first question: liveaboard, portugal perhaps?

[Star-Lord]

We found the people friendly, language is more akin to Portuguese than Spanish.

Yes the locals call it Galifornia! Very friendly people and better bread and croissants than Portugal. Portuguese food may be healthy but this is a euphamism for rustic? Galician food is special. Very little to do with Spain in many respects and they keep their boats and marinas in tip top shape. Baiona (MRYC) yacht club has challenged for the America‘s Cup. Amazing amazing anchorages with dinghy trips to bars and restaurants. And the local marinas have no problem with a visitor dinghy turning up looking for parking. If you are the type of person who wants to stay in one spot till you drop dead then the Algarve is tailor made for you.

 

[Star-Lord]

All true but the winter weather is no match for the Algarve.

Summer in Galicia and Winter in the Algarve is best. One year I used the cruising chute all the way from Sines to Baiona in May. And the return trip is always epic.

 

[Sailfree]

We live 70mls N of Lisbon. Boat in Nazare marina.

I went to a shop to the N of Alcobaca (inland to Nazare) and spoke to a person who was studying in UK.

He surprised me by saying often when he phone Portugal in winter it was colder in Portugal.

We did our recognoiter trip in January. The N around Porto was cold and wet.
Silver Coast is about 4-5 deg cooler than Algarve but that's an advantage to us when Algarve overheats.

Lots of info on weather channels including. Average monthly temps with min and max and rainfall. Everywhere is a compromise and weather is not everything. Costs are also a factor. We find Spain more expensive and France even dearer than Spain.

We have friend in Brittany and I regularly compare temps. Today Southampton 11 deg, brittany 11 deg, Nazare 18 deg (rain), Lagos 19 deg. Carvalhal where we have our house is slightly inland so hotter on good days but colder overnight. Today Carvalhal 23 deg but usually Algarve is warmer.

Everyone max temperature varies but I was made aware of this when so many say they love the place but go back to UK for July and August as too hot and too busy!

 

[Sailfree]

Wolffie.

I think you first problem is buying the right boat in good condition at the best price.

Personally I would separate that from where you want to be a liveaboard.

I suggest you get a list of potential purchases the arrange a trip to travel around by hire car looking at them.

Assuming a reasonable price get it surveyed. While looking around at boats also look at the Marinas. Speak to people there.

Buy the right boat then move it to where you want it. If I sold my boat I would not object to sailing it to its new home with the new owner as a shakedown/training cruise.

While we base our boat in Nazare and have a house nearby if we were liveaboards i would definately consider different bases for different periods of the year. Again others will tell you of opportunities - sailors are friendly people - dont judge them by the occasional keyboard warrior on here.

For some 12 years (when I then lived in the UK) I arranged the Scuttlebutt Cruise from UK to Cherbourg over 1 weekend in September. It was a great opportunity for newbies to do their first cross channel often getting advice before going and knowing if any problems there are other boats in the vicinity doing the same trip. In Chebourg I arranged a wine tasting in the morning followed by an afternoon pontoon party with drinks followed by dinner at the YC. Often about 40 or so people. Some of the threads are still visible in the section Archive Forum.

Doing this I met a great bunch of guys that lurk on these Forums.

We all started somewhere and there are no silly questions - just opinionated answers

 

[Quiddle]

Summer in Galicia and Winter in the Algarve is best. One year I used the cruising chute all the way from Sines to Baiona in May. And the return trip is always epic.

That's a sore point with me. Just holed my chute big time on rig and am sitting in the anchorage at Cascais waiting for the nice people at North Sails to put things right. Looking at forecast I don't think I'll be using it again any time soon heading North.

 

[Quiddle]

Wolffie.

I think you first problem is buying the right boat in good condition at the best price.

Personally I would separate that from where you want to be a liveaboard.

I suggest you get a list of potential purchases the arrange a trip to travel around by hire car looking at them.

Assuming a reasonable price get it surveyed. While looking around at boats also look at the Marinas. Speak to people there.

Buy the right boat then move it to where you want it. ....if we were liveaboards i would definately consider different bases for different periods of the year.

Very good advice. Winter for 6 months in Algarve with good marina deals then head to N Spain for summer where indefinite, comfortable anchoring is possible with a decent solar array. But for Brexit, Covid etc that would have been our choice for a year or so.

 

[Star-Lord]

Buying a boat with EU VAT paid is almost necessary if intending living in Europe now! Unless you take it to Morrocco or Tunisia or Turkey etc every 18 months. I think lying a boat in Finland or Sweden/Norway is a great idea because they have short seasons and lots of money to look after their kit AND many are stored inside over winter!!! Failing that Netherlands is also a good spot imho.

Potyugal gets called but London in the winter without heated car seats is grim! Gloves and scarves and everything.

North Sails in Cascais did some stitching for me as well. Shouldn't be too busy right now?

 

[Sailfree]

Nazare rarely got as low as 6 deg C overnight in Winter being on the coast. Inland some nights you can get frost - never as cold as London in my experience.

 

[25931]

Nazare rarely got as low as 6 deg C overnight in Winter being on the coast. Inland some nights you can get frost - never as cold as London in my experience.

I have known groundfrost in Vilamoura.

 

[Sailfree]

Duplicate

 

[Sailfree]

I have known groundfrost in Vilamoura.

My experience is limited to last 4yrs in Nazare and have not seen ground frost there. Once inland you get frost in Winter on the Silver Coast.

How often in Vilamoura ? Was it exceptional?

 

[25931]

My experience is limited to last 4yrs in Nazare and have not seen ground frost there. Once inland you get frost in Winter on the Silver Coast.

How often in Vilamoura ? Was it exceptional?

I have no actual figures but it is not uncommon whereas here in the hills overlooking Faro I´ve ony seen t once in 35 years.

 

[greeny]

Here in Ferragudo we get car windscreen frost/ice maybe a dozen times a year max but its always long gone by the time I need to drive. Friends who play golf and tee off early, told me so.

 

[Graham376]

Here in Ferragudo we get car windscreen frost/ice maybe a dozen times a year max but its always long gone by the time I need to drive. Friends who play golf and tee off early, told me so.

Any ground frost has usually gone by the time I crawl out of my pit