Options for keeping a boat in Lefkada/Corfu...

[V1701]

Evening all,

I'm aware of the marinas at Gouvia & Lefkas but what other options are there for me to keep a small boat (older mid 20's to 30 odd ft) in Corfu or more probably Lefkada. Plan is to spend between 3 & 6 months a year aboard but coming back to UK to work the rest of the time.

I've been told by an owner that you can put your boat on a mooring which is free (really?) or there are various places on Lefkada where you can drop an anchor, drive a boat gently on to the mud and take a line ashore from the bow. He says this is perfectly safe and free. Or you can come alongside in Vlicho and safely leave it for the winter which is again free. I've also heard mention of "gardiennage", not the sort where your boat's in a marina & you pay someone to come & fettle it every few weeks but where someone local "keeps an eye" on it, not in a marina. Then there's keeping it in a yard & putting it in the water when you arrive, taking it out just before you go back - I know there's a few yards around Preveza, any others? Another idea is the marina at Agios Nikolaos on Crete, where I've read some people overwinter & which is about half the cost of the marinas at Gouvia & Lefkas & they do have 12 month berthing available for a small boat, but I think initially I'd rather be in the Ionian as I'd be there during the summer months...

Would appreciate any advice on how easy/difficult/safe some of the options are to arrange or if there are any other options?

Many thanks,
David.

 

[macd]

There's plenty of relevant info on this recent thread:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?350043-Best-Marina-in-the-Ionian
As well as local marinas it explores many of the cheaper options you seem to have in mind.

 

[V1701]

Thanks I've seen that thread but it's nearly all about the marinas & getting there & back. What I'd really like is to find out more about the alternatives to the marinas & their viability given my plans...

 

[daveyw]

Maybe contact Ruari here

http://www.vlihoyc.com

For advice

 

[Tranona]

There are all sorts of alternatives which you can use depending on your attitude to risk and security and your expectations. Yes, you can leave your boat anchored and you can find somebody to look after it for you - Ruari is one. Some people are happy with that kind of arrangement. There are also many harbours or half finished marinas where you can leave a boat. There are relatively cheap yards where you can haul the boat out and dry sail it when you want. I used to keep my boat hauled out in Corfu at a cheaper boatyard and have her launched and taken to Gouvia when I wanted to use it. It is popular to do the same sort of thing in one of the Aktio yards in Preveza or at Messolonghi.

There is always a trade off between cost and convenience/security, plus access. The big selling point for Corfu is daily flights for a longer period of the year, 20 minute taxi ride to Gouvia and excellent environment. Therefore popular and higher priced that less secure/more remote locations. Some people are happy to go to more out of the way places and accept the limitations, particularly if they are spending longer periods afloat and then laying up, but others like me valued the convenience of being able to call up the person who looked after my boat and it was ready for me to use as soon as I arrived.

You need to go out and look at what is available and make your own decision about what suits you. My suggestion is you start with say the Aktio yards which are well organised and reasonably accessible either by charter flights or scheduled to Athens and then bus. Spend a season sailing around and you will quickly get an idea of what is available.

 

[V1701]

There are all sorts of alternatives which you can use depending on your attitude to risk and security and your expectations. Yes, you can leave your boat anchored and you can find somebody to look after it for you - Ruari is one. Some people are happy with that kind of arrangement. There are also many harbours or half finished marinas where you can leave a boat. There are relatively cheap yards where you can haul the boat out and dry sail it when you want. I used to keep my boat hauled out in Corfu at a cheaper boatyard and have her launched and taken to Gouvia when I wanted to use it. It is popular to do the same sort of thing in one of the Aktio yards in Preveza or at Messolonghi.

There is always a trade off between cost and convenience/security, plus access. The big selling point for Corfu is daily flights for a longer period of the year, 20 minute taxi ride to Gouvia and excellent environment. Therefore popular and higher priced that less secure/more remote locations. Some people are happy to go to more out of the way places and accept the limitations, particularly if they are spending longer periods afloat and then laying up, but others like me valued the convenience of being able to call up the person who looked after my boat and it was ready for me to use as soon as I arrived.

You need to go out and look at what is available and make your own decision about what suits you. My suggestion is you start with say the Aktio yards which are well organised and reasonably accessible either by charter flights or scheduled to Athens and then bus. Spend a season sailing around and you will quickly get an idea of what is available.

Thanks for your reply,

I guess I wouldn't mind being a bit further out of the way as I'd be going for a few months at a time. Can I ask how much did you pay for boatyard storage, looked at one of the yard sites, storage available for up to 8 months which would suit, but no prices on there. Any idea what people pay to have someone keep an eye on their boat, I'm going to buy a cheaper, older boat so it doesn't have to be more than a basic service, have emailed Ruari as well...

I'm going out for 3 weeks from mid April to have a look at a few boats & start looking around generally...

 

[Tranona]

Around 2000 euros a year (in 2010) for 37ft including two lift outs. Extra lifts about 200 each. Expect to pay 50 euros a month for guardinage but that does depend on the location and what your expectations are. There are reliable people around, but also some not so! The best ones are often full up and reluctant to take on too many boats so it is a question of asking around. Preveza and Lefkas are generally lower cost than Corfu as I explained earlier, but arguably a better starting point for cruising. Personally I preferred Corfu but that was mainly familiarity and easy access and I enjoyed the one year I had the boat in Levkas.

 

[V1701]

Around 2000 euros a year (in 2010) for 37ft including two lift outs. Extra lifts about 200 each. Expect to pay 50 euros a month for guardinage but that does depend on the location and what your expectations are. There are reliable people around, but also some not so! The best ones are often full up and reluctant to take on too many boats so it is a question of asking around. Preveza and Lefkas are generally lower cost than Corfu as I explained earlier, but arguably a better starting point for cruising. Personally I preferred Corfu but that was mainly familiarity and easy access and I enjoyed the one year I had the boat in Levkas.

Thanks again, must say I'm leaning toward Lefkas & 50 euros a month to pay someone to keep an eye & have a lift out every couple of years might be a good option with a smaller, older boat...

 

[Just Cruising]

A word of warning on gardiennage at lefkas - it is only my opinion but is based on a number of years experience and witnessing some shoddy work and the fact that when the weather was ****ty, they were not very present whereas sail land and others outside of the marina were. I would not recommend Paleros but would recommend SailLand or Neil McRoberts. Just my opinion tho!

 

[V1701]

A word of warning on gardiennage at lefkas - it is only my opinion but is based on a number of years experience and witnessing some shoddy work and the fact that when the weather was ****ty, they were not very present whereas sail land and others outside of the marina were. I would not recommend Paleros but would recommend SailLand or Neil McRoberts. Just my opinion tho!

Thanks for the reply. Do you mean you wouldn't recommend the gardiennage offered by the marina itself for boats kept there?

Assume this is the Neil McRobert:
http://www.lefkasyachts.com/contact-e.html
Does he also offer gardiennage for boats left at the marina, can't see that on the services page of the above site?

Can't find anything about Sail Land on Google, what do they offer & where please? Would you have any contact details?

TBH if I was paying for a marina berth wouldn't want additional gardiennage & would like to think the marina staff would be keeping an eye on all the boats there in bad conditions, or is it accepted that you need to pay extra for this (if so that's truly carp service for a relatively expensive marina )

I'm looking to buy a cheapish boat & will be happy to leave it somewhere other than a marina as long as someone's keeping an eye...

 

[Just Cruising]

Marina staf are spot on and will tighten lines, replace bowlines etc and will contact you if there is problem but with all marinas they will not go into your boat and sort out a problem with a leaking stern gland, halyards slapping and damaging a mast or a sail breaking loose. That is what you pay gardiennage for, the marina do not ofer gardiennage. that is for you to sort yourself, PAleros are on site but I wouldnt use them, Sailand is also in the marina and they are always working on boats in the marina and I would trust them to so what you contract them to do.

yes Neil Mr R did do it but you may need to speak to hime personally, there is also John Charlton as previously mentioned, Ask Andreas at Sailand and he is reasonable and his guys are there when they should be. If he isnt on google the marina should have his number.

It sounds like ruari at Vliho is your bet, trust me there is nothing cheap about a cheap boat. Good luck