Moorings in the Med

[Seven Spades]

We are planing a circumnatigation in bout 2 years. Earlier this year we sold our boat and we are looking around for a more suitable replacement with all the kit. On Saturday I saw what looks like an ideal boat but it is in Palma and at 55'+davits is currently paying €2000 a month in mooring fees!!!

My wife is a teacher so until we retire we are limited to school holidays and long weekends. I was looking for suggestions where I might be able to berth her should I decide to go ahead for a couple of years with convienant access by air?

We will not be living abord and we will put the boat on the UK register. I have read some horror stories about wealth taxes ( I am not sure if those are just for prople resident in those countries I assume so) and cruising permits.

Any advice mooring costs, access and taxes/permits would be welcome.

One more thing the boat has a rib and a 30hp engine, is an ICC sufficent to use it everywhere or will we both need PBL2 as well?

 

[RichardS]

I think the cheapest marina berth you will find with easy access by air, particularly during the summer, is Greece.

Probably the Ionian (Preveza, Corfu) but possibly near Athens as well.

Richard

 

[JFowler]

If you don’t need a Marina then several yards around Athens offer good value. We’re presently in a small yard on the mainland less than 1 hour from the airport, which is costing about €1000 for 6 months incl haul & launch.

 

[Carmel2]

Nearly anywhere is cheaper than Palma.

 

[GSL]

You may be well advised to have a look at the MDL Marina in Sant Carles.

Probably get a 20 metre berth for about 6,000 Euro a year and it is only 120 miles from Palma.

http://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/mdl-sant-carles-marina


Graham

 

[blampied]

Cartagena in Spain

 

[GrahamM376]

Much depends on which direction you want to head. Cheapest bet will no doubt be to dry sail out of a yard during school holidays but beware of some of the Spanish yards who won't allow DIY or sleeping aboard.

 

[Seven Spades]

We won't have time for DIY. We just need to find somewhere at a resonable cost where the access is straight forward. I quite like the idea of Corfu or Croatia. However it is likely that we may wish to replace the navigation equipment on board and I woud like to use a yard with good cabinetry skills to be able to match the cherry. In the UK I know that Berthon would do a fantastic job but in another country the outcome is uncertain.

 

[Carmel2]

We won't have time for DIY. We just need to find somewhere at a resonable cost where the access is straight forward. I quite like the idea of Corfu or Croatia. However it is likely that we may wish to replace the navigation equipment on board and I woud like to use a yard with good cabinetry skills to be able to match the cherry. In the UK I know that Berthon would do a fantastic job but in another country the outcome is uncertain.

Talk to Vic of this Parish, as Malta sounds like a good option for you for the up grades and work, remember chandlery in Spain as a whole is expensive and Palma is no exception.

 

[Yngmar]

Sail it up to the UK and put it in a marina near work. Rent/sell your house to cover the mooring fees and live on the boat instead. Now you can fiddle with it every day and go sail on the weekends. That way you'll be very familiar with the boat by the time you cast off and have worked out most of the niggles and refitted it to your needs. Much simpler and easier than doing the learning/refitting underway.

 

[RupertW]

I would keep the boat in the Med and not go too far from where you are - after 7 years of being in Croatia, Ionian and Aegean by far the cheapest marinas seem to be where we are now heading to mainland Spain near Valencia and along a lot of that coast, it seems. Keeping ashore in Greece may well be cheaper but I was staggered at our annual quote in Spain - about half what I paid in the most expensive marina we stayed in (Kremik in Croatia) about about 2/3rds that of marinas we had an annual berth at in Greece.

Quite why they are so cheap when so close to the fiendishly expensive South of France I don't know.

I understand the temptation to bring the boat home but learning to equip and maintain a boat abroad was a skill worth learning as well as equipping so much of it via online ordering then EasyJet baggage - 2x20kg gets you a lot and once we had 3x. Obviously all your real luggage stays on the boat as wash stuff, clothes etc etc. Are just left on board all year so hold luggage is anything from a sail to an ice maker.

There is nothing quite as nice to a bodger like me than rewiring, or replumbing or just sanding and painting in the Med heat at anchor then diving off the back a few times a day to cool off. Fareham creek may have had better pubs but I don't miss the cold and the mud.

 

[westernman]

I would keep the boat in the Med and not go too far from where you are - after 7 years of being in Croatia, Ionian and Aegean by far the cheapest marinas seem to be where we are now heading to mainland Spain near Valencia and along a lot of that coast, it seems. Keeping ashore in Greece may well be cheaper but I was staggered at our annual quote in Spain - about half what I paid in the most expensive marina we stayed in (Kremik in Croatia) about about 2/3rds that of marinas we had an annual berth at in Greece.

Quite why they are so cheap when so close to the fiendishly expensive South of France I don't know.

I understand the temptation to bring the boat home but learning to equip and maintain a boat abroad was a skill worth learning as well as equipping so much of it via online ordering then EasyJet baggage - 2x20kg gets you a lot and once we had 3x. Obviously all your real luggage stays on the boat as wash stuff, clothes etc etc. Are just left on board all year so hold luggage is anything from a sail to an ice maker.

There is nothing quite as nice to a bodger like me than rewiring, or replumbing or just sanding and painting in the Med heat at anchor then diving off the back a few times a day to cool off. Fareham creek may have had better pubs but I don't miss the cold and the mud.

The South of France is not fiendishly expensive. It is cheaper than most places in Spain.

Check the costs for Port Leucate for instance:-

http://www.leucate-port.fr/index.php/services-57/tarifs-de-reservation

 

[RupertW]

The South of France is not fiendishly expensive. It is cheaper than most places in Spain.

Check the costs for Port Leucate for instance:-

http://www.leucate-port.fr/index.php/services-57/tarifs-de-reservation

I stand corrected - it is only a little more than than we have been quoted for Spain. We had no plans to go to S o F so I'm afraid only asked around Monte Carlo and Nice when we were there. Interesting.

 

[Carmel2]

The South of France is not fiendishly expensive. It is cheaper than most places in Spain.

Check the costs for Port Leucate for instance:-

http://www.leucate-port.fr/index.php/services-57/tarifs-de-reservation

True, but as grim as, along with Port Napoleon, Leucate was graded a 5 star shell suit location....

 

[poter]

I agree port napoleon is not the nicest place to go BUT it does have great repair facilities and you can put your boat on the hard, it also has cheap on site hotel style rooms, ok not 5 star but comfortable enough and a restaurant and washing/laundry on site as well.
There is also a local british engineer who is a mechanic and can also do boat repairs and has a superb paint shop.
Not to sure what costs will be now but on the hard its got to be cheaper than moorings elsewhere. nearest airport is marseilles provence airport, and hire a car, about 20 mins to the boat yard.

 

[Carmel2]

I agree port napoleon is not the nicest place to go BUT it does have great repair facilities and you can put your boat on the hard, it also has cheap on site hotel style rooms, ok not 5 star but comfortable enough and a restaurant and washing/laundry on site as well.
There is also a local british engineer who is a mechanic and can also do boat repairs and has a superb paint shop.
Not to sure what costs will be now but on the hard its got to be cheaper than moorings elsewhere. nearest airport is marseilles provence airport, and hire a car, about 20 mins to the boat yard.

If you like mosquitoes, its a must!

 

[poter]

lol yes true...lots of mossie repelant needed in the summer.

 

[sailaboutvic]

We won't have time for DIY. We just need to find somewhere at a resonable cost where the access is straight forward. I quite like the idea of Corfu or Croatia. However it is likely that we may wish to replace the navigation equipment on board and I woud like to use a yard with good cabinetry skills to be able to match the cherry. In the UK I know that Berthon would do a fantastic job but in another country the outcome is uncertain.

I think you will find Croatia expensive although you might be one who pockets are deep .
Greek workman ship , It hit and miss , for sure I would want to be there at the time of any work.
Mind you if you got an raymarine company on board it should be ok .
As suggested Malta a good option where it was almost impossible to find a berth since the new Marina opened there quite a lot available but I guessing it not that cheap, parts, spare and workmanship in Malta is very good and so if labour cost there more chandlers in one street to keep you busy all day and all willing to do some kind of deal depending on what your after, Kirk the Raymarine guy is ace he know his stuff and not only on Raymarine but also Garmin ,
chris the fridge and AC guy sorted out a problem for me that three others in Greece and Italy only made worst .
No need to worry about any taxes or cruise permit and the ICC if ok here plus everyone speak English.
Marinas are safe hardly any thief heard off and it about the warmest place for the winter,
Last thing flights to most U.K. Airport run all year round, very cheap last lot I booked was 85 euros round trip although you have to book in advance and the airport is just a bus ride always .
Some thing to consider .

 

[Flica]

I've stopped in all the places so far suggested and without exception you will have to pay for the facilities for which you're looking, either in mooring costs, airfares or discomfort.
However one place not mentioned has been Monfalcone, at the end N of the Adriatic. Several quite impressive yards, offering Teutonic efficiency with Italian charm - however you need to speak either German or Italian to get the best from the yards.
When I was there the ghastly O'Really was flying into Ronchi dei Legionari Airport (TRS), a terrifying 5' Italian taxi drive away. He appears to still be flying there for as little as £20, but calls it Treviso and links it with Venezia.
My experience - mid-range prices, cheaper than Spain, about the same as France (where your marine work will cost more) and far more interesting. I'd rule out the rest of Italy - and Greece (which is cheap and has some outstanding workshops) will cost far too much in fares and effort.
Good luck!!!

 

[BrianH]

However one place not mentioned has been Monfalcone, at the end N of the Adriatic. Several quite impressive yards, offering Teutonic efficiency with Italian charm - however you need to speak either German or Italian to get the best from the yards.
When I was there the ghastly O'Really was flying into Ronchi dei Legionari Airport (TRS), a terrifying 5' Italian taxi drive away. He appears to still be flying there for as little as £20, but calls it Treviso and links it with Venezia.

I too would have recommended Monfalcone where prices are not standard Med. ones and services are excellent - I am further down the Italian coast with similar pricing but not accessible as Monfalcone is for air travel.

Ryanair lists its destinations from the UK as "Trieste" (Ronchi dei Legionari - TRS) and quite separately "Venice M.Polo" (Marco Polo - VCE) and "Venice Treviso" (Treviso - TSF). They seem to have dropped the old trick of using Treviso, 30km north of Venice, and labelling it "Venice" as a destination.