From boat-life to camping-life
After 22 years of sailing, we decided to sell the boat two years ago. During that time, we sailed most of the inland waters of the Netherlands with our family of three children. And a considerable part of the North Sea and the English Channel; to Belgium, England, France, the German Wadden Sea and Denmark.
We did this for the last 17 years with our Bay of Plenty II, a Bavaria 37 of almost 12 meters. After 10000 nautical miles (18500km), our children, aged 23-19-17, did not go with us very often. So one night, as we sat on the back of the boat together at the end of the 2021 season and thought about the future, wondering what we would invest in the boat for the next year.
While talking, we became curious what the boat would actually be worth. After contacting the dealer, it turned out, that as well as in the caravan and motorhome market, there was a shortage of new and used boats. As a result, boat values were favorably affected and selling suddenly became an option. We chose to sell rather than invest, a boat break we thought at the time.
De boot wordt na jaren trouwe dienst ingeruild voor ...
... een Adria Action 391 LH Sport.
Uitzicht vanuit de caravan op het strand.
In goed gezelschap.
Luifeltje eraan, pootjes uit, tafel en stoelen buiten, genieten van een mooie avond.
Earlier that year, I stood in an Adria Action Sport with my colleague. We were both surprised by the shape, space, light and design interior of the Action. Every luxury is provided; pull-out drawers, a toilet area with shower with backlight, large fridge, easily convertible seating area with sofas you can take a nap on. And really all the windows can be opened with screens and blinds. In addition, the Sport looks mega cool with its shiny black off-road wheels and high chassis. We said to each other; if there are two of you now, you won't need more!
That stuck. After selling the boat, it soon became clear that we wanted our own recreational vehicle again anyway. We like to go out as often as possible, and in doing so we find freedom of movement a must. A weekend or a couple of weeks. Together or with friends; going wherever you want with your own little house, that's what we like to do. So, the link with the Action Sport was easily made.
The Action is small and fine, with its 4x2 meter body a huge chunk smaller than the boat. But also, a huge lot faster polished and packed. Not everything can be taken along anymore, there's no need for that when there are two of us. Everything we need fits in, with room to spare. Getting ready we now do at the door instead of in port. The maintenance and associated costs are beyond compared. Just winterising the boat cost as much as storing the caravan for a whole year.
We have always thought about a motorhome for later, after the boat life. With boating, the number of available holiday days determines your range, as you cruise at a speed of less than 10km per hour. The weather and tides also play an important role here; if you have a three-week holiday and you are forced to stop for a few days due to bad weather, or the tide is against you, you may be days short of making it from a port in, say, southern England back to the Netherlands in time. With a motorhome, you hardly have these limitations and, on top of that, you have a larger action radius in the same amount of time, so a completely different holiday area. And you can avoid bad weather by simply moving or adjusting your schedule.
Because of my job, I have the opportunity to borrow a motorhome every now and then, which is why we have now opted for a caravan. That way we have limited maintenance and storage costs and our own recreational vehicle at our disposal any time we want. The choice of the Action Sport was quickly made and fits the bill perfectly. Boat-life turned into camping-life and we like that. The caravan is quickly set up and moved again and camping in this way resembles the freedom we had with the boat. We had to get used to driving a caravan in traffic. With a boat, you cast off and from then on you have a holiday feeling. Now you have to make your way through mostly heavy traffic before you reach your destination and can enjoy it.
We have now stayed at several campsites in the Netherlands. The children also find these new destinations interesting and come along again or visit with the tent. We are very happy with our choice and still have plenty of plans for the future with the Bay of Plenty III, our "land-yacht".