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    Iron Heart Fall/Winter 2025 Collection Preview - Now Live

    Giles and Paula's Great Retirement Adventure

    Iron Heart Meet Ups & Travel
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    • GilesG
      Giles
      IHUK Crew
      Joined:

      Those of you who have listened to Iron Cast Season 2, Episode 1, will have heard me talk about how Paula and I  have come up with a hair-brained scheme to keep us intellectually and physically challenged as we transition from full-time work, through semi-retirement to full retirement.

      Basically, the plan is to buy a boat, learn how to sail, navigate, maintain a boat and diesel engine etc etc, and then explore. Our current level of knowledge extends to knowing that the pointy end probably should point forward….

      We have fallen in love with Nordhavn's, and as luck would have it, the European dealer is located about 15 miles from where we live.

      We popped down to meet them a couple of weeks ago, to discuss whether our dreams were completely ridiculous (and possibly dangerous) or actually achievable) with Phil (one of the directors).  He showed us a few boats and we fell in love a little bit more. Paula likened them to floating cottages, that could be used year-round, so we are viewing it like buying a second home.

      Trouble is, there are virtually no used boats on the market and the 2 models we liked, have multi-year waiting lists.  And to be frank, we don't have multi-years to sit around, this is something we need to do, whilst we are fit and healthy.

      Phil phoned me yesterday, and he has found one that will likely become available late this year or early next.  It is a 2014 "52".  He says that it is highly specced, low-mileage, and has lived most of its life in the Mediterranean. I am awaiting him to send me the full specs (and price - so it may still remain a pipe-dream).

      Waiting a year or so to take delivery actually suits us very well, we can do some courses, learn how to navigate and drive a boat without risking the lives of ourselves and others, and sort out a local berth.

      Here it is.....

      "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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      • henry_davidH
        henry_david
        Joined:

        This is absolutely wonderful, @Giles. The boat looks just … wonderful. I hope that the $$$ works out, too, and I'd hope that a year's lead time might make it easier even if it's an extra $ or two than initially hoped for.

        Are you going to have your pets along for the ride, too? Or would Alex be looking after those? On a more personal note, I admire what you two are doing and wish it'd been the route my folks had taken. Retirement's been tough on them: no activity and no work. They've aged a lot in just three years and it's worrisome. Glad you two are about to embark on a new adventure together.

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        • GilesG
          Giles
          IHUK Crew
          Joined:

          @henry_david:

          This is absolutely wonderful, @Giles. The boat looks just … wonderful. I hope that the $$$ works out, too, and I'd hope that a year's lead time might make it easier even if it's an extra $ or two than initially hoped for.

          Are you going to have your pets along for the ride, too? Or would Alex be looking after those? On a more personal note, I admire what you two are doing and wish it'd been the route my folks had taken. Retirement's been tough on them: no activity and no work. They've aged a lot in just three years and it's worrisome. Glad you two are about to embark on a new adventure together.

          Thank you so much, I really appreciate that.

          Nope, pet's will have to stay at home.  Alex has his own home in London, and whilst he comes down to Gosport for a few days most weeks, we don't want to impose upon him or Kira (plus, they both travels themselves for business a lot).

          So we'll have to plan what and when we do things quite carefully.

          "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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          • dinobarnesberlinD
            dinobarnesberlin
            啓蒙家
            Joined:

            “Paula likened them to floating cottages"
            she's not wrong. This boat would be amazing for you two to live, explore,fish with..or whatever else you two might have in mind.
            Hope this all works out for you with this one !

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            • GilesG
              Giles
              IHUK Crew
              Joined:

              Fishing will have to be done when she has her back turned…..... 😃 😃

              If I had tried to sell Paula this idea as a fishing boat, I would not be typing this post now.... 😉

              But, seriously, this whole adventure is an "us thing", something that we can learn how to do together.

              "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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              • S
                sabergirl
                見習いボス
                Joined:

                How exciting! I hope that this one ends up suiting you. Seems like a wonderful new adventure to me.

                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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                • MattM
                  Matt
                  見習いボス
                  Joined:

                  This is great.  I can’t recommend a “floating” retirement enough.  I’m really excited for both of you.  I trust this thread will remain active once you set sail?

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                  • henry_davidH
                    henry_david
                    Joined:

                    @Giles:

                    Fishing will have to be done when she has her back turned…..... 😃 😃

                    Wait so you're not gonna have something like this?

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                    • GilesG
                      Giles
                      IHUK Crew
                      Joined:

                      Possibly round the corner in the Kayak….

                      "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                      • dinobarnesberlinD
                        dinobarnesberlin
                        啓蒙家
                        Joined:

                        Learning about maintaining the diesels won't be as bad as it sounds if you are even halfway mechanically inclined.
                        Ive worked on my share of Detroit diesel marine engines and they are just workhorses.
                        You can learn your way around a diesel marine engine in a pretty short amount of time actually.

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                        • GilesG
                          Giles
                          IHUK Crew
                          Joined:

                          That's encouraging.  Thank you.

                          "OK face up to it - you're useless but generally pretty honest and straightforward . . . it's a rare combination of qualities that I have come to admire in you" - Geo 2011

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                          • MattM
                            Matt
                            見習いボス
                            Joined:

                            I would think the mechanical side will be much easier to learn and maintain than the electrical/computer components.  Those will be tricky.

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                            • mclaincauseyM
                              mclaincausey
                              見習いボス
                              Joined:

                              She's a beaut, G.

                              I look forward to hearing what she (or another lucky lass should this one not work out) will be named.

                              Think it, be it.

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                              • SKTS
                                SKT
                                見習いボス
                                Joined:

                                A heartfelt congratulations to both you and Paula. The entire endeavor sounds amazing, but the thing that is truly inspiring to me is that you both committed to taking this journey as a team and using it as a way to experience this “era” as an adventurous extension of your lives together. I’m trying to imagine my wife and I staring at a malfunctioning marine-Diesel engine and one of us not winding up being thrown overboard by the other[emoji1787].  I kid because I’m a wee bit jealous and seriously can’t wait to follow along.

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                                • NikN
                                  Nik
                                  Raw and Unwashed
                                  Joined:

                                  That boat looks capable! Very cool

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                                  • J-IVJ
                                    J-IV
                                    啓蒙家
                                    Joined:

                                    Congratulation on making it this far Mr.G and Paula! Was delighted to hear you talk about this in the podcast. Well earned rest after a decade or so of answering our wacky questions and request.

                                    Boat looks solid and reminiscent of the boats I would see in Subic Bay back home. Hope it fairs well to all your plans and projects. Looks like you can store a ton of alcohol on there  😉

                                    I'm as ugly as you

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                                    • henry_davidH
                                      henry_david
                                      Joined:

                                      @J-IV:

                                      Looks like you can store a ton of alcohol on there  😉

                                      😃

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                                      • ARNCA
                                        ARNC
                                        啓蒙家
                                        Joined:

                                        She looks great. Hope everything works out.

                                        If she's like a "floating cottage", I'm wondering if there's a way of incorporating a (salt-tolerant) garden somewhere onboard.

                                        “Every day that you survive you get a free sunset“

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                                        • goosehdG
                                          goosehd
                                          Mod Squad
                                          Joined:

                                          Congratulations!! Very happy for you and Paula…

                                          ...don't forget to get a proper marine survey.  Could save you considerably in the long run.

                                          "I don't give a shit what anyone else is doing, we will do what is best for us and our customers" - Giles P. :)

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                                          • steelworkerS
                                            steelworker
                                            見習いボス
                                            Joined:

                                            @mclaincausey:

                                            She's a beaut, G.

                                            I look forward to hearing what she (or another lucky lass should this one not work out) will be named.

                                            Better be the Paula middle initial here or there could be trouble

                                            Those are my principles, and if you don't like them…
                                            Well, I have others.

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