Sant Carles or bust

[Bouba]

I met someone at a boaty do who was pretty scathing about mossies at san Carles. He had a boat there.

I'm in the SoF and my summer port is in a small river estuary, talk about mossies! One night I killed 100 mossies with my electric tennis racquet, why there was exactly 100 mossies in my boat I can't remember but it's a true story

 

[DazzyWoo]

Roses
Ampuria Brava

..these look really nice.

Denia or Altea or even Alicante will put you much closer to an Airport and closer to dive over to Ibz

..as do these

I would not be too concerned about trying to find a marina that has UK style pontoons, you'll very quickly get used to mooring stern to, its very easy after a few goes.

Fair point… I’ll scrub this from my criteria

For me SCM was the worst marina I've ever stayed in. .

Thanks for posting an honest opinion. I suppose the flip side - we're easily pleased. Eg. have you spent a day in Brixham in Nov? (My family roots are from Brixham, before anyone gets too offended).

IMHO - Cala D'Or, Mallorca…BUT. It is expensive. One of the most expensive places to berth in the Med. You have to decide if all the plusses out weightz the big minus of the extra cost.

I get it, and maybe one day! But I think we would probably be blown away

For beaches, inexpensive berths and good services; I'd say it's worth checking the Algarve on your reccy. It's not in the med tho' but worth a try for one season with great/cheap flights into Faro.

Spent some time in Portugal last year on my friends yacht - albeit on the Atlantic coast. Portugal was lovely - might end up there one day.

I met someone at a boaty do who was pretty scathing about mossies at san Carles. He had a boat there.

Tbh this would be a big issue, as I react badly to mossie bites. Are the mossies worse in SC than elsewhere?

 

[DazzyWoo]

Rough plan...

take a long weekend in May and check out SC, Roses and Empuria Brava

take another long weekend - probs in Aug check out Denia & Altea

 

[RobbieW]

...Are the mossies worse in SC than elsewhere?

hmmm, yup they are pretty bad. Consider that the marina is just S of the R Ebro delta, about 320 km^2 of swamp and paddy field. On the plus side, the town doesnt shut in the winter, sure its quiet but it supports the second largest fishing fleet (apparently) in Spain.

 

[lambohill]

SCM is a fair compromise.
Very good value.
Probably the nicest marina clubhouse and pool, period.
Simple town, but nice,and year round.
Mosquitoes are for real, but realistically, for 45mins each day exactly at sunset. plan well, and it can be dealt with.
The lagoon is great for days out....flat.. no need for stabs.
But hey ho, each to their own, their are other places, and frankly, if its on the med and sun is shining, what more do you want.

FWIW I am changing boats, and seriously trying to get it back to SCM.

 

[Hurricane]

Rough plan...

take a long weekend in May and check out SC, Roses and Empuria Brava

take another long weekend - probs in Aug check out Denia & Altea

Make sure you give SCM a good look.
Most people love it.
Pontoons - Way better than Med style - just think about it - you can wash the boat properly to begin with.
Mozzies really aren't a problem and you will find them all over the Med anyway.
SC vs Mallorca remember SC is on the mainland so easy to get your car there.
We are driving out at the beginning of next month for a week - just to take stuff out for the season.

Anyway - just give SC a try - I'm sure you will love it - most people do.

 

[Whitelighter]

I know I keep saying it, but Denia or Altea or even Alicante will put you much closer to an Airport and closer to dive over to Ibz and Mal as staying win the mainland in Summer is just down right wrong IMO!
The cost is as cheap in Denia and far easier with access to both Valencia and Alicante about 1 hour from each.

SC 15m x 5m - €4250
Denia 15m x 5m - €8500

I would say that isn't just as cheap, at double the annual rate.

Prices for actual berth available to rent for this year

 

[John100156]

I met someone at a boaty do who was pretty scathing about mossies at san Carles. He had a boat there.

Mozzies and fouling are two very manageable problems that we have had in SCM and most of us have reported on them many times.

MOZZIES: If the chap you spoke to was there in the early days, mozzies were a real problem, we are just off a nature reserve where we see flocks of flamingoes and other rare birds; as a consequence, for a couple of years they tried a 'GREEN' insecticide, only problem was, the mozzies must have enjoyed the taste and thrived on it. There was a meeting in Pole Nou a nearby village (vociferous as you can imagine) so they changed back to the original. They spray the paddy fields regularly in summer, mozzies can be a pain but as has been said, usually occur at dusk and dawn and with a decent 50% Deet applied (avoiding vinyl) they tend to move on quite quickly.

FOULING: We get a free lift and scrub each year and very fair priced lifts at other times, which is useful for regular inspections. The lifts are very well managed and take just a short while, I'm booked-in for one in a couple of weeks before a run down to Valencia.

So that's the downsides - the benefits and good value far outweigh them. The MDL team and staff there are excellent as are the facilities. I have been there nearly 10 years and consider changing regularly but its just so convenient!

 

[Seastoke]

SC 15m x 5m - €4250
Denia 15m x 5m - €8500

I would say that is just as cheap, at double the annual rate.

Prices for actual berth available to rent for this year

what do you mean jez

 

[Montemar]

Alicante has a big marina and is a nice place to boot. Is it very expensive? It has an airport.

 

[Whitelighter]

what do you mean jez

Sorry, corrected (perils of using iPhone to post in a hurry)

 

[Medskipper]

Mozzies and fouling are two very manageable problems that we have had in SCM and most of us have reported on them many times.

MOZZIES: If the chap you spoke to was there in the early days, mozzies were a real problem, we are just off a nature reserve where we see flocks of flamingoes and other rare birds; as a consequence, for a couple of years they tried a 'GREEN' insecticide, only problem was, the mozzies must have enjoyed the taste and thrived on it. There was a meeting in Pole Nou a nearby village (vociferous as you can imagine) so they changed back to the original. They spray the paddy fields regularly in summer, mozzies can be a pain but as has been said, usually occur at dusk and dawn and with a decent 50% Deet applied (avoiding vinyl) they tend to move on quite quickly.

FOULING: We get a free lift and scrub each year and very fair priced lifts at other times, which is useful for regular inspections. The lifts are very well managed and take just a short while, I'm booked-in for one in a couple of weeks before a run down to Valencia.

So that's the downsides - the benefits and good value far outweigh them. The MDL team and staff there are excellent as are the facilities. I have been there nearly 10 years and consider changing regularly but its just so convenient!

Sshhh John, we don't want them all wanting to come! ???

 

[petem]

In the OP's shoes (a limited budget) I would definitely see if I could overcome the issues of SCM. As they say, it’s a marmite marina but you never know, you might like it. It’s certainly cheap and has a loyal following. Other marinas on the mainland are good value too.

the OP could also consider buying a property on the mainland or islands and either taking your S34 out there or buying a smaller boat. For example, JulianS of this parish has an apartment in Mallorca (IIRC) and keeps a Windy Mirage 25 out there, which strikes me as the perfect day boat,

For a 45-50ft boat, you're going to be looking at the thick end of €20k a year to park it in Cala D'Or. There are other cheaper marinas in Mallorca but all will be massively dearer than SCM.

Another option is south Sardinia. If the OP doesn't mind the slightly longer transfer and likes tuna then Carloforte has superb cruising grounds and is cheap too! You wont get too many Brits there though.

On top of those costs you'll need another €10-15k a year to service the thing and keep it running.

 

[KINGFISHER 9]

To the guy above who said 'there are mossies all over the Mediterranean.... we're in Port St.Cyprien ... there are no mossies at all.

 

[Bouba]

To the guy above who said 'there are mossies all over the Mediterranean.... we're in Port St.Cyprien ... there are no mossies at all.

You're right. Its way to windy for them there

 

[adey]

Alicante has a big marina and is a nice place to boot. Is it very expensive? It has an airport.

I moved from SCM to Alicante.
Lots of cheap flights from Bristol, straight out of arrivals onto the C6 bus (runs every 20mins and costs 1.20 euros), at the marina 15-20min later.
No mozzies, so the boat doesn't constantly stink of mozzie spray and I don't come home covered in welts where one got through.
Good 24h security.
Very nice city on your doorstep.
1200 restaurants to choose from (according to Tripadvisor)
Lovely clean sandy beaches.
About the same distance to Ibiza as SCM.
Pontoon berth.
Good transport links to other resorts.
Doesn't close in the winter.
Warmer in the winter than most Med resorts (Microclimate)
Lots for guests of all ages to do locally.
Fiestas and events all year.
Tabarca Island 11 miles away + Mar Menor a bit further.

Okay, 3 times the price of SCM but now I can pop over for a few days at a time and actually enjoy being there rather than convincing myself that it's cheap!
Plus I save on lifts/scrubs, hire cars, road tolls, mozzie spray & afterbite cream!

 

[DavidJ]

Roses
Ampuria Brava
All Costa Brava ports so close to France...

Agree, actually now called Empuriabrava. Very few mozzies, don't know what they do! Never use mozzie spray.
I think it depends when you are free to do your boating, August is manic, leave alone if that's the only time you have.
It's a massive marine on a canal system so very hidden and spread out. A resident population of 5000 means excellent range of international supermarkets and boat services all year round (population in August is 100,000 I did say leave alone!)
Great cruising area around Cap de Creus (where the Pyrenees meets the Med) starting just 15 mins away, so you can have some great days out without spending a fortune on fuel.
I pay €5500 for 37 ft with free elec, water, parking.
Because it's on a canal there are no swells that many marinas experience. SCM has the lagoon so may also be swell free.
I must say that there are a lovely bunch of folks at SCM.

Below, one of the calas on Cap de Creus.......and my boat!

 

[julians]

Not sure where the view that all med marinas have mossies comes from, no problem with them in port adriano in mallorca

 

[Rgrwynne]

No problem with mozzies in San Pedro. Berth cost for 15 metre berth 4800 Euros.

 

[John100156]

I moved from SCM to Alicante....

Okay, 3 times the price of SCM but now I can pop over for a few days at a time and actually enjoy being there rather than convincing myself that it's cheap!

Plus I save on lifts/scrubs, hire cars, road tolls, mozzie spray & afterbite cream!

Not sure how long you spent in SCM and when, but having stayed in Alicante, I much prefer SCM. Don't like the hustle bustle there. Each to their own!

We pop over to SCM regularly, we were there a few weeks ago and again next week. Always thoroughly enjoy it.

A7 non-toll road now runs just outside of Reus airport and down almost to SCM, so no tolls and takes 50 mins. Also now have Castellon too same time/distance or Barcelona just under 2 hours away.

Never needed to spray inside my boat and only use repellent if I'm going out at dusk eating al-fresco. I think I did use afterbite once a couple of years ago!

As for lifts and scrubs, I do two sometimes 3 a year of which one is free, as is electricity, water, WiFi and the like. Expect that would cost the same as one lift at Alicante. As it's so quick and easy it helps to keep a good eye on things like anodes and the like.

So, no real complaints from me - 5hrs to Andratx, 4hrs to Valencia or Barcelona and the comfort of a large lagoon just outside. We have 24hr Dockmaster's but rarely need them as the marina is such a safe place to keep a boat. No local drunken youths, thugs, noise or muggings that I can recall. Good community of Brits and as I am still working it's just right for me for R&R. As I said, all very easily manageable!

The good value is just a bonus, we were in Torquay marina when we decided to move and just wanted a good quiet and safe marina with excellent facilities that was easy to reach and was efficiently run - that's what we got!