Eastern Turkey to Malta next year does this sound like a good plan.

[mocruising]

Next season we need to visit Malta. At the moment we are in Eastern Turkey. Looking at the weather patterns between Malta and Cyprus it seems the best time to make west from the Pelloponese to Malta is the height of the Meltemi season when there are good northerlies for that leg. However this is a bad time to be heading west from the easten Med. to the Pelloponese. What we plan is to leave about May have a leisurely couple of weeks crossing to the Pelloponese leave the boat in the southern part at that marina down there (For a months work) and then sail over to Malta July some time. Then back to Turkey the end of August. I know its only a week if we wanted to put the engine on but I love to sail. This should allow us to get the big kite up.

 

[Richard10002]

Why do you "need" to visit Malta? If I were in Greece or Turkey, I wouldn't be heading further West unless I absolutely had to.

 

[Boatbuoy]

Hi Mocruising. Completely new to this forum, i am planning on living aboard in the Med next year,(Jeanneau 35 is prospective boat) i will have a small budget around £600 a month will be anchoring most of the time, I have read that it costs up to £2000 p/m to cruise the med but find this prohibitive and unrealistic. I guess what i am asking is could i manage on £600 a month?? Malta is worth a visit, a week is long enough, easy to get about the island everyone speaks English, throw the anchor out at Mellieha bay,fantastic. P.S will be single handed 70% of the time.

 

[mocruising]

Need, want, have to what difference does it make, the thread is there.

 

[mocruising]

Hi Mocruising. Completely new to this forum, i am planning on living aboard in the Med next year,(Jeanneau 35 is prospective boat) i will have a small budget around £600 a month will be anchoring most of the time, I have read that it costs up to £2000 p/m to cruise the med but find this prohibitive and unrealistic. I guess what i am asking is could i manage on £600 a month?? Malta is worth a visit, a week is long enough, easy to get about the island everyone speaks English, throw the anchor out at Mellieha bay,fantastic. P.S will be single handed 70% of the time.

There are many threads on the cost of living in the Med. Yes I think it would be possible to live on £600 pm. There are many that anchor between April and September and then there are many marina winter deals to be had between 1 October and the end of March, some inclusive of water and electrcity. It depends how you like or want to live. Keep away from the tourist hot spots and the prices do go down. Our costs run to more than £2000 per month when averaged out over a year but this includes fuel, insurance, mooring fees, spares, lifting and launching one time per year, antifoul, anodes, services, hire car, excursions, but we like our comforts and eat out quite a bit of the time and have a hire car when ever we stop for more than a week. Good luck.

 

[macd]

Mocruising: I can't see anything wrong with your plan. We crossed the Aegean W to E in May and had a wonderful time slowly island-hopping. The winds are hit and miss, but it's quiet and the islands are at their best then. The Pelleponese, too, are outstanding, and well away from the charter bases. I presume "that marina down there" is Kalamata: afraid I've not been in there so can't advise. But there are plenty of sound town marinas (cheap or free), notably Monemvasia and Pylos, both of which are worth visiting. Kaylo and Methoni are lovely towns with adjacent anchorages. (Well, Kaylo's little more than a village...). Oh, and pop into Nisiros if you can: lovely island with excellent berthing at Palon in recently extended harbour.

As you mention, northerlies prevail in the Ionian at the time you're planning to cross, but generally not so strong or consistent as the Meltemi. In fact, away from land effects, it can come from any direction. If you hope to sail rather than motor, you'll need time to wait for the right forecast for the long legs.

Returning through the Aegean in September, you should miss the worst of the Meltemi.

Incidentally, you say you're in eastern Turkey...but how far east? We're planning on heading there but are wrestling with an engine prob at the moment. Would welcome any pointers (about E Turkey, not the engine, that just needs a good kicking)

 

[macd]

i am planning on living aboard in the Med next year,(Jeanneau 35 is prospective boat) i will have a small budget around £600 a month will be anchoring most of the time, I have read that it costs up to £2000 p/m to cruise.

Boatbuoy, as you can imagine there have been heaps of threads on this very subject over the years. From that and my own experience I can tell you that the monthly cost of living aboard is precisely 'x', where x is more than tuppence and less than the Greek national debt.

More seriously, a bit of searching should throw up many threads such as this:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?218322-cost-to-liveaboard
Incidentally, don't use the forum search engine: it's rubbish. Best to use Google advanced search and specify domain ybw.com. You'll encounter many more threads on the topic.

As you imagine, anchoring is the key, and it's certainly possible to hang on one for months on end. Obviously some coasts lend themselves to secure anchorages more than others, Greece generally being especially good. In the western Med in high season, even one night in a marina could cripple your monthly budget.
Much will also depend on how self-sufficient you are in terms of maintenance, whether or not you factor into you monthly budget annual maintenance costs, and whether you're paying yard fees or similar over the winter. But bear in mind that the Med does have winters: hanging on the hook through one is definitely for the hardy (it also helps if you're a bit of a hermit). Overall, I'd say that managing on £600 per month is tight, but definitely doable.

If you want to get more responses to your query, you'd be best advised to start your own thread on the subject, or to resurrect an old one with a new post.

 

[Richard10002]

Need, want, have to what difference does it make, the thread is there.

All the best!

 

[Mrnotming]

Seconding Richard,
Malta will only absorb your interest for a short time, the interesting buses have been made into fish reefs.
Take a holiday there instead, a week will reveal all.

 

[homer]

Malta is an interesting place (overwintered there a couple of years ago) but has few anchorages and the marinas are generally full and, if you do get in, the prices have rocketed. Plenty of other options.

 

[Richard10002]

Seconding Richard,
Malta will only absorb your interest for a short time, the interesting buses have been made into fish reefs.
Take a holiday there instead, a week will reveal all.

Hi Paul - hence my question. If meeting some friends on holiday there, I'd be flying in and flying out. If its a cruise West, then back East, not a bad idea, but I can now think of better places to spend a bit of time before turning round, If bringing the boat further West, and overwintering in Malta - not a bad idea.