Moving from Brighton to the Med - we're off!

[ACE]

Jimmy, GREAT decision I wish you all the very best...

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Sounds like a plan, Jimmy. Definitely a good idea to pop the boat back into the water after the Med mods have been installed to sort any glitches before the boat is shipped off to the SoF. You know how eyewateringly expensive SoF maintenance can be. Might also be a good idea to load some spares on board that you might want to use in the future and other stuff thats pricey in SoF like suntan lotion! I think you're being optimistic about the number of flights you've booked. The most nights we've ever managed on board in a season is around 45 but then we've got family commitments. One thing that takes some getting used to with Med boating is not being able to visit your boat on a whim at short notice.
Our first Med season in 2003 was also in SoF in La Napoule marina next door to La Rague. Les Lerins was our favourite spot too but there are loads of nice places to visit both east and west. The Porquerolles islands are a must to visit. Good luck with the move and we look forward to hearing how you get on

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

I think you're being optimistic about the number of flights you've booked. The most nights we've ever managed on board in a season is around 45 but then we've got family commitments. One thing that takes some getting used to with Med boating is not being able to visit your boat on a whim at short notice.

Yep, fair point - but I wanted to buy the flights while they were cheap, and I imagine that for whatever reason we may end up just not using one or two trips. On the balance between too many trips vs not enough, my feeling was that it was better to overbook and then cancel here and there, losing praps £50 a time - than try and buy a last minute Friday flight on Easyjet which can end up costing £400 return.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[hlb]

Being based in Brighton marina, we're kinda used to every trip to somewhere other than Brighton starting with the schlep to the Solent. So until now our boating has either been very short trips, ie 2nm off Brighton and then float on the tide, or 50nm to somewhere Solenty - but no middle ground.

As far as I can tell, down in SoF the big difference is that there are a ton of places to visit right on your doorstep. We've been taken to the Iles des Lerins off Cannes on a handful of occasions by other forumites - a lovely spot. Our new berth is 4nm away. Antibes is about 9nm away (I think), and Villefranche (another pretty location) about 20nm away. So in terms of mileages I think for the first season at least it will all be local - simply because there is such a lot to look at, and it's all right there.

In terms of time on board, 2011 was a pretty feeble attempt by us. I think I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of nights we spent on board. In fact, I think I can even afford to have an accident with a chop saw and still count on the remaining fingers of one hand etc. For 2012, I have booked about a dozen return flights over the summer, which roughly equates to every other weekend from Easter through to mid October.

Because it's so far (at best, a four hour journey) each trip needs to be for a few nights - so if we come down for every weekend we've booked, we'll be on board for 60 nights this summer.

This is all a big experiment for me - I feel like I've been talking about trying the med for ages, so now I just need to stop waiting for the perfect moment and just get on with it. One possible outcome, of course, is that it won't work out at all, will prove to be impossibly inconvenient and frighteningly expensive. In which case we will just bring the boat back at the end of the season and carry on where we left off in Brighton.

Cheers
Jimmy

So why not just move to the west country, loads of places to go and all a short distance. Brighton is noted as. No where to go, so why be there??

Plymouth may be a longer drive, well it was for us in Lancshire. However the boating was outstanding, even two mile trips out, there was always somthing to see. A fourty or so mile trip round Devon and Cornwall would take two or three weeks, there were so many places to go.

 

[benjenbav]

Great plan, Jimmy. Even if you ultimately decide to return to UK, I'm sure you won't regret trying SoF for a season or two. But I imagine it'll be wonderful.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

So why not just move to the west country, loads of places to go and all a short distance. Brighton is noted as. No where to go, so why be there??

Plymouth may be a longer drive, well it was for us in Lancshire. However the boating was outstanding, even two mile trips out, there was always somthing to see. A fourty or so mile trip round Devon and Cornwall would take two or three weeks, there were so many places to go.

Completely agree about the variety of attractions of the west country - but just like here (Brighton) it doesn't have the consistent weather. Depending on where you are based, it can also be pretty hard work to get there - from here, it can easily take longer than getting to the SoF.

The reason the boats been based in Brighton until now is because we live here - so one very big change will be not being able to just whizz down to the boat when I feel like it. One thing that Brighton _has_ got, is a general absence of boaty traffic - it's pretty nice on a summers evening to just drift on the tide with no risk of bumping into anyone else. That's another thing that will be a big change - the sheer number of boats in the anchorages.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[mjf]

Great write up Jimmy.

I look forward to hearing how this works out - does seem to me that the 'trick' is to do exactly as you have done wrt flights and ditch the ones that conflict if a better offer comes by later. Also seems these w/e's that start on Thurs and end Monday pm is also a plan. Good luck with plan and I look forward to seeing you sometime at Swanwick before you move - where did they park you?

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

I look forward to seeing you sometime at Swanwick before you move - where did they park you?

Currently on D pontoon, but going under the bridge Weds/Thurs and being lifted by RK Thursday. I imagine I'll be about a bit while the work is going on so I daresay we'll catch up. When are they going to do something with Velsheda's?

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[mjf]

Ah! velsheda's - they say by easter it will be up and running.

I was not a fan as continually got poor service had rubbish food and generally poorly treated - others liked it and judging by the visitors who parked there the 'locals' liked it.

I hear that its same principal who now does Gosport and i had a look at their sample Sunday menu only last week on the web. Looks ok and prices not too fierce! No reports either way and no reduction in marina fees whilst Swanwick not a ''full service'' marina!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Yep, fair point - but I wanted to buy the flights while they were cheap, and I imagine that for whatever reason we may end up just not using one or two trips. On the balance between too many trips vs not enough, my feeling was that it was better to overbook and then cancel here and there, losing praps £50 a time - than try and buy a last minute Friday flight on Easyjet which can end up costing £400 return.

I did the same thing when we first started boating in the Med. At first, we thought we had to use the flights rather than lose them, whatever the weather, which meant we had a couple of trips stuck in the marina on the boat not going anyway staring at the rain (did anyone mention to you its not always wall to wall sunshine in the Med?). Sitting on the boat in the Med in bad weather is loads worse than the UK because you're stuck there and can't go home Then we got a bit more selective and just didn't go if the forecast wasn't good but we were throwing away £000's on unused flights over a year. Now I've got into the habit of just booking our longer trips well in advance, especially those around bank holidays and school holidays, and not booking shorter trips until the last minute until we are sure of the weather. I know the flights cost more but thats probably more than compensated by not losing money on unused flights.
A word on long term weather forecasts too. For a while, I used to look at the 14 day forecast from the likes of http://www.weatheronline.co.uk/Europe.htm and book flights based on the 7-14 day forecast but many times the weather turned out to be very different from what was forecast. Then it dawned on me. They don't have a clue what the weather is going to be like in 7-14 days time and they just forecast sunshine because, hey, thats what people expect in the Med. Basically don't trust any forecast more than 7 days out. I now don't book flights for some of our trips until 3-4 days out until I'm sure as I can be that we'll get good weather. Yes I know that costs more usually, but my time is precious and I don't want to waste it sitting in the wind and rain, even if its in the Med

 

[rafiki_]

Jimmy,

Sounds very exiting, and I hope you have a great year, and send back some yarns to make us UK yokels green.

We have been offered a 3 week share on a Fairline Phantom on the sarf coast of Spain, and it might give us a reasonable compromise on nipping down to Rafiki, versus a week on the Med here and there. However, I'm much too committed at work at the moment to really give it a serious go, but something to consider in the future.

 

[jfm]

I too have thought long and hard about moving to better weather berth but I could not get my head around the berthing arrangements and costs. Dident want Spain but France sounds good. At the moment I travel on flight circa 1 hour to get to my boat but have the advantage of someone who looks after it all the time so I know its safe.

Powersalt I've read your posts on this thread and fear you're doing yourself no favours by being glass half empty. You say "the advantage of someone who looks after it all the time so I know its safe" but do you think that can't be done in France?!! You go to all the trouble of doing the flight but you get off the plane 45 mins early! South of France would be 45 minutes longer door-to-boat journey for you than Jersey (Nice airport is even faster to get through than St Helier - I know both very well)

 

[BartW]

. Sitting on the boat in the Med in bad weather is loads worse than the UK because you're stuck there and can't go home

Mike,
I’m not completely with you on this, (but OK I don't know for UK )
Even during rainy or windy day’s, I can enjoy my staying on the boat in SOF,
But this depends a lot on the harbor where you are.
Perhaps you know I’m addicted to Cassis (despite the high mooring price)
Each minute when I’m there, I can leave work and daily sorrows behind
Look here for the atmosphere around new year:
http://bass-yachting.be/pano/BA-Cassis-18-bovendek-valavond.html
http://bass-yachting.be/pano/BA-Cassis-13-tegenover-avond.html
(some more pano’s on the same webpage)

@JTB,
Good to hear you’re coming to SOF, and leaving “old glory Brighton”
We might cross on one of our voyages next summer, (look out for a very old small ship )
Anyway, Our plan for summer 2012 is to do a exploration of several marina’s on CDA

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Even during rainy or windy day’s, I can enjoy my staying on the boat in SOF,
But this depends a lot on the harbor where you are.

It also depends on your boat! Yours is as big as a house and with all due respect, Jimmy's isn't and neither is mine. When you've only got a few square metres of living space inside a boat to share between 3 or 4 people or more, you get fed up after a day or two. Well I do anyway!

 

[ernie_madoff]

In a very similar situation Jimmy. Moving portofino 47 from Lymington to Turkey. Been doing a lot of work getting boat up to med spec. Like you I balked at cost of retro-fitting a passarelle. Would of been close to 15k I recon all in so opted for a folding stowaway one. I am investing the money I saved on that in some underwater lights. Also had a Studer inverter fitted by Advanced Yacht Systems (highly recommend them). Will get the aircon serviced to make sure it is in top condition. Replacing all my batteries with Rolls AGM batteries, getting the inverter made me realise my batteries are all knackered. Was thinking about getting some extra chain but not sure. I think I probably have about 30m but need to check. How much chain are you looking to have? Will also be spending several tens of hours cleaning/polishing and a-glazing to get her looking like new. Some extra rope and fenders and think I have everything covered! Roll on Summer. Good luck with your move!

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Was thinking about getting some extra chain but not sure. I think I probably have about 30m but need to check.

You're going to be doing a lot more anchoring in the Med than the UK, typically in depths from 4m to 20m so 30m of chain is going to be nowhere near enough. Also, typically, boat manufacturers always fit the minimum size anchor they can get away with. On a 47 footer, you should really have 60-70m of chain (largest size that fits your windlass) plus, say, a 25kg anchor or bigger (Delta seems to work well in the Med). Certainly when you're anchoring overnight as you will do if you want to make the best of Med boating, you don't want to be lying awake wondering whether your anchor is going to hold!

 

[MedDreamer]

Good luck Jimmy

We did the same thing nine years ago and enjoyed six years of wonderful boating around the Balearics.

I see you have already had plenty of advice from those that are based down there so the only thing I would further emphasise is to not trust any local Engineers etc until you really know them and before using anyone try and get as many opinions from other boat owners in the marina as you can.

Oh, I would also endorse Deleted User's advice on anchoring. A oversize delta did the trick very nicely for us and gave a lot of peace of mind.

Enjoy, I look forward to reading your adventures

 

[ernie_madoff]

Thanks Mike. I will take a serious look at that then. Last anchored up in Alum bay with wife and young kids and didnt sleep a wink with all the grinding noises and paranoia about waking up in the middle of a shipping lane. In Turkey will have extra peace of mind with being tied to shore most of the time but no doubt in my mind I will be thinking there are local scallywags untying them for a laugh!

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

It also depends on your boat! Yours is as big as a house and with all due respect, Jimmy's isn't and neither is mine. When you've only got a few square metres of living space inside a boat to share between 3 or 4 people or more, you get fed up after a day or two. Well I do anyway!

I think this is a reasonable point. I think there's a real chance we'll grow out of the T40 very quickly, once we start using it as much as we are hoping to this season. Apart from rain, the other obvious problem is the mistral wind - if that coincides with your weekend in the SoF, it can be as sunny as you like but I guess you're still not going boating. All part of the learning experience, I guess.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

How much chain are you looking to have?

I think I've currently got 30m, and I'm going to change it for as much as I can reasonably carry - perhaps 80m.

Good luck with your move!

And the very same to you - be interested to hear how you get on. When are you on transport?

Cheers
Jimmy