Sailing SV Cordeliavideo
The True Cost of Sailing Lifestyle After 7 Years (The Numbers May Shock You!)
April 3, 2026 · 12 min · 105K views · Rio Dulce
Woman holds receipt beside sailboat in turquoise bay
What this video covers
Steve and Annette left the UK in 2019 aboard their boat Cordelia and have spent seven years cruising, currently based at Rio Dulce, Guatemala, for a refit.0:59 Annette breaks down the full cost of that period: £135,706.58 (approximately $162,848) for two people and a dog, averaging £19,386 ($23,263) per year.8:08 Three rules kept costs low — anchor everywhere (only four marina stays in seven years), do all work themselves, and spend nothing non-essential.2:18 The largest single-category expense was daily living (food, fuel, diesel, gas, doctors, vets, country entry fees, visas) at £88,484.7:40 Discrete big-ticket items totalled £47,222: flights home to the UK £12,840, a rental property's maintenance costs £12,060, marina fees £8,078, car purchase and hire £6,196, ten months of guardianage on a mooring buoy in Le Marin, Martinique £3,454, boat insurance (third-party only, through Pantaenius) £3,512, and two haulouts £1,082.7:02 The figures exclude the current refit, which Annette says she will cover separately.1:51 Spending ran higher in the first two years; later years came in well under the average.10:48 The practical conclusion: cruising on under £20,000 per year for two is achievable by anchoring, doing your own maintenance, and equipping the boat fully before departure.
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