Living aboard in the Med for a while

[tomski]

Hello All, a sudden change of heart from the wife means my dream of giving up the day job and spending a few months (or a few more) somehwere warm may end up a reality after all!!

So the plan is to finalise my day job and set off to the Med around April of next year and spend at the very least 6 months over there...its going to be my wife, myself and our dog (a staff though very modest in size )...

Being an it contractor type I also want to setup a blog site not as extreme as 'sell up and sail' but something along the lines of taking a mid(ish) life sabbatical lol

But got a few challenges..first being the yacht size...I've my eye on a 9m very roomy fin keeler (Prospect 900)...mostly because she's extremly well setup for a single hand (which is a must as my wife spent about 1 hour on a yacht in her whole life lol)...most I think would say too small, though I actually prefer less to more (as it happens I'm an ex submariner also though not a short type lol) but wanted to hear opinions from anyone that has lived on a small yacht of similar size...

Second is cost of living in the Med to help plan with budget..thinking is to avoid marinas where feasible/possible but still that leaves food, fuel, yacht maintenance the odd marina etc....am I missing anything else and is marina-less anchoring a real option in the Med?

Third is options for doing some work to help the budget..am a qualified diving instructor and working on my sailing instructor capability...plus IT...(plus a few military skills but I dont think they would be of use) are any of these of any use?

Well what say you all? (thanks in advance as always )

 

[Erik C]

(which is a must as my wife spent about 1 hour on a yacht in her whole life lol)

Before giving up your day job I would rent something for a week in the size you are planning to buy and see if the wife likes being on a yacht. This might save trouble later, my wife hated it and we had a spacious 50ft yacht.

 

[tomski]

Well I probably over exagurated a bit..she has spent a little bit of time on a 26footer in the past and I would think that if she does not like it she'll go back giving me some time to myself..oh well

 

[paulingreece]

Hi Tomski, most, but not all go for 34ft +, reason being cockpit space, where you will spend an awfull lot of time, plus interior space, more for air flow in the hot weather, but people do live on smaller boats, its a matter of what you can live with, it would be a good idea to do a week or couple of weeks charter with the wife, that will give you a better idea of what size boat she will accept, as for food costs, 2 people plus dog budget about 30 t0 50 € aday, includes beer wine etc, and occasional meals ashore. The more you anchor the less you pay, have a look at the yachts for sale on yachtsalesgreece.com that will give you a good idea of what you can get for your money out here. Good luck, keep us posted.

 

[Mr Cassandra]

Hello All, a sudden change of heart from the wife means my dream of giving up the day job and spending a few months (or a few more) somehwere warm may end up a reality after all!!

So the plan is to finalise my day job and set off to the Med around April of next year and spend at the very least 6 months over there...its going to be my wife, myself and our dog (a staff though very modest in size )...

Being an it contractor type I also want to setup a blog site not as extreme as 'sell up and sail' but something along the lines of taking a mid(ish) life sabbatical lol

But got a few challenges..first being the yacht size...I've my eye on a 9m very roomy fin keeler (Prospect 900)...mostly because she's extremly well setup for a single hand (which is a must as my wife spent about 1 hour on a yacht in her whole life lol)...most I think would say too small, though I actually prefer less to more (as it happens I'm an ex submariner also though not a short type lol) but wanted to hear opinions from anyone that has lived on a small yacht of similar size...

Second is cost of living in the Med to help plan with budget..thinking is to avoid marinas where feasible/possible but still that leaves food, fuel, yacht maintenance the odd marina etc....am I missing anything else and is marina-less anchoring a real option in the Med?

Third is options for doing some work to help the budget..am a qualified diving instructor and working on my sailing instructor capability...plus IT...(plus a few military skills but I dont think they would be of use) are any of these of any use?

Well what say you all? (thanks in advance as always )

Hello

I think you should go for the biggest boat that you can afford. we started with a 34.5 First. Then a Sun fast 39 and now a slower 44footer and we would like more space but cannot afford it.
As other have said the cockpit need to be large, as you will spend a lot of your time there and 25 euro a day is a comfortable amount for two.Thing is I can spend 25euro for one

 

[somerset]

We lived on a Kelt 850 for a few years (take off the sugar scoop stern and its a 27 footer but the internal layout makes it like a Tardis) but I think you can get too bogged down in detail.

Just go for it - any decent boat will do.

As for working - there will be a lot of impoverished locals (& local ex-pats) looking for a job so look on it as a bonus if you can get work and budget for not getting any work at all.

The hardest part will be coming back!

 

[Nautorius]

If looking to Pick up IT work, have a look at the online gaming centres of Gibraltar and Malta.

As for the boat, I would say get the one with the cockpit bench which you can stretch out on!

Make sure it has plenty of ventilation, a bimini, lots of water capacity and a fridge. Apart from that get something that you feel comfortable on. Layout is key, some like a decent galley, some like a decent head etc. What is important to you?


Good luck

Paul

 

[jimbaerselman]

Cruising Association Seminar: Cruising in the Med

If you're thinking of cruising in the Mediterranean, The Cruising Association (CA) is running a seminar which will answer most of your questions. Importantly, you'll be able to talk first hand to lots of people who are "doing it". It's on 27 Nov, and open to non-members. See http://www.cruising.org.uk/node/14663 for details.

You can also pick up quite a bit about the rules and regulations which apply in various countries, and what cruising conditions are like in many areas, from my web site jimbsail.info. Broadly, Turkey and Greece offer cheap cruising, with plenty of anchorages, while the West Med is rather short on anchorages (with exceptions!) and defnitely more expensive when marinas are needed.

 

[Sandyman]

Howdy Deeps

The likes of you and I are well used to living out of a tin shoebox and adjusting to living conditions as we find them, but could wifey do the same ?
Her requirements are paramount IMO if your going to stay the course.
Offer to pay her 'hard layers'' and see if that helps lol

Like others I would say go for the biggest boat you can handle & afford.
Living full time in a bean-tin in harry hotters aint fun.

Calm seas shippers

 

[tomski]

Thank you all for the fantastic information provided....I fully appreciate the size of boat, but a big part of me says that difference between buying a decent 29footer (found one at around 7k fully setup for singlhand almost a new engine raft, wind genny etc...) as opposed than a 35+ footer (starting at 20k the ones I looked at) is at least 13k which puts a lot towards cruising the Med on a budget...

Sandyman hard layers may just be the way out lol (havent heard that for a while DBF!) though if I start negotiating that 13k difference may very well become a whim of my imagination lol!

 

[westernman]

You need to be aware that the med in winter can be nasty. For instance all this week we have had 40 knots of wind with more for the weekend. There are relatively few anchorages where you will be safe with that.

Every winter I have had my boat down here, there has been at least one storm with winds over 80 knots. There are even fewer anchorages were you want to be with that blowing.

An investment in the best possible anchor (I have my opinion, but I am not telling) and a well over sized one at that would be wise and some careful planning on possible marinas/hard standing/bolt holes for the winter is a must.

 

[charles_reed]

Tend to 2nd many of the comments made. I've a 31' (but waterline like a 36') and it's comfy for 1, OK for 2.
I'd suggest you need to go a bit bigger on the boat.
Western and Central Med are not terribly easy - Med France probably offers the most civilised yachting scene, but can be very expensive - Italy is very pricey and short of moorings.
Adriatic good sailing but avoid piratical Croats.
Spain, for me, is a disaster area, though the Atlantic coast is great.
So I'd recommend the E Med as your best bet.
You need good anchoring tackle (at least 2 kedges), avoid marinas - so you need plenty of on board amp production - a smart controller, PV panels and wind generator in E Med.

 

[rickf]

having spent the last few years in the med

My advice is first, get a boat you BOTH are comnortable on.
if thats 9M so be it. more importantly, is tankage. you need
to refill thos tanks somehow. figure 5 gals /day. Maybe a small
watermaker? well, then you need the electricity. What I'm trying
to say is systems may be more important than the actual size of
the yacht. as for marinas, you can anchor in the summer weather
but for winter, you'll need to hole up in a marina someplace.
Rickf

 

[tomski]

All very fair comments...especially about tankage and water....I also think the sub systems are most important.....well the search begins, hoping to find something around 34+, got one to look at at 29 (Prospect 900) and we'll see what happens

So intention is to buy something between now and new year, work on her and get used to her generally then sail to the Med around April and start from there...

 

[Roaring Girl]

When saying sail to the Med, that's possibly the scariest bit of the whole adventure, especially if you and/or wife are inexperienced (above water, small boat).

But it's also a really important part of the whole adventure. Did you want to think about using the canals - which can take weeks because there's lots of lovely stops. Or going round the outside. This will affect your boat choices too.

If you think you're going for one summer, get the neatest boat which leaves you cash in hand. If you're going for good/every summer, get the biggest boat you can afford.

Absolutely second the point that there are few places in the Med where you could safely winter on the hook. In the western Med, only Portoferraio on Elba comes to mind.

 

[gavin_lacey]

Getting to and from the med in one season will not leave you much time in the med if any. I would consider buying down here. There are exceptional deals to be had and 50% offers have been accepted. Boat here will be equipped for med. Uk boats more likely to have a heater than a bimini. NB never had a watermaker, never had a problem getting water, do have a good filter for drinking water.

 

[Tradewinds]

Bargain Nicholson 35 in Greece

See here

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1982/Nicholson-35-2400774/Lefkas/Greece

 

[MikeHolt]

Looks like a valuable website there Jim. Could have done with it some years ago when we sailed into Sardinia the first day of a whopping great tax per ton! We did quite a bit of Cyclades cruising and your chart there looks excellent too.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Thanks Mike. Much appreciated. Now to add the Turkey, Adriatic and Africa pages!

 

[jordanbasset]

Getting to and from the med in one season will not leave you much time in the med if any. I would consider buying down here. There are exceptional deals to be had and 50% offers have been accepted. Boat here will be equipped for med. Uk boats more likely to have a heater than a bimini. NB never had a watermaker, never had a problem getting water, do have a good filter for drinking water.

Tend to agree with this. If you want to make getting to the med part of the adventure then makes sense to buy in the U.K. But if you want to spend your time in the med, especially the cheaper eastern side, it does make sense to buy out here.