Boat People
May 3rd, 2007
A growing number of expats in Spain have made their boats home. Finding a home in Spain is becoming ever more difficult, with prices in cities like Barcelona rising faster than in London and Paris.
But if you are determined to live abroad and already belong to that select few who aren’t landlubbers and own their own boats, why bother buying a place at all? There are none of the hassles of trying to find that dream place in the sun or even renting at what are increasingly exorbitant prices.
To those who have already fallen in love with life on the sea, home is aboard their own boats. Barcelona now has a small, but steadily increasing, colony of about 150 expats who have decided to capitalise on the pleasures of the Mediterranean climate and life in an international city. But they have set up home in the port, on their boats.
Port Vell is right in the centre of Barcelona, with some of its best beaches or the hippest parts of the city just around the corner. At the height of summer, if the tourists get too much, boat-bound expats can quietly slip away into the briny and head off to…well, wherever they want; the world really is their oyster.
What marks them out from expats who stop off at ports in other parts of Spain is a growing community of mainly retired ‘yachties’ who are here to stay. Elsewhere, they either stop off for a short while or they buy homes inland and enjoy their yachts when they feel like it.
Albert and Pamela Blackshaw, from Britain, are typical of the ‘new breed’ of Barcelona’s almost permanent residents. Sick of the British climate, they left their own country six years ago. They arrived in Barcelona, only intending to stay a short while, like many others before them.
Now they spend most of the winter docked at Barcelona, before sailing off to whichever Mediterranean islands take their fancy in the summer. They insist their life lacks for nothing in comparison with the more conventional existence under bricks and mortar – with one exception.
“The only thing that we do not have here is a garden,” admits Pamela. But she insists everything else you might want for is on board, from a fridge, heating, painting materials, books and even a piano. “This is a house; we have everything that we might need,” she says. “And it is much cheaper than to live in a normal house.”
Though maintaining a moorage in Spain is not as cheap as other countries in Europe, these confirmed yachties insist there are other savings to be made. Expats are taking to the sea in Port Vell, Barcelona. Yachts have to be maintained regularly, with motors and sails the most expensive outgoings.
But according to Don Stewart, from Toronto, Canada, who lives in Port Vell with his wife, there are other savings to be made.
“What do you do when you break something? Often a person on a boat fixes it them themselves; a fridge, the heating, the toilet,” he says. For Stewart, living life on the high seas has been a dream since childhood. Since they gave up their life on terra firma, he and his wife have lived in 17 countries in the Caribbean and Europe, but want to apply for residence in Spain.
He confesses there have been some scary moments, like when their boat collided with a whale. They have stayed in Barcelona for two years. Their daughter has also made the move to Catalonia, but lives on dry land and is about to have a baby. Stewart says: “Barcelona is the best place; it is interesting and it is full of culture.”
But as he and his wife prepare to become grandparents, their life might be about to settle down somewhat. They insist that their way of life is much cheaper than a conventional way of living.
“We don’t have to pay for a car nor insurance. We don’t wear fashionable clothes and the food in Spain is much cheaper than in other countries, despite the arrival of the euro,” says Stewart.
A retired couple from Frankfurt, Germany, who did not want to be named, complained about the rising cost of moorings in Barcelona, particularly in high season. But apart from this they believed the life on the ocean waves was rejuvenating them. “Our family is proud of us because this is keeping us young,” they said. But they know their own limits and said they will probably return to life on land when their age makes life on a yacht impractical.
The colony of ‘yachties’ is not only made up of expats; there are many Spaniards too. Toni, who brought his wife and daughter to live on the boat, summed up why they had swapped their previous life for this less predictable existence. “We decided to go and live on a boat because we realised that we needed the tranquillity and liberty which it gives,” he said.
“I don’t have somewhere to park my car, but otherwise there are no disadvantages. I don’t miss anything.” Moorings in Port Vell, Barcelona cost between EUR 300-800 per month depending on the size of the boat.
