Med Excursion?

[MART1N]

I currently keep my boat (10 metre Sportscruiser) on the Solent, but fancy a couple of weeks boating with sunshine and clear waters. Therefore, I fancy having the boat taken (by road) somewhere where we could fly or drive to and spend a couple of weeks.

Has anyone else here done this? and be able to reccomend locations/haulage companies? Is any special licensing/qualifications a pre-requisite? Also, I have no idea of the costs involved.....

We would not really be planning any long trips by the boat, just localised cruising where the weather is nice and the facilities (bars/restaurants) are plentiful!

Any responses would be much appreciated.

 

[jfm]

Charter perhaps?

The road trip would cost over £6k each way, remeber there are 4 lifts and radar arch dismantle/refit x 2. Then you wd need to find a mooring which is difficult. You could bareboat charter a 10m new boat for 3 weeks high season, for that money. There are loads of charter boats in Balearix and SofF. For example prices try http://www.vitesse.puerto-portals.com I have used them before. Also http://www.kingfishermotoryachts.com Both these firms are run by English people based in Mallorca/Menorca

 

[tcm]

I've had boats in med.

It's a british-flagged boat: so you don't need any special qualification, only insurance, priovided you don't plan to go on inland waterways. Technically, any french officials need permish to board the boat - in practice customes people turn up in gangs of four or five with jackboots and guns andwant to see that you have paid VAT. make sure you have an invoice for boat that mentions VAT, reg papers, and insurance and copies will not do. You can demand that they take their shoes/boots off, which takesem ages.

As for destinations, iit depends wheher you want to go to france for smart food and not-too-hot weather, or spain for the er opposite: i don't know 2 much biout mainland spain, easier to get berths.

The further west you choose from marseilles, the less windy it is likely to be, but in summer it should be fairly fine anywhere. Lots of nice dayboating from Port L'estaque just east of marseilles.

Further west, lavandou is cheapish, good trips to isle porquerolles etc, but needs acces from Toulon airport, or just get in big car and wham down.

Like wise plenty of places in golfe de st tropez - a 2-weeker not too hard to be had in Port Grimaud.

What I did was totally stupid, but worked. I just called up Thames Valley Transport, who actually own trucks, as opposed to Apollo, who subcontract other people's trucks (so say thames valley, tho this may have changed). nice lady asked if I fancied to tip boat out at la Rague, near cannes, or l'estaque, near marseilles. Then,i went down and eventually found boat. Arie de boom own la rague, so they can plop boat up on stilts and dumpin the water when u arrive. Likely to be able to find occassional spots to stay at 10metres for 2 weeks easy peasy. mite be 3grand + for transport, total guess.

Speak to Elizabeth at Arie de Boom at La Rague (use web to find phone no). Then go down to golfe de st tropez. Sit on seafronts having megalunch for €20 plus €12 for nice rose wine and wonder why didn't do this sooner. Discover quite cheap berths at cogolin 1 mile from st tropez. get lulled into idea of renting berth for whole year cos cheaper than UK...you'll never come back...

la rague is £50 cab ride (ie not very far but steepish for merc cabs..) from Nice.