Land delivery to the Adriatic?

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GTom

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In the coming years (definitely not this one) we plan to show the Adriatic to our Westerly Discus (33', 11.2'/3.4m beam, 7.5tons). I don't feel myself ready for the full trip and looking for delivery options.

Anyone shipped a similar sized boat on this route (guessing Cherbourg to Trieste)?
 
I would agree with that if you have the time - west coast of Italy much more interesting than East coast and Sicily is a gem. We did the reverse trip (plus a bit) last year in 5 weeks from Croatia to Menorca and enjoyed some great spots.

Do make sure you have a good Bimini, solar panels and an efficient fridge (and chuck away the spray hood - well we haven’t used ours in 9 years now).
 
davidej said:
You will find that a delivery to the South of France less than half the cost of an Italian destination.

Still leaves a long sail round Italy but that should be a wonderful summer cruise.
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Thanks, that's a great idea! Indeed, I'd gladely shave off half the bill...

Also giving a thought to motoring trough the French canal system, but I need to do my CEVNI before.
 
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If you pick a good weather window the delivery trip is fine.

3 of us took a 1st 45 from Plymouth to Baiona (Northern Spain) in June last year – we got a lovely steady northerly/NNE for most of the trip, had the kite up over half the trip, and we were in Baiona in 3.5 days… the 30fters were c.1 day behind us.

Once you’re across the Bay of Biscaye it’s just port hopping down the coast of Portugal… according to the owner (who went on to do the ARC Portugal Rally), there are some lovely stopping off points.
 
Could be done, if I can arrange holidays and crew for a decent weather window. However, still need another week to reach interesting cruising grounds (Sardinia). Meanwhile, any sort of stop would add marina and travel costs, nightmare if you are working...
 
Ah, I get it... if you're doing this whilst working it's a much bigger ask!

Most of us are retired, semi retired, or have our own business so can take time when needed.
 
Indeed, have to squeeze the sweet part of life to 5weeks plus 4-5 long weekends a year.

Just plotted a quick and dirty route from Land's End to Southern Sardinia: trough Canal du Midi (close call with my 1.4m draft...) 1100NM (870NM to reach the Med), 10 days of non-stop full-speed which I don't expect. Going around Gibraltar it's 2000NM. Realistically both would take easily 3 weeks time which I can't really justify. The canals would be easier, because I could do short legs on weekends more independent from weather.
 
GTom said:
In the coming years (definitely not this one) we plan to show the Adriatic to our Westerly Discus (33', 11.2'/3.4m beam, 7.5tons). I don't feel myself ready for the full trip and looking for delivery options.

Anyone shipped a similar sized boat on this route (guessing Cherbourg to Trieste)?
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Don't even think about a land route for that size of boat to Italy (Trieste), the regulatory documentation from every province and their highway police authorities are a bureaucratic nightmare - and expensive. With that beam, you will need a police escort front and rear .... and have to pay for it.

Trying to get my HR94 (9.4m x 3.25m) to NE Italy from Holland in 2005 I received refusals from five Dutch and German trucking companies, offering instead delivery to Koper in Slovenia, whereupon they recommended sailing across the top of the Adriatic to Italy.

That may be the best plan for you and instead of Italy to moor in Izola or Portoroz, Slovenia, or just a bit further south, Umag in Croatia. That's how all the charter Bavarias get to Croatia, road transport to Koper then sailed south on their own keels.

But altogether it will be an expensive and stressful exercise - perhaps an alternative is a couple of Croatian charter trips.
 
Thanks for the update! I wasn't aware of the Italian situation. For me even France would be OK then I sail the rest on calm and warm waters.
 
GTom said:
Thanks for the update! I wasn't aware of the Italian situation. For me even France would be OK then I sail the rest on calm and warm waters.
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You may be in for a surprise, the Mediterranean and Adriatic are not always calm. This was my last entry to the lagoon where my marina is (that's the starboard entry mark) - 35 knots of bora that increased to 50 knots just as I got into the lagoon.

IMG0922.jpg
 
KellysEye said:
The other optioned is employ a delivery skipper.
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Not sure that it would be any cheaper, 2000 miles means 20 workdays (á £150/day or likely more) for the delivery crew, maybe 6-8 marina stops, wear and tear...

Barnac1e said:
You may be in for a surprise, the Mediterranean and Adriatic are not always calm. This was my last entry to the lagoon where my marina is (that's the starboard entry mark) - 35 knots of bora that increased to 50 knots just as I got into the lagoon.
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That's "smooth or slight" in Scottish terms :D
 
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GTom said:
That's "smooth or slight" in Scottish terms :D
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:encouragement:
Yes, no real size of waves and nothing like what I experienced with the north sea sailing out of Whitby for ten years, but in the nature of the Adriatic NE bora it had suddenly just begun as I was at the lagoon entrance.

For the first three years of the Adriatic back in the 1980s I was complacent but then found myself off Mali Losinj in a rising bora that suddenly came out of nowhere and hit like a sledgehammer that laid me flat in the water. Since then I have had a little more respect and was more cautious in anticipation for such violent, katabatic storms that are often not forecasted.
 
You're right, it's indeed not the same when you leave the harbor reefeed and prepared.

Back to topic: I wonder if delivery skippers use the canals?
 
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Any type of road delivery through Italy is hideously expensive, the multiple permits and red tape needed are a real headache. Even Italians avoid delivering yachts by road if they can!

If you want to get to the Adriatic efficiently, I would advise going to Slovenia instead, each year a few hundred new yachts are commissioned at ports in Slovenia for the Adriatic & Greek market.
Its an easy motorway run almost to the port from the north through Austria from Germany/Holland etc, and almost no tolls too.
The key ports are Portoroz Izola and Koper, all with good facilities.

There is a chance you may be able to get a 'Back load' with a truck going back to Slovenia empty having delivered an Elan/Greenline etc to northern Europe, these yachts are built in Slovenia.
There is a Slovenian yacht transport company which delivers most of these yachts, maybe worth contacting? This company is Floro Transport: http://www.yacht-transportation.eu/

There are several german yacht transport companies taking this route, and for small boats like a Discus some companies have rigs that can transport 2 yachts at once saving costs.
One is Uwe Schriever :http://www.yachttransport-schriever.de/home.html
Another is Glogau: https://yacht-transporte.com/index.php
 
I agree about the Bora, it can build up extremely quickly in the Adriatic, sometimes not forecasted too.
Just look at the northern side of many of the Croatian islands, they are often quite barren where the Bora wind has almost scoured the earth!!
 
skipper021 said:
Any type of road delivery through Italy is hideously expensive, the multiple permits and red tape needed are a real headache. Even Italians avoid delivering yachts by road if they can!

If you want to get to the Adriatic efficiently, I would advise going to Slovenia instead, each year a few hundred new yachts are commissioned at ports in Slovenia for the Adriatic & Greek market.
Its an easy motorway run almost to the port from the north through Austria from Germany/Holland etc, and almost no tolls too.
The key ports are Portoroz Izola and Koper, all with good facilities.

There is a chance you may be able to get a 'Back load' with a truck going back to Slovenia empty having delivered an Elan/Greenline etc to northern Europe, these yachts are built in Slovenia.
There is a Slovenian yacht transport company which delivers most of these yachts, maybe worth contacting? This company is Floro Transport: http://www.yacht-transportation.eu/

There are several german yacht transport companies taking this route, and for small boats like a Discus some companies have rigs that can transport 2 yachts at once saving costs.
One is Uwe Schriever :http://www.yachttransport-schriever.de/home.html
Another is Glogau: https://yacht-transporte.com/index.php
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Thank you for the contacts! A trick (backload, cost sharing) might even beat a France only transport like Bordeaux to the Med... Started collecting quotes.
 
Med weather can be suprisingly lively. Owner of the boat I crew on paid to crew on the Middle Sea Race 2 years back and they got caught in a massive storm. 75% of the race fleet ran for shelter in Messina, but thier skipper pushed on.

They saw peak wind speeds of over 60 knts, with a constant 50+ for many hours. With 3-4M seas the boat took a massive beating. At one stage they had 3 fit crew out of 13 on board, and the chartered 1st 45 they were sailing started shipping water during the night. They bailed something like 60 buckets of water out of it. And they lost the main. They hung on and finsihed though - under storm sail and double headsails.

It not all sunshine and light winds :)
 
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