As the date comes closer to the famous (infamous? 
) Willy and WD trip on the Rooster, I am getting more and more excited. Even more so, because it's become clear that this will be the last LR trip of Wifeo and OT. We are truly looking forward to it, and we plan to enjoy every second of the trip (and, of course, catch a bunch of wonderful fish). But it will close the curtain on our LR "career"...such as it was!LOL
Some of you may wonder why this will be our last LR trip. I mean, after all, if we love it that much, why would we stop going? The answer is that, as decidedly middle class type folks, we cannot afford it anymore. We saved for two years for this 2008 trip, and when we initially asked Willy if we could join the trip in Fall 2007, we were at the margins of what we could afford. Since then, prices for everything have gone nutso. The combined package of all costs for the trip this year are now significantly beyond what we have saved. We are not going to let this affect our having fun (we WON'T!), but it does mean we cannot continue to participate in this truly wonderful activity. (I also make this post, in part, as a response to a couple of questions I've gotten by email about 'what it costs' from a nonexperts perspective. Figured it would just be easier to lay it out here.)
I thought I'd give some comparative costs for trips over the last few years, so that I could explain our decision. It may (or may not) be useful for other readers of these boards in trying to access their costs in going on a LR trip. In the following, I am excluding all costs of rods/reels/boots/belts but am including tackle that is used like line, spectra, hooks, etc.
As an historical indicator, an 8 day late June trip in 2001 called FF01 (sponsored by Allcoast...back when that was common) had the following total cost for us (including air, motel, rental car, LR trip, tip, fish processing, and air shipping of fish).....~$4200 for two. I won't break it down because this post will be too long as it is, but it gives a benchmark.
In 2006, we got to participate on our first Willy RRIII late June 8 day, and it was fantastic. (In the following, I may well have forgotten a cost, but it gives the idea.) The costs (I'm rounding off) were as follows (per person):
2006 costs of an 8 day
LR trip: $1900
Tip: $300
Airfare: $290
Motel: 2 nites prior, 2 nites after = 4 X $90 = $360 (divided by 2=$180)
Shipping tackle by UPS (both ways) + insurance = $310 (div by 2= $155)
Rental car: 2 days (after) = $85 (divided by 2,since per person)=$42
Food (4 days/restaurants in SD before/after)= $120
Terminal tackle + line on boat = $60
Total per person = $3047
TOTAL PER 2 PEOPLE = $6095
We had saved two years to go on this 2006 trip, and it was wonderful. In contrast, from 1999-2004, we had been able to go every year.The increase for 2006 compared to 2001 (= 6095-4200/4200) is 45%. I can tell you that our salaries did NOT increase by 45% in those 6 years. When we sat down and figured out the actual total costs, we realized that it was at the very edge of our budget.
For this years (2008 ) trip, our estimated costs (per person) are adding up as follows:
LR trip: $2150
LR fuel surcharge (est.) (8d. X $25)= $200
LR tip = $375
Airfare =$410 + baggage fee ($25)
Motel (4 nites, 2 before, 2 after at $150/nite--same motel as '06)= 4 X $150 = $600. (divide by 2 for per person = $300)
Shipping tackle by UPS + insur. (est. cost) = $450 (div. by 2 = 225)
Rental car (2 days after) = $115 (div by 2 = $57 per person)
Food (4 days...guess) =$140 per person
Terminal tackle + line on boat = $70 (guess)
Total per person = $3952
TOTAL PER 2 PEOPLE = $7904
I can tell you that the approximate percent increase from 2006 to 2008 is ~29% and again, I can tell you (for SURE) that our salaries did not increase by 29% over the last two years. (Something like 2.9% is more like it.)
This post was partly initiated by the emails asking me about our trips, and partly by Wifeo, who sat down and asked me to join her in calculating what it was going to cost. When we did it, we realized that LR trips today are clearly moving out of our league. We cannot afford this in the future. No, we aren't going to go into debt or lose our house, etc., but as a middle class type couple, we have to admit it is exobitant to spend this kind of money for a vacation, no matter how much each of us loves the activity. Even taking into account this is TWO YEARS of saving, it works out to ~$4000 a year......and that's just too rich for our blood, as they say.
I realize that our costs are high because there are two of us.However, having a spouse who loves to fish and loves the LR trip experience is wonderful. Having Wifeo on the trips has been incredible for me (and I think her as well). I realize that our costs also are higher than Socalians because we have to fly, and because we spend two days before and after. We spend the extra time so that we can pick up the stuff we ship UPS and put it together, and after, to repack it so we can reship it home. (When we first started long range in 1999, we could take everything with us on the airline! Some as checked baggage, some as carryon! Ha!) The other reason we stay for two days is, as we've gotten older, we also have found that flying in, taking a taxi to the boat just before it leaves, and to the airport just after it arrives, just doesn't work. It's too stressful.
Here's the bottom line: We are completely happy to be on this coming trip, and we are not going to let the cost influence us. What's done is done. It will provide memories for years to come.
But I'm guessing that the time when the average joe middle class type person could (with some careful saving) afford to go on a LR trip is coming to an end. I think that the time is soon upon us where "if you have to ask 'how much?', you can't afford it." (Rather like owning a boat and a slip.) And in my opinion that's a little sad, because I personally think that LR fishing (for a person who loves fishing) is the worlds most fun activity. If I'm correct, and the average Joe is going out of the game, it means that one of the true ocean sportfishing experiences is no longer accessible.
Well, that's my attempt to provide some information to anglers interested in LR trips. If you have the money, and if you love fishing, you can find no better vacation. PERIOD. The boats, the crews, the other anglers, are just fantastic. The fishing rocks. Being out there on the ocean for 8 days is just incredible.
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Oh carp. I just realized that I didn't include fish processing and shipping. Well, in 2006 we had ~250lb processed at ~$.50/lb (for a ~40% yield) and the air freight shipping was ~$100. In 2008 we will pay $.75/lb (for 5 star...and not regret the increase at all...great company) and the airlines tell me the air freight shipping will be about $150-170. So again, the increases will be about 50% in two years.
____________________________
Now, if I can just get my work done so that we can leave to go on the trip. (The great boss in the sky makes you sweat big time for taking vacations. LOL) We are going to have fun on the trip.....there is absolutely no doubt about it.
____________________________________
All opinions expressed above are ignorant and worth nothing, and the author doesn't wish to fight with anybody. If you disagree with anything, you are right. The question is not IF there are math errors, the question is whether any of the math is right. Everything in this post should be taken with multiple grains of salt (preferably pure ocean salt). Cheers.
) Willy and WD trip on the Rooster, I am getting more and more excited. Even more so, because it's become clear that this will be the last LR trip of Wifeo and OT. We are truly looking forward to it, and we plan to enjoy every second of the trip (and, of course, catch a bunch of wonderful fish). But it will close the curtain on our LR "career"...such as it was!LOLSome of you may wonder why this will be our last LR trip. I mean, after all, if we love it that much, why would we stop going? The answer is that, as decidedly middle class type folks, we cannot afford it anymore. We saved for two years for this 2008 trip, and when we initially asked Willy if we could join the trip in Fall 2007, we were at the margins of what we could afford. Since then, prices for everything have gone nutso. The combined package of all costs for the trip this year are now significantly beyond what we have saved. We are not going to let this affect our having fun (we WON'T!), but it does mean we cannot continue to participate in this truly wonderful activity. (I also make this post, in part, as a response to a couple of questions I've gotten by email about 'what it costs' from a nonexperts perspective. Figured it would just be easier to lay it out here.)
I thought I'd give some comparative costs for trips over the last few years, so that I could explain our decision. It may (or may not) be useful for other readers of these boards in trying to access their costs in going on a LR trip. In the following, I am excluding all costs of rods/reels/boots/belts but am including tackle that is used like line, spectra, hooks, etc.
As an historical indicator, an 8 day late June trip in 2001 called FF01 (sponsored by Allcoast...back when that was common) had the following total cost for us (including air, motel, rental car, LR trip, tip, fish processing, and air shipping of fish).....~$4200 for two. I won't break it down because this post will be too long as it is, but it gives a benchmark.
In 2006, we got to participate on our first Willy RRIII late June 8 day, and it was fantastic. (In the following, I may well have forgotten a cost, but it gives the idea.) The costs (I'm rounding off) were as follows (per person):
2006 costs of an 8 day
LR trip: $1900
Tip: $300
Airfare: $290
Motel: 2 nites prior, 2 nites after = 4 X $90 = $360 (divided by 2=$180)
Shipping tackle by UPS (both ways) + insurance = $310 (div by 2= $155)
Rental car: 2 days (after) = $85 (divided by 2,since per person)=$42
Food (4 days/restaurants in SD before/after)= $120
Terminal tackle + line on boat = $60
Total per person = $3047
TOTAL PER 2 PEOPLE = $6095
We had saved two years to go on this 2006 trip, and it was wonderful. In contrast, from 1999-2004, we had been able to go every year.The increase for 2006 compared to 2001 (= 6095-4200/4200) is 45%. I can tell you that our salaries did NOT increase by 45% in those 6 years. When we sat down and figured out the actual total costs, we realized that it was at the very edge of our budget.
For this years (2008 ) trip, our estimated costs (per person) are adding up as follows:
LR trip: $2150
LR fuel surcharge (est.) (8d. X $25)= $200
LR tip = $375
Airfare =$410 + baggage fee ($25)
Motel (4 nites, 2 before, 2 after at $150/nite--same motel as '06)= 4 X $150 = $600. (divide by 2 for per person = $300)
Shipping tackle by UPS + insur. (est. cost) = $450 (div. by 2 = 225)
Rental car (2 days after) = $115 (div by 2 = $57 per person)
Food (4 days...guess) =$140 per person
Terminal tackle + line on boat = $70 (guess)
Total per person = $3952
TOTAL PER 2 PEOPLE = $7904
I can tell you that the approximate percent increase from 2006 to 2008 is ~29% and again, I can tell you (for SURE) that our salaries did not increase by 29% over the last two years. (Something like 2.9% is more like it.)
This post was partly initiated by the emails asking me about our trips, and partly by Wifeo, who sat down and asked me to join her in calculating what it was going to cost. When we did it, we realized that LR trips today are clearly moving out of our league. We cannot afford this in the future. No, we aren't going to go into debt or lose our house, etc., but as a middle class type couple, we have to admit it is exobitant to spend this kind of money for a vacation, no matter how much each of us loves the activity. Even taking into account this is TWO YEARS of saving, it works out to ~$4000 a year......and that's just too rich for our blood, as they say.
I realize that our costs are high because there are two of us.However, having a spouse who loves to fish and loves the LR trip experience is wonderful. Having Wifeo on the trips has been incredible for me (and I think her as well). I realize that our costs also are higher than Socalians because we have to fly, and because we spend two days before and after. We spend the extra time so that we can pick up the stuff we ship UPS and put it together, and after, to repack it so we can reship it home. (When we first started long range in 1999, we could take everything with us on the airline! Some as checked baggage, some as carryon! Ha!) The other reason we stay for two days is, as we've gotten older, we also have found that flying in, taking a taxi to the boat just before it leaves, and to the airport just after it arrives, just doesn't work. It's too stressful.
Here's the bottom line: We are completely happy to be on this coming trip, and we are not going to let the cost influence us. What's done is done. It will provide memories for years to come.
But I'm guessing that the time when the average joe middle class type person could (with some careful saving) afford to go on a LR trip is coming to an end. I think that the time is soon upon us where "if you have to ask 'how much?', you can't afford it." (Rather like owning a boat and a slip.) And in my opinion that's a little sad, because I personally think that LR fishing (for a person who loves fishing) is the worlds most fun activity. If I'm correct, and the average Joe is going out of the game, it means that one of the true ocean sportfishing experiences is no longer accessible.
Well, that's my attempt to provide some information to anglers interested in LR trips. If you have the money, and if you love fishing, you can find no better vacation. PERIOD. The boats, the crews, the other anglers, are just fantastic. The fishing rocks. Being out there on the ocean for 8 days is just incredible.
____________________
____________________
Oh carp. I just realized that I didn't include fish processing and shipping. Well, in 2006 we had ~250lb processed at ~$.50/lb (for a ~40% yield) and the air freight shipping was ~$100. In 2008 we will pay $.75/lb (for 5 star...and not regret the increase at all...great company) and the airlines tell me the air freight shipping will be about $150-170. So again, the increases will be about 50% in two years.
____________________________
Now, if I can just get my work done so that we can leave to go on the trip. (The great boss in the sky makes you sweat big time for taking vacations. LOL) We are going to have fun on the trip.....there is absolutely no doubt about it.
____________________________________
All opinions expressed above are ignorant and worth nothing, and the author doesn't wish to fight with anybody. If you disagree with anything, you are right. The question is not IF there are math errors, the question is whether any of the math is right. Everything in this post should be taken with multiple grains of salt (preferably pure ocean salt). Cheers.
