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This is how I managed to buy a sailboat to move on it and make it my home! I will reveal what type of boat I bought and tell you everything about the entire process, including the financial aspects of it.
Fun fact: For some unknown reason, in the video I have said about 5 times "on sale" instead of "for sale". But unfortunately, the sailboat I bought was only for sale and not on sale
//Creative Commons Attribution Licence video (Reuse allowed)
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Hello friends, I am the Julia of the future and I can finally welcome you to my new home
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which as you may know by now is a sailboat. Today I am going to talk to you about why and how my boyfriend and I bought a sailboat
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to move on it. The motivation that drove us to take this step is the love we both have for the sea
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nature and adventure, combined with the desire to live a simpler and more spontaneous life
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There will be a need for an entire video or maybe more than one video just to explain
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you the motivation behind the step we are taking, but maybe I will do that in the future
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So today I am going to tell you step by step how we managed to buy a sailboat
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Our initial idea years ago was to work and save up for a very long period of time so
1:03
that we could afford to buy a sailboat, move on it and sail around the Mediterranean or
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around the world. However, as time passed by, we realized that that wasn't really a plan for us, that wasn't
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the right choice for us. We didn't just want to take a holiday, we wanted to change our lifestyle, we wanted
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to design a life that we could live in the long run
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Since our incomes depend on the jobs that we both have in Copenhagen, we could not really
1:32
think of saving up enough money to quit our jobs for an undetermined period of time
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We would always need to put a deadline to our project. Besides that, we didn't want to wait
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As I always say, I always try to appreciate the present, to make the most out of the present
1:49
without putting a pledge on the present in favor of a future that I'm not sure is going to exist
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And also, we both didn't want to quit jobs we were passionate about with the risk of
2:00
not being able to find other jobs of the same type in the future
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So we reconsidered our plans. We decided that we would continue working, but we would as much as possible do that from the boat
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We proved to our employers for a very long period of time that we could work remotely
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that we were trustworthy, that we were responsible, and that we would work hard wherever we were
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And after that, we talked to our employers who granted us to work remotely and to do so, for example, from Italy
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Our plan is to work from the boat during work hours, so just to use the boat as a home
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We will have two working spaces from which we will be able to take meetings without disturbing each other
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We have also scaled down the idea of sailboat we wanted to buy
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Initially, we thought of buying a boat that resembled our house, that would offer us the same comforts that our apartment offered us
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That's of course very expensive, but then we also realized that we don't need that
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What we really wanted was not a luxurious lifestyle. What we wanted was freedom
3:03
And being free also means being independent of luxury and comforts. We started doing a lot of research in order to find the right boat
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A boat that had enough space for us to stand up, we're both quite tall, work and have online meetings without overlapping
3:20
And of course, the boat we wanted needed to be quite cheap, or at least not too expensive
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because we wanted to move on the boat as soon as possible. In order to do so, we needed to save the money to buy the boat
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Therefore, it needed to be a used boat, because new boats cost more than used boats
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However, we also wanted to have a boat that was safe, not too old, because old boats tend to break down in different parts and need more maintenance
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That had enough space, was well built and would also allow us to go on short or long cruises in complete safety
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and that could sail with the sails and being very low in emissions
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It is not easy to find a boat like this. In addition, we wanted to sail the boat to Sicily and live in Sicily
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because we want a place where the winters are quite warm, or at least not as cold as Denmark, and we both love Sicily
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In order to be able to sail the boat to Sicily ourselves, or with the help of my parents, we needed to buy the boat in Italy
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But we lived in Copenhagen, so in order to see the boat before buying it
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we needed to take at least two flights and to just plan a lot
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In addition to that, we really wanted my dad to come with us and see the boat, because my dad has a lot of sailing experience
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He has sailed so long. My parents have had three different boats over time
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We deemed his advice necessary for us to buy the right boat
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But of course, that also meant that another person that lived in another place needed to travel with us
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Just a lot of coordination was needed. Moreover, as we started researching, we noticed that the used boat market, the second-hand boat market, was not very active
5:06
It was quite still. There weren't that many used boats on the market. As far as the boat we were looking for, after doing a lot of research, we identified a few models that could suit our needs
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In particular, for those of you who know something about sailing, I'm just going to share what these models are
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One of them was the Jeannot San Odissey 37 Legend. Another one was the Beneteau Oceanis 373
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And the third one was the Hanse 371. They're all boats built between 2000 and 2005
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We particularly liked the Hanse, because it's a boat that sails quite well with the sails, and we were really interested in that
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But that also has a lot of room inside. It's quite comfortable inside
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So it was just a good mixture for us. But we had never seen a Hanse in real life
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We had only looked at pictures online, and we didn't really have a chance to see one, because there were basically no Hanses on sale
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Or we could find some, but they were too far away. So what we did was writing on Facebook, on a Facebook group of Hanse owners in Copenhagen
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asking whether there was a Hanse 371 owner who would kindly show us his boat
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and show us a bit around, so that we could figure out whether that type of boat was for us
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A very nice Danish man answered and invited us on board, and he gave us a tour, and that was super useful
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We have just visited the boat, and we're very excited about it, because it's very nice outside and inside
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It has a lot of room, and a lot of the things that we really want to have in our future home
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And the owner spoke about how good it is at sailing, and he didn't really find anything wrong with that boat, which was very nice to hear
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So we're very happy, because we can move on and look for that type of boat on sale, and hopefully buy it at some point
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So we realized that that boat had all the features that we were looking for
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The only thing was that it was a little bit too low for us, the ceiling was a bit too low
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But otherwise, it was really good. However, at that point, the difficulty was to find one that was for sale, and that was in good conditions, and at a decent price
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We found a couple of them, but we were not sure about them, mainly because they had some issues, some problems
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and we were not sure we wanted to buy a boat with that type of problem
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After doing more research, we found one we really liked. It was actually not the Hansa 371, but the Hansa 370E
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A model that, instead of being from 2003-2004, is from 2008-2009. Much newer boat, much more beautiful boat in my view
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More comfortable, there's more space inside, and it still sails very well
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The thing that we really liked was that the ceiling was much taller, so we could both fit pretty well
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And then the bathroom was bigger, and there was just more room for working inside
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We found the boat online, and we wrote to the broker that was dealing it
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And we made an offer, but that offer was too low, because the seller was not willing to go down in price
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And the initial price was much higher than what our budget allowed
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So we were a bit sad, but unfortunately we had to let go of that boat
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We didn't even go and see it, because we already knew that we could not afford it. We continued to scout the online websites of used boats, used sailboats
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We answered to some ads, but we couldn't really find anything. So our plan was a bit on standby
8:48
We arrived at the end of August without a sailboat. Our plan was to move on the boat in the beginning of the fall
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At the end of August we were very tired, because we had worked the entire summer without any holidays
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And we decided to go on a holiday with my parents, who have a sailboat
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We went sailing with them for around 10 days in Italy, in Tuscany
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And it was super, super nice. And if you want to see some videos of that, they are in Italian, but they are available on the channel
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I'll link them down below. We flew from Copenhagen to Milan, and then we took the train to La Spezia, and then we sailed around from La Spezia
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And while we were in La Spezia, something incredible happened. Hi friends, we are here in La Spezia
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We are on my parents' boat for the summer holidays. And we just stopped at the port here in La Spezia
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And something strange and amazing at the same time happened. We were outside in the cockpit, we were talking
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and we realized that on the other side of this channel, not too far from our boat
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there was a boat of the type, of the model that we were looking at, we were interested in
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We had looked at it online, and we were interested in having a look inside
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But of course we didn't know whether there was someone on board, we didn't know anything about it
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So we just decided to go for a walk, and we went on that side of the port where there was that boat
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And we just saw that the boat was on sale. There was a sign indicating the boat was on sale
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And that there was someone living on the boat, because some of the hatches were open
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And there was clearly someone living there, even though it didn't look like there was someone on board at that moment
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So I came back to our boat, and I wrote a note manifesting my interest in the boat
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and asking the owner whether we could maybe have a visit later in the day
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And I left my phone number. After a bit, the owner sent me a message and invited us for a visit
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So this morning we went to see the boat, and we really liked it a lot
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It was very nice, it's just what we need. It has more room inside compared to the other boat we had looked at, and it's very nice outside, it's newer
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We're going to talk to him again later today to see whether we can find an agreement on the price
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It's very exciting. I don't want to be too happy about it, because I'm a bit scared of getting disappointed afterwards
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But yeah, I just wanted to share this with you. Just a little update from me on the sailing boat matter
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After we saw the boat with the owner in La Spezia, we really loved it, and we decided to make an offer
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So my boyfriend and I discussed a bit, and we identified a price that we would have liked to pay for the boat
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And then we met with the owner, and we made the offer, and he accepted the offer
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So we found a good common ground for price, and for some other matters that needed to be taken care of
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After that we continued with our holiday, and as you know, if you watch my vlogs, we sailed south
12:01
I sailed south with my family, and I had a great holiday. The only thing was that we really expected to sign a preliminary agreement, a return sheet, and give an advance payment for the boat immediately
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So that we could make sure that no one else would buy that boat, and that boat would be reserved for us
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And it wasn't really easy to do that, because the owner was not really responsive
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I would write him emails and try to conclude, to execute this contract, and he wouldn't really get back to me, and the broker wasn't really very active
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So I, and my boyfriend as well, we got a bit frustrated
12:40
We were very patient, but we were also very frustrated, because we couldn't really understand whether he didn't want to sell the boat anymore
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whether he had another offer, or what was going on. I insisted quite a lot. I kept sending emails, WhatsApp messages, calling the broker
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And I basically remade the contract myself, without waiting for the broker
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I just made sure that everything was ready to sign. And then in the end, one week after we had seen the boat and talked to the broker, we signed the contract, the preliminary agreement
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and we paid the advance payment, so that the boat would be promised to us
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Then we came back to Copenhagen, and in order to buy the boat, we still need to make a final purchase agreement
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And before doing that, we need to make some checks on the boat. So we need a mechanic to come on board and sail with us for a couple of hours
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so that we can check that everything, and especially the motor, is in good stand and everything works
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If that goes well, then we are going to sign the final purchase agreement, and we're going to buy the boat
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Now we're in Copenhagen. We are leaving to go to Italy tomorrow. We're flying to Italy, and then we will spend a couple of days at my parents' place
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And we will take the car and drive to La Spezia, where the boat is
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and where we have an appointment with the broker, the owner, and the mechanic
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And all together, we're going to sail on Monday and make sure that everything is fine on this boat
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And if that is the case, then we will immediately sign the final agreement and pay the price
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and the keys of the boat will be delivered to us. The boat will still be in La Spezia
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And that will be our boat. It will be the realization of our dream
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I'm very excited about that, but I don't want to put too much hope..
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I really have a lot of hope for it, but I don't want to express it too much, because I don't want to get disappointed
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So for now, I just have my fingers really, really crossed. And so, after a lot of hard work and research, we finally bought our sailboat
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And it is what we really wanted. It's the Hansa 370E, and it's from 2009
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So it's a very good boat for us. We're very happy. And we bought it for a price we could afford
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If there is any of you that right now is looking to buy a house, a van, a car, or a sailboat
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my advice is to just keep looking. Don't give up, because it may be very draining
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it may be very time-consuming and very difficult, but if you don't give up, sooner or later you will find the right opportunity
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At the same time, you should also give yourself a limit, a deadline, because researching can be a way of procrastinating
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I think everyone should find a balance between finding the perfect opportunity
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the perfect thing to buy, and concluding the research process. For us, buying this boat was just the right balance
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Stay with me next week, when we finally move aboard on our new home, and work non-stop to do lots of jobs and prepare the boat for a big crossing from La Spezia to Sicily
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Thank you for watching, and I'll see you in the next video
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