Next winter,leaving boat in Atlantic Spain ?

[tomboy352]

This summer, we will spend 4 months cruising Brittany down to Atlantic Spain, with no particular timetable or destination.By late August, we will need to have found a place to leave the boat which is secure and a fair price. We would need to lift out at some stage, either for maintenance or the full winter. Perhaps anywhere between La Rochelle and the Portugal border. We can always back track to the winter berth.
I have not cruised this area before so dont know if I can expect to pick up a winter contract on spec or if I should book in somewhere before we even start the cruise. If any one has recent experience, please make suggestions and/or a ball park figure for an 11m boat would be gratefully received.
thanks, Chris

 

[samwise]

Late August might be a bit early to get a deal. The cheaper winter berthing arrangements usually run between October and April. It is now three years since we did a similar exercise, so our info is by no means up to date. However, we found that Portugal offered more opportunities but you may not be prepared to down that far. A copy of the RCC Imray published Atlantic Spain and Portugal guide will give you plenty of options, but you do need to think about access to airports etc.

Up in the Rias we found Vilagarcia quite handy with good security, Baiona also offers some choices but long stay berth availability might be a problem. Turning up on spec, might get you a place and in some cases the personal appearance can amazingly produce a space that was not there when phoning or emailing. There is no harm in opening the batting with an email. Translate your message into Spanish or whatever using an online translation program like Babelfish. It may produce a quirky translation but the core of the message should be easily understood. We found that messages in English were frequently ignored

If you do intend to haull out, do consider laying the boat up ashore. But hardstanding space is often at a premium and you have to be sure that there are no problems with you living aboard for a while or in carrying out DIY work on the boat. Some yards allow neither.

 

[JFowler]

We're doing something very similar to you except we're not planning to lay-up until Oct.
I've done some research looking for cost effective solutions.
The best i've come up with are:
Povoa de Varzim out of the water - a search will bring up a YBW thread from last year. Its just north of Porto.
Marina Sada near La Coruna - again reasonble price on land and recommended from several sources.

Both speak english and will respond to email.

Good luck - we may meet on route.

John,
Lazy Pelican

 

[macd]

Friends wintered at Gelves, on the River Guadalquivir near Seville, a couple of years ago and thoroughly recommended it.
Contacts:
Tel - 955 761 212
Fax - 955 761 583
Email - puertogelves@teleline.es

 

[TonyMS]

For laying up ashore, I believe Santander is reasonable, although the marina afloat is expensive.

We laid up in Villagarcia one year - reasonable price and good security.

Povoa certainly used to be dead cheap, and it's quite a nice place.

Tony

 

[samwise]

Friends wintered at Gelves, on the River Guadalquivir near Seville, a couple of years ago and thoroughly recommended it.

We heard good reports about Puerto Gelves, but were warned that flash floods may be a problem in winter, with bits of tree etc being swept down the river. Forumite Charles Reed, provided us with a wealth of experience and local knowledge when we were exploring over winter possibilities in this areas and I'm sure he could come up with more options/

 

[tomboy352]

deep South Biscay winter berths

Thanks guys for the suggestions so far. Seville might be a bit far and I have heard varzim mentioned in local circles. Notes made on the Rias and Santander. Has anyone any experience of the French marinas ?

 

[davidgraham]

Have cruised French coast from Granville round to La Rochelle. Fantastic coastline with interesting pilotage around the North coast as far as Brest. Plenty of marinas but they get very crowded in July / August period - best chance is to arrive early afternoon and be prepared to raft up several deep as the locals arrive later in the day - all very convivial !Places we particularly enjoyed were Paimpol, Trebeurden,Camaret, Loctudy, Concarneau, Benodet / St Marine, Le Croisic and of course the islands.
If you like shell fish, the Crevette Rose which can be bought in shops and markets along the coast are fantastic when washed down with a bottle of Muscadet !

We are also heading down directly to Spain and into the Med, so interested in the comments above.

Have a good cruise !

 

[magdalena]

Portugal south coast

It is a long way down but Nave Pegos at Faro is very good. Secure storage ashore in well made cradles. Access is restricted by the tide and if you are deep (e.g. 1.95m like us) then you can only get in and out at spring tides (it is quite a long way up a winding channel through the mudflats). Facilities leave something to be desired (smelly loo, but I am a couple of years out of date so maybe they have improved now) but if you are leaving her then it is safe and secure and cheaper than anything else on that coast.

Regards,

Robin.

 

[Ardelloeixe]

Try here:
http://www.cnportosin.com/

A small Club with all the services, just 20 miles South Cape Finisterre.

Good sailing

 

[fliti]

We are currently tucked up in the Club Nautico in Seville for what is left of the winter. It is the plushest and most scenic berth we have found since leaving Plymouth last July. It is also the most expensive but worth it in our opinion. Issues are the querky workings of the lifting bridge that kept us waiting at the rather less well located (but otherwise perfectly acceptable) Sunsails jetty two weeks before it was “fixed”. Second, the only haul out facility is at Gelves but you have to be able to clear an air height restriction of 16.5 metres, which we can’t, to access Gelves.
Aside from Seville, which is a wonderful place to winter, our findings from the last cruise are that Povoa, near Porto, is the most reasonably priced, user friendly marina with haul out facilities and a very helful team, plus great access via Porto airport and the fine city of Porto very close. For haul out, I was also impressed by Nave Pegos at Faro with the earlier mentioned access issues for deep drafts but the very attractive addition of the Faro lagoon with its several anchorages and many channels to explore.
On the negative side, forget Atlantic Spain for helpful, can-do staff. The marinas are monopolized by the government, which is even worse than the blood suckers at MDL. At least you can pay the latter to get the job done whereas the Junta Andalucia really don’t want the business at any price. Their 9 marinas operate an identical policy barring liveaboards from working or staying on their own boats whilst ashore. Even if you are prepared to accept their draconian restrictions, they will try their best to find a reason to turn down your reservation as, being government functionaries, the last thing they want to do is work for a living!
In summary, go to Povoa or Faro depending on your range.

 

[jimbaerselman]

We heard good reports about Puerto Gelves, but were warned that flash floods may be a problem in winter, with bits of tree etc being swept down the river. Forumite Charles Reed, provided us with a wealth of experience and local knowledge when we were exploring over winter possibilities in this areas and I'm sure he could come up with more options/

The Gelves marina is tucked off the side of the estuary, and not affected by debris, though river height does lift occasionally after heavy rains, though quite manageably.

There are plenty of good options around the rias of Galicia, many having been mentioned above. There are good rail connections from most places to Santiago de Compostela, with its international airport. My first choice for flexibility, safety and good value would be Villagarcia. For a lively winter live aboard, A Coruna or Bayona are good bets, but more expensive. Portosin, Sada and Ares are quieter spots. It may be worth checking if the marina at Miño is taking shape yet.

Further east you have Bilbao (you won't get into the yacht club, and Getxo is rather expensive, but the town and surrounds very interesting) and Santander (not so much to my taste) which are conveniently connected to UK by restful ferries, as well as airports.

English isn't much spoken in the area, but this is one of my favourite quieter cruising grounds, dominated by fishing, not yachts, and little touched by tourism. Also, 5C warmer than UK waters, even if rather wet at times.

More on my web site.

 

[JayBee]

Re:Fliti

Povoa de Varzim is great - very friendly, good facilities, inexpensive.

We also found the Andalucian Junta marinas OK. Half price afloat in the winter and living aboard no problem. I would recommend Rota - a really nice Spanish seaside town with very little tourism. There is a large US base nearby, but apart from some aircraft noise it doesn't have much impact on the character of the place.

We also have some experience of Nave Pegos near Faro - an excellent yard in many ways, apart from the access/draft issue and the "facilities".

When I saw the unisex facilities I asked Bruce is he had any plans to upgrade them. His response: "This is a boatyard, not a marina. I don't want the kind of people here who need marina type bathrooms".

This was last year. maybe things have changed.

I met a couple of Portuguese yachtsmen who were deeply embarrassed by this ( I have worse!):

 

[Roberto]

at Gelves but you have to be able to clear an air height restriction of 16.5 metres, which we can’t, to access Gelves.

Are you sure about that ?
My boat is on the hard at Chipiona and as last september I planned to winter in Gelves I asked both a pilot in Chipiona and two different people in Puerto Gelves what was the right air clearance as charts and pilot books often have conflicting data
(I have an 18m mast+vhf over water)
They all said there are 19m at high water (*before* I told them I had 18m :laugh, that those 19m were including an additional safety margin as being power cables, the physical air clearance was more around 22m at HW..

Add 1-2m at lower tide and it should be accessible even to 20-21m masts..

Have things changed since ? I plan to come upriver during april..

thanks

 

[JayBee]

On the negative side, forget Atlantic Spain for helpful, can-do staff. The marinas are monopolized by the government, which is even worse than the blood suckers at MDL. At least you can pay the latter to get the job done whereas the Junta Andalucia really don’t want the business at any price.....

Just read your post again (bit distracted earlier, bidding on E-Bay).
It's amazing how different peoples' experiences can be. We always found the Andalucian Junta staff very friendly and helpful, but they do have rules about living aboard on the hard which seem to be rigidly enforced. I was told that it had something to do with a serious accident involving bad weather, boat falling over and consequent injuries.

In Rota we met a long term liveaboard in his late fifties, early sixties, with various health problems. He didn't speak a word of Spanish and needed a fair bit of medical attention. The marina manager (in her thirties), took him several times to the local clinic in her own time, translated during consultations, brought him back to his boat and expected nothing in return.

We also heard of similar acts of kindness in Gelves, BTW. I believe that marina is run by the municipality.

 

[fliti]

My comments regarding Junta Andalucia provoked a few responses, as expected. I spent a month in Ayamonte and passed through both Mazagon and Chipiona on my way. I did not find the staff particularly helpful or welcoming but it could have been worse. My comments as regards to inflexibility on rules whilst storage ashore stand and refer back to the original question of where to haul out. If you don’t want to work or live aboard and can persuade the staff to take your reservation, they are a reasonably priced alternative but I’d be surprised if, as a liveaboard, you don’t have a list of jobs to do during the annual haulout. It may also be that the staff at Rota are rather nicer than the places I visited.
Referring to the question of air height to reach Gelves, there is a cat in Sunsails with a massive burn mark towards the top of the mast and a team of mateys aboard working off and on Spanish style to show the consequences of getting it wrong with the power lines. I know they say the clearance is 19m at the right tide and in the right bit of the river but with 18m plus vhf, which is also my height, I would not chance it.

 

[Ional]

www.Tagusyachtcentre.com/en

If you get as far as Lisbon, as we did last summer, this boatyard is excellent, English speaking and they answer the phone! Its also cheap, with lots of space next to a commercial busy boatyard which services Lisbons ferries all year round. It also has male and female loos , shower and a bidet! Plus you can live aboard and work on your boat. Its close to Seixal opposite Lisbon and within walking didtance of a Lidle, and big supermarket.

 

[TonyMS]

If you get to Seixal, check out Navegador, about 1 mile west of Tagus Yacht Centre. We laid up there for 2006/7 very cheaply, and the facilites were good and secure. No liveaboard
or owner work on exterior.

Telf.: 00 351 919 840 427

Fax: 00 351 21 227 79 14

Email: felisberto.carlos@navegador.com.pt

Web Site: www.navegador.com.pt

 

[Sy-Revolution]

UPDATE:

Povoa is cheap and the staff are friendly. We have spent the winter living aboard and although we are pretty fed up with the place that probably has more to do with the fact that we're itching to go sailing than anything.

However you should bear in mind that there have been some major hassles with the supply of electricity to boats left on the hard this winter. We've spent the last 5 months in the water and there's been no problem to us (except the swell) regarding power but there have been a larger than usual number of liveaboards out on the hard and this has caused some overload to the system. Three boats all plugged into one melting socket was an incident that comes to mind.

As a result the marina has now decided to withdraw power to boats that are laid up and only supply to 'authorised contactors'. I don't know how it's all going to pan out but if you are thinking of laying up here I'd advise not to return to your boat until the weather has improved (end of March) and if you'll be using power tools etc to think about sorting yourself out a little genny or some such.

FWIW I would definately NOT recommend leaving your boat in the water unless you're staying on board. We had 6 boats damaged on our pontoon alone one wet 'n' windy night.

Other than that and:

The dirt
The rain
The mud
The rubbish
The swell
The rain (I know I shouldn't grumble as it's not been cold here)
And that damn siren!

It aint too bad really!

+ points, Povoa town is nice enough, Vila do Conde is lovely with a market on Fridays where you can buy good quality double braid at 1€ per meter for 12mm
Good access to airport and Porto, Free wifi. Showers are excellent and laundry appears to be on a donations basis during winter. Few Brits around & No snow!

C.

 

[dmjarvis]

This summer, we will spend 4 months cruising Brittany down to Atlantic Spain, with no particular timetable or destination.By late August, we will need to have found a place to leave the boat which is secure and a fair price. We would need to lift out at some stage, either for maintenance or the full winter. Perhaps anywhere between La Rochelle and the Portugal border. We can always back track to the winter berth.
I have not cruised this area before so dont know if I can expect to pick up a winter contract on spec or if I should book in somewhere before we even start the cruise. If any one has recent experience, please make suggestions and/or a ball park figure for an 11m boat would be gratefully received.
thanks, Chris

I'm very happy to allow sailing contributors to my new Brittany / Pays de la Loire blog. It would be interesting to have regular comments whilst you are preparing to sail and whilst in the area itself (particularly between La Trinite Sur Mer and Pornic, and especially if you are sailing up the River Vilaine as far as La Roche Bernard). Happy for you to link back to your own sites too. Please get in touch if you are interested.