Maximum boat length to enjoy the inlets and anchorages in the med

[Zkaliman]

Hello
I recently heard that boats over 24 meters would not be allowed to anchor at different places in the med . I am looking for a powerboat to cruise and enjoy the med. I was wondering what would be the largest size boat I could get and still get good access to the small anchorages and inlets in the med. Cheers ! Thanx for your advice .

 

[Steruth1]

I’m hearing it’s circa 40ft but only bar gossip

 

[Portofino]

Hello
I recently heard that boats over 24 meters would not be allowed to anchor at different places in the med . I am looking for a powerboat to cruise and enjoy the med. I was wondering what would be the largest size boat I could get and still get good access to the small anchorages and inlets in the med. Cheers ! Thanx for your advice .

It’s a bit of a “how longs a piece of string question “.
You need to be less vague and little more specific.
Meds a big place .
French Cote d Azur has recently imposed a over 24 M Anchorage restrictions.
Regarding specifics , how many people are planing to sleep on the thing ? What sort of usage , coast hopping , big island hopping , night navigating , fair weather etc etc .Autonomy - how long @ anchor will you need the boat to last .
Around 40 ft you can have a generator + water maker .
24 M a night In Portofino will cost a four figure sum and generally 2 /3 x more than a 12 M in every marina you wind up in .

You can put folks up in hotels as well , guests as such .We do for infrequent guest .
This has saved us hundreds of thousands of running a two cabin boat over a 3 or 4 + .Just think about that for a moment .
It all boils down to intended use .
If you have married again and have 5 kids from both women under school age then it’s gonna need to sleep 7 + guests .
So it’s difficult to say long a piece of string is ..

Anyhow did you mean THIS CLOSE in “ small anchorages “
Btw the 38 and 50 cruise together and do indeed use shore based hotels .

 

[Zkaliman]

It’s a bit of a “how longs a piece of string question “.
You need to be less vague and little more specific.
Meds a big place .
French Cote d Azur has recently imposed a over 24 M Anchorage restrictions.
Regarding specifics , how many people are planing to sleep on the thing ? What sort of usage , coast hopping , big island hopping , night navigating , fair weather etc etc .Autonomy - how long @ anchor will you need the boat to last .
Around 40 ft you can have a generator + water maker .
24 M a night In Portofino will cost a four figure sum and generally 2 /3 x more than a 12 M in every marina you wind up in .

You can put folks up in hotels as well , guests as such .We do for infrequent guest .
This has saved us hundreds of thousands of running a two cabin boat over a 3 or 4 + .Just think about that for a moment .
It all boils down to intended use .
If you have married again and have 5 kids from both women under school age then it’s gonna need to sleep 7 + guests .
So it’s difficult to say long a piece of string is ..

Anyhow did you mean THIS CLOSE in “ small anchorages “
Btw the 38 and 50 cruise together and do indeed use shore based hotels .

Nice - do u own both and take both when u cruise ? Or are you buddy boating ? Is there a “local” med itama boat owners club ? U got My mind thinking of new cruising options - sorta like there’s more than one way to skin a cat. How many days weeks months u think like 3 people can cruise on the larger itama before feeling the need to go to shore based housing before shoving off again ?

 

[jrudge]

I am 58 feet. In Mallorca a 50 would let you in just about anywhere - but I like big boats and space.

 

[prinex]

IMO If you have a normal budget - 40ish is the norm, 2 cabins, good for 4 people - family or very very friends . Easy to find a place to stay in any port, economic to run etc. Consider 12k Euro a year maintenance / insurance / running cost etc for a planing hull. Once you start to pass the 50ish you already are at twice the yearly budget - 50 gives you the 3rd cabin which is important for many people, if you just do a few days overnight many people opt for hotels, for example rent a summer house in sardinia for 8+ people, use the 40foot for daily cruises.
Everything over 60 is when you really have a lot of time, or don't mind the 50K bill a year to keep the thing floating.

If you have 7+ children go sailing they have 10 berths in a 11 meter boat. Be aware that a lot of purchases end up in disappointment (specially in the classic man wants a boat a wife has to agree), the comfort even on a 50" boat is relative, between rolling, genset has to run to do everything normal, lack of real privacy, different needs of people on board , etc so consider chartering once before).

The boat restrictions etc in France are just a thing for the big guys over 24mt (until now).

"big space" is usually a function of how wide a boat is (between 3mt60 and 4mt10 for the same length there is a huge difference in comfort) and how space engines etc take up, IPS are basically a box, shaft takes up more space and so on.

 

[DAW]

FWIW here are my views on boat size and the latest restrictions in SoF ...

Up to 19-20m (60-65 feet) you can go more or less anywhere and are not limited by size. To my knowledge, there are very few restrictions on anchoring for boats below 20m, although in some areas the marking of the bouys is not that clear. At that size, you are not "large" by Med standards and will not be out of place in any anchorage. Most of the marina's have plenty of berths in the 19-20m range and other than the peak weeks in August, you should be able to find space on a short-term basis and at short notice at reasonable cost. Long-term berths are a bit more challenging, but still possible.

Above 20m, life becomes considerably more difficult. There are now anchoring restrictions along most of the coast for boats above 24m (no closer than 300m to the shore in most areas) and lots of additional local restrictions in some of the best locations which limit anchoring within 300m to boats of less than 20m. Finding a berth on a short-term basis at short notice for something 20m plus is more difficult and long-term berths even more so. Also, above 20m the cost rises disproportionatly. A 24-26m berth is usually double the cost of something 19-20m. As Porto says, something 19-20m is double 12-16m and the cost of berths in high profile locations (St Tropez, Portofino, Porto Cervo, etc.) can be eye-watering.

The 300m restriction for boats +24m is not a problem for the super yachts as they have always anchored at this distance. However, it is a significant issue for the mid-size boats (24-35m) which in the past dropped anchor in the middle of the smaller boats and often quite close to the shore. Apart from the obvious disadvantage of being much further out, in many of the anchorages 300m puts you well outside the zone of protection from swells, etc. and the deeper, colder water makes activities such as swimming, snorkelling, SUP less enjoyable. At 300m, you are also often in depths of 30-50m and so to anchor safely overnight you need to carry a lot of chain.

I've also heard rumours that they are debating introducing restrictions on discharge of grey water in anchorages for boats above a certain size, and requiring grey water tanks. This is not a problem for new boats fitted with integrated grey/black water systems. However, there are lots of older boats which do not have grey water tanks and typically discharge their grey water straight into the sea. As usual in France, it's a totally pointless measure as most people discharge their tanks (black and grey) on the way back to the marina, but that doesn't help if you are subject to a spot check while at anchor.

My recommendation for an easy life would be to stay below 20m and have a plan for dealing with future restrictions on grey water discharge. After that, you just need to judge how much space you need, how much work you can do yourself and what budget you have. Don't underestimate the cost of renting a berth if you plan to be based in the SoF/Balearics for any length of time and local servicing, maintenance, etc. are also not cheap.

 

[DavidJ]

In my part of the Med they have put out lots of buoys for 8M and 10M in most of the calas. They are pretty flexible so my 11.3 M causes no problems and at €9 for half a day a good deal.

 

[KINGFISHER 8]

Is there a list anywhere? ... I'm in Port St.Cyprien.

 

[DavidJ]

Is there a list anywhere? ... I'm in Port St.Cyprien.

Just south of you in Banyuls is some of the clearest water I’ve seen in the Med. Love Collioure as a car drive destination.
Can‘t answer your question but if you navigate around this you may find what you want.
https://www.portroses.com/media/docs/PLA_DE_FONDEJOS_2021_en-53.pdf
or this
BOIES DE FONDEIG 2021 | Notícies

 

[petem]

In my part of the Med they have put out lots of buoys for 8M and 10M in most of the calas. They are pretty flexible so my 11.3 M causes no problems and at €9 for half a day a good deal.

It's unusual for there to be a charge for buoys on the Spanish mainland isn't it?

They're all FOC where I am.

 

[DavidJ]

It's unusual for there to be a charge for buoys on the Spanish mainland isn't it?

They're all FOC where I am.

....and there was me thinking I was getting a good deal!!

 

[Portofino]

Nice - do u own both and take both when u cruise ? Or are you buddy boating ? Is there a “local” med itama boat owners club ? U got My mind thinking of new cruising options - sorta like there’s more than one way to skin a cat. How many days weeks months u think like 3 people can cruise on the larger itama before feeling the need to go to shore based housing before shoving off again ?

Answering in order .
I own one nearer the 50 ones enough.More or less the same L but a foot narrower so runs with I 6 MANs as opposed to V8 s .
Two cabins instead of 3 .
Theres is a Itama club run by PYB of this Parish - note his Moniker .They are are adorable by mostly Italians .I kinda fell into the “ club “ - long story short = the sea keeping aspect the unslammerbility of the excessive deadrise .

Yes there is a dedicated marina S E Corsica .



” larger Itama “ they go to 24 M .A lot are 17/18;M 4 cabin boats , some14 / 15 M 3 cabin .
Its up to you how you use it .Hotel or anchor off or mix marina / anchor off .Budgets vary .
Does not necessarily have to be an Itama , any equivalent Baia , Pershing , Magmum , Rizzardi , deep V sports boat .

Its more a choise between floating apartments and going no where except day trips returning to base , or bombing along quickly between the big islands , comfortably covering excess of 100 miles in 3 hrs each day .
Plenty left in the budget to afford the fuel + away-day berthing fees + restaurants out at the new destinations.

Or do you tip it ( your €$¥£ ) into the initial purchase of a 3/4 cabin boat + bigger berthing and annual costs but do little hrs + distance.?
No right or wrong each to there own .

Personally I major on the ride and distance covering ability- while the seas permit cruising at near 30 knots .
I think I would be dead bored chugging about at 22/24 knots and spending 4/5 or more hrs for a change of scene .

More of a lifestyle thing owning one of theses . But they are good boats as well .How you use it it’s up to you .

Edit - we do not feel we are missing out on anything Med boating in a fast open sports boat .If anything ironically we feel get more out counterintuitively .

Plans to take it down to Corfu .Cos we can easily .

 

[kashurst]

It's unusual for there to be a charge for buoys on the Spanish mainland isn't it?

They're all FOC where I am.

Psssst Don't tell them PIke!!! (Pete) the buggers will all start drifting south.

 

[KINGFISHER 8]

Just south of you in Banyuls is some of the clearest water I’ve seen in the Med. Love Collioure as a car drive destination.
Can‘t answer your question but if you navigate around this you may find what you want.
https://www.portroses.com/media/docs/PLA_DE_FONDEJOS_2021_en-53.pdf
or this
BOIES DE FONDEIG 2021 | Notícies

Yes, Collioure is our favourite spot ... double priced mooring buoys this year so as a consequence the harbour has been pretty empty all summer - typical French folly! Anchoring off the Racou beach at Argeles another favourite. Thanks for the info.