When we were rich in 1989

The fact was we could buy a brand new and sailaway Endurance 37 from the Knysna Boatyard for around R47,000, that included a Bellamy mast, Hood Sails and a Perkins 4105 47hp diesel engine!  Today and in 2013 you would pay twice that just for a similar sized engine.

I suppose some financial bod will tell me this is all relative, back then when the price of gold was fixed at U$35 and today its around U$1210 or so but read below and tell me what you think?

Notty,

I should frame this as a reminder as to when we were really well off?

You will need to click on this to make it readable?

Its from the last century and 24 years ago, this is the slip I got for the money I took on the trip

That lasted a year, thirteen months in fact, I still had some left over when we were collected at DF Malan airport

By yours truly!

That’s a rate of R2.69 to U$1.00 and R4,22 to GBP1.00 only, even those rates had moved some from the better days, they are for

Travelers cheques, we saw a better rate on cash? no it’s the same.

I still have the quote from Elvstom Sails that Andy Mitchell did for me, that was in his Loop St days, R4700 for nine sails. A main sail then was R450, the  cost for the GRP hull for my Endurance 37 was R4500, the fact is we could buy a lot more with our Rands back then? GST was still 4%, Vat is now 14%.

Looking back and I am pleased to say we both can, we did ok to do what we did and while we could, hindsight is a wonderful thing and it would be a shame if we now say, if only we had done this or that then, I could have built my own yacht and gone sailing, well we did do just that!

Mate, it’s a pat on the back for us both, have a great day!

Roy

Note, now in July 2013 we see the Rand currency trading at around R10.00 to the U$ and R15.07 to the British Pound, see what I mean!