A tour of marinas in Spain - where do you suggest I go?

[Deleted User YDKXO]

"Italy’s Ligurian coast , Marina d Loano" - that looks a very nice spot. Where do the prevailing winds come from?

Just had a look at the website. Looks nice but a big question for me would be how far away from your boat do you have to park your car and drag your luggage/shopping?

 

[Portofino]

"Italy’s Ligurian coast , Marina d Loano" - that looks a very nice spot. Where do the prevailing winds come from?

Well still working on that .
What’s thrown us is lack of wind compared to the SoF .When in the SoF and touring ...like going to say St Trop or Porquerolles ( to meet Bouba ) one always has in the back of your mind to be ready for a blow .Sure there are all the usual forecast etc etc , but many local winds funnelling down valleys etc .So forecast says one thing reality could be different on the ride home often .

We haven’t seen that yet here .











It’s like this flat most of the time .

 

[Portofino]

Just had a look at the website. Looks nice but a big question for me would be how far away from your boat do you have to park your car and drag your luggage/shopping?

Very close . yellow is where we park to load / unload .Then car goes into a under ground CP so shaded . You can rent a space near or for you a garage .There are garages under the sea wall and town side side wall for rent .
Also they deliver water @ € .8 per 1 1/2 L ......it’s .25 or .3 in the supermarket.
They collect oil and batteries too for €20 or something from your berth . Those blue doors are garages to rent .


Mikes boat could go there .....I wanted to be there but it’s for 55 ft upwards .




Yellow where we park to unload etc .

 

[MapisM]

I am guessing the prices in Mallorca would be somewhere between £30,000 and £60,000 for a 20m berth

I don't think I would consider that for 30k quid, but I might (just) be interested for 60.
If they would GIVE me that sort of money, that is.

 

[MapisM]

Porto, I hope you don't mind me highlighting, since you are now based in the Country of poets, saints and sailors, that the typical Brit excuse for a wrong courtesy flag (i.e. it's what most chandlers stock) isn't acceptable anymore.
So, just get a plain vanilla IT flag - the one with the Maritime Republics shield is only meant as ensign of IT-registered vessels. :encouragement:

 

[Portofino]

Porto, I hope you don't mind me highlighting, since you are now based in the Country of poets, saints and sailors, that the typical Brit excuse for a wrong courtesy flag (i.e. it's what most chandlers stock) isn't acceptable anymore.
So, just get a plain vanilla IT flag - the one with the Maritime Republics shield is only meant as ensign of IT-registered vessels. :encouragement:

Thx P really appreciate the faux pas .
Will sort .

 

[jrudge]

@ J rudge and any others with itchy feet .
We’ve moved to Italy’s Ligurian coast , Marina d Loano to be precise but there are plenty of others .
Ours was based on logistics of nearest base from Switzerland - shorter drive .

Boat wise we have up and down that coast plenty of times and sure it’s less interesting than SoF .However Monaco is 2 hrs and Lerins ( Cannes islands 3 hrs ) so it’s not like we have been exiled etc .Plus a huge fresh cruising ground to our E and S = Elba etc .

But the point is this ........a pleasant upside ....
It’s cheap , refreshingly cheap .Large Beer €4.50 not €7/8 as Cote d Azur .
Yard labour €40 / hr as opposed to 70/80 .
My berth ( 14m ) is €6600 + tax so under €8 k all in no service charge just leccy on meter est €4/6 00 ? currently renting out by SoF for €17 K pa took a week to find a tenant .

It’s a posh one by Liguria standards there are even cheaper .
We choose it on location not price .
Meals out can be peanuts like starters €5\7 and mains teens .
Pizza Marguerite €6 etc etc .
There’s some “ posh “ places like Alassiso nearby ,

Genoa airport is 55 mins away with regulators flights into London and Nice 2 hrs away .

Sea bottom is sand and the people are really warm + nice .

It’s just if you are wanting to escape without the hassle of expensive SoF and availability commitments you could try the Liguria for a year and boat into the SoF for a sniff around.

We bought 2 years they do discount if you buy more years . Our tenant s contract ends Sept 21
So far I have not regretted it .Its different in a positive kinda way .

Take stabs for example .....

Obviously I follow the threads which mostly seem to be rolling @ anchor stuff on the tables going flying etc etc .,,,buts that’s just shear boat density / crowded areas / wakes etc .
Fully understand and sympathise feel the pain etc etc in the Cote d Azur .

How ever in the Liguria all that’s a none event , none starter because of the low density , there just isn’t the crowdedness to make unpleasant wakes to stimulate any sales in stabs .

What is the closest airport ?

I did consider san remo

 

[Portofino]

What is the closest airport ?

I did consider san remo

Genoa is less than an hr by road .Its got a marina next door and actually is a nice city .
So it’s poss to go there and pick up guests if you want .
Nice is 2 hrs away .
Bergamo between Milan and Turin do Ryan air , 3 hrs
Albenga is a small private’s airport 10 miles away from Loano .
Loano has a helipad and maybe in the summer 1 movement every few days .
There’s a few heads of African countries and heads of big businesses keep there boats at Loano .
So skyscanner Genoa .

San Remo is ok it’s less than a hr W and only 1 hr from Monaco . So only an hr in it sea time wise .
It’s a bit old marina wise and has those parking issues .
Coast immediately out is not as interesting as Loano s there’s no go to islands to go to and swim for a day trip . Towns nice .

 

[Portofino]

5 miles E of Loano .......see the sandy bottom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzeywZNmcCI

And here’s that little island W
11 mins P speed or 40 D
Gives you an idea of the boat density
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njP1GhBEH-s

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Very close . yellow is where we park to load / unload .Then car goes into a under ground CP so shaded . You can rent a space near or for you a garage .There are garages under the sea wall and town side side wall for rent .
Also they deliver water @ € .8 per 1 1/2 L ......it’s .25 or .3 in the supermarket.
They collect oil and batteries too for €20 or something from your berth . Those blue doors are garages to rent .
Yellow where we park to unload etc .

Thanks thats interesting

 

[jrudge]

Genoa is less than an hr by road .Its got a marina next door and actually is a nice city .
So it’s poss to go there and pick up guests if you want .
Nice is 2 hrs away .
Bergamo between Milan and Turin do Ryan air , 3 hrs
Albenga is a small private’s airport 10 miles away from Loano .
Loano has a helipad and maybe in the summer 1 movement every few days .
There’s a few heads of African countries and heads of big businesses keep there boats at Loano .
So skyscanner Genoa .

San Remo is ok it’s less than a hr W and only 1 hr from Monaco . So only an hr in it sea time wise .
It’s a bit old marina wise and has those parking issues .
Coast immediately out is not as interesting as Loano s there’s no go to islands to go to and swim for a day trip . Towns nice .

I bought a new to me aircraft and a few weeks later headed down to Italy etc. We landed at Albenga which was in a mountain bowl and was “ interesting “

Do they have berths available for 18m?

 

[Portofino]

I bought a new to me aircraft and a few weeks later headed down to Italy etc. We landed at Albenga which was in a mountain bowl and was “ interesting “

Do they have berths available for 18m?

Yes up to 65 M
There was a Nordi 57 opposite me for a couple of weeks visiting.

 

[Hurricane]

Thanks thats interesting

Those garages look interesting, Mike.
We have little lock up sheds in SC that the Spanish call paniolas.
They are worth their weight in gold and difficult to get.
We often joke that the paniolas are worth more than the berths.
But, seriously, if you get interested in that place, get a garage as well - you will be amazed at what you can put in it!!!

 

[Hurricane]

I don't think I would consider that for 30k quid, but I might (just) be interested for 60.
If they would GIVE me that sort of money, that is.

Yep P
Last year a friend told me 58,000 euros in Portals for an 18m berth.
That is probably just the starting price and the price will have gone up now.
It is SILLY money.

 

[PlanB]

Can you comment on La Duquesa vs Sotogrande ?
I lived aboard in Duquesa for 12 years and would say it's much preferable to Sotogrande, especially if a bit of life in winter is one of the things you are looking for. Four proper supermarkets within walking distance, a proper little town with several banks and all the other things you might need. Estepona nearby - good town (also with marina which has a comprehensive chandler). Nice beaches - handy for GIb. Flights from Gib or Malaga.
Both Duquesa and Sotogrande have lifts which can cope with your boat. Both have comprehensive yard services and you can work on your own boat in Duquesa - I think you still can in Soto and you used to be able to stay on your boat. Duquesa's staff are amazingly helpful - anecdotally Sotogrande's have been less than helpful in stormy weather when Soto can get really bouncy.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

But, seriously, if you get interested in that place, get a garage as well - you will be amazed at what you can put in it!!!

I've fixed that M! I've bought a house in SoF just to store all my boat stuff

 

[jrudge]

Yep P
Last year a friend told me 58,000 euros in Portals for an 18m berth.
That is probably just the starting price and the price will have gone up now.
It is SILLY money.

Probably about right but Portals is pretty much double the price of anywhere else with the exception of Adriano .

I dont like it. There is nil security, people wandering up and down the pontoons and Russian ladies of the evening post midnight in the bars!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

and Russian ladies of the evening post midnight in the bars!

You are obviously informing us as a result of previous experience, J?

 

[petem]

You are obviously informing us as a result of previous experience, J?

Having a bit of a penchant for marina villages I'd be quite happy spending a year in Portals (it's quite cheap for a 10m boat like ours) but my partner hates it there.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Having a bit of a penchant for marina villages I'd be quite happy spending a year in Portals (it's quite cheap for a 10m boat like ours) but my partner hates it there.

I've been there many times and a friend of mine used to keep his boat there. Yes its a bit bling and full of orange Germans as well as Russian hookers (at least according to jrudge, I wouldnt know), but actually there's pretty much everything right on the doorstep to sustain boating life in terms of shops, bars and restaurants so it really isnt a bad place to keep a boat