driven by lots of wealthy people making money in the mining boom wanting to buy big stinkboats) and the State govt not approving / providing enough marina facilities. Hence the cost keeps going up and up. There is a marina currently being built near me that took 15 years to approve and I believe it will provide 250-300 pens. Double or triple this number would be required to satisfy demand and keep prices at a reasonable level.

Ilenart


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## datapolo (Mar 29, 2011)

Ilenart/Hartley, thanks for your help - it is greatly appreciated. I think I am going to stay where I am. I think without visiting and getting a feel for the place it would be a dangerous decision. I recent read an article on property prices in Perth and that just about killed it off for me!

Again thanks very much and happy (and more affordable) sailing!


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