essentials for Med cruising.

vyv_cox said:
The hose on my gravity tank is about eight inches long. It has been in situ for several years now, no degradation so far. If a blockage took place there is an inspection hatch in the top of the tank, through which the outlet can be rodded.

My previous pumped system caused endless trouble and I would definitely not go back to one.
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Similar set up as mine, except mine also has a separate pipe that leads to the bottom of the tank that you can pump out of. Has never been a problem, also never known a problem on friends boats, who have similar systems.
It would be interesting if any one has ever had such a problem to give details, cannot see how it can happen as it is such a simple system, just as likely for the tank to crack, by that I mean extremely unlikely.
 
Med Sailing

Been doing the Med for the last 2.5 years. The exchange rate was a crippling blow as we set off just as the "bankers" brought us into parity with the Euro! Basically a 1-1 exchange rate.
Now.....it's like having a 25% pay rise without being taxed! We can now afford such luxuries as diesel, fresh water and semi-decent wine. Also the ocasional stop at a marina for the luxury of unlimited power (free in Kalamata!) and battery top up etc.

Generally, I have found Greece to much, much cheaper than Italy, Sardinia and Spain (with the exception of Almerimar. Currently paying about 9 euros per day here in Kalamata and we are 12.8m. Winds? as per usual - too much or nothing at all but now and again we have had some great sails.

Anchoring has got to be the easiest (I am used to South coast tides, swinging arcs, scope blah blah blah. Lunchtime it's 2 x depth and overnight I go for 3 x depth with an extra few metres if it gets rough. Never dragged yet (except when I hooked a sunken dinghy!)

Best thing is the people - always so nice, helpful and friendly. Love it!

Enjoy - it's warm, non-tidal and an experience.


CP
 
I have cruised just fine for 4 months around the Aegean with:

- a 9.8m long 1980 cruiser/racer weighting just 3.7t
- a 13hp volvo engine
- a solar shower
- no fridge
- no electrical windlass
- small solar panel
- some good "cut for job" jibs
- a dinghy with no engine
- 250 litre water tanks
- laptop computer with c-map charts and a usb GPS (only £30).
- weather forecast via GRIB.US using GSM phone connection to download the grib files.

Altought I was 30 years old then, might have made a little difference.
I hardly used the engine (clocked about 70 engine hours in 4 months of cruising) as the winds never drop below 15 knots in the summer in the aegean (and my rule of thumb is 99% of summer days you'll have northerlies somewhere between 15 and 35 knots). Most windless days probably the tirrean coast of italy followed by the croatian coast.
 
tchierici said:
I have cruised just fine for 4 months around the Aegean with:

- a 9.8m long 1980 cruiser/racer weighting just 3.7t
- a 13hp volvo engine
- a solar shower
- no fridge
- no electrical windlass
- small solar panel
- some good "cut for job" jibs
- a dinghy with no engine
- 250 litre water tanks
- laptop computer with c-map charts and a usb GPS (only £30).
- weather forecast via GRIB.US using GSM phone connection to download the grib files.
Click to expand...

You left out climbing gear :D Hope all is well.
 
We love sailing in the Mediterranean. We have been sailing the last 6 years here with about 10,000 nautical miles in the Med. I don't have any problems with the wind. I sailed in the San Francisco bay for years. Small craft warnings are a daily occurance every afternoon. You learn how to spill wind out of your sails and reef them down. So unless the winds are over 30 knots, I don't really worry too much about it. Light winds work fine as well. You just have to not be in a hurry.

We have spent the summer sailing mostly in Croatia. For years all I heard was how expensive Croatia was. Turns out, Croatia has been one of our least expensive places to sail. There are tons of anchorages to tuck into and the winds have been consistent all summer. We have gotten diesel only 3 times. I readily admit if we had gone into port each night (about 100 euros a night for our boat) and motored all summer, this place would have been a financial nightmare.

The point is, you can make the Med whatever you want it to be. Different people have completely different experiences depending on skill and comfort levels. But one thing everyone can agree on. There is no place like the Mediterranean.
 
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