We’re sailing away
Sally and Paul Cook swapped Cambridgeshire for Lanzarote, realising a long-held dream, as Sally explains
“People often reach a point in their lives when they begin questioning their lot – and that’s what happened to us. We started feeling restless in the UK and wanted to do something different. Not that we hadn’t enjoyed our fair share of
adventures, such as building several houses over the years.
We found, however, that such projects no longer fulfilled our needs, so decided to sell our five bedroom detached house in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire and follow a different dream: living abroad. It was a big step but one we wanted to make while Megan, our 13-year-old daughter, was still able to enjoy it with us. It was now or wait until we retired and we didn’t want to wait that long.
We’d always worked hard and had good jobs – Paul was in electrical engineering and I was employed by the NHS East of England Cancer Network – but felt the need to improve our quality of life by being able to spend more time together as a family, especially as our daughter became a teenager.
Plus, we wanted more sunshine, so on June 15th 2008 we left the UK for Les Sables d’Ollone in France where we took delivery of a yacht and sailed to Lanzarote, arriving a month later.
Having decided to move abroad we looked at all the main Canary Islands, but fell in love with Lanzarote. We adore its dramatic volcanic landscape and beautiful whitewashed villages, all part of the heritage and legacy of César Manrique, the artist and architect. It also feels less spoilt and more natural, too.
But its climate is probably the main reason why we chose it for our new home, because it boasts near perfect sailing conditions. We’ve always been keen sailors and the weather here means we can sail our boat any day of the year; back in the UK, the conditions severely restricted our time on the water.
Living in a place with the right sea conditions is important because we’ve set up our own yacht charter business. Atlantic Islands Sailing is based in Puerto Calero, on the south-west coast of Lanzarote, only six miles from the airport. We offer bareboat charter, skippered charter and day trips.
Knowing how you’re going to earn a living is vital for anyone considering moving to Lanzarote. Business is hard anywhere at present so you must consider carefully what you’re going to do. Employment is scarce here and it’s best to secure work before coming. There are many bars and restaurants for sale and several going out of business; it seems this line has been hit particularly hard by the all-inclusive hotels. Work is easier to find if you speak Spanish, so taking lessons before arriving will pay off. Paul and I are learning – albeit slowly – and find that trying to communicate in Spanish helps – it also gets a few laughs, too!
While our business is based on the coast, we live inland in the village of Yaiza, which has been voted the prettiest village in Spain twice. It has around 3,500 inhabitants and boasts plenty of plant-filled streets and squares.
We bought a new three-bedroomed detached villa with a pool for €300,000, although we had to spend quite a bit more finishing it off, because there weren’t any shutters, kitchen units or light fittings. We found the buying process painless, thanks largely to an excellent estate agent, Optima Estate, who took care of everything – it was completely hassle free. Our lawyer, Gorka Centeno, was brilliant, too. If only buying a house in the UK was as straightforward.
Although we live in the middle of the village so that Megan can be close to other children, we still enjoy views from the villa towards the Timanfaya National Park. We’re not far from Megan’s school, either. She attends a private British school and there are only 11 pupils in her class, as opposed to 32 back in the UK. Pupils come from different countries, which helps with language development. As well as English, she’s studying French, German and Spanish. Megan enjoys school much more here, which makes learning easier. There is no school uniform and pupils are on first name terms with the teachers. The fees are lower than in the UK as well.
There are many advantages to living in Lanzarote. The fantastic weather and clear sea are big pluses. Summer temperatures are tempered by the trade winds and are around 30ºC, while in winter it rarely drops below 20ºC, making the island a year-round holiday destination.
Other advantages include low crime rates, meaning you can walk around freely at night and feel safe. We like the fact that families are welcomed everywhere, the pace of life is much slower, there’s more respect for people, shop assistants are polite and pleased to serve you, road rage is rare and petrol pumps are not self service – oh, and the health service seems very effective, having visited the local hospital, where we were seen and treated within an hour.
To be honest, I can’t think of too many disadvantages, although a Tesco would be ideal because there is a lack of choice when it comes to supermarkets. And sometimes the island can feel very small, especially amongst the expats because everyone seems to know everyone. Overall, though, there isn’t much I really miss about the UK, except family and friends and being able to walk our dog in the woods.
Living costs are, on the whole, cheaper here. Although the vast majority of products have to be imported and, therefore, more expensive, resulting in a weekly shopping bill which is more or less the same as the UK, fuel, council tax, gym memberships and leisure activities, such as cinema and bowling, are cheaper.
Our lives have changed enormously in the 18 months since leaving the UK. Yes, we have a much smaller house, a battered car and don’t earn as much money, but we spend a lot more time together as a family - that’s much more important to us, especially when we have a child who’s growing up so quickly.
Whether our long-term future is here or back in the UK largely depends on what Megan wants to do when she leaves school, but for now we’re enjoying our lives and are pleased we decided to realise our dream of living abroad.”
For information about the Cooks, visit www.saillanzarote.com