Hi All. Just a few passing thoughts to clear my mind and to seek advice from other skippers. I own a 75ft - extended to 95ft with bowsprit, indonesian schooner. Handbuilt of teak and ironwood in Sulawesi (buginese) ,, indonesia in 2000. She is a perfect liveaboard boat, ideal for charters and sunset cruises. We are based in the Philippines, paradise island of Camiguin.
I come from Hull, UK, one time largest fishing port in the world. I was educated at the fishing/marine school at the age of 11 and got my first apprenticeship, age 15 aboard a side winding trawler fishing north icleand and white Sea (north russia). Following a tragic accident in 1967 when four Hull trawlers capcized in one night off North Iceland, losing 160 men and many friends, my parents forbid me to go fishing, and I was signed on a P&O tramp ship (cargo) sailing five years to Far East.
I spent the next 30 years tamping the oceans on cargo ships, cruise liners, tankers, and oil support ships (tidewater in Africa). Few years back I took my redundancy package when the UK fleet was flagged out, and I built my own inshore 45 ft fishing boat - fishing for sole, sea bass, crabs, and wreck cod in the english channel. catches were good, and the boat performed well. but after a couple of years the Ulk government changed all the goal posts , with new licences for over 10 mts boats, high fuel costs and fishing quotas. I had to get out or go bankrupt.
I hankered to return to southeast asia, balmy evenings, warm blue seas and the friendly filippinos. I got a one way ticket to cebu, Philippines and hooked up with a filippina lady I had met whilst tramping thru the philippines. I ploughed my savings and investments into getting the schooner, more a heart response than from the mind,, and some land on the island of Camiguin. We designed, built and now operate a watersports resort, an english pub, seafoods restaurant and the sunset cruises and charter business. Last charter was with a BBC film unit.
My partner works hard in the rstaurant, and seafoods are in great demand. Local fishing here in Camiguin is virtually non existent as far as I know it - hand caught tuna, some local clams etc, yet the seas around camiguin are rich in Sole, dorado, turbot, white crab, scallops and prawns.. I just hanker getting another fishing boat, 6 km sole nets, scallop dredge and a 1000 crab pots.
I got in contact with some of the builders in Sulawesi to built me a wooden 42 footer, fully fitted out multi-purpose fishing boat complete with hydraulic hauler and winch, fish finding electronics, and freezers. To finance the fishing venture I would have to sell /trade in the schooner. We no longer liveaboard, and live in the resort to care for our guests and we are in the wrong part of the Philippines to get many charters.
Anyone any ideas of the going price for a traditional topsail schooner, teak and ironwood, air con, large saloon 15 x 15ft, 12 berths etc, or what would be the best way to advertise and sell her.
Jibsail -
www.lagunalodgecamiguin.com
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