jointventureII
Active member
If you're going day by day then you will pay extortionate amounts for berthing from June to Sept. Some places offer a small concession (pay for 2 nights, get 1 free) but generally you'll be getting stung.
Perhaps aim to visit places like the French Riviera in the shoulder seasons - end Sept, Oct, Nov and March - April - May time (on a longer term contract), then head away during the peak season. The South of France is nothing special in terms of anchorages. Heading to Corsica, Sardinia, Elba, Sicily through the peak season (I'd recommend southern Sardinia during August which is a chaotic time anywhere) will mean more nights at anchor in places you really want to anchor. Also keep in mind that the lesser frequented Greek islands, most of Sardinia / Corsica / Elba / Sicily, many many towns along the mainland Italian coast and to a degree some in France and Spain too, totally shut down out of season i.e. October to May.
I'd say good winter "hole-ups" for 2-3 months at a time would be Barcelona, Cannes (if you can get in), anywhere from San Remo to Genoa (note that Milan, Turin, ski resorts, Pisa & Florence are only around 2 hours drive from the Ligurian coast which is fantastic in winter), Athens.
As for the boat? Keep it as small as feasible...
Perhaps aim to visit places like the French Riviera in the shoulder seasons - end Sept, Oct, Nov and March - April - May time (on a longer term contract), then head away during the peak season. The South of France is nothing special in terms of anchorages. Heading to Corsica, Sardinia, Elba, Sicily through the peak season (I'd recommend southern Sardinia during August which is a chaotic time anywhere) will mean more nights at anchor in places you really want to anchor. Also keep in mind that the lesser frequented Greek islands, most of Sardinia / Corsica / Elba / Sicily, many many towns along the mainland Italian coast and to a degree some in France and Spain too, totally shut down out of season i.e. October to May.
I'd say good winter "hole-ups" for 2-3 months at a time would be Barcelona, Cannes (if you can get in), anywhere from San Remo to Genoa (note that Milan, Turin, ski resorts, Pisa & Florence are only around 2 hours drive from the Ligurian coast which is fantastic in winter), Athens.
As for the boat? Keep it as small as feasible...