Sardinia Summer 2015

[CLOUD9]

What a brilliant thread. Ive got to it a bit late.... but thanks very much for sharing the experiences, the pictures and videos. Ive managed to read the whole lot from start to finish today. My interest in a boating future based in the Mediterranean has only been enhanced further. R

 

[Hurricane]

What a brilliant thread. Ive got to it a bit late.... but thanks very much for sharing the experiences, the pictures and videos. Ive managed to read the whole lot from start to finish today. My interest in a boating future based in the Mediterranean has only been enhanced further. R

Thanks
As I said above, I've also enjoyed sharing it with readers and with the forumites that I've met this year.
If ever you would like an introduction to Sant Carles - just let me know - lots of people have moved that way this year and I'm sure lots of others are yet to.
Sant Carles is a great starter into the Med.
As JFM said, the other area where these forums seem concentrated is the SoF.
For me SC has the edge - being run by a UK marina company that we all know and love IMO helps with those first stems into the Med.
Couple that with the fantastic cruising that SWMBO and I have done this year and the friends that we have met along the way makes Med cruising a very special thing.

 

[Pinnacle]

Hopefully Hurricane won't mind if I extend this thread a little.......

SWMBO and I have just returned from Carloforte where we had been very kindly invited to spend a week on board with MapisM and his SWMBO. Well, what a fantastic place! We saw many of the best spots on and around the island, witnessed a really beautiful sunset while at anchor and were invited to a birthday party at a spectacular house high up in the hills. All the locals we met were extremely welcoming to us Brits.

So a really big thanks to MM and S for allowing us to share their summer "home" with them.

 

[MapisM]

Our pleasure, thanks to you and S for a great company.
We are always glad to have friends onboard, and needless to say it's even nicer when they are also boat lovers! :encouragement:

 

[Hurricane]

Hopefully Hurricane won't mind if I extend this thread a little.......

SWMBO and I have just returned from Carloforte where we had been very kindly invited to spend a week on board with MapisM and his SWMBO. Well, what a fantastic place! We saw many of the best spots on and around the island, witnessed a really beautiful sunset while at anchor and were invited to a birthday party at a spectacular house high up in the hills. All the locals we met were extremely welcoming to us Brits.

So a really big thanks to MM and S for allowing us to share their summer "home" with them.

Glad you had a good time - we did
Thanks again to MapisM and his SWMBO - we were really made to feel at home.

 

[BartW]

...and were invited to a birthday party at a spectacular house high up in the hills. All the locals we met were extremely welcoming to us Brits.

was that perhaps at M and P's house ?
we were also happy to meet the couple twice a few years ago, very nice people,
the bonus was that M speaks fluently dutch, from her time in Indonesia long ago,

gladd to hear you had a good time there Peter !

 

[Pinnacle]

was that perhaps at M and P's house ?
we were also happy to meet the couple twice a few years ago, very nice people,
the bonus was that M speaks fluently dutch, from her time in Indonesia long ago,

gladd to hear you had a good time there Peter !

Hi Bart

No, it wasn't at their house (although we did go there briefly) but they were at the party. She also speaks good English!
Hope you and E have had a great summer and that your planned second engine recon goes well.

 

[CLOUD9]

Thanks
As I said above, I've also enjoyed sharing it with readers and with the forumites that I've met this year.
If ever you would like an introduction to Sant Carles - just let me know - lots of people have moved that way this year and I'm sure lots of others are yet to.
Sant Carles is a great starter into the Med.
As JFM said, the other area where these forums seem concentrated is the SoF.
For me SC has the edge - being run by a UK marina company that we all know and love IMO helps with those first stems into the Med.
Couple that with the fantastic cruising that SWMBO and I have done this year and the friends that we have met along the way makes Med cruising a very special thing.

Thanks for the offer and positive feedback for SC Hurricane.. Until looking into the options for the first time a couple of weeks ago (immediately after seeing the 'Quadcoptering' footage posted by JFM), I had no idea how the options and costs varied from one country/region to the next. I still have an open mind, but do agree that Sant Carles appears to offer a great way into the Med and will give some time to gain experience and work out a plan for the longer term. I hope to book some flights and come over around 16th October. Will keep you posted. R

 

[MapisM]

was that perhaps at M and P's house ?

Nope, as Pinnacle already explained.
But it's good that you mentioned, because they asked me to send their best regards to yourself and E.
They still have fond memories of the great lunch that Alfonso prepared for us all on BA in Rome...

 

[AndieMac]

was that perhaps at M and P's house ?
we were also happy to meet the couple twice a few years ago, very nice people,
the bonus was that M speaks fluently dutch, from her time in Indonesia long ago....

All of MM's Island friends are welcomimg, friendly, interesting people. M is a real treasure though, such a lovely, intelligent lady who loves a party

 

[Hurricane]

I hope to book some flights and come over around 16th October. Will keep you posted. R

It looks like I will be out there then myself.
If Whitelighter's transport can get me there

Joking aside, I am expecting to be in SC from (around) the 10th October until the end of October.
So, if you come out, please knock on JW's hull and we will open a bottle (or two).

 

[MapisM]

All of MM's Island friends are welcomimg, friendly, interesting people. M is a real treasure though, such a lovely, intelligent lady who loves a party

Funny you should mention that, we are just back from a dinner with most of the chaps you met at her home.
They asked me if you will be back next year, I told them that I don't know but I hope so!
All the very best from them all.

 

[Whitelighter]

If Whitelighter's transport can get me there

Please don't tempt fate!!!!

 

[AndieMac]

Funny you should mention that, we are just back from a dinner with most of the chaps you met at her home.
They asked me if you will be back next year, I told them that I don't know but I hope so!
All the very best from them all.

Yes fond memories of a fun night, and would certainly love to go back to CF next season. Please also pass on our very best to them all.

You two have had a busy season this year entertaining guests and being a tour guide.

I enjoyed visiting CF vicariously through the forum and thank Hurricane and others for this excellent thread.

 

[BartW]

here is my small (and late) contribution to Huricanes brilliant thread:

these stern with Rope to rocks moorings as discussed earlier are quite common in Croatia,
we were used to do this already many years ago with our Karnic,

so its common practice on Blue Angel,
here our kids and friends are doing the ropes with the tender,
sometimes one of the guests does that
but it has aswell been swmbo doing a short swim in many occasions

the reasons for this sort of anchoring, instead of ankering with the anker only are:
- most guests prefer a swim while they see the bottom,
- especially the turquoise collor when sandy bottom is very impressive,
- also snorkeling along the rocks, close to the boat they like.
- it looks like a small private zone / pool in huge sea

- More boats can be packed in a small bay,
- or you can overnight in a smaller bay that wouldn’t be possible without the rope
- When selecting the right bay and right direction, the boat is better protected to wind



Mike had issue’s with his anker winch,
I can only advice to place a real big strong winch. It’s a very important tool for a perfect holiday.
We have put this big Lowfrance winch first season we owned the boat,
don’t compromise on that !

This season we have upgraded the chain from 95m galvanized steel to 150m SS steel, and really regret that we didn’t do this any sooner.
While the galvanized chain used to make a pile in the chain locker, obstructing and putting stress on the winch,at least ones every recovery;
Now the chain “flows” like cream on the bottom, without any obstruction ever anymore.

The gypsywheel is very well worn, so I have bought a new one for spare.
Last year we had approx. 100 anker launches / recoverys,
This years it was approx. 60 times

This season we have had 3 occasions where we were very glad to have >100m chain, especially during the stern to rocks mooring,
Its difficult to “estimate” the distance to shore / rocks, when no other boat near you as a reference for its lenghts,
and when you want to put out a maximum amount of chain when expecting bad weather.


While Huricane is considering to replace his tender, I can confirm with MYAG and JFM, that we are very happy with our Novurania 430 (2 seasons in use now)
Originally with the boat was a Ital made 8yo 4m Rib, with 30Hp Yam.

Compared to that one, all regular guests / friends / crew agree that the improvement is huge;
- More space (3 full beam seats, and one bow seat)
- No wet feet anymore
- Goed behaviour, no spray
- Perfect for water sports, powerfull, and doesn’t make a big bowwave (compared to our Karnic )
I have to admid that I expected that the Yam 70hp would have a bit more grunge, (especially when we punish her hard,or load her heavy )
but its perfect for our usage,

So far we had several small issues;
- Battery was totally dead during first season (just had to put a new)
- The floater switch of the auto bilge pump give permanent contact, took out the fuse, should replace the switch soon
- The hinges of the benches are not good quality, they oxidate, and get stucked, had to replace them on the helm seat, and very soon on the other seats
- The propeller lost most of its black paint, can’t believe that it’s a original Yamaha (the paint came off gradually, not from a rope or something)
- I can’t get the fuel level indicator working, (on the Yamaha display) tried several settings, etc.. but doesn’t work perhaps someone can advice
I always’s look at the “total liters burn” value on the display,
But we ran out of fuel in 3 occasions, (always‘s have 10l spare onboard),
- and then we noticed that the rubber fuel pump bowl doesn’t work, had to prime with many attempts of starting the engine.

Here on this pic it sits on the hi lo platform,
we need to lower the platform until level with the water, before we can deploy the passerel
That’s why we prefer to have it up on the fly whenever we’re moored in a marina.

 

[Hurricane]

here is my small (and late) contribution to Huricanes brilliant thread:

these stern with Rope to rocks moorings as discussed earlier are quite common in Croatia,
we were used to do this already many years ago with our Karnic,

so its common practice on Blue Angel,
here our kids and friends are doing the ropes with the tender,
sometimes one of the guests does that
but it has aswell been swmbo doing a short swim in many occasions

the reasons for this sort of anchoring, instead of ankering with the anker only are:
- most guests prefer a swim while they see the bottom,
- especially the turquoise collor when sandy bottom is very impressive,
- also snorkeling along the rocks, close to the boat they like.
- it looks like a small private zone / pool in huge sea

- More boats can be packed in a small bay,
- or you can overnight in a smaller bay that wouldn’t be possible without the rope
- When selecting the right bay and right direction, the boat is better protected to wind



Mike had issue’s with his anker winch,
I can only advice to place a real big strong winch. It’s a very important tool for a perfect holiday.
We have put this big Lowfrance winch first season we owned the boat,
don’t compromise on that !

This season we have upgraded the chain from 95m galvanized steel to 150m SS steel, and really regret that we didn’t do this any sooner.
While the galvanized chain used to make a pile in the chain locker, obstructing and putting stress on the winch,at least ones every recovery;
Now the chain “flows” like cream on the bottom, without any obstruction ever anymore.

The gypsywheel is very well worn, so I have bought a new one for spare.
Last year we had approx. 100 anker launches / recoverys,
This years it was approx. 60 times

This season we have had 3 occasions where we were very glad to have >100m chain, especially during the stern to rocks mooring,
Its difficult to “estimate” the distance to shore / rocks, when no other boat near you as a reference for its lenghts,
and when you want to put out a maximum amount of chain when expecting bad weather.


While Huricane is considering to replace his tender, I can confirm with MYAG and JFM, that we are very happy with our Novurania 430 (2 seasons in use now)
Originally with the boat was a Ital made 8yo 4m Rib, with 30Hp Yam.

Compared to that one, all regular guests / friends / crew agree that the improvement is huge;
- More space (3 full beam seats, and one bow seat)
- No wet feet anymore
- Goed behaviour, no spray
- Perfect for water sports, powerfull, and doesn’t make a big bowwave (compared to our Karnic )
I have to admid that I expected that the Yam 70hp would have a bit more grunge, (especially when we punish her hard,or load her heavy )
but its perfect for our usage,

So far we had several small issues;
- Battery was totally dead during first season (just had to put a new)
- The floater switch of the auto bilge pump give permanent contact, took out the fuse, should replace the switch soon
- The hinges of the benches are not good quality, they oxidate, and get stucked, had to replace them on the helm seat, and very soon on the other seats
- The propeller lost most of its black paint, can’t believe that it’s a original Yamaha (the paint came off gradually, not from a rope or something)
- I can’t get the fuel level indicator working, (on the Yamaha display) tried several settings, etc.. but doesn’t work perhaps someone can advice
I always’s look at the “total liters burn” value on the display,
But we ran out of fuel in 3 occasions, (always‘s have 10l spare onboard),
- and then we noticed that the rubber fuel pump bowl doesn’t work, had to prime with many attempts of starting the engine.

Here on this pic it sits on the hi lo platform,
we need to lower the platform until level with the water, before we can deploy the passerel
That’s why we prefer to have it up on the fly whenever we’re moored in a marina.

Thanks for all those comments, Bart
All very relevant at the moment.
We are in the process of doing a small anchor upgrade and very likely a dinghy upgrade.
I'm a little concerned about the comments on the quality of the Novurania fittings.
Thanks for the help you have given by PM - likewise thanks to JFM
And also thanks to MYAG for putting these ideas into my mind - also for letting us drive his Novurania.
I will post something on our dinghy and anchor upgrades sometime.

 

[jfm]

Yup, stern line anchoring is great for all those reasons. We did it in this video, because we would have had a serious mess and serious interruption to lunch if the raft had swung around. Of course, only one boat in a raft needs a stern line - it would get in the way of swimming and playing if everyone did it. The other benefit of a tight stern line is that it tells you instantly if your anchor is dragging - it droops into the water


Here are a few random pics on the same topic. First pic shows you need a kind guest to swim ashore and attached the stern line then swim back. Next two pics are me and the Grand Master Of Extreme Anchoring, MYAG, in the same location as the above video, Cala Gran, Mallorca, both with stern lines to the rocks

Ref the novurania, I love it but agree the 4T Yamaha lacks torque/power at low RPM. I'm spoilt by the 2 strokes of yesteryear. I'd love to try a 60hp etec as discussed on NickH's recent thread. Bart, mine came with a black painted s/s prop with 16 inch pitch and my paint came off too. I've changed it to an alloy 14 inch which is much better. About £90 off eBay, genuine Yamaha. I have no problem with the s/s fittings - the lifting eyes and towing eyes are genuine Whittal forged and the rest is mirror polished s/s - all good. The hinges are a bit catalogue though, but easy to change. My float switch also failed but I don't blame Novu for that. Fuel gauge is working fine - bad luck with that BartW and I hope you can fix it. As so many folks now have these I reckon you should get a "group buy" on upgraded consoles - this is a great improvement imho. Basically involves a tiny "shelf" created at the top of the angled face of the dash, so as to move the yam gauges and switches up , allowing room for colour plotter and other nav gear. And throttle stick moved back closer to helmsman. Was done by the GRP team at essexboatyards. Could be done in white; doesn't have to be silver

 

[Hurricane]

Yup, stern line anchoring is great for all those reasons.

Yep - bough 118m of floating rope when we upgraded our anchor chain (more to follow).
But it is still on the reel - not used yet.
Only tied back to the rocks once - when we borrowed a couple of MYAG's ropes.
There does seem to be a problem in different parts of the Med though.
Some places - it is the norm - other areas, you seem to get complaints from other boats.
Will definitely do more though.

Ref the novurania, I love it but agree the 4T Yamaha lacks torque/power at low RPM. I'm spoilt by the 2 strokes of yesteryear. I'd love to try a 60hp etec as discussed on NickH's recent thread. Bart, mine came with a black painted s/s prop with 16 inch pitch and my paint came off too. I've changed it to an alloy 14 inch which is much better. About £90 off eBay, genuine Yamaha. I have no problem with the s/s fittings - the lifting eyes and towing eyes are genuine Whittal forged and the rest is mirror polished s/s - all good. The hinges are a bit catalogue though, but easy to change. My float switch also failed but I don't blame Novu for that. Fuel gauge is working fine - bad luck with that BartW and I hope you can fix it. As so many folks now have these I reckon you should get a "group buy" on upgraded consoles - this is a great improvement imho. Basically involves a tiny "shelf" created at the top of the angled face of the dash, so as to move the yam gauges and switches up , allowing room for colour plotter and other nav gear. And throttle stick moved back closer to helmsman. Was done by the GRP team at essexboatyards. Could be done in white; doesn't have to be silver

Yep I understand the reasons that you modified your console.
In an ideal world, I might be tempted to do the same but it seems to be a lot of extra work.
Also, I had a look at the ETEC spec this morning - doesn't quite do it for me - and the Yam is a tried and tested solution.
Anyway, watch this space - negotiations are under way but I might get tempted to a different solution.

 

[Nick_H]

I have to admid that I expected that the Yam 70hp would have a bit more grunge, (especially when we punish her hard,or load her heavy )

I think the problem is that none of the outboard manufacturers issue torque curves for their outboards, so we all end up choosing the maximum power to weight ratio rather than what really matters which is low down torque, which is much more dependant on cubic capacity. I assume you chose the Yam 70 because it only weighs 117 kgs? The thing is, it's light because it has a very small cubic capacity for it's power rating, 50% less than a Suzuki 70 for example, and only slightly more than the Suzuki 40 hp. Yamaha have been quite clever in designing outboards with high power ratings but small displacement and therefore low weight. A number of users then report that they're not very happy with the performance. I think we should all be looking at the displacement to weight ratio rather than power to weight. For sure, it's always then worth choosing the highest power rating using that block, but I think It would lead to different choices in some cases.

 

[BartW]

...
I'm a little concerned about the comments on the quality of the Novurania fittings.

don't worry about that Mike, I consider my trouble just a bad coincidence, and actually the only real bad parts on the "boat" are the seat hinges,
I didn't bother claiming waranty, but I might send them a picture of one of the stucked hinges, they might have used a bad badge for a while, and these issues are probably known since then.
most superyachttenders I see are Novurania's, so they must do something right me thinks

other points are mostly related to third party supply's