Leaving the boat in Iberia ?

[PaulJ]

OK, so the boat is finished (or as nearly finished as it is ever likely to be) and it is still our hope to do the crossing from the Canaries to the Caribbean this coming November/December. However packing up 28 years worth of accumulated junk and selling the house is inevitably taking longer than we had envisaged and I am starting to get concerned about "weather windows" and what I am told is the need to get across the Bay of Biscay before the end of September.

One option would be to get the boat across the Bay of Biscay and then leave it somewhere for a month or so and fly home to finish off the packing up. The requirements would seem to be that we need somewhere that is easy to fly to, that is reasonably secure and that is not too expensive.

One possibility would seem to be Lisbon but I imagine it would be fairly expensive.....? I have just noticed that Easy Jet fly to Asturias.... Is there anywhere suitable around there?

Does anybody have any other suggestions or recommendations? I think anywhere as far as Gib would be worth considering......

Thanks,

Paul.

 

[chrisb]

just returned from the area.try vivero-good new quiet marina cheap all facilities connected to corunna by train. OR villagarcia very protected at head of ria d arosa. town with all facilities. cheap [210 euros one month june july] easy train to santiago- ryan air to stanstead iberia heathrow both similar cheap deal. both have web sites-- prices are for 42ft monohull. goodluck chris
also good reports of new marinas inland of vigo

 

[ainley]

just a thought, thousands of retired couples would look after
your boat just for the trip, same peps that house mind
best of look

alan

 

[Blueboatman]

Just to be different..I see that you have a 39'steel boat,so if push comes to shove ,your weather options are somewhat broader than for smaller boats. Having said that, if you are going to go now,why not consider going right down to the Canaries,bad autumnal weather does not stop magically at Cap Finisterre!-I specifically would recommend Lanzarote for secure affordable marina,excellent provisioning,and cheap direct flights.Also you are then THERE,ready to go across anytime November-March,so you have that much more uk time to prepare the house for the market,etc.

 

[Swagman]

Your key for best value is the a marinas nearness to cheap flights. I've heard cheap flights now go to Santiago as well as Lisbon but have no personal experiences.
IMHO the cheapest marinas are usually the most deserted and therefore less secure - and the money you think you'd save on marina fees in one month is really small bikkies compared with knowing your gear is still there when you return!
Whatever you do - congrats on the plan almost being achieved - enjoy your trip.
JOHN

 

[PaulJ]

Thanks for your replies. Chris, I had never heard of Vivero so I looked it up. It is ideal, easy to enter and well sheltered, it is a "definite maybe". What did you think of security?

Blueboatman, sailing straight down to the Canaries would be a possibility if there were more time but really all I want to do is get the boat across Biscay as early as possible and then come back to finish the packing/selling up. To continue down to Lanzarote would probably take at least an extra ten days and I would prefer to take it at a more leisurely pace once things are settled here....

John, you are quite right that the extra cost of leaving the boat in somewhere like Lisbon is insignificant compared to the cost of flights and other expenses..... Lisbon and Santiago are still possibilities. I guess I am still smarting from keeping it longer than intended at Eastbourne!

Thank you all for your responses.... any more suggestions based on personal experience ?

Paul.

 

[chrisb]

vivero is open- locked gates at end of pontoons. they were laying hard standing in may. spoke to several who had left boats unattended over wnter. no problem c security mentioned. but for security /ease access villa garcia takes alot of beating

 

[tcm]

vivero

stayed in vivero (April i think) but not villa garcia. Nice big supermarket close by, and interestingish town.

I wd *imagine* that vivero is very cheap. The gnarly old HM was v helpful and alth my spanish is useless he really tried in english, and orgainsed diesel lorry for us. A day or so later still bad weather he said look, i am going to have to charge you some moeny really, one or two days is no problem but you're right next to the police boat see? So i sent a crew bod up to his shed and it was happily agreed to pay €20 euros (cos that's all the crew guy had on him!) for 3 nites in quite a big boat. So, v positive vote for vivero and my advice would be to send skint-looking person, possibly swmbo up to the shed with not much money in hand, in cash.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Do cheap flights really matter?

After all, it's only going to be one flight back to UK, one flight out to wherever.

Not like you're going to be commuting out there every week.