MDL Sant Carlos Following advise in the PBO forum I m trying here

[Medskipper]

Quote
Would you recommend the train or hire a car for a first time visit? Is it a big station at Aldea Amposta, can you always get a taxi? What about on the way back - can the marina guys call one for you?

Aldea Amposta is an average size station, but I have found that you cannot always get a taxi there. Try Taxi L'Aldea on 679994190 or 627953736. The marina will always order a cab for you when leaving.

Barry

 

[Hurricane]

Quote
Would you recommend the train or hire a car for a first time visit? Is it a big station at Aldea Amposta, can you always get a taxi? What about on the way back - can the marina guys call one for you?

Aldea Amposta is an average size station, but I have found that you cannot always get a taxi there. Try Taxi L'Aldea on 679994190 or 627953736. The marina will always order a cab for you when leaving.

Barry

The marina also arranged a taxi to pick us up from Aldea Amposta (two Taxis in fact) - I phoned the marina from the train. The advantage of doing it this way is that you should be able to get someone who will speak English and then order the Taxi in Spanish.

 

[FunkyMonkey]

how much do you normally pay for the taxi transfer to reus, i was quoted 80euro i was quoted 47 euro for car hire for 4 days, i should have took that offer

 

[PEJ]

A car might be better if you have the time to explore the area a little.

Yes, good point. I'll probably do that. So one last question - any recommendations for cheap car hire in central Barcelona anyone?

If you do get the chance to visit, pop down to the end of Y pontoon and say hello - JennyWren

Yes, I will do. Thank you and everyone else for your help so far.

Sorry to Steve for hi-jacking your post!

 

[FunkyMonkey]

http://www.doyouspain.com

they have a special offer on a very unspecial car the citroen C2, but i guess if it gets you to your boat and back cheaply then who cares!

previously i said it was for 4 days my mistake i was quoted £46 pounds for tuesday till friday .still cheap though

 

[ari]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Medskipper
The manager is due to leave the marina shortly which is very unfortunate as he really is a good bloke.

Is that Neil Salter? I met him a few times when he was in the UK and he struck me as a really nice guy so guessing it may be (he mentioned at the time he was going out to run SC).

If so, any idea where he's going on to? Another MDL marina?

Anyone...??

 

[Medskipper]

Yes I was talking about Neil Salter. I did have a chat with him at at SBS, he seemed to be saying that MDL were interested in a couple of other Med countries for new marinas and possibly Italy was where he is going next! Don't quote me on this as he was not even sure himself!

Barry

 

[ari]

Thanks for that.

Well I wish him well, he's a good bloke.

 

[John100156]

Interesting reading....

I have been berthed here in Sant Carles Marina now for just over a year, arrived in September 2008. My boat 'Buster' is located at the end of 'N' Pontoon, a 2006 Targa 34. I am just across the pontoon from Barry (Medskipper).

I am here at the moment for a very brief stay until Monday, but my last stay was for 20 weeks, it ended mid-September 2009.

Now here is my two pennies worth:

1) Fouling is a problem, I am fortunate, I can pull my drives up high enough to clean my props. I need to do this every few weeks in summer. MDL have IMHO been very pro-active, their discounted lift and scrub service charge is very good. Good antifoul on the hull seems to last OK, we looked at several hulls over the warmer, high fouling, months, but props etc do need regular attention. Some boats take a trip across the bay into some shallows to drop the hook and clean. Its all down to knowing and managing the problem, if you add lift and scrubs to berthing fees, taking into consideration free parking, electric, WiFi and water, the package is still very attractive.

2) Mozzies: For us this is by far the biggest problem, as Mike (Hurricane) says, it seems to be less of a problem over on 'Y' pontoon than on 'N'. Even this evenning we had to head below and despite spraying, some still penertated our defenses, and we have built-in nets over all portholes! They did spray regularly in the summer, before the town fiesta, but less frequently since. Having visited Majorca last year and several local marinas this year, we do seem to have a much greater problem here in SCM.

Now the positive side:

3) Excellent facilities here, both the marina and boatyard.

4) Excellent staff, all very helpful indeed, they will call cabs, book you into other marinas and do all you ask. Dockmasters too are all very helpful.

5) Fellow bertholders, many from UK: all I have met during my long stay here have been just great. Very helpful, when I leave my boat I know they will all look out for it, they even wash it down should we get a sandy rainfall. Even the Spanish boats around us are all very friendly. Albeit they dont seem to understand what a speed limit is!

6) You can get by with English, most marina staff now speak good English (some didn't when I first arrived), they seem to want to learn. I too want to show them I am trying, so I do my best, they seem to appreciate the effort. Like Mike, I would like SCMN to remain quaint and Spanish.

7) Good swimming pool and bertholders lounge, we could moan about the sea gulls, but during the summer it was fine.

8) I have done the Reus trip many times, flights are so cheap from Luton most of the year, its cheaper and faster for me to get here sometimes than it was to get to Torquay! I used Hertz last year to rent a car, not the cheapest, but you can get good deals out of season. I brought a car over in May, I return it to the UK on Monday. Have driven around quite a lot, lots of nice places to see and the Ebre Delta is very special, we have seen many flocks of Flamingo's and other rare birds, just a few miles away. The AP7 toll road runs almost door to door, the tolls cost around 6.5e, but they have just opened the A7 which is a free road equal in quality to the AP7, gets you near to L'Hospitalet. It will pass SC extending to Valencia in time. 45-50 minutes but chill-out take in the scenary and relax, make it an hour!

9) The weather is just great, you can go out 90% of the time, all year round. Trips over to Majorca and back can be bumpy in a T34, but as has been said, you just need to pay attention to the weather!

10) The lagoon is excellent, lots of places to drop the hook, I never tire of cruising around it. Dropped the hook many times, left the boat by tender to have lunch in the lagoon restaurant and it never moved.

11) Very good blue flag beaches a few minutes away from the marina, and lots of supermarkets close by.

For me the biggest and only real problem is 2) above, otherwise, the positives far outweigh the negatives!

John

 

[lorenzodom]

Rental of small boats

Going to pop down for a day and take a look when in Spain weekend after next - with a view to a possible move from Cobbs Quay.

Would like to get out on the water to experience it from that side - does anyone who is based there know if there are any options for hiring a small boat for half a day?

Steve

Hi Steve;

You can rent small boats and have a tour around the 'lagoon' of the Delta del Ebro. There are local people who can facilitate that to you. The Marina will guide you for that, no problem. Enjoy your trip and the tranquillity of its sourandings.


lorenzo

 

[Tranona]

Wait until you've got there.
Barry's points are valid but he has only picked up on the bad issues.

On the transport side of things - as he sais, Reus Airport is much nearer than Barcelona. There are scheduled Ryanair flights from Luton to Reus and quite a number of other local UK airports fly to Reus during the high season. We live in the west country so have been Bristol to Reus - in fact I've got a two seats booked in a couple of weeks - £40 all in (for both - inc taxes and Ryanair's booking fees). Most of the time we have a hire car and its about 50 minutes from the Airport to the marina - I've done it lots of times - picking up kids and dropping people off etc.

Barry mentions that the boat yard is a bit expensive to store ashore - yes but if you are just lifting for an annual maintenance, try comparing the whole thing (lift, scrub, stor and relaunch) with UK prices and I think you will be pleasantly surprised. For example when we berthed our 51 foot Sealine in the Hamble the cost of lifting scrubbing and relaunching at Hamble Point was over £1000 - 4 years ago. This year I had the Princess 67 lifted, scrubbed, stored ashore for a week and relaunched for just over £500.

Add to this the ability now to have a cheap mid season clean up. JW will cost me about £87 to lift and scrub. Next season, I will probably lift her several times - a quick lift and wash before a long cruise will pay for the saving in fuel many times over.

And dont forget, even if the fouling at Sant Carles is agressive, it isnt much more than the rest of the Med - you still get barnacle growth on your props - where ever you are. I believe that in the Balaerics its common to have a diver down several times each year to clean the props - lifting is a much more effecient way of cleaning - and you get the time to inspect the underside more often.

Mosquitos - I know that people have pestered by the mosquitos but it does happen generally in this part of Spain. My parents once owned a villia about 25 miles south of Sant Carles and mosquitos were a problem there as well. Aircraft are often seen spraying the general area to keep the quantities down. Personally, we hardly have any of the little critters but we do keep the cabins closed and airconditioned. Our side of the marina also seems less affected as well.

That just answers Barry's comments in a positave way but there are loads of other benefits in the area.

The islands are only 90 odd miles away and there is some superb cruising when you get there.

Then there's the lagoon - a streatch of almost enclosed water about 6 miles long, a mile and a half wide and about 6 metres deep. Good anchoriges in almost all weather conditions - it doesnt look like it but there was a good force 5 blowing when this photo was taken - at that time it would have been very rough and uncomfortable out in the main sea.

Not to mention the lagoon restaurant

Barry also points out that the town is very unspoilt. Not much English spoken etc. This is exactly why we like the place - other parts of Spain have become overun by Brits and we wanted somewhere a little quieter. Sant Carles strikes a great balance between being peaceful whilst still being a town large enough for good shopping and restauramts.

Loved these pictures Hurricane, having spent 3 weeks moored next to you in the marina! Not through choice, but our trip back from Corfu to UK got frustrated by failures of two new autopilots and I decided to take a breather. Fortunately the berth next to you belongs to a friend so my measly little Bavaria 37 (sail) hid nicely in there. I have some good video footage of her hiding with the big boys!

Eventually decided to ship it home by road, so have just returned today - boat was loaded yesterday and will be in Poole next Monday.

Comments on Sant Carles. Marina very well set up. Service for lifting mast and then boat onto transport excellent and modestly priced. Location, I think, an acquired taste - pity I did not have time to explore the land side, and for a sailboat rather restrictive as not many places to day sail to. Spoilt after 10 years in Corfu! Access depends on where you fly from. I live in Poole and Ryanair fly Mondays and Thursdays to Valencia from Bournemouth so I went out Monday morning and came back this morning £80. Hire car 170 euros + 27 fuel.

I can see the attractions if you like Spanish as opposed to Brit places - the town is very pleasant and for a MOBO that can make Majorca in just a few hours rather than the 20 hours it took us to motor from Port Andratx (sp?) it has a lot going for it. Don't know about the higher management but Jo on the desk was great in helping me sort out my problems!

 

[Hurricane]

Shame that our paths have crossed - we are leaving Devon tomorrow morning for a few weeks on the boat - it would have been good to meet you.

I've wondered who owns the berth next to us - maybe we will get to meet them as well.

You probably met the other nextdoor bertholder who I believe was out there recently lifting and sorting his Sunseeker.

I believe that James France from these forums was out there recently as well. Maybe you had the chance to meet him?

As you say, Joanna is really helpful - a great asset to the marina. I'm always emailing little questions to her and she replies promptly.

As I say, sorry to miss you

Mike

 

[Tranona]

Only had 3 days there when we first arrived and then came back to UK to sort out what we were going to do with the boat. Then the quick trip out to supervise the loading. Now all I have to do is sort out the unloading this end - not straightforward because on the limit of our hoist in the club but no doubt we will find a way round it.

The owner of the berth next door is an "investor" who owns a number of berths - but does not have a boat (at the moment). I will tell him who you are when I next see him.

Not my style, but your boat really looks the biz! The Bowman 48 4 berths down would suit me nicely though!