Med Convert

[Guest]

I,m one of those strange people who drag their boats around the world (well UK & Europe anyway) so that i can enjoy cruising all over the place. Since we live in the North where its a bit grim for boating, this has always seemed the best idea. But no longer we have just trailed the boat to the Med and spent a month in the South of France, Ampuriabrava, Barcelona and Menorca it was amazing- Studland bay will never have the same appeal again. We even started looking for a berth in Mahon( but unless youve got 80ft you are seriously under endowed here).
The best bit about all this is i can buy a new boat!! My current sportscruiser is as big as you can legally tow (Well its nearly legal)but this whole new world has opened up to me, Flybridges, generators,twin engines and tender garages.Now then wheres that Leopard brochure? Did you say hull No 24 is going spare Matt.

 

[Guest]

Hull 24 is me, you can have 25.

Did you mean that (because it's trailerable) you can have a new one? Or that you got to the med and though, stuff this we'll stay here? Reading v carefully, and from the heading, I imagine that you are de-trailering.

One really fab thing I saw is the Port-inland at mandelieu near Cannes (port-inland.com) which will do an annual dry berth for about two grand for a 6-m berth. This is dry berthing, with massive forklifts, plop them in a big river 1kn from the sea. No antifouling or storm damage. Worth a look, esp if not fixed on one spot. Another option is Port Grimaud housette with free mooring outside.

But bigger than 6m and you're in for yahoo eek large expenditure. The 23m looks a bit sad next to some others, I must admit. Worth it though? Er possibly.

 

[Guest]

I didnt make it very clear did I? We,ve never thought anywhere that we have been was worth going back to more than a couple of times hence the trailer. How ever we now think Menorca and the rest of the Med is perfect, so its off to SBS cheque book in my hot little hand to find a 40ft ish boat to leave out in Menorca

 

[Guest]

Ah but Menorca's not really that good is it? From now through to about April May time, there's no flights, cheap or othewise. Have a look at the schedules. The tour operators only fly there in the summer, all the locals are now breathing big sighs of relief cos the tourists have buggered off and left them alone. Only 1 flight a week from Luton on Monarch and its and arm and a leg so you can't pop out for a long weekend or something at Xmas 'cos all the expats there have booked the flights up solid years ago. And you try and book with Monarch anyway.

Much better mainland Spain sort of Malaga 'cos easyjet and Go and Buzz and everyone goes there so it's easy to get their cheap and you can take your secretary down for a conference and oops shut up colin in case any one important reads this (like Mrs matt and twigs about the trips to SofF eh)

BTW how'd you trail a boat to Menorca in the first place?

 

[Guest]

Good point about the flights. We took the boat through the channel tunnel(not a lot of room to spare)drove 750 miles to St Cyprien Plage (about 30 miles north of spanish boarder) messed about for a bit then headed down to Barcelona where we spent 2 nights in the worlds most horrifically noisy Marina Olimpic- Yes I know now that we should have gone to Port Vel. We then set of at 6am for the 130m to Menorca feet up having breakfast by 11am. Then the %$£$&!! wind got up on the day we were supposed to leave so we got stuck for a week. Ended up collecting the car and trailer and taking boat home on the Ferry to mainland-And i,d like to see you do that with a Leopard 22m (thats because the ferry was smaller than a Leopard 22!)

 

[Guest]

Re: ah but

erm lost track of it here. did you take the trailer across to Men. or did u powerboat across?

Anyway it's me wiv the leopard, whereas Colin is carefully cultivating his hobby qv profile. It'll be no good in Menorca for him, so how abt somewhere with good transport links. Palma?

 

[jfm]

Re: Love Barcelona

Don't knock Puerto Olympico. I've spent many a fine evening (night) dancin wiv waitresses in fur bikinis on (and I mean ON) the bars along the strip along the back, then crash out in the utterly fab hotel Arts right across the road. Yup, any new projects in Barce and I'm first in line

JFM