Cadet to Officer - Belongings

[The H]

What would you do?

Cadetship is finished and am hoping to gain employment as a third when my CoC is back.

What do people do for storing their belongings when they're away for their first qualified trip?

I have come up with these being my options:

• Do you continue to rent somewhere while being away? (~?500 month)
• Move back with family/parents? (~?0 month)
• Belongings into storage? (~?100 month)

[GuinnessMan]

What would you do?

Cadetship is finished and am hoping to gain employment as a third when my CoC is back.

What do people do for storing their belongings when they're away for their first qualified trip?

I have come up with these being my options:

• Do you continue to rent somewhere while being away? (~?500 month)
• Move back with family/parents? (~?0 month)
• Belongings into storage? (~?100 month)

When I went off on my last trip I just put my stuff into a small storage locker. Now I only own enough to fit into one suitcase so it's not an issue....

[The H]

When I went off on my last trip I just put my stuff into a small storage locker. Now I only own enough to fit into one suitcase so it's not an issue....

I do have quite a few belongings that can't be taken to sea with me, therefore, I will have to sort out something before I go away.

The downsides I see of the storage unit are that,

1) I am paying to store my stuff, which could be done for free in my parents garage. (I suppose the storage units are more secure and a bit warmer)
2) When I come back from sea I will have to find somewhere to live for my time on leave.

[YoungMariner]

In my first few years after qualifying I left everything in my parents garage, and pretty much sailed as much as possible, and if not sailing signed off in nice places and delayed or rerouted my flights home.

[Tanker Girl]

I agree. I moved all of my stuff into my parent's basement and I'm using them as my postal address so that someone can check my mail while I'm at sea. Storage units are quite expensive and it's also a chore to pop down there to change over your sea clothes for your shore clothes. Much better to catch up with the family while you're sorting out your belongings. I plan to be at sea as much as possible over the next couple of years and spend my leave travelling. I wouldn't be very comfortable leaving my belongings in a flat for months at a time, unless I had a flatmate who worked ashore, who I trusted. I'm a little less decided what to do about a car. I don't own one at the moment but I plan on doing a European road trip this summer. I've heards arguements for just using a hire car during shore leave as it saves a lot of money on tax, mot, insurance... and saves you having to leave it somewhere for a few months at a time. If I can think of someone who might want to use it while I'm at sea, I might still be more inclined to buy. What do you guys do about your cars?

[Hatchorder]

.......... What do you guys do about your cars?

When I was a cadet and a qualified officer I used to hitchhike to the BCA Auctions at Brighouse on the first week of my leave, with cash in my pocket. I would buy a car for cash, ring my broker to put it on cover, and drive home. Run it for my leave and then advertise it my last week of leave and sell it privately for more than I paid for it. It meant I had a large number of cars, and the penalties for cancelling insurance if it ran for less than a year were a lot less than they are now, but it meant I had lots of different cars and never lost money on them. In fact the value when I sold them usually covered all the other costs.

And before people say, "wasn't it dangerous hitching with all that cash?", who would ever think that a hitchhiker would have ?11,000 in cash on them? (That was the most I ever carried). I always had a story that I was a poor student hitching to see friends!

Today, with Faster Payments it is possible to do electronic transfers within minutes so that may not be necessary.

Ian

[The H]

I've heards arguements for just using a hire car during shore leave as it saves a lot of money on tax, mot, insurance... and saves you having to leave it somewhere for a few months at a time.

I have also considered this, however, for the types of cars I like to drive this is about ?600 a month just for the car, insurance is additional on long term car hire normally.

[Steve]

I wouldn't be very comfortable leaving my belongings in a flat for months at a time, unless I had a flatmate who worked ashore, who I trusted.

I left my 'shore' belongings in a variety of unattended flats for many years. I had decent neighbours who kept a bit of an eye on things. YMMV!

[Clanky]

I stayed at my mum's house while on leave the first time, by the second time, I had bought my own place.

[Hatchorder]

I stayed at my mum's house while on leave the first time, by the second time, I had bought my own place.

But that was back in the day when a house cost fifty guineas!

[pignutpilot]

But that was back in the day when a house cost fifty guineas!

With property in the UK being totally over priced it will take most newly qualified people very many trips to be able to afford even a tiny flat.

Hopefully that will be one benefit of the European economies crashing, cheap properties.

Heard a few cheap homes might be coming on the market in Cyprus.

[HarmlessWeasel]

With property in the UK being totally over priced it will take most newly qualified people very many trips to be able to afford even a tiny flat.

Hopefully that will be one benefit of the European economies crashing, cheap properties.

Heard a few cheap homes might be coming on the market in Cyprus.

along with bomb kits for targeting the 'rich' and shipping compannies

[Clanky]

Cheeky monkey!

Actually you are not far wrong, it was just before peace broke out in the north of Ireland, I bought a 2 bedroom apartment right on the sea front for 39,950, sold it 3 years later for nearly twice that. Saw it on the market a couple of years ago for 110k

[chris]

Ive been thinking about this issue too. Im hoping to buy a flat when I qualify but wonder who will look after it when im away. Id like to live somewhere lively rather than the sleepy town my folks retired to. I dont really fancy living out a storage depot.

Perhaps we could set up a flat sharing service for forum people. People could stay at my flat when Im at sea, and be at sea when I get back. Would take some coordinating though

[YoungMariner]

Many guys buy to let in the early years of qualifying, get the mortgage and have the tennant supplement the mortgage repayments essentially.