Boating season is officially starting!

[Hurricane]

Es Calo on Formentera.
This is a really beautiful place.
Our little this year discovery.

A few more pics from the drone.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Es Calo on Formentera.
This is a really beautiful place.
Our little this year discovery.

Thanks M. We never managed to get there in our travels around the Balearics so good recommendation

 

[vas]

Es Calo on Formentera.
This is a really beautiful place.
Our little this year discovery.

A few more pics from the drone.

v.nice pics indeed!

M, any reason you are all too far away from the shore in the pic above? what's the water depth closer?
Wouldn't it be a good spot for a line to the rocks or was it only a lunch stop?

cheers

V.

 

[Hurricane]

Yes.
A massive amount of sand and deep (5 to 8 metres).
You may wonder why we were so far out.
Well, it was a nice midway position between the rocks fit snorkelling and the little harbour for dinner in the evenings.
We took the tender in to both the snorkelling and the harbour.
A couple of years ago, I bought a ladder to make it easy to climb back into the tender.

The water here is ultra clear.
This afternoon, one of our friends dropped her mask/snorkel and didn't notice until we got back to the boats.
So we drove back to where we thought she had dropped it and it was visible from 30m away - luckily in about 3m of water so we were able to retrieve it.

 

[Hurricane]

We have checked into Santa Eulalia because the wind is forecast for today to be a bit strong for all the anchorages.
Managed to get a last minute berth for two boats.
October 1st so we are on winter rates.
JW is 20m and the price was 162 euros for two nights inc a min charge for water and electricity.
We like Santa Eulalia so we will probably stay an extra night and head back to Sant Carles on Friday.
We have a ferry booked from Santander to Plymouth next week so it looks like our season is finally over.
I will probably fly out in November for a week but that's it for JW's 11th season.
Great boat - still enjoying her.

 

[petem]

We're planning on a long weekend at the end of the month and that will likely be it for the year for us.

This year I'm going to pay the guy who looks after the boat to take it out once a month to blow the cobwebs off it.

After this year's atrocious weather I'm doubtful we'll go out for Easter next year so May might be our first trip out.

 

[kashurst]

We're planning on a long weekend at the end of the month and that will likely be it for the year for us.

This year I'm going to pay the guy who looks after the boat to take it out once a month to blow the cobwebs off it.

After this year's atrocious weather I'm doubtful we'll go out for Easter next year so May might be our first trip out.

Best to give March & April a wide berth on the Costa Blanca - weather is usually cold, wet and damp. Jan and Feb can be lovely if you feel the need to burn some diesel. Cold out at sea though - need a jumper.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Great boat - still enjoying her.

From what I've seen of the P67, I'd agree with that. I'm not sure that the current range of Princess flybridge boats is as good. A bit too like blocks of flats rather than boats but I guess thats what the market seems to want

 

[petem]

Best to give March & April a wide berth on the Costa Blanca - weather is usually cold, wet and damp. Jan and Feb can be lovely if you feel the need to burn some diesel. Cold out at sea though - need a jumper.

Jan / Feb is definitely worth a thought as I don't think I can be parted from the boat for a whole 6 months. I think I can cope with a jumper (or fire up the Eberspacher) .

 

[MapisM]

Blimey P, is Andiamo really equipped with diesel heating?
That's unheard of in the Med, also in MUCH larger boats!

 

[petem]

Blimey P, is Andiamo really equipped with diesel heating?
That's unheard of in the Med, also in MUCH larger boats!

Remember it was a UK boat for many years and there was no point in pulling the Eber out.

I know it still works because at 4am every Tuesday morning it starts up on the timer which is pretty much the last thing you want in the middle of August! I end up just pushing random buttons until the thing stops then I go back to bed.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Blimey P, is Andiamo really equipped with diesel heating?
That's unheard of in the Med, also in MUCH larger boats!

Really? We often use our aircon in reverse cycle mode during the winter months in the Med but it produces an unpleasant dry heat. Also because the vents are high up in every cabin, we tend to get an uneven distribution of heat with the top of each cabin being warm and the bottom cold. We often say that it would be nicer to have an Eberspacher type diesel heater with outlets at a low level, as we had on our boats in the UK, and if I was speccing a new boat for the Med, I would almost definitely spec diesel heating as well as aircon

 

[MapisM]

I'm not sure that the air "quality" is better/less dry with a diesel heater vs. airco, M.
But heating distribution does indeed matter - in fact, both with our previous and with this boat, in the winter we tend to use a couple of small electrical heaters when necessary, rather than fire up the airco.

What I would choose if I were speccing a new boat without budget limits is probably a floor heated through water circulation, akin to the house systems.
I heard of such installation on a very big SL (IIRC), and I believe that nothing else comes close, for providing a pleasant environment.
But other than such exotic solutions, I'm skeptic about the added value of diesel heating per se.

Anyhow, in my previous post I just meant that it's extremely rare to come across that in Med boats, not that it doesn't make any sense.
In fact, coming to think of it, the ORY which you saw in Genoa was specced with it...

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

What I would choose if I were speccing a new boat without budget limits is probably a floor heated through water circulation, akin to the house systems.
I heard of such installation on a very big SL (IIRC), and I believe that nothing else comes close, for providing a pleasant environment.
But other than such exotic solutions, I'm skeptic about the added value of diesel heating per se.

Underfloor heating is very common in N Europe. In fact we have it in our house, both water circulation underfloor heating and electric underfloor heating in the main bathroom . And I've heard of it on boats too but mainly in heads compartments although I think that may be electric rather than water. Yes it is one possibility although I guess it would be a lot more expensive than diesel heating

 

[Hurricane]

I don't tend to use the reverse A/C in winter.
Just a couple of fan heaters in the morning to take the chill off.
And a portable oil filled radiator in the cabin - on all the time we are on board.
Otherwise, it tends to be warm enough.

 

[Hurricane]

From what I've seen of the P67, I'd agree with that. I'm not sure that the current range of Princess flybridge boats is as good. A bit too like blocks of flats rather than boats but I guess thats what the market seems to want

Yep she definitely an "owners boat".
Probably not much use for chartering but as a boat that you can really use, she is great.
For example we are here in Santa Eulalia after a nice lunch in town and as most on here know, we have a big tender. At the moment, I am sitting in the cockpit and the tender is on the fly bridge completely out of site and mind.

 

[MapisM]

as most on here know, we have a big tender.

Funny you should mention it, M.
Just a few days ago, I was thinking that the possibility to store a large-ish RIB on the f/b is the only thing which I'm missing a bit, in my boat.
Not so much for using it as a tender actually, more as an alternative way of going out for a swim without the hassle of moving the mother ship.

The reason why this popped to my mind is that we had some perfect weather conditions for enjoying a very small bay where you can't enter with anything above 30 feet max.
So, we hired one of the marina RIBs with a couple of boating mates, and off we went.
And it couldn't have been a better half day at sea. Your Novu would have been perfect for that purpose!

All we carried with us were fins and masks, so no pics, sorry.
But I'll see if I can explain it with a gmaps sat image, to give at least an idea of the spot, also for your future reference! :encouragement:

 

[BartW]

But I'll see if I can explain it with a gmaps sat image, to give at least an idea of the spot, also for your future reference! :encouragement:

yes pls, let that come

 

[Hurricane]

Funny you should mention it, M.
Just a few days ago, I was thinking that the possibility to store a large-ish RIB on the f/b is the only thing which I'm missing a bit, in my boat.
Not so much for using it as a tender actually, more as an alternative way of going out for a swim without the hassle of moving the mother ship.

The reason why this popped to my mind is that we had some perfect weather conditions for enjoying a very small bay where you can't enter with anything above 30 feet max.
So, we hired one of the marina RIBs with a couple of boating mates, and off we went.
And it couldn't have been a better half day at sea. Your Novu would have been perfect for that purpose!

All we carried with us were fins and masks, so no pics, sorry.
But I'll see if I can explain it with a gmaps sat image, to give at least an idea of the spot, also for your future reference! :encouragement:

Yep - please show us that place.

The Novurania has been a huge success.

The old Walker Bay was much more fun but the Novurania is a "work horse".#
We can go distances that we wouldn't have dreamed of in the Walker Bay.
For example, last year we would leave the mother ship and go to dinner a few bays journey away.
The first year that we had it in Roses, it was extremely useful as we couldn't get out of the marina much.

Some on this forum will remember the thread where we discussed how the Novurania would fit on the flybridge.
Ad thats where it is usually stored.
But between anchorages it travels on the bathing platform.
Doesn't leave much space - this pic taken recently from the flybridge.

When we first had the Novurania, I bought a "hook over" ladder which makes it really easy to board after swimming/snorkelling.

It also has a bimini which we tend to use more in our home berth but it does fold nicely down for lifting.

Also at night we lift it onto the bathing platform so that we can make a quick getaway if the weather changes.

When the Novurania is on the bathing platform, we can't reach the ships bathing ladder so I made some straps for the Novurania's bathing ladder. This enables us to climb back onto the boat's port rear quarter whilst the Novurania is occupying the bathing platform.
SWMBO often jumps in to check the anchor when we arrive at a bay so it is useful to be able to climb back on.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

But between anchorages it travels on the bathing platform.
Doesn't leave much space - this pic taken recently from the flybridge.

Blimey how do you go for a swim from the bathing platform with that big lump in the way or step onto a quay?