So where is the best place to put the boat.

We've been in Puerto Banus for nearly 6 weeks now and the weather is fantastic. The marina is expensive, but there are cheaper and quieter ones nearby. Whether you'll stop Gordon from getting his sticky paws on your hard earned cash is another matter. However we much prefer the Spanish attitude to life than back in the UK.
 
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stops Gordon from getting any more tax out of me as well

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As well?

Is he to blame for the weather too?
 
Against.
It is just as expensive to keep your boat down there ,
The fuel cost is virtually the same.
You cannot go for a couple of hours fiddle and fettle.
The aggro of getting there and back.
Cheap flights are history.
The weather can be just a rubbish and when you do get there and it sucks,you cannot just turn round a pop back home.
No chance to develop new boaty friends cos neither you or your neighbours are there at the same time.
Its to blimming hot and or windy.
£ou £ill £eed A/C if you intend staying/sleepng on boat while there.....£6K min.
For.
Its sunny and a bit different.
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
we have just relocated to Corfu from Poole and last trip we had 5 weeks aboard with ony one rainy morning, otherwise scorchio. brilliant.
Can recommend south of France also, but Italy is way too expensive
Moorings are much cheaper out here in Greece and so is boat maintenance on my experiences so far. Historically the ony downside to the med was the expensive "white" diesel. But come the autumn,,,,,,,,,,,,
happy to expand on any specifics you care to request
 
After the weather we've had lately I imagine lots of us UK boaters are dreaming of sunnier climes. I doubt very much that I will buy a bigger boat in the UK and I recon a med boat share would suit me.
I'm thinking Balearic Islands.
 
Ok the alternative view

"It is just as expensive to keep your boat down there" - like for like it's no more expensive and depending on where you are (Spanish mainland for example) can be considerably cheaper. But even if its the same price its hardly an "against" unless your purpose for moving the boat is to save money.

"The fuel cost is virtually the same" Currently perhaps but what about next year? If the UK marina pump price rises to the same as road fuel then even with the current rubbish exchange rate, fuel is 20% cheaper. If as the doomsayers keep telling us the marina price will rise to £1.50 then fuel will be 33% cheaper.

"You cannot go for a couple of hours fiddle and fettle" Agreed, and that is the biggest, and almost only true negative.

"The aggro of getting there and back" What? compared to sitting in a traffic jam on the M40 or M3.

"Cheap flights are history" - On average I'm paying £20 per flight more than I did 4 years ago. The cheap flights are still there but not quite as "cheap"

"The weather can be just a rubbish" Yes it can be but very, very, VERY rarely is. In reality there is no comparison between the weather in the UK and the Med.

"No chance to develop new boaty friends" - It is true that you don't have the regular weekend contact you would have in the UK but we have met plenty of people and have met one couple who I am happy to say are now amongst our closest friends.

"Its to blimming hot........" This is a bad thing? I haven't met a mobo'er yet whose perfect day isn't a hot day with calm seas. Just look at the photos that people put on here. When they start their post "Fabulous day out" it is usually followed by pics of blue skies and calm seas.

".............and or windy" It's not windy in the UK then?

"£ou £ill £eed A/C if you intend staying/sleepng on boat" Yup it gets hot in July & August and air con is great but the rest of the year you don't need it and you can get by quite nicely with a couple of fans.

Sorry about the Gludy type answer but as someone who has done both (UK & Med) I know where I would rather be.
 
actually you missed the only real downside to the med, which is there's nowhere to go once you're there. Spannish mainland everywhere looks the same, Balearics Italy, and SoF, everywhere's full. Don't know about Croatia, Greece, Turkey, but they're harder to get to anyway.

the other reasons you give are not really downsides, or only minor one's
 
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"The aggro of getting there and back" What? compared to sitting in a traffic jam on the M40 or M3.

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We have a couple of young kids, and flying with them is nightmare, so boat is going to remain in Blighty for now. Even if that wasn't so bad, I'm not sure I'd want the grief of having to fly every time I wanted to boat. I'd also miss the 'fiddling & pottering' time spent on board, which is at least as much as the actual boating time.

Understand your thoughts though.. I'm typing this on a Sunday morning in August looking at Chimet recording an F7 /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif This is our worst season since we started boating in '04 (excluding that the first year when the boat never worked) and our most expensive. Anyhow, apparently the Azores high will put in an appearance on the 18th /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
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there's nowhere to go once you're there

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You're joking! That depends on you.
In our time there, we were mostly based in SoF and went to Corsica, Sardinia, all down Italian coast and Italian Islands, Sicily, Tunisia, Spain, Balearics. Wintered in Sicily one year. Kids flew out to join us wherever we happened to be.

Far more scope than the Channel if you are so minded.
 
Its beginning to be a serious option. One more summer here then if it doesn't get better we will exercise one of two options,
a/ sell the boat
b/move it to the med
All depends on the weather next year & SWMBO. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
We've yet to find out.

Started our big plan nearly two years ago by commiting to a bverth at the new MDL marina at Sant Carles in mainland Spain.

Sold the old boat halfway through last season and didnt miss much boating - due to weather.

Got the new boat in May this year and have spent most of the time getting her ready so if the weather had been good, some of the jobs would have slipped.

The big plan now is to leave in early September and take her down on her own bottom - naturally, I'll be taking lots of pics and will put up the odd post as things progress.
 
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"No chance to develop new boaty friends" - It is true that you don't have the regular weekend contact you would have in the UK but we have met plenty of people and have met one couple who I am happy to say are now amongst our closest friends.


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If thats us - Oh Bless, same back = If its not, then I cant believe we have gone 5 minutes and already you have new friends....
 
Call yourself a friend, abandoning us like that!

I suppose you can now put a different perspective on this post seeing that you have tried the Med and have decided to come home. Your angle on things could be interesting to those thinking of going abroad.
 
with you on every point med dreamer except for it not being any more expensive. depends on where you are. mostly it is cheaper.
we have just taken out an annual mooring in Corfu for £2,800 for a 38 footer. This is actually a relatively expensive marina, but has all facilties etc. Even so, that has to be way less than half solent prices.
 
We've found you can't just decide on the spur of the moment to cruise somewhere because the marinas are invariably full. In the UK if we woke up and the weather was good we'd head off to the Channel Islands or the West Country knowing we had somewhere safe to moor when we got there. If you head off somewhere in SoF, you don't have the same certainty, which does sometimes put us off going, especially with a 2yr old on board. Of course you can anchor out, and we do so regularly, but if the weather turns and everywhere is full, what do you do, come all the way home?
 
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