In La Linea till May next year. Shall we turn right or left?

Should we turn left or right?

  • Turn left to Greece

    Votes: 19 52.8%

  • Turn right to the Canaries

    Votes: 17 47.2%
  • Total voters
    36
Very good question, and hopefully one I'll be facing myself in a year from now (the endless boat refit seems to be actually nearing.... well, not an end, but hopefully a good enough to go state). There's a great many factors to consider. Some thoughts I've had about this:

Where do you want to go after Greece/the Med or the Canaries (and then the Caribbean I assume)? Everyone tells me the Pacific is a must for cruising, and getting there is either through the pirate infested gulf of Aden (although it seems much less so these days), the expensive Panama canal or the long way and rough weather at the capes. So if you have thoughts of circumnavigating, or making it to the Pacific, think about the route you'll want to take.

The political situation in Europe is slowly destabilizing, which is a point for not visiting the Med, but I think it'll be a few years yet before shit really hits the fan (again) - so perhaps now is just the time to do it, and not later. Greece especially is still in economic dire straits, although the media seems to have mostly gotten bored of covering it.

Another consideration for myself is if I'll feel up to the sailing by the time I get there. I don't know that yet. If I'm not confident enough to attempt an Atlantic crossing, I'll turn into the Med for a season first to gain more experience. And the boat must be ready for it too. Which costs money and time.

Speaking of money, the Med generally seems to be somewhat more expensive than the Caribbean (depending on where exactly). Mooring balls and "no anchoring" rules seem to be on the rise everywhere, unfortunately, and so are various cruising taxes or similar fees.

If you plan on occasionally leaving the boat for trips home, the cost and flight times may matter to you.

Finally, here's a comparison from a cruising family that have done the Med first and now the Caribbean.

I didn't vote, because I honestly have no idea, but am very interested to hear other's thoughts on this!
 
The Med and it's wonderful diverse culture. But I'm not going to vote because its not just about getting to Greece.
 
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Left,right?How about the third way and go straight on?You could soak up the rich cultural diversity of West Africa.I think you would love it.:cool:
 
skipper_stu said:
The choice is going to be, should we go to Greece or the Canaries next year? And why?
Stu
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I'd go to Greece, Turkey, Croatia and see how we felt after that. I got as far as Malta before the sh 1t hit the fan, but was heading for the turquoise bays of Greece and would expect it to have been years before exhausting The possibilities.
 
Richard10002 said:
I'd go to Greece, Turkey, Croatia and see how we felt after that. I got as far as Malta before the sh 1t hit the fan, but was heading for the turquoise bays of Greece and would expect it to have been years before exhausting The possibilities.
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+1, although I'm not really qualified to comment as I've only ever been to the Canaries for non-sailing holidays. My long-term goal is the Caribbean but it's getting more and more "long term" as I realise there is so much to see and do in the Adriatic and the Ionian. Perhaps one day I'll even make it to the Aegean!

Richard
 
I cannot comment on the Canaries as we have not visited. I can only say that we love sailing and living in Greece, both the Ionian where we stayed three years and the Aegean where we have been based for six, with no plans to leave. The original plan was to continue to Turkey but we put that on indefinite hold.
 
Has someone who have sailed in the med for well over 20 years now and still finding new places to visit , I would say the Med to start with .
With the uncertainty what might happen when we leave the EU althought I don't expect it's going to happen any time soon , if I was starting again I would start off in the Med and leave further afield for a later date .
One last note , the Med isn't just Greece has some might think so .
 
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Yngmar said:
Very good question, and hopefully one I'll be facing myself in a year from now (the endless boat refit seems to be actually nearing.... well, not an end, but hopefully a good enough to go state). There's a great many factors to consider. Some thoughts I've had about this:

Where do you want to go after Greece/the Med or the Canaries (and then the Caribbean I assume)? Everyone tells me the Pacific is a must for cruising, and getting there is either through the pirate infested gulf of Aden (although it seems much less so these days), the expensive Panama canal or the long way and rough weather at the capes. So if you have thoughts of circumnavigating, or making it to the Pacific, think about the route you'll want to take.

The political situation in Europe is slowly destabilizing, which is a point for not visiting the Med, but I think it'll be a few years yet before shit really hits the fan (again) - so perhaps now is just the time to do it, and not later. Greece especially is still in economic dire straits, although the media seems to have mostly gotten bored of covering it.

Another consideration for myself is if I'll feel up to the sailing by the time I get there. I don't know that yet. If I'm not confident enough to attempt an Atlantic crossing, I'll turn into the Med for a season first to gain more experience. And the boat must be ready for it too. Which costs money and time.

Speaking of money, the Med generally seems to be somewhat more expensive than the Caribbean (depending on where exactly). Mooring balls and "no anchoring" rules seem to be on the rise everywhere, unfortunately, and so are various cruising taxes or similar fees.

If you plan on occasionally leaving the boat for trips home, the cost and flight times may matter to you.

Finally, here's a comparison from a cruising family that have done the Med first and now the Caribbean.

I didn't vote, because I honestly have no idea, but am very interested to hear other's thoughts on this!
Click to expand...
Health rules out the Atlantic, I think! Am going on to anti coags next week so see how it goes. The expensive bit? Hmm, this wonderful resource here gives us good heads up as to where to stop. So far the only disappointment has been the murky seas! Having done flotilla in the Ionian, its the crystal clear water we crave.
The getting ready, my only regret is that I didnt take my spare camping gaz with me and my spare genoa! Really fancy going to Canaries but once there only one way to go. Med, rest of doesnt appeal to me except Greece so I envisage almost a delivery trip if we go there.
Flights, we are fortunate, kin works for Monarch so we get really good deals. So Prevesa is a good base
Stu
 
skipper_stu said:
. Med, rest of doesnt appeal to me except Greece so I envisage almost a delivery trip if we go there.
Flights, we are fortunate, kin works for Monarch so we get really good deals. So Prevesa is a good base
Stu
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Stu .funny we found with a lot of British sailors have the same attitude, they think the Ionian is the only place in the Med that worth sailing in , how much they are mistaken , they really don't know what they missing , I guess like you a lot have done flotilla holiday and fell in love with the place , mostly because of the light winds ,flat seas and the anchorages .
Once you been there as a full time liveaboard , you will see it in a very different light . The winds are not always light and when they blow they can blow , like many have found the last few years , catching people unaware, with boat being wash ashore and damage .
The other problem with the Ionian is it attractived novice sailor , so when things go badly wrong thy can go badly wrong . Offcause from June to sept it's one place best to keep away from with the amount of charters and Italian boats , squeezing into every little space .
Has for Prevesa for a base , there some good yard there and cheap compare with else where , idea if you want to leave your boat for the winter months , but if you plan to stay on your boat I hope you like mossy .
If you want a tip , don't be one of these guy who end up in the Ionian for years and years because one day you will regrets what you missed .
 
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capnsensible said:
Yeah. We are now based in Rubicon Marina, Lanzarote. A very nice place to wake up in!
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What about sea temperatures?

My family all like swimming .... but will not swim if the sea temperature is below 25 degrees. This means the Adriatic / Ionian is perfect for us in July/August/September although swimming is off the agenda outside those months. The Caribbean and the Indian also meet the requirement but my recollections of a holiday in the Canaries many years ago is that it would be a no-no for us.

Richard
 
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