Recommendations on where in the med to base

[Sailing newbie selsey]

I fully realise my SSR registered sail boat can only be in EU waters for 18 months, before she has to leave EU waters for 24 hours. However after spending a weekend in my marina due to our UK weather, I am contemplating looking at an option of berthing my 28ft sailing boat in a Med marina and flying out for long weekends and a couple of weeks over the sailing season, things to consider

1 - cheaper then solent marinas for mooring (currently in Chichester marina)
2- good sailing ground
3- close airport served by budget airlines, Gatwick would be my nearest uk departure airport
4 - good standard of marina

like I said I know Brexit has changed the way we can do this, but I dont see the Schengen rules of 90/180 being a problem because unfortunately I will need to be in the uk for work so long weekends and holiday periods only. Prefer to have my own boat out there than use charter option. Any advice is welcomed on destinations and general points
thanks all

 

[colind3782]

Sell your boat in the UK and buy one in the Med EU VAT paid so it won't have to leave and will be set up for Med sailing.

 

[oldharry]

.... out of the sun? Agree with Colind though, since Brexit the paperwork is significant. The French know how to tie admin in knots when they want to!

 

[Sailing newbie selsey]

Appreciate what you say about buying an EU boat but I have spent a lot of time and money on mine and would prefer to keep her rather than sell and buy another boat

 

[Tranona]

Appreciate what you say about buying an EU boat but I have spent a lot of time and money on mine and would prefer to keep her rather than sell and buy another boat

You don't say what sort of boat you have, but no matter how nice it is a typical 28' UK sailing boat is not really suitable for the Med. Get some experience of sailing and particularly living on a boat in hot climates first. Spain and Portugal meet your requirements best but suspect you will find that the hassle of short regular visits outweighs the pleasure of using the boat. Actual sailing is far more limited than you might think and at least on most of the N Med coast is mainly marina to marina because of the lack of anchorages. It is also overcrowded. Living on the boat stationary occupies most of the time and you need space, facilities and shade plus access to the water and ashore that rarely come with 28'. Once you have been there you realise why 35-40' wide, open stern boats with biminis big fridges, big water tanks, battery banks and showers dominate the market.

Getting it there is in itself a major undertaking, particularly with a small boat like that and exiting the EU every 18 months is not as easy as it seems.

If you want a boat in the sun, buy one there, but a few long weekends and 2 weeks in the summer is really not enough to justify having your own boat.

On a positive note worth considering the west coast of France as more accessible yet has more reliable weather and a pattern of sailing more suited to the boat you have. However you still have the 18 month problem.

 

[stranded]

Appreciate what you say about buying an EU boat but I have spent a lot of time and money on mine and would prefer to keep her rather than sell and buy another boat

I can understand that. Have seen a lot of sell here and buy there recommendations and can see the sense, but reckon I would almost always have to spend at least as much getting the new boat just how I like it that with that plus the buying and selling boats it would be cheaper to just pay the EU vat if I didn’t want to keep doing the 18 month thing.

 

[Hoolie]

Our UK SSR boat is EU VAT registered and kept near Béziers in France. I think we are about 1500 miles from the EU border so "popping out" for 24hrs would not be a practical proposition. AFAIK you have to make landfall to qualify - just being offshore is not enough.
Given that as a constraint I think you're limited to the southern Spanish or Portuguese coasts or the eastern Med near Turkey.

 

[Tranona]

Importing the boat into the EU is one option. However to me it is really a question of the suitability of the boat and the viability of keeping a boat 1000 miles away for so little use.

We went through this process many years ago and bought a boat locally (long before Brexit and travel/VAT issues) primarily because the boat (Bavaria 37) was much more suited to the environment. However to justify it you have to use it far more than the OP is considering, and in reality it is only people who have no work or family commitments that can make it work.

Of course people are individuals with their own views on what constitutes good value for them, but best to get direct experience first before making such a major commitment.

 

[Trident]

Sailing in the Med is not great - we lived aboard there for 5 years

The last few years the summers have been hellish hot and the weather is just a fickle as the UK depending on where you are.

Somewhere southern spain may suit you best if you really want to - easy access to Morocco for your one day out of the EU and you can go across to the Balearics for the longer holidays . Cartagena is great and very near an airport for EasyJet and Ryan Air. Valencia maybe. Go further east and you have long flights and possibly transfers too so half your weekend is gone.

if you like being on the boat in a nice anchorage or marina in the sun you may find what you want . if you actually enjoy sailing (we don't - we sailed everywhere for 5 years but saw it as a necessary evil to go to the nice places - as they say the Med is either too much wind or not enough) you'll perhaps be disappointed.

I know Chi marina is pricey now but most Med marinas have doubled in the last year or so - you may not find much of a saving

 

[stranded]

Importing the boat into the EU is one option. However to me it is really a question of the suitability of the boat and the viability of keeping a boat 1000 miles away for so little use.

We went through this process many years ago and bought a boat locally (long before Brexit and travel/VAT issues) primarily because the boat (Bavaria 37) was much more suited to the environment. However to justify it you have to use it far more than the OP is considering, and in reality it is only people who have no work or family commitments that can make it work.

Of course people are individuals with their own views on what constitutes good value for them, but best to get direct experience first before making such a major commitment.

Certainly a lot to consider. Much depends on circumstances I suppose. If I had money to spare (I don’t!) I can see the attraction of having my own boat, kept in a safe marina and looked after by a reliable yard and valet company, even if it didn’t make a lot of sense on a pure cost/use calculation - sheer joy is invaluable. We are on our first extended trip on the French Atlantic coast and while it is a fabulous cruising area the weather for much of the time has been a useful brake on any impetuous decisions to base ourselves here. But if we did, I think the more temperate climate and the number of mooring options available to smaller boats would certainly tip me to smaller - though I’d have to check I could still fit given I was about half my current size when last on a 28fter. (Twister).

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Our UK SSR boat is EU VAT registered and kept near Béziers in France. I think we are about 1500 miles from the EU border so "popping out" for 24hrs would not be a practical proposition. AFAIK you have to make landfall to qualify - just being offshore is not enough.
Given that as a constraint I think you're limited to the southern Spanish or Portuguese coasts or the eastern Med near Turkey.

I used to have my boat in Croatia VAT unpaid under TA. To reset the 18 Month clock, I just needed to check out at a port of entry, sail out and stay out for a while, then come back in, re-enter under TA and start the clock again - could be done in an afternoon. It was common practice and the officials didn't bat an eyelid. A simple GPS track showing you leaving the territorial waters of the EU would suffice as evidence, but it was never requested of me so I stopped doing it.

Can you have another period of Temporary Importation? How long must you wait?

Yes, you are not limited to a single period of temporary import. You can sail the yacht out of the EU and when you came back again a new period of temporary admission can begin. The customs rules do not provide for a 'minimum period' during which the goods must remain outside of the customs territory of the Union.

https://taxation-customs.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2018-04/rules_for_private_boats-faq_en.pdf

 

[Tranona]

Apart from managing the TA process, which varies from state to state and even within states (Greece for example treats time you are not using the boat as not counting toward the 18 months) there are the sheer logistics of managing a boat from a distance. It still needs maintenance and replacements plus hauling and antifouling. In many marinas in Spain you cannot do this yourself, and anyway who wants to spend their limited holiday time fixing an old boat and doing maintenance before they can use it. Also boats not being used in that climate deteriorate rapidly.

We had our boat in Greece for 9 years. The first 7 we had it managed by a charter company who earned money from it and we typically had 3 holiday periods a year. Straight off the plane onto the boat and left it in their hands on return. Last 2 years no chartering but paid an independent guardinage service that did essentially the same thing. Many people with boats in Greece effectively dry sail, keeping the boat ashore and launching when they need it. This can work very well, particularly for those who can take their holidays out of high season - which is the best time anyway. There is always a good choice of boats for sale either EU VAT paid or more recent non VAT paid ex charter boats that can be operated in tis way. However the financial investment is of a different order from a 28' boat.

 

[BobnLesley]

...no matter how nice it is a typical 28' UK sailing boat is not really suitable for the Med

Getting it there is in itself a major undertaking, particularly with a small boat like that...

I'm glad you didn't say that before we spent seven years sailing a Vega to/around the Med

 

[Tranona]

I'm glad you didn't say that before we spent seven years sailing a Vega to/around the Med

I know people do it - but if you had a choice for what is essentially a holiday home which would you prefer? Times have changed in the last 25 years or so

 

[V1701]

I had a boat in Greece for a few years while working in UK, used to go in the Spring & Autumn, Summer being way too hot. Then in Winter to service engine, scrape & antifoul. One Winter I left her on her mooring - she had a private (illegal) mooring. I was working flexibly so had significantly more time off work to play with than your standard 4 or 5 weeks but even so I would say it was too far away, overall it didn't really work longer term. I might think about somewhere like Spanish Rias but then where you gonna go to take your boat out of the EU for a bit???

 

[Bobc]

I fully realise my SSR registered sail boat can only be in EU waters for 18 months, before she has to leave EU waters for 24 hours. However after spending a weekend in my marina due to our UK weather, I am contemplating looking at an option of berthing my 28ft sailing boat in a Med marina and flying out for long weekends and a couple of weeks over the sailing season, things to consider

1 - cheaper then solent marinas for mooring (currently in Chichester marina)
2- good sailing ground
3- close airport served by budget airlines, Gatwick would be my nearest uk departure airport
4 - good standard of marina

like I said I know Brexit has changed the way we can do this, but I dont see the Schengen rules of 90/180 being a problem because unfortunately I will need to be in the uk for work so long weekends and holiday periods only. Prefer to have my own boat out there than use charter option. Any advice is welcomed on destinations and general points
thanks all

Somewhere that isn't on fire.