Paul Boissier
New member
We have a choice of chartering a sailing boat in Mallorca or Corfu next summer. 4 adults and 2 children, aged about 10. Which destination would be the best bet?
Mallorca or Corfu?
- Thread starter Paul Boissier
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Tranona
Well-known member
So different . Depends on what you are looking for. Mallorca is very tourist, generally upmarket, expensive marinas and crowded calas for anchoring. Corfu by comparison is rather rustic and pattern is generally drifting from village to village with lunch time stops at anchor. Crowded and hot in summer with very little wind for sailing. Little shoreside activity other than village quay with tavernas, but Corfu is quite large and lots to do and see. Personally Corfu is my choice - kept my boat there for 10 years, but other than stopping there on the way to southern Spain have little experience of sailing there.
Goldie
Well-known member
Welcome aboard!
I can’t comment on Corfu, but having spent recent summers cruising the W. Med, I’m afraid I can’t recommend Mallorca in summer.
The island has become very over-crowded with charter boats, especially catamarans, many of which are packed to the gunwhales with crews intent on partying all night, every night, making a good night’s sleep a rarity! Anchorages are packed and boats are necessarily too close to each other as they compete to anchor on the diminishing areas of available sand. This is due to hotels cordoning off ‘their’ bays - sometimes to several hundred metres offshore - and the evangelical zeal with which avoidance of anchoring across sea grass (‘Posidonia’) is enforced by high powered RIBS with underwater viewing scopes. Marina berthing is well nigh impossible unless booked well in advance, especially as many of the less expensive marinas don’t accept visitors of over 12m LOA. Have a look at the PortsIB portal and if you decide to head to Mallorca, it’s not too early to book berths now, or ask your charter company to book for you if you’re going to want marinas. Fortunately, we have a watermaker so no need for marinas to top us to up with water and a dinghy sufficed for topping up supplies for the 11 weeks we spent cruising in the Balearics.
A beautiful area, fabulous anchorages, but we wouldn’t go back in summer.
Others may have had different experiences and I hope someone is along shortly with a far more positive view of cruising in Corfu!
I can’t comment on Corfu, but having spent recent summers cruising the W. Med, I’m afraid I can’t recommend Mallorca in summer.
The island has become very over-crowded with charter boats, especially catamarans, many of which are packed to the gunwhales with crews intent on partying all night, every night, making a good night’s sleep a rarity! Anchorages are packed and boats are necessarily too close to each other as they compete to anchor on the diminishing areas of available sand. This is due to hotels cordoning off ‘their’ bays - sometimes to several hundred metres offshore - and the evangelical zeal with which avoidance of anchoring across sea grass (‘Posidonia’) is enforced by high powered RIBS with underwater viewing scopes. Marina berthing is well nigh impossible unless booked well in advance, especially as many of the less expensive marinas don’t accept visitors of over 12m LOA. Have a look at the PortsIB portal and if you decide to head to Mallorca, it’s not too early to book berths now, or ask your charter company to book for you if you’re going to want marinas. Fortunately, we have a watermaker so no need for marinas to top us to up with water and a dinghy sufficed for topping up supplies for the 11 weeks we spent cruising in the Balearics.
A beautiful area, fabulous anchorages, but we wouldn’t go back in summer.
Others may have had different experiences and I hope someone is along shortly with a far more positive view of cruising in Corfu!
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capnsensible
Well-known member
Corfu.
Davy_S
Well-known member
Corfu is far more a chilled out place than Mallorca, but there are scenic parts to both islands, cannot recommend either island in the madness of August.
newtothis
Well-known member
Done a couple of charters out of Corfu. Plenty of anchorages, town quays, etc on the nearby islands and on the mainland to keep it interesting for a week. Can be calm which might be a good thing when sailing with kids, but there's usually a bit of wind to get some sailing in.
Haven't been to Mallorca but have done Menorca. There you just tend to circumnavigate, but we had a week with left over swell from a storm somewhere and little wind.
Haven't been to Mallorca but have done Menorca. There you just tend to circumnavigate, but we had a week with left over swell from a storm somewhere and little wind.
mjcoon
Well-known member
Mallorca does (or did) have the reservation island of Cabrera, which we went to on one visit years ago. It had to be booked in advance for, IIRC, a limited-duration stay. So hardly makes up for the party environment of the main island!
Poecheng
Well-known member
Pinnacle Yacht Sales Corfu Greece
I haven't chartered (only visited by land) but did speak to him on one of our visits and he seemed straightforward to me and knew what he was doing. Doesn't look like they do charters anymore. I am not sure my limited knowledge is sufficient to recommend someone but if I was to charter in Corfu, that is where I would start and see if he would point me in the right direction.
I haven't chartered (only visited by land) but did speak to him on one of our visits and he seemed straightforward to me and knew what he was doing. Doesn't look like they do charters anymore. I am not sure my limited knowledge is sufficient to recommend someone but if I was to charter in Corfu, that is where I would start and see if he would point me in the right direction.
ashtead
Well-known member
There are some lovely harbours in north of Mallorca (at least when viewed from shoreside Pollensa and Soller look great ) but clearly a lot depends on whether you can get in. My impression is Mallorca is pricey but I haven’t been to corfu for many years. With 10 year old children my initial question would how long would you want to sail between marina/moorings and look at distances as a starter. Assuming you have looked at routes offered by charter companies then what do the children want on arrival - I guess beaches or water parks ? Do they sail or row? Even without children in tow I don’t think I would charter in Majorca so unless other areas like northern Croatia coast attract /are possible then seems Corfu is safer bet. Have you looked at any pilot books covering the 2 islands though . Where in Corfu would you start from as this might elicit more focussed suggestions
Tranona
Well-known member
Don't think Colin is active now. Plenty of choice of operators in Corfu from the biggies to family owned ones like Bobs Yachts.
Sea Change
Well-known member
We spent the summer of 2022 in and around Mallorca, with a 6yr old onboard.
There are lots of things we liked about it- historic towns, cobbled streets, easy access to good food, clear water, some good snorkeling, nice scenery.
But it was also really hot and really busy. In the very peak of the summer we ended up anchored in Pollensa for about six weeks because there wasn't any point trying to visit any of the smaller calas.
We had problems with swell, which can suddenly make an anchorage untenable, necessitating a first light departure for an alternative which might be on the other side of the island.
Can't comment on marinas because other than filling up with water, we didn't use any in the five months we were there.
As mentioned already, Cabrera was lovely, but you can only stay two or three nights and then you have to make a fairly large hop to somewhere else. I remember that going down that corner of Mallorca we had very few viable options for anchoring out of the swell. We got pretty good at using our stern anchor...
There are lots of things we liked about it- historic towns, cobbled streets, easy access to good food, clear water, some good snorkeling, nice scenery.
But it was also really hot and really busy. In the very peak of the summer we ended up anchored in Pollensa for about six weeks because there wasn't any point trying to visit any of the smaller calas.
We had problems with swell, which can suddenly make an anchorage untenable, necessitating a first light departure for an alternative which might be on the other side of the island.
Can't comment on marinas because other than filling up with water, we didn't use any in the five months we were there.
As mentioned already, Cabrera was lovely, but you can only stay two or three nights and then you have to make a fairly large hop to somewhere else. I remember that going down that corner of Mallorca we had very few viable options for anchoring out of the swell. We got pretty good at using our stern anchor...
GrahamD
Active member
Mallorca is very crowded and hot in summer and anchorages can be limited, especially if a strong wind is blowing. Corfu is also hot in summer, and can be very crowded but it gives access to a much more varied sailing area where there are many more options for anchoring/ berthing
dgadee
Well-known member
Seagrass in Mallorca is a nighmare.