Majorca has now got me thinking again

If in Cala D'Or try Cala Mondrago Which the Times described as one of the top 5 bays worlwide and dozens more as you motor up the SE coast. Marina Cala D'Or always very accommodating. Yes its not the cheapest place to go boating but every cent great value plus sun and crystal green waters.
I couldn't agree more. As I have posted elsewhere, I am a recent very happy Med/Cala d'Or convert. Uk boating for many years but now enjoying our first season in the med. Spent yesterday at anchor of the caribbeanesque Es Trenc beach. Then last night in Porto Petro, this morning swimming in Cala Mondrago. Now back on our berth in Cala d'Or and wondering which of the dozens of decent restaurants to go to tonight. Its hard to explain the scale of the fundamental difference that being out here makes to our chosen past time. We have always enjoyed our boating, but here the enjoyment is on another level. This year the boat has suddenly made sense.
I would only qualify this by saying that we are retired. Travelling to the Med and having to rush back to go to work wouldn't have been for me... but many do this very successfully too.
Mallorca isn't inexpensive. Cala d'Or probably 3rd or 4th most costly on the island, but the location is great if you like a choice of many beautiful little calas not too far away, not to mention Cabrera and Es Trenc. We feel the premium is more than worth paying.
 
How much approx in regard to mooring fees would it be to keep something like a sealine S23 or S24 in Mallorca ?

Dennis
 
Rick

We were were with the peasantry on Es Trenc beach yesterday - you could have at least waved!

With regard to the OP's post - just do it, you won't regret it. I completely agree with Cloud9 , it's chalk and cheese compared to UK boating, a whole lifestyle around boating and the weather makes all the difference.

We had 6 years based in Alcudia and I wouldn't discount it. As others have said it is windier up there but there are still plenty of good days - and it's less crowded than the south coast with some genuinely spectacular scenery and anchorages. It's also cheaper than places around Palma and Cala D'Or but still has great restaurants and the marina is very friendly and if you get bored of the usual cruising area Menorca is only 90 mins away!

We justified the additional cost by combining our boating and holiday budgets - this may be man maths but it worked for us ?. I also combined it with working and got out most months April-Oct sometimes for long weekends but also longer holidays as well.

Give it a go, you won't regret it.
 
Shawn,

I am a few stages ahead of you in my move to the med quest.

Have a look at my thread with notes on my recent visit to Mallorca marinas: http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?459086-Mallorca-recce-part-two-booked&highlight=cala+d'or

I am chartering BCU's Targa 47 this weekend to see how the family like the on the water element of Med boating. I will be sure to post a report on here when I have returned.

Sounds a great idea, can you let me know what you think of the T47 as a boat as its on my list. Enjoy.
 
Depends how long you are here in Cala d'Or, but we will say hello if we walk past Relax. Although we may miss you as we are are off to Adriano on Friday, back Sunday.
Have a great time.
Rick

Rick, that is a shame. We will be there Friday lunchtime to Sunday afternoon.
 
Depends how long you are here in Cala d'Or, but we will say hello if we walk past Relax. Although we may miss you as we are are off to Adriano on Friday, back Sunday.
Have a great time.
Rick

Spoil Gill and dine at the Harbour Grill . Expensive but worth every euro.

Situated on the first level of the main pontoon. We love this position overlooking the large boats so much that we always try to get a berth here close to the boat yard.

Doug
 
If a few more of you bugger off to the Med, it might bring down mooring fees on the Hamble. I'm happy with the cold sea water, crap weather (it was only 34oC here today), English money, and an ability to be home by teatime without having to suffer airport security out or customs back.

Each to his own I suppose.

Perhaps I will re-visit this thread after October !!!
 
If a few more of you bugger off to the Med, it might bring down mooring fees on the Hamble. I'm happy with the cold sea water, crap weather (it was only 34oC here today), English money, and an ability to be home by teatime without having to suffer airport security out or customs back.

Each to his own I suppose.

Perhaps I will re-visit this thread after October !!!

Yes I used to think like that but got sooooo fed up of sitting on the boat unable to use it I REALLY wished I had taken the advise on here and moved her to the med years ago
 
Yes I used to think like that but got sooooo fed up of sitting on the boat unable to use it I REALLY wished I had taken the advise on here and moved her to the med years ago

Lovely if you can afford it :)

Dennis
 
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Lovely if you can afford it :)

Dennis

Actually, it very much depends where in the UK you are based.

We keep a 20m boat in Sant Carles in the Med for far less that it cost us to keep our old 15m boat on the Hamble and that includes the air fares to get there and back.
The big difference is that when you are there you are much more likely to use the boat and there are some fantastic places to visit.
IMO, places that you simply cannot find in UK waters.

Affording it, isn't the issue - if you are a boater anyway, the cost in the Med can actually be less.
The big issue that I can't defend is "Time".
I'm retired but for those of you still working, I agree that "Time" is a constraint that is more difficult to justify.
 
Lovely if you can afford it :)

Dennis

You can afford it. My 20m boat is berthed in a very nice marina on the SW coast of Sardinia and it has cost me €8000 to berth it there for a year. The Med is not all swanky marinas charging sky high prices although you can find plenty of those if you want. Book cheap flights well in advance and if you're a bit handy with the tools you could be enjoying your boat in the Med at a lower cost than in the UK
 
You can afford it. My 20m boat is berthed in a very nice marina on the SW coast of Sardinia and it has cost me €8000 to berth it there for a year. The Med is not all swanky marinas charging sky high prices although you can find plenty of those if you want. Book cheap flights well in advance and if you're a bit handy with the tools you could be enjoying your boat in the Med at a lower cost than in the UK

Hi Mike

That sounds a good option, where do you fly into? What do you think of the Sardinia boating compared with Palma?

Thanks

Martyn
 
That sounds a good option, where do you fly into? What do you think of the Sardinia boating compared with Palma?
Martyn, we fly to Cagliari from Stansted or at least we used to because actually we've moved on to the SoF in the last few weeks. There are daily flights throughout most of the year. We berthed in a place called Carloforte which is actually on an island off the SW coast of Sardinia. Considering where it is, it is quite a sophisticated busy town with 2 marinas and all the shops/restaurants/bars you could really wish for although teenagers are going to get bored there. There is an excellent maintenance yard nearby so getting your boat mended isnt an issue either. In terms of boating it is far less crowded than Majorca so you will never be fighting to get into an anchorage even in August and the water is amazingly clear. On the other hand it can get windy so you always have to keep half an eye on the forecast. We berthed here http://www.marinadicarloforte.it/ which is a very friendly family run marina and as I say it cost us €8000 pa for a 63 footer which is cheap by any standards

We spent 2 seasons in that corner of Sardinia but what we got pissed off with in the end was the journey there. For us it was a minimum 1.5hrs around the M25 to Stansted. Once you get to Cagliari, it was a 1hr taxi ride to a ferry port and a 40min ferry ride to San Pietro island on which Carloforte is located so about 9-10hrs door to door minimum. This meant that weekend boating was out of the question and the minimum period we would go for was 5 days. If it wasn't for this issue, I'm sure we'd still be in Carloforte. Its a fact of life in Med boating that a location which is easy to get to like Palma or SoF is going to be more expensive and a location like Carloforte which is more difficult to get to is going to be cheaper. I think it all depends on the type of boating you do. I'm still working so I can only take short periods on my boat apart from my summer hols. On the other hand if you are retired or semi retired and can spend extended periods on your boat, then the journey to get to your boat is much less of an issue and a marina location like Carloforte could work very well particularly if you want to keep a lid on berthing costs

Mapism of this parish has berthed his boat in Carloforte for some years and he was particularly helpful to us when we were berthed there and he is a mine of information about the area
 
Martyn, we fly to Cagliari from Stansted or at least we used to because actually we've moved on to the SoF in the last few weeks. There are daily flights throughout most of the year. We berthed in a place called Carloforte which is actually on an island off the SW coast of Sardinia. Considering where it is, it is quite a sophisticated busy town with 2 marinas and all the shops/restaurants/bars you could really wish for although teenagers are going to get bored there. There is an excellent maintenance yard nearby so getting your boat mended isnt an issue either. In terms of boating it is far less crowded than Majorca so you will never be fighting to get into an anchorage even in August and the water is amazingly clear. On the other hand it can get windy so you always have to keep half an eye on the forecast. We berthed here http://www.marinadicarloforte.it/ which is a very friendly family run marina and as I say it cost us €8000 pa for a 63 footer which is cheap by any standards

We spent 2 seasons in that corner of Sardinia but what we got pissed off with in the end was the journey there. For us it was a minimum 1.5hrs around the M25 to Stansted. Once you get to Cagliari, it was a 1hr taxi ride to a ferry port and a 40min ferry ride to San Pietro island on which Carloforte is located so about 9-10hrs door to door minimum. This meant that weekend boating was out of the question and the minimum period we would go for was 5 days.
This is the key issue for me and the Med. after a hard week at work, I don't want to be more than 2 hours away from the boat, so Med boating is out until I can free up the time to go for extended periods. I understand it works for many of you on here, but I'm with Trevor on this.
 
This is the key issue for me and the Med. after a hard week at work, I don't want to be more than 2 hours away from the boat, so Med boating is out until I can free up the time to go for extended periods. I understand it works for many of you on here, but I'm with Trevor on this.

Yep it all a question of priorities.
We have used the boat this year far more than we ever used it at home - flights are booked so we are going rather than the 'there is always next weekend' mentality that had set in.

Plus I couldn't afford to run my boat in the UK. Ok well I could, but I don't want to pay three times the rate to keep it in the cold and damp*

*i acknowledge there are some nice days in the uk and some wet days in Spain. The difference us in the uk the nice days come as a surprise while in Spain the wet days come as a relief ;)
 
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