Med Cruising

[davidgraham]

Planning to take the boat ( Oceanis 411 ) from Dublin down to the Med this Spring for a few years, and to spend a good part of the year on board. Husband and wife crew with visitors from time to time. Spending a lot of time reading up as much as possible, but would appreciate if anyone currently back in the Uk would be willing to take a phone call to give me an overview on places worthwhile visiting, those to miss etc ( Portugal to Greece ).
Particularly interested in views on berthing availability which I get the impression of being difficult in the Western Med - both for overnight, short term ( 1 / 2 weeks ) for occasional visits back home, and winter layups

 

[Tranona]

Hi and welcome to the forum

What you are planning to do is probably the most researched and written about activity in the whole of sailing! Almost every month there are articles in the yachting press (two in this month's PBO alone). Books galore, private blogs, dedicated websites, organisations to join such as Cruising Association and probably best as a starting point Pilot Books and guides such as those by Rod Heikell. Hang around this forum for a few weeks and you will pick up plenty of leads.

Individuals' experiences are, of course very useful, but there are so many different ways of enjoying the Med that you need to have some idea of what you want to achieve before you start asking for experiences. For example for some people escaping the rat race and leading a minimalist lifestyle is the aim, for some it is the journey, others live aboard as an alternative to a house/villa etc but never actually go anywhere and so on. For some the journey to get there is the greatest appeal and enjoy taking a couple of years going down the coast or through the canals; others, like me just want to be there so bought a boat already there.

There are some generalisations. The western med is highly developed and relatively expensive, but easy access by air to just about everywhere in N Europe all year round. The mid part (S France, Italy and the Islands) is also well developed and expensive, but less choice of places to stop. Greece and Turkey are less expensive and less reliant on marinas etc, but more difficult for access. There has been a general movement from west to east, partly because of the price differential.

There is one overriding feature of everywhere, though - it is no longer a low cost activity, particularly if your income is in Sterling, less so if you are in Euros, but at a rough guess prices in general have at least doubled in the 10 years I have been going to Greece.

One of the main attractions of the lifestyle is relative freedom to do what you want and there is a lot to be said for doing your desk research to get the basis of a plan and then just go for it - you will learn as you go along from your own experience and people you meet along the way.

 

[davidgraham]

Hi Tranona

Thanks for the reply and your comments.

Have been and continue to do as you suggest, by spending many hours each day reading articles, pilot books and forums such as this, and soaking up as much detail as possible.

We would not be full time liveaboards, but would certainly spend as much of the non winter months on the boat. While we like the passage part of the trip and arriving in new places, we also like to spend time exploring ashore.

We have done the local cruising around Ireland, Scotland, Channel and Brittany but are in need of a bit of sun and warmth ! Hence the Med.

 

[macd]

Would largely agree with Tranona.

The biggest variable -- which begets the biggest variable on cost -- is whether to anchor or use marinas. Anchor when you can, eat and drink mainly aboard, and it needn't be expensive.

Two years ago I spent 5 months sailing from Atlantic southern Spain to Corfu, at a total marina cost of around 50 Euros. It would have been possible to spend 1000s on the same trip. You'll know your own preferences, but I'm sure anyone on here would urge you to have the best ground tackle you can afford (and a reliable electric windlass).

Some areas are almost anchorage-free (N Portugese coast, much of W coast of mainland Italy and to a lesser extent, Costa del Sol). Costa Blanca and pretty well everywhere else have stacks of brilliant anchorages. Many, especially in the Balearics, are often chocker during the day but tend to clear out at night.

And don't rush to the Med. The Galician rias are not to be missed.

One thing you will discover, and I'm sure enjoy, is the yottie cameraderie along the way, particularly from Coruna-on. Not your stamping ground, but it's of a quite different order from the English south coast.

 

[davidgraham]

Thanks MacD - more useful advice.

We certainly will not be rushing - one of the joys of being retired !

 

[Oliveoyl]

And another welcome from us!
I guess you're immune to the sterling effect, and IIRC from last visit, Dublin is not a cheap place to be. Compare and contrast with cruising in Greece - we reckon €150 pp per week, to cover eating out nearly every day (it's our hols, after all), food and drink (the last in enormous quantities), harbour fees, fuel..) Best of Greece - the town quays (mostly free or almost so), sometimes with water and elec (mostly very cheap).
Good luck

 

[samwise]

There are loads of blogs -- including ours -- full of experiences from the sort of trip you are planning. Excellent advice to take it slow -- at least down to Gib. Spanish coast after Barcelona does not have too much to offer, but then you can pop over to the Balearics and spend ages doing the islands.

If you are going to to and fro a bit between the boat and UK the biggest headache will be finding somewhere you can park the boat safely and securely while you are away -- especially in high season. Many places will not let you book ahead and the spots that are convenient for airports etc are snapped up fairly quickly. We found that some places would give us the bum's rush over the phone but could find a spot if we turned up in person.

Rates plummet in October and you can often get a good deal for a pontoon berth between October and April

A popular routine for Med cruisers is to lay the boat up ashore in the high season when it is very hot and crowded and go home mid June to enjoy ( do I mean that!) the British summer. Then go back end of August for a spot of maintenance and to continue cruising. Shore storage is much cheaper than leaving it afloat.

 

[davidgraham]

Hi Samwise

Good advice to head home when the going gets too hot. The trade off is a potentially longer season than in home waters.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Tranona gave a great summary of the various styles of cruising. And the advice given - to enjoy the journey down - is very sound. I took two years over the trip, doing two seasons around N Spain and Galicia. N Spain is one of the great remaining unspoilt cruising areas, dedicated to fishing, rather than yachting, but yacht friendly.

Berthing and planning en route - try my web site. It's designed to help people choose where to spend time. It perhaps over-concentrates on where to find nice bars and restaurants, rather than ancient ruins. And we did enjoy hunting out the bizarre . . .

I'm now developing the Mediterranean parts of my site for the Cruising Association, who have some 600 plus Mediterranean members. They are adding tremendous detail, including loads of stuff about preparing your boat for the region, paperwork, rules and regulations in various countries. But, to see the developed site, you have to become a member of the CA. Mind you, in some regions the marina discounts pay for membership.

Meanwhile, the free stuff is here:

 

[davidgraham]

Hi Jim

Thanks for message - your website is fantastic and full of excellent information.
In particular, I see we share the same " prejudices", and have common interests shoreside !