Marina yachts set the authorities on yachts at anchor

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I'm with you on this it seems. We spent almost ten years in the Med and Caribbean, and with one exception (the officious police guy in Figuera de Foz - Portugal) got on superbly with all the offical types we met.

As you correctly point out, chatting to and making friends with marina or port representatives makes life far more pleasant from every point of view. I'd like to think there isn't a single place we could return to without feeling welcome.

We had a watermaker for a couple of years, but found it unnecessary because of the ready supply in the places we stopped/anchored in, so sold it. We didn't even need it for our transats as even with our relatively small boat we found we could carry ample.

We've had marineros aboard for drinks in every place we over-wintered and became great freinds with most of them. SWMBO even collected stamps and brought back them back to the boat after trips back to the UK, 'cos one particular marinero friends of ours was an avid stamp collector!

I don't agree with avoiding Torrevieja. As I noted earlier, whilst it may not be the jewel in the crown along that coast, it does have lots of facilities, and we've never been moved on and hounded in any way. There have been a lot of what can only be described as 'floating gypsy' type boats anchored for long periods there though and, as well as upsetting the port people as I mentioned earlier, I KNOW many local people were very upset about the rubbish and sewage that was washing up on the tiny beach.

We saw the latter, and it wasn't pleasant I assure you! Certainly, there were NO holding tanks being used by them, and with loads of children swimming off the beach .................!
 
Yuck, there are some unpleasant views expressed in this thread. Floating sheds should be burnt, anchorages cleared out of undesirables.

If a non-berth holder sneaks into the showers and it upsets you then just ask the marina manager to change the code. There really is no need to gang up and request that the anchorage is cleared.

We don’t sneak showers, steal water nor dingy space. But we’ve been moved on or told to go into a marina in pretty well every country we have visited so far. I suppose it happens twice a summer. Examples come to mind in anchorages in Portugal (once in the Azores and twice in Madeira), the Canaries, Italy (Pantelleria) and Croatia. Once the commune has built a marina the Portuguese seem rather prone to closing the anchorage to everything but a short stay. In Gibraltar they told us to go to Spain if we wanted to anchor! No thanks if this thread is representative of the sort of people there.
 
Hi Lemain,

I hope you know me well enough to know my comments weren't directed at you, or that I'd suggest you 'approved' of people taking water and electricity!

As we agree, water in particular is VERY cheap, and following a pleasant request is usually free. As I said earlier, it is the few who steal the stuff that put people's backs up. IMHO the Spanish in particular, are amazingly gentle and friendly towards the hordes of visitors who visit their country.

We too loath marinas, and hugely resent the 'takeover' of some of the best bays and anchorages for their expansion. We couldn't believe how widespread this had become when we went back (in 2002/3) after a spell away, and would now avoid the western Med. if at all possible. It's a nightmare, even for those whose idea of 'cruising' is to surf from marina to marina. I don't condemn these people, but it's definitely not for us, and merely increases the pressure on existing facilities, to the extent that the authorities can argue that providing even more of them is a GOOD thing!

I do have a little sympathy for your argument that if a marina is built that effectively 'closes' a previously available anchorage or harbour, basic facilities such as water could be made available by the Local Authorities. But I suppose that they must feel this to be unnecessary as the marina is now providing what's needed. As I've said, we've never experienced a problem anywhere and, quite frankly, we find it no hastle to use the dinghy to collect water, because we're cruising, and have as long as we like to do things! There's no hurry.

Just a final thought. Don't take being shoved out of TorreV too personally! Whilst we've been lucky, lots of our 'upright' cruising friends have been there at the 'wrong' time and been chucked out too!! What they don't understand is why WE haven't!! Damned cheek if you ask me!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Nat, I realise that your comments are not directed at me but I don't see why any bona fide cruising yachts should be moved on. Comments have been made about sewage but let's get real. In TV the number of yachts at anchor might be a dozen or so against hundreds of yachts in the marina. I'm sure that you and I have been around yachts for long enough to have realised that very many people don't use shore facilities?

If there is sewage in TV on the beach, the chances are that most of it comes from the marinas. As for any rubbish, one side of the beach seems to attract a very 'down market' dirty type of visitor and the beach itself is left filthy. Any mess on the shoreline is almost certainly due to the beach users, not even the 'houseboats and sheds'.

Anyway, the answer is to enforce holding tank requirements not clear the anchorage! The Spanish have a requirement to have a holding tank on the statute book. They could legitimately turn away boats without one and those who have one would presumably be happy to use it - we certainly do.
 
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I agree with you about Oliver's Chandlery - it has to be one of the best-run in Spain.

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and probably one of the most expensive!!! Shop around, the reason we stopped there was because a windless and solar panells could be bought from the chandlery in the international marina at a saving counted in hundreds!! We did also use Olivers and found them quite helpful but you have to negotiate on price constantly as everything is priced high.
 
Hi Jerry, no offence taken! Before we got our watermaker sorted out, I used to ask marinas for water but they always declined. Since then, with a watermaker, we haven't needed to....indeed, quite often we give spare water to friends at anchor who are having difficulty getting it. I don't think that there is any way a visitor can argue with a marina about what it should and should not provide - what is reasonable would all depend on the history and any agreements made when the planning permission was first granted which the visitor won't know.

I never land on marinas unless I have business with the marina office or am visiting yachts in the marina - one is generally not welcome, and it is their property. What I don't accept is that the marinas or marina dwellers should conspire to have anchorages closed or cleared just because they are offended by their presence.
 
Trouville, joining in with a party, if everybody knows you are a visitor is not being a thief, because they allow you to join in and accept the fact that maybe you don't have any food or drink to give to others. That is different to what I described. I realise there is a slight language barrier here, so let me be clear I don 't think you are a 'thief'. If somebody allows you to join in with a party and not bring any food or drink, that's OK. Joining a BBQ and hoping to get free food and drink whilst pretending that you should be there is different. If a marina allows you to take some water that's OK, if you go to the marina at midnight and take some water without asking, well, 'that's thiefing'.
Marina owners put a lot of money into developing their marinas and want some return...that's businesss. Personally, I don't want to pay marina prices (can't, limited budget) so I would like to anchor. I accept that I have to pay for fuel, so I guess it's fair enough if I have to pay for water.
 
Spain sounds dreadful!I certainly think my choise to stay based in France Italy & the Islands was after all the best for me.

In Italy Italians are very open & refuse the offer of wine.On another occasion i invited 6 to lunch,being Italians i was asked if others could join in eventually there were over 20 & the then "party" held on a far bigger boat,i provided the food & good French wine!!(of course there was excellent Italian as well)

It ment another shopping trip and i spent the day cooking washing up and serving while eating and drinking!It was a wonderful time!

In this limited crusing area while things are getting very crowded life seems problem free in comparison!
 
Agree 100 % with you on this. Probably not qualified to comment as I have never cruised this area, but I have had a few weeks here and there in the Eastern med, (Greece and Turkey) and think I will stick to that area when I get my own boat.

Part of what I am looking for is a degree of freedom which is becoming increasingly more difficult at home (apreciate there has to be some restrictions), will also have to anchor most of the time and and do not want to be some where where I am not welcome.

I don't understand why any one can think it alright to evict everyone from an anchorage if it is only a small number who abuse it. To follow on from the analogy in an earlier post it would be similar to evicting all tenants from a street because one tenant in one house failed to pay the rent.

But of course I could be wrong ?
 
I don't think that Spain is particularly dreadful. Remember, the pressure is coming from (often British) yachtsmen!

The problems we have been discussing are in a stretch of coastline only 30km long where there is an unusually high proportion of long-stay marina residents. It seems to be the long-stay people who are the least tolerant - they seem to carve a spot for themselves and expect cruisers to fit into the little world they have created for themselves. The longer they dig themselves in, the more particular they are - but there notable exceptions who welcome new faces and enjoy the new company.

Is that likely to be different elsewhere? I doubt it, people are people. It's sad though.
 
I don't think Spain is particularly dreadful either. I live in that country and wouldn't if I thought it dreadful. One factor though seems to be overlooked. I know the spanish mediterranean coast from Gibraltar to about Peniscola and find there are very little anchorages along that stretch of coast. The few times I anchored along this coast it was unpleasant because there always was a swell, even if there was no wind. As a consequence the few places where it is possible to anchor pleasantly, get overcrowded. In this respect it is interesting to note that all the complaints about this unpleasant behavior of marina-visitors concern exactly the area where there are a number of pleasant anchorages, such as the harbour in Torrevieja or the Mar Menor.
 
If I might add a footnote to this discussion. The marina owners of Torre and Thomas have something like 3000 berths between them and growing, these "poor" hard done by owners are earning at a conservative 30 euros per night per berth. They are located at a key point in the med for yachties. You dont need to be a mathematician to work out the annual income yachties are worth to them. We are not talkin Craobh Haven in the North of Scotland here, the b*ggers are coining it! All year round. This is without the leases on the shops and boutiques etc etc. What price a little good will and charity and less chain link and police launches and downright rude welcome?
 
Hi as you know we are in San Antonio, we have been lucky enough to get a berth with the harbour police, which is at least half the cost of a marina berth. Just thought I'd let you know that the marina are now expanding their berths by 200 and the boat yard has closed down, so it looks like this is the beginning of the end for moorings out in the bay, you know the marina really resents boats mooring up and not paying their extorbitant costs, which will probably go up even more when the new berths are finished....well they have to pay for the work somehow!!! Will be leaving here beginning of May and can't wait. Hope you have a good summer where ever you go.
 
Well thats a bit of a bugger! Was hoping to pick up a mooring for july/august in St Antonio! Wonder if Ken and Jan (Octola) are getting a mooring again? or even going there this year?
 
Looks as though we will pass on the way...we are paid up to 15th May here and will leave +/- 7 days of that, I hope, in direction Barcelona-Sete-Fr Riviera......Elba-Sardinia....maybe Malta for the winter, or Greece?

Maybe we will see you in one of the regular stopping places - Morayra, Mar Menor, Cartagena.
 
We might finally meet you and the YBW Barcelona contingent this year. We are leaving Almerimar mid May and will hope to make fast time up the coast as we have 'done' everything as far as Morayra. Will probably aim to be in Barcelona at the end of May, first week of June. Expensive, I imagine?
 
Ken and Jan have moved there boat to Mar Menor so won't be coming back here this year, they are hoping to sell it
 
Just get in touch, you'll be more than welcome, and no not really expensive and |I agree worth every penny, most of the time!
 
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