Long Term Cruising - Ideas for locations

[jamiepyoung]

Where on the way to realising our dream.

Following on from the "1k / month" thread, which areas should we planning to visit and avoid to try and stay within this sort of budget?

I want to go North and do Scandanavia etc, but my wife would like some warm locations as well....

What are peoples of experiences of places to go with good anchoring opportunities, reasonably priced food (and wine) etc.

Thanks

 

[Kelpie]

Everything you hear about Scandinavia suggests it is expensive, although I hear berthing is reasonable.
Going to follow this thread as I hope to be in your position in a few years

 

[charles_reed]

Where on the way to realising our dream.

Following on from the "1k / month" thread, which areas should we planning to visit and avoid to try and stay within this sort of budget?

I want to go North and do Scandanavia etc, but my wife would like some warm locations as well....

What are peoples of experiences of places to go with good anchoring opportunities, reasonably priced food (and wine) etc.

Thanks

Son 1 lives in Finland - I can assure you that like Sweden it's expensive - but no way to compare with Norway.
Great folks, the Swedish islands are fantastic summer cruising, so don't be put off by costs, but be prepared.
As a rough guide on food; Taking UK as 100% (and excluding alcohol) Finland 120%, Sweden 128%, Norway 140%, France 110%, Greece 80% - those are the places I've shopped during the last 18 months.

 

[Nostrodamus]

Some say the Med is expensive and I agree, if you use marinas it can be totally extortionate but we had our cheapest year yet by anchoring all year.

 

[jimbaerselman]

I want to go North and do Scandanavia etc, but my wife would like some warm locations as well....

What are peoples of experiences of places to go with good anchoring opportunities, reasonably priced food (and wine) etc.

On www.jimbsail.info I try to draw comparisons between cruising the various regions of Europe. One certainty is that if a place is good value, and interesting cruising, it will be full of charter boats! So you may conclude that the best places are those heavily advertised for boat charter! But then you have to be prepared to play dodge 'ems. And nice anchorages can be a bit crowded.

Food, of course, is only one element of your expenses, and that is most affected by whether you eat out a lot, or eat on boat. Travel - trips to UK and back - eat up cash if you have many elderly relatives who need a lot of care. And then there's the cost of keeping n touch.

DIY boat maintenance is a major money saver - if you've got the skills and knowledge. But there will still be quite big expenses to cover things beyond your skill range - whether they link to motors, power trains, sails, rigging, electrics, water systems, waste systems, whatever. In northern Europe such services are very good, but expensive. In the Eastern Med, they're cheap if they match agricultural skills, but pricy for average white boat trimmings and electronics.

So don't get too hung up on food and wine. If you're practical, posh up your boat maintenance skills!

 

[Leif-J]

We live in Denmark and have sailed the West coast of Sweden extensively. Food is slightly cheaper than Denmark (probably means somewhat more expensive than UK), wine is prohibitively expensive, so bring from home. The popular marinas have become quite expensive, but anchorages are plenty and most anywhere, and you can moor at a marina temporarily (mostly free) for shopping, getting water and getting rid of your waste and then head out into an anchorage.
One problem is, that the stretch of coast is very crowded during July. The rest of the season there are surprisingly few boats out.
Lots of opportunities to do walks on the small islands, get aquainted with the old fishing heritage of the coast and just enjoy nature. We love it!

 

[Gerry]

When you say 'longterm' just how long are you thinking? We have spent 10 years in the Caribbean, and well under $1000 a month too. Rarely use marinas in the eastern part, whilst in the west you can find a good one at around $300 a month. Food is cheap so long as you stay away from imported goodies, stock up with tax free booze in Panama's free zone. We were paying $3 a bottle of best rum five years ago! The San Blas islands of Panama have to be amongst the most idyllic cruising grounds in the tropical world.

 

[tcm]

When you say 'longterm' just how long are you thinking? We have spent 10 years in the Caribbean, and well under $1000 a month too. Rarely use marinas in the eastern part, whilst in the west you can find a good one at around $300 a month. Food is cheap so long as you stay away from imported goodies, stock up with tax free booze in Panama's free zone. We were paying $3 a bottle of best rum five years ago! The San Blas islands of Panama have to be amongst the most idyllic cruising grounds in the tropical world.

This kinda shows the differences between folks, I suppose. I found the San Blas to be nice and tropical, coconut trees, but er, actually full of almost nothing at all. And I always wonder when people say how absolutely fabulous a place was to live "long term"... and yet they are back in the UK? Friends and family, perhaps.

 

[temptress]

When you say 'longterm' just how long are you thinking? We have spent 10 years in the Caribbean, and well under $1000 a month too. Rarely use marinas in the eastern part, whilst in the west you can find a good one at around $300 a month. Food is cheap so long as you stay away from imported goodies, stock up with tax free booze in Panama's free zone. We were paying $3 a bottle of best rum five years ago! The San Blas islands of Panama have to be amongst the most idyllic cruising grounds in the tropical world.

Gerry When were you last over here? Food in particular has become very expensive and so have marinas. Still possible to live on £1k a month though.....

 

[Gerry]

Gerry When were you last over here? Food in particular has become very expensive and so have marinas. Still possible to live on £1k a month though.....

Returned to the UK almost two years ago, so I guess it's three and a bit years since we left the western caribbean. The marina we used in Guatemala is still under $300 a month.

 

[Gerry]

This kinda shows the differences between folks, I suppose. I found the San Blas to be nice and tropical, coconut trees, but er, actually full of almost nothing at all. And I always wonder when people say how absolutely fabulous a place was to live "long term"... and yet they are back in the UK? Friends and family, perhaps.

Yes it does show the difference between folks. Far from being 'full of nothing at all' we found the San Blas to be a fascinating destination. The unusual matriachal society, the isolation of some of the anchorages quite wonderful. The Darien gap is still one of the great wildernesses of the world inhabited by indigenous tribes and wonderful wildlife, all of which can be accessed through the San Blas mainland, never boring to us and far from 'almost nothing'.

Cruising, even longterm, is about moving on. We enjoy spending time in places we enjoy, sometimes a number of years, but ultimately we get the urge to go back out voyaging again. And now we are enjoying reaquainting ourselves with the UK for a while, planning our next foray-maybe just down the coast or maybe back across the Atlantic.

That's the joyous thing about being a liveaboard, no need for explanations!

 

[truscott]

On www.jimbsail.info ..... One certainty is that if a place is good value, and interesting cruising, it will be full of charter boats! So you may conclude that the best places are those heavily advertised for boat charter! .....

Interesting the deathly embrace that Cruising and Chartering enjoy. Places that are good value with good moorings and things to see and do, become cruising destinations, then due to the popularity with cruisers the charter companies start sailing there, the local economy flourishes, the places become more expensive so that they are no longer the good value that they were, cruisers get told to rack off as they clog up the harbours as per the sailingholidays chap's statement in YW or PBO (kind of ironic really as I have seen their flotillas totally inundate places like Vassiliki and Fiscardo), cruisers move on looking for better spots, and the cycle continues. Seems the only places that are safe from the dreaded charter boat curse are the ones that are perceived as unsafe where the average charterer is not prepared to fly to (Indian Ocean, Micronesia, Central America etc....).

I can see a point where cruisers start keeping their favourite destinations quite in the hope that they remain untouched and good value.

I don't have an answer for this, as I am just as guilty of singing the praises of my favourite places (and have chartered before in some of the places that others have sung the praises of).

PT

 

[jamiepyoung]

When you say 'longterm' just how long are you thinking? We have spent 10 years in the Caribbean, and well under $1000 a month too. Rarely use marinas in the eastern part, whilst in the west you can find a good one at around $300 a month. Food is cheap so long as you stay away from imported goodies, stock up with tax free booze in Panama's free zone. We were paying $3 a bottle of best rum five years ago! The San Blas islands of Panama have to be amongst the most idyllic cruising grounds in the tropical world.

We are hoping 6 years. Depends when the money runs out to be honest.

We may stay and work places to extend our adventure.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Interesting the deathly embrace that Cruising and Chartering enjoy. Places that are good value with good moorings and things to see and do, become cruising destinations, then due to the popularity with cruisers the charter companies start sailing there

My experience 1978 to 1993 in Turkey and Greece was the other way around. In other words, charter companies rooted out new cruising destinations away from the madding crowds, laid on support infrastructure and flight connections. The locals then adapt to the business opportunities, and the place becomes a cruising destination. At that stage more charter companies set up in the area, often run by ex-employees! Then they flog their older boats to ex-clients, who base those boats locally, supported and looked after by yet more ex-employees.

And there you have Little Britain in Greece, extending all the way from Preveza, through Levkas, to Nidri and on to Sivota.

Nidri, 1978, 300 population, about 30 rooms available for visitors in private houses, three tavernas in peak season. Main activities - small scale fishing, completing and tending Onassis' properties on Skorpios. About 5 hour transfer from Corfu. Tranquil Bay was tranquil, maybe 3 boats and one wreck. Just opposite, one very traditional boatyard pulled boats on wooden sleds over tallow painted logs using old diesel winches and crowbars. In Vliho bay, three or four houses occupied in an otherwise abandoned village, and on the opposite shore a small farm which would cook a chicken for visitors - after catching it!

 

[truscott]

I understand that there are generally two sides to every story, and as someone who I understand, ran a charter company, I am quite certain that your view would differ to mine. As I stated, I've happily chartered and contributed to the scrum in what was surely a quite anchorage once upon a time. As an antipodean I'm loving the history that sailing in the Med offers in every nook and cranny, over the empty beaches and unpopulated islands that much of my home waters offer, all the while bemoaning the ever sky rocketing prices in some of the more popular spots that are taking some of the shine off of the experience. I am well aware that the choice to visit these spots is mine and if I don't like it, I can always sling my hook as they say. That is the joy of cruising over chartering I guess. I'm free to move on.

PT

 

[jonic]

Caribbean/Bahamas first for me, followed by going up and down the ICW followed by the Balearics