30ft'er UK to Med - Any comments?

[Trajan]

30ft\'er UK to Med - Any comments?

Hi

Looking at going south next spring - doing non stop down to Gibraltar and then messing around in the med... The boat is a top notch, A1 condition 1991 Seawolf 30 MKIII a Heavy C/R fully fitted, beds for 7 - taking 4 crew. Lots of stowage space - Top line harken deck gear throughout - We got a full new rigging package comming from Selden next month, ORC coded to CAT 2 (for the offshore RORC racing we do). Without pushing we can average about 6 sail. Motor for 50 hours at cruise speed of 6.5 knots in average conditions (Asuming fuel load of about 200 litres). Food / water all no problem - (water maker and fishing rods onboard just in case!!)

I am not too worried about the boat - others in her range have gone much further and boat and crew have battled in all weathers in the past but are there Any major problems or issues with the area? from my calculations it looks as if it will take anything from 8 to 12 days from Holyhead (home port) so long as no major headers! We have done waters from Tarbert in the North, Cork in the west to Helegoland in the east. but no further south than IOW!


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[ccscott49]

Re: 30ft\'er UK to Med - Any comments?

You seem to have it all together, just check your weather for about two weeks before leaving, studying whats in the atlantic and coming your way, no problems I can see.

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[Gunfleet]

Re: 30ft\'er UK to Med - Any comments?

You don't think 4 on a 30 fter is a bit of a squash for that long?

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[jerryat]

Re: 30ft\'er UK to Med - Any comments?

Hi Trajan,

I agree, it sounds as if you've thought it all through, though I would be inclined to consider one or two stops en-route, if only to let the crew stretch their legs and to buy fresh food. I think four up shouldn't cause you too many problems provided you all get along extremely well together and can play to each others strengths and weaknesses.

As others have mentioned, start your 'weather watching' at least two weeks ahead to get a 'feel' of what's happening generally and what you can expect over a given time span. I can thoroughly recommend the five day forecasts from Offenbach (Hamburg) if you have access to an HF receiver, though presumably you should be able to get them via the Web - never tried though. They tend to be very accurate in my experience and are brilliant for the Med.

We are edging in favour of going down the canals this time for a change in the Spring, as we want to head off to the eastern end of the Med for a while. Anyway, have a great trip.

Cheers
Jerry


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[Birdseye]

Re: 30ft\'er UK to Med - Any comments?

I you are short of time, or inclined to the macho man bit, then straight to gib makes sense. If you have the time, however, dont miss northern spain. It a great cruising area right from the French border at Hendaye. In contrast, the Eastern med is expensive and in some areas crowded. Plus hot - not much fun in a small boat.

And the trouble with the direct crossing is that it is real difficult to miss bad weather - forecasts 5 days out arent worth much at all.

Take plenty of spares. Decent well equipped chandlers are rarer the further south you go. Spain is not really developed in yachting terms so chandleries are limited.

Get yourself an SSR with a shorter loa on it (sorry Mr ssr I measured it wrong. Its really.....) and save yourself money in the marinas. The doc is taken seriously abroad. Dont forget translations of your insurance cert.

For money, the Nationwide do credit and debit cards whose exchange rates and charges cannot be beaten. Way better than the big 5.

<hr width=100% size=1>this post is a personal opinion, and you should not base your actions on it.