Diesel or petrol boat for Med. cruising?

Boreades said:
Hi

I've just bought a cheap boat on eBay
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sailing-Ya...vip=true&rt=nc

and I'm planning to sail it back to Turkey for Christmas 2013.

Can anyone advise what sort of canned food I should take with me? I've heard Fray Bentos pies and Heinz Baked Beans are good. What do other people think?
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Albert Hein Goulashsoeup is very good & tastes good 2 yrs out of date.
will keep you posted on the other "out of date " stuff as we go
 
Frankie-H said:
Port Napoleon, Pt St Louis Du Rhone.

Sadly not for much longer. After 17 years as full time liveaboards. It is time to accept responsibility, health care and a reasonable hot water system.

However the memories and dreams still linger in the twilight. :D
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Hi frankie,
Its difficult living in a foreign country as an ex-pat. My experience is that after a number of years abroad, it's the small things that eventually draw you homeward bound.
Like how fluently you can speak the language, I mean really fluently not shopping French. And the culture. I know lots of Local French people, go to their houses, but even after all this time I've yet to tell a joke in French.

And the beaurocracy system, how on earth does that work?

In the end It's only natural to live in your homeland, amoungst your own people. Visit France for holidays, that's the best compromise.
 
Barnac1e said:
Mike, this guy is either a troll and winding us all up or so unbelievably naive and inexperienced of what is needed to accomplish his dream and just how big the Med. is and how nasty it can get at times. I came to the conclusion it is a bit of both. As he seems intent to drag in a mobo vs sail argument from misinterpreting genuine advice, this is my last posting on the subject.
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Look, I'm genuinely interested in your opinions, and this is a serious enquiry about life on the Med. Who wouldn't want to cruise this gorgeous area?

Totally agree with what you've said, especially about the Med Weather. If you look at houses in the Province they all have closed off chimneys, leaving a small gap for the smoke to escape to the south. Tourists imagine it's just a quaint local tradition, not a bit of it!

Hurricain winds can roar down the Rhone valley without notice, even on a beautiful summer's day. One minute it's calm and serene, he next the trees are bent over double. Often the olive harvest is totally lost before the trees can be picked.

I can't imagine what that would be like offshore on a yacht. Knock downs in the Med. are often reported in the press. I once knew a local guy who did charter out of Cannes old port, he told me that's the reason the majority of the boats stay tied up in harbour for most of the year, summer included, is for that very reason.Good tip: One of he most popular places to anchor out off Cannes is between the 'Iles de Lerins', just 1 mile offshore. The two islands nearly give 360* protection in most wind directions.

So what I'm really saying is I expect to anchor out at every opportunity. So that's why I didn't include marina charges in my budget .

You know what they say, the smaller the boat the bigger the fun!
 
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You can do it, no problem in a diesel boat, i did it 20 years ago ,trouble was the boat had a few guns up front and about 200 crew, oh and a grey funnel.:)
 
Here's deck plan for the MF 625.
Going on the 50/50 location of the wheel house windscreen, ie it will about half of any given hull length, the amount of standing headroom is remarkable.

From the transom to the helm there us over 10' by 8', 80 sq. ft.
Compare that to a boat like the Swift trawler 34, 9 tons, 400 hp, £230k, with only 12'.

I discount the cabins, who lives in their cabin?

So small is beautiful makes sense.
 
rustybarge said:
Here's deck plan for the MF 625.
Going on the 50/50 location of the wheel house windscreen, ie it will about half of any given hull length, the amount of standing headroom is remarkable.

From the transom to the helm there us over 10' by 8', 80 sq. ft.
Compare that to a boat like the Swift trawler 34, 9 tons, 400 hp, £230k, with only 12'.

I discount the cabins, who lives in their cabin?

So small is beautiful makes sense.
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What type of anchor do you prefer for the Calas
 
rustybarge said:
Hurricain winds can roar down the Rhone valley without notice, even on a beautiful summer's day. One minute it's calm and serene, he next the trees are bent over double. Often the olive harvest is totally lost before the trees can be picked.
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Typically during winter there will be a couple of days with winds of over 100mph in the marina. Last year we had 183km/h in the marina which I am hoping is a bit of a record - i.e. does not get repeated too often.

No idea what it is like offshore in those conditions, and I hope to never find out.
 
michaelchapman said:
Typically during winter there will be a couple of days with winds of over 100mph in the marina. Last year we had 183km/h in the marina which I am hoping is a bit of a record - i.e. does not get repeated too often.

No idea what it is like offshore in those conditions, and I hope to never find out.
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It's the severity of the gusts that's startling. The best description is its like standing beside a rail track as a fast train comes hurtling past.

Lake sailers must be more aware of the dangers of catabatic winds. The tunnel effect between the Alps and the Massif Central at Lyon is only 20 miles wide. All the winds form the the north are concentrated into that small gap, i suppose its no wonder they reach such high speeds.

It's sobering to consider what happens if you are just wafting around in light airs. I reckon he Med. has many hidden dangers; normally the wind is fairly constant in UK waters and you can easily estimate gusts from the average wind speeds.
 
I have been caught out a couple of times. Drifting along with full sail up in at most a F2, then less than 5 minutes later putting multiple reefs in for a full gale.

This has a tendency of dumping the coffee cups on the floor - but in a Pilot Cutter it is not too dangerous.

However, I can imagine a catamaran caught with full sail up flipping over.....
 
rustybarge said:
Look, I'm genuinely interested in your opinions, and this is a serious enquiry about life on the Med.
[........]
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So I'm rising to the bait again ... I'm going to hate myself for this ... But, hey, let's play along, it can be fun. As someone said, it's Christmas - Merry Christmas, rustybarge and all you others out there chewing on your popcorn!

So what I'm really saying is I expect to anchor out at every opportunity. So that's why I didn't include marina charges in my budget
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So you will have to find anchorages - but they are not always where you want them especially when you have done your short hop dash along the coast. Two years ago I cruised to the Ionian from north east Italy and didn't stop until Vieste (on the spur) 280nm and four days later because of the lack of suitable anchorages on the Italian Adriatic side and didn't want to incur the exorbitant charges of entering Croatia.

And when you do find your anchorage, what dinghy/tender will you have to get ashore for provisioning? And where will you store it on your tiny boat? Will you have a 3rd o/b to power it? That's after the main drive one and the emergency 6hp one.

You know what they say, the smaller the boat the bigger the fun!
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No, I didn't know they say that and I seriously doubt that if they did, they were referring to cruising the distances you are planning on, in the boat you are planning on.

Always remember, "confidence is what you feel before you understand the situation".
 
michaelchapman said:
However, I can imagine a catamaran caught with full sail up flipping over.....
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I know that cats can dig 'in' in a strong gust, the bows have very little bouyancy, hence the continuos pitching motion they experience under way. Those massive 'round the world' cats look like they're balanced on an knife edge......funny they don't mention that when they're selling you one!

Every design concept you choose, requires compromise in other vital area's. IMO buy a specialist craft for the exact function you require, otherwise it will be mediocre at everything else.
 
Does anybody remember the film 'An American Werewolf in London' Where actors in the police rolls were discussing the beasts as a normal idea? Something about this thread catches a memory, just trying to put my finger on it.... I will get back later when enough fizz has enabled my cells to get it.
Merry Xmass to all.
DW
 
Barnac1e said:
So you will have to find anchorages - but they are not always where you want them especially when you have done your short hop dash along the coast. Two years ago I cruised to the Ionian from north east Italy and didn't stop until Vieste (on the spur) 280nm and four days later because of the lack of suitable anchorages on the Italian Adriatic side and didn't want to incur the exorbitant charges of entering Croatia.

And when you do find your anchorage, what dinghy/tender will you have to get ashore for provisioning? And where will you store it on your tiny boat? Will you have a 3rd o/b to power it? That's after the main drive one and the emergency 6hp one.


No, I didn't know they say that and I seriously doubt that if they did, they were referring to cruising the distances you are planning on, in the boat you are planning on.

Always remember, "confidence is what you feel before you understand the situation".
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Hi Barni,

May I quote Uffa Fox the greatest modern sailboat designer in the last 50 years, who introduced the first planning hulls after the Ww2; " weight is only useful on a steam roller"

I grew up with the light is better philosophy. My first car was a Mini 850, a pocket rocket go kart, that did 50 mpg back in the sixties. Toyota Prius eat your heart out! My next car was a Morgan 1600 cross flow of 1973 vintage, again a lightweight that could top accelerate like a scalded cat, err....up to about 40 mph. I won't mention the sophisticated suspension.

So the MF 625 is just following this principle:Heavy boats= massive power= bankruptcy for normal mortals like me. Sure I could afford to buy a Antares 9 or MF 925 for about £50k, but who can afford 2 mpg or less. 100 nm costs £350 in diesel.....WTF! So the original concept of the MF 625 was cheap as chips boating..........turns out that might be an erroneous miscalculation.


Hear what I think might be reality: anchor out in good weather. Sneak in with the local sea angling boats when the forecast is bad. How much can they really charge for a 6 mtr boat?

Regarding the tender, if a 6 hp standby is big enough for emergency use, then it will fit onto a nice 2.3 mtr inflatable.

It all going to be a marvellous adventure, in touch with the elemental sea, at one with nature. Dolphins jumping on my bow wave as I surge through the breaking surf. People in the street nodding knowingly at me, admired as a real sea dog. Surely this is how legends are made. One man against the sea.
 
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The MF650 is a perfect Med cruiser - light, fast, spacious and easily sailed by a couple, all the sheets can be brought into the cockpit and the pillows and duvets as well. But don't discount other designs, the Anderson 22 is used by many for the ARC so it will handle the blustery conditions of the Med, it doesn't have any decks though so you have to stay in the cockpit but who wants to go on deck when it's raining anyway?
 
I look forward to seeing you sneak into ports without completing the paperwork. Sea dog? Barking more like.
 
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