First Boat - Alicante - Advice Please

[petem]

Hey Guys/Girls,

I am looking to buy my first boat and opted for a 50ft as I have 4 children so need the space to enjoy with them.

My idea is to keep her in or around Alicante and hopefully get a good summer season under my belt.

I have been looking at a Manhattan 50, Sealine T50 and others around the same size but my question is - would it be practical to sleep onboard in the summer with the wife and four children or would you recommend having a rental property in the town?

I do not plan to sail in the winter, unless we have the odd bit of nice weather around Feb/March - but generally any experience or pointers on what to look out for or any other options I should consider?

You do need to work out how you will prevent your kids from getting bored (unless they're happy to be on their 'screens' all day).

At least a villa will have a pool.

 

[kashurst]

You do need to work out how you will prevent your kids from getting bored (unless they're happy to be on their 'screens' all day).

At least a villa will have a pool.

Altea marina has a big swimming pool.

 

[petem]

Altea marina has a big swimming pool.

I know, we're based there!

 

[Sticky Fingers]

I know, we're based there!

Which marina are you in Pete?

 

[DaveMC]

I know, we're based there!

I’ve been considering villajoyosa but the pool factor is key as I’ve got three kids and haven’t considered altea! Is renting an annual mooring straight forward or is there a waiting list beyond 12 months? Great thread as I’m in a similar position.

 

[Hurricane]

SCM does sound very good, are biggest issue is flights, we are from Northern Ireland so can only fly from Belfast and Dublin which limits the availability of cheap flights, only exception is Barcelona as it has plenty of flights all year round, the extra travel south from Barcelona
1.5-2 hours drive mite just be a bit much. This will be are first year in the Mediterranean, currently looking at port Ginesta and Segur De Calafell.

As I understand, there is a consortium of 4 marinas in Catalonia. SCM is partly one of them.
SCM is half owned by MDL (the UK group) - the other half owned by that Spanish consortium.
Ginesta is one of the other marinas.
I have stopped a couple of times in Ginesta and it really doesn't do much for me.
Cambrills is nice but again, like all the marinas along that coast nowhere to cruise.
As I said before, SCM has that fantastic lagoon right outside the marina entrance - 7 miles long, 1.5 miles wide and 6m deep - perfect for a quick anchor session - no restriction on speed so water toys and water skiing are all easily doable.
The lagoon is formed naturally from the River Ebro delta where all the Spanish rice is grown so the water running off the paddi fields is very fertile.
This leads to the lagoon's water being a bit cloudy.
However, SCM is an excellent base if you want to cruise the Balearic Islands.
Everything is about 100 miles cruise - Portiinatx (Ibiza) is the nearest as 98 miles but Dragonera (Mallorca) is a tad over 100 miles.
So easily do-able in a daylight day.
Once in the Balearic Islands, you have some of the best cruising of anywhere.
Keeping a boat in SCM and popping over whenever you want is a fraction of the cost of keeping a boat on the islands.
We should know, we have been doing it for 15 years now.

I think this video will post - it shows a typical cruise around all 3 islands and return via Denia and Valencia
You can see that SCM is perfectly placed for that type of cruising.

And this is an old but accurate promotional video on SCM itself.

Travel to/from Barcelona is't that bad - as you say 1.5 to 2 hours - but it is never longer than that - 2 dual carriageway motorways run down that coast.
There is also an excellent bus service from the airport that drops off right in the middle of Sant Carles town.

We spnd a lot of time out there - it is our "Happy Place" - lots of friends so never short of something to do.

 

[kashurst]

I know, we're based there!

I thought you were in Greenwich, have you moved or was I mistaken? Lovely either way.

 

[Lannett]

As I understand, there is a consortium of 4 marinas in Catalonia. SCM is partly one of them.
SCM is half owned by MDL (the UK group) - the other half owned by that Spanish consortium.
Ginesta is one of the other marinas.
I have stopped a couple of times in Ginesta and it really doesn't do much for me.
Cambrills is nice but again, like all the marinas along that coast nowhere to cruise.
As I said before, SCM has that fantastic lagoon right outside the marina entrance - 7 miles long, 1.5 miles wide and 6m deep - perfect for a quick anchor session - no restriction on speed so water toys and water skiing are all easily doable.
The lagoon is formed naturally from the River Ebro delta where all the Spanish rice is grown so the water running off the paddi fields is very fertile.
This leads to the lagoon's water being a bit cloudy.
However, SCM is an excellent base if you want to cruise the Balearic Islands.
Everything is about 100 miles cruise - Portiinatx (Ibiza) is the nearest as 98 miles but Dragonera (Mallorca) is a tad over 100 miles.
So easily do-able in a daylight day.
Once in the Balearic Islands, you have some of the best cruising of anywhere.
Keeping a boat in SCM and popping over whenever you want is a fraction of the cost of keeping a boat on the islands.
We should know, we have been doing it for 15 years now.

I think this video will post - it shows a typical cruise around all 3 islands and return via Denia and Valencia
You can see that SCM is perfectly placed for that type of cruising.

And this is an old but accurate promotional video on SCM itself.

Travel to/from Barcelona is't that bad - as you say 1.5 to 2 hours - but it is never longer than that - 2 dual carriageway motorways run down that coast.
There is also an excellent bus service from the airport that drops off right in the middle of Sant Carles town.

We spnd a lot of time out there - it is our "Happy Place" - lots of friends so never short of something to do.

Thank you for your reply, this is very helpful.

 

[markc]

You do need to work out how you will prevent your kids from getting bored (unless they're happy to be on their 'screens' all day).

At least a villa will have a pool.

We've had the boat in the med for 8 years, and our kids are now 10 and 14...we're here for 6 weeks every summer and they absolutely love it, only resorting to screens first thing and in the evening if we don't go out. Days mostly spent swimming, snorkeling and paddleboarding at anchor. Trips to the beach when we're in Port and general messing about. My daughter was in floods of tears last night when she worked out that we only have 11 days left this summer!

 

[jrudge]

Bear in mind that 2 adults and 4 kids will be a snug fit on a 50 ft boat.

We are 58 ft and have 2 adults , 2 kids ( 14/17) , reducing to 2 adults for the last part of the summer when the kids are with my ex wife.

The space is fine and helped by my daughter liking the front sun pads while everyone else likes shade but a smaller boat with 2 more kids on for an extended period would be " interesting ".

No one has limitless money and larger boats cost more to run but do consider the practicalities.

 

[petem]

I thought you were in Greenwich, have you moved or was I mistaken? Lovely either way.

We moved last year as my partners (some who didn't always rent a car) found Greenwich a bit too isolated.

Altea is lovely too and we're enjoying the pool and having so many restaurants / bars nearby.

 

[petem]

I’ve been considering villajoyosa but the pool factor is key as I’ve got three kids and haven’t considered altea! Is renting an annual mooring straight forward or is there a waiting list beyond 12 months? Great thread as I’m in a similar position.

There's a waiting list but there always will be in the best marinas. My advice would be to get a berth in Alicante (these are more readily available) then visit your preferred marinas IN PERSON and get on their waiting lists.

Obviously you'll be paying a lot more for Altea, etc than Sant Carles (for a 10.5m berth we pay c. £7500 p.a. in Altea whereas we were paying a £3k or so in Sant Carles).

 

[jrudge]

A marina with a pool is great. I have not had one for about 7 years. They are a very useful addition.

 

[petem]

A marina with a pool is great. I have not had one for about 7 years. They are a very useful addition.

Bear in mind that they're often only open for a few months of the year (ours pool closes in September).

A house with an indoor pool is better !

 

[Hurricane]

Bear in mind that they're often only open for a few months of the year (ours pool closes in September).

A house with an indoor pool is better !

SCM's swimming pool is open all year round but not heated so you wouldn't want to swim in it during November to March. There is an indoor pool in town though - walking distance.

 

[kashurst]

I am pretty sure Marina Salinas in Torrevieja has got a swimming pool now - and its relatively cheap mooring and not far from Alicante airport

 

[DaveMC]

There's a waiting list but there always will be in the best marinas. My advice would be to get a berth in Alicante (these are more readily available) then visit your preferred marinas IN PERSON and get on their waiting lists.

Obviously you'll be paying a lot more for Altea, etc than Sant Carles (for a 10.5m berth we pay c. £7500 p.a. in Altea whereas we were paying a £3k or so in Sant Carles).

Great very helpful

 

[jurassic86]

Guys thanks for all your helpful replies. Some great information to take in.

I have a larger family (me, wife, 4 kids) and today I seen a Prestige 500 for the first time. Never really considered it before but the space inside is by far much more practical for a large family such as mine.

Has anyone got any first hand experience with one? I have done some forum research and the general feel is the Penta engines are a little underpowered for it, which isn't an issue for me - I aint going far.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Volvo IPS. Go into it with your eyes open. Scrupulous maintenance is essential.

 

[Hurricane]

Volvo IPS. Go into it with your eyes open. Scrupulous maintenance is essential.

Yep - for me, I wouldn't touch a boat with IPS drives.
Especially in the warm Med waters where barnacle growth does more damage than simple shafts.