Shore crew wanted for my summer adventure,s around Costa Blanca and Ibiza!

[Contest1]

May be a bit cheeky but as a Med novice I was thinking it would be great to have a shore crew for guidance and advice on my early summer trip to Ibiza and around the coast of the Costa Blanca.
Got the idea from those pro Sailors who seem to have shore crew for every fasset of sailing their yachts around the globe.
I'm planning on going out in early May for a trial cruise in these unknown waters and would appreciate any help to avoid novice mistakes
I could of course just ask for help from the forum were help is always available, but I'm wondering if this approach might yield more detailed information particularly as the cruise developes and questions arise regarding unforseen circumstances.
Not sure how this will work but as they say it never hurts to ask.

 

[Tranona]

Join the Cruising Association and then you can tap into their members groups and local representatives. Think you will find much more specific and detailed information than random questions on here.

 

[Sandyman]

Surely half the fun is learning to do it yourself & learning from the mistakes you do make.

 

[Contest1]

Join the Cruising Association and then you can tap into their members groups and local representatives. Think you will find much more specific and detailed information than random questions on here.

The plan was to avoid random questions but looks like it's lost cause. Maybe there's something in the CA but I tend to avoid anything formal! Was in the WOA for a few years but just didn't really suit my unorganised sailing style.

Having done the trial and error bit for the last 10 years I was thinking avoidance might be preferable, especially in a foreign environment were my lack of even basic language skills could exacerbate any unfortunate incident!
Back to the chart table so.

 

[Tranona]

The plan was to avoid random questions but looks like it's lost cause. Maybe there's something in the CA but I tend to avoid anything formal! Was in the WOA for a few years but just didn't really suit my unorganised sailing style.

Having done the trial and error bit for the last 10 years I was thinking avoidance might be preferable, especially in a foreign environment were my lack of even basic language skills could exacerbate any unfortunate incident!
Back to the chart table so.

CA is not about "organisation". It is for members, many of whom do just what you are doing and they share information. Also have representatives in most of the popular spots. These are members - some of whom post here.

Suggest you give it a try before dismissing it. You can recoup the subscription in discounts, particularly marinas.

 

[Contest1]

CA is not about "organisation". It is for members, many of whom do just what you are doing and they share information. Also have representatives in most of the popular spots. These are members - some of whom post here.

Suggest you give it a try before dismissing it. You can recoup the subscription in discounts, particularly marinas.

Opps, wasn't my intention to dismiss the CA. Just not what I had in mind.
No doubt I didn't get my idea across as well as I'd thought, or it's just not as appealing as I had hoped.

 

[Trident]

Really the CA is gold - for a start there is the Captain's Mate smart phone app that is user updated in real time - we found it invaluable around the Balearics for advice on what anchorages were really like and things like have buoys been put out yet (they rarely are to the pilot schedule but recent visitors to a place often comment quickly)
Then their forums and cruising guides are very useful and if you really need to actually talk to someone for advice the HLR (local reps) are contactable. There is no formality or regulation whatsoever.
There are some good web guides to places to go in Ibiza - good anchorages etc with details of what's safe in what weather (like www.montgomery-smith.org )
We've spend two season here now and the main thing that I can pass on is never under estimate the heat - we thought lots of hatches with wind scoops would keep us cool but by the second year had bought 4 12v fans too. We also had to add a lot of extra insulation to our fridges as they were draining power like mad in the first summer.
Finally, I would say that from June to September the forecasts are usually about 75% accurate - if you cruise in April and October too (or longer) then they're more like 25% accurate - we've been out a few days now and the wind directs and speeds and sea states have been off every day - sometimes by 180 degrees and 15 knots or more - so plan for every contingency in your routing and anchoring choices.

 

[Tony Cross]

I would also suggest you consider joining the CA, if only to see how it suits your needs. You can always let your membership lapse if you don't think it's value for money.

And I speak as a CA member, I'm also the HLR (the CA local rep) for the island of Crete. What that means is that CA members considering visiting Crete contact me via email well before to find out when to come, where to go, what to avoid, how things work etc. I'm also here (as are all other HLRs) for when things go wrong and I've assisted CA members who are on Crete with all manner of things from alternator repairs to recommending a vet for a sick dog. HLRs exist in a huge number of locations worldwide so you're pretty much assured of an automatic friend in most places you'll visit.

The CA has well over a quarter of it's over 5000 members in the Mediterranean, so someone has already been there and done that and the information exchange on the CA's members-only (and extremely friendly) fora will fill in any blanks you might have.

All members submit cruising reports when they find somewhere new or they find things have changed in a familiar location. These keep all members up to date on ports, facilities, services, anchorages, etc. and are much more useful (and more up to date) than most pilot books. All cruising reports are available on your smartphone through the CA's CAptain's Mate app.

There is nothing formal or clubbish about being a CA member, unless you want that of course!

 

[Contest1]

Thanks for the CA recomendations. Had a look on the site. Very limited access for non members trying to judge it's value for the 100+euro annual membership fee. The captain's app would be useful for up to date anchorage info, assuming it's much better than the Navionics community edits.
Plenty of reliable local info here on the marina were the Irish, UK, German and Spanish sailors are very helpful but the idea of the HLR further afield sounds good.
I'll have to see what's left in this month's kitty after the trip to Benidorm!
Still no takers on my original idea sofar anyway.

 

[Tony Cross]

Thanks for the CA recomendations. Had a look on the site. Very limited access for non members trying to judge it's value for the 100+euro annual membership fee. The captain's app would be useful for up to date anchorage info, assuming it's much better than the Navionics community edits.
Plenty of reliable local info here on the marina were the Irish, UK, German and Spanish sailors are very helpful but the idea of the HLR further afield sounds good.
I'll have to see what's left in this month's kitty after the trip to Benidorm!
Still no takers on my original idea sofar anyway.

If you have an address you can use outside the UK you can join as an overseas member, that's much cheaper.

 

[Contest1]

If you have an address you can use outside the UK you can join as an overseas member, that's much cheaper.

Thanks Tony, the 100 euro is the approximate overseas fee in euro(£82), its more than my current club membership here in Ireland, sans annual mooring fee!
May give it a go anyway if I find myself floundering as I expand my cruising range.

 

[Tony Cross]

Thanks Tony, the 100 euro is the approximate overseas fee in euro(£82), its more than my current club membership here in Ireland, sans annual mooring fee!
May give it a go anyway if I find myself floundering as I expand my cruising range.

Ah, Ok. If you do join let me know, I'd be happy to teach you the secret handshake.....