The Med ... why?

[Sybarite]

Weather in S. Brittany in the 30's, a nice sea breeze, water luke warm, white sandy beaches....

I was thinking of this the other evening when sat on the terrace of "La Coquille" looking out at the comings and goings in Concarneau harbour.

(La Coquille belongs to the former chef of "La Tour d'Argent" one of Paris' best 3* restaurants.)

 

[Wansworth]

That maybe a question that will be asked as the climate changes,instead of the cams or gales of the med more steadyAtlantic summerbreezes

 

[[3889]]

Having kept a boat in S Brittany for 8 years and currently spending a season in Sicily en route north I cannot furnish you with a rational response, even given my disdain for expensive restsurants.

 

[John_Silver]

South Brittany is certainly hard to beat.....But, on the acquaintance of one week (so far), The north coast of Spain may have the job done:

 

[mjcoon]

Weather in S. Brittany in the 30's, a nice sea breeze, water luke warm, white sandy beaches....

I was thinking of this the other evening when sat on the terrace of "La Coquille" looking out at the comings and goings in Concarneau harbour.

(La Coquille belongs to the former chef of "La Tour d'Argent" one of Paris' best 3* restaurants.)

How come the water is "lukewarm" when I believe it is Atlantic water and well mixed by tide? Even the Mediterranean water is still warming up. (Though as a non-swimmer I carefully kept out of it a month ago except when it flung itself at me...)

 

[shortjohnsilver]

Fantastic Doug. And StarGazer looking fully at home ?

 

[Bav32]

Simple answer. Hot heat and posh birds.
Just thought i would lower the tone.

 

[Wansworth]

Simple answer. Hot heat and posh birds.
Just thought i would lower the tone.

Bognor?

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

It's hard to beat the calm Ionian and the windy Aegean seas during the summer months; together with the abundance of islands and coves.

 

[Bouba]

The Atlantic is beautiful, the Pacific is stunning...but the Mediterranean has no tides??

 

[johnalison]

When we bought a larger boat in 2000 and I retired a number of friends/family asked me if I was taking her to the Med. It had never been my ambition to go there anyway but what amused me was the assumption by many that the Med was just round the corner. One person, I forget who, said that it was just round France wasn’t it. When I pointed out that it included the Bay of Biscay, Spain, and Portugal they seemed quite surprised.

I’m sure the Med is lovely but I’m not sure that I would enjoy the oppressive sun, the often long distances, and the logistics of travel to and from the boat. Much as I enjoy France, I have only tried it as far as Trebuerden and not been tempted further. Perhaps the odds of bumping into yet more Brits put me off. Of the cruises we did, it was the Baltic ones that have stuck in my memory the most, visiting fabulous places with almost always settled weather, often hot, and shortish passages with no tides.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Please don't judge countries or places if you not been there.
The Med isn't a mill pond as some what to make out it is,
It's got loads going for it,
The biggest plus is with a few days sail at times a day sail, your in another country , totally different way of life.
Some say there ether too much wind or no wind ,
not true,
Some places local effects like mountain do make a different and places like the Ionians are known for quite nights and morning with the wind picking up to a nice breeze around mid day ,
But if its wind you want Croatia or the Aegena for two areas and you can have all the wind you want .
Anchorage there thousands with lots of shelter bays .

The down side and there down side to every where .

In some countries like Greece and Turkey there just too much charters boat in the hight of the summer , many have crews that are novice or are not use to handling boat the size they hired .
Anchoring can be a nightmare in these places especially as when many anchor the winds can be light and people don't allow for a change in conditions.
Also the summers are getting very hot , I understand from friend they had temp of 40c so far this year ,
Also the winters are getting colder , we had 3c in sicily last winter .
The Italian coast is beautiful and so are the people ,
It's not used much by cruisers because it said there not many safe anchorage , Again not true , we done both the west and East and always anchored .
Sardinia is another country not to be missed add to that the south of France which we love to cruisers.
So please don't listen to hear say from people who never spend real time in the Med .
A summer charter don't make anyone a expert .

 

[capnsensible]

You don't swim in the Med. You just go through the motions.....

 

[John_Silver]

How fortunate we are, to be able to simply up anchor, and change cruising grounds, more or less at will. All different. The fun being to ‘discover’ the particular delights of a new area.
Sometimes I have to pinch myself, to make sure it’s not all a wonderful dream!

 

[johnalison]

Please don't judge countries or places if you not been there.
The Med isn't a mill pond as some what to make out it is,
It's got loads going for it,
The biggest plus is with a few days sail at times a day sail, your in another country , totally different way of life.
Some say there ether too much wind or no wind ,
not true,
Some places local effects like mountain do make a different and places like the Ionians are known for quite nights and morning with the wind picking up to a nice breeze around mid day ,
But if its wind you want Croatia or the Aegena for two areas and you can have all the wind you want .
Anchorage there thousands with lots of shelter bays .

The down side and there down side to every where .

In some countries like Greece and Turkey there just too much charters boat in the hight of the summer , many have crews that are novice or are not use to handling boat the size they hired .
Anchoring can be a nightmare in these places especially as when many anchor the winds can be light and people don't allow for a change in conditions.
Also the summers are getting very hot , I understand from friend they had temp of 40c so far this year ,
Also the winters are getting colder , we had 3c in sicily last winter .
The Italian coast is beautiful and so are the people ,
It's not used much by cruisers because it said there not many safe anchorage , Again not true , we done both the west and East and always anchored .
Sardinia is another country not to be missed add to that the south of France which we love to cruisers.
So please don't listen to hear say from people who never spend real time in the Med .
A summer charter don't make anyone a expert .

I don’t see that anyone is trying to deter others from going to the Med. As far as I am concerned, it is one of those places, such as the equally esteemed Scotland, that never drew me for probably random reasons. One of the chief reasons was its distance from home, as I said, though I can see that this will be less of a problem for those more organised than me. A second reason might be that the Med with its high UV level can be hard on boats, especially those with teak decks, though I know a few HRs that are out there currently.

 

[sailaboutvic]

John teak decks add heat , don't go very well although many boats in the Med with teak decks .
One thing for sure there bloody hot under your feet .

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I can understand as Vic says there is a wide range of countries and cultures and sailing with a general warmer climate than the Brittany coast line and as such it is a very different but if you envisage a similar area from the Spanish coast line to say Norway and as far west as Ireland then there is an equally diverse and challenging but different cruising ground. However if the OP meant in terms of local cruising that the majority of people actually do then it is simply a matter of taste if one limited the area in any of the Mediterranean countries to that of the OPs chosen are then you would be sure to find equally interesting sailing and culture.

 

[Sybarite]

When I bought my boat it was at Toulon. I remember being roasted in the cockpit as everybody else (crew?/passengers) took refuge below.
I also remember 87 knots of wind when stuck in Bonifacio.

I think that the reason why I really love S. Brittany, and more particularly S. Finistère, is that it reminds me of Ireland.

 

[mjcoon]

When I bought my boat it was at Toulon. I remember being roasted in the cockpit as everybody else (crew?/passengers) took refuge below.

What no bimini? Essential in the Med, and perhaps in local waters too. before long (or already?). In our recent trip, the shade was based on an arch over the companionway. Forward from there was the sprayhood. Aft was the bimini proper, so both were the full width of the cabin and cockpit. Since the side decks were narrow that meant nearly the full width of the boat. The result was that it was not easy to see the sails at all. There were window sections, with zipped blinds, but not of optical quality.

 

[MapisM]

Weather in S. Brittany in the 30's, a nice sea breeze, water luke warm, white sandy beaches....

I was thinking of this the other evening when sat on the terrace of "La Coquille" looking out at the comings and goings in Concarneau harbour.

(La Coquille belongs to the former chef of "La Tour d'Argent" one of Paris' best 3* restaurants.)

Sounds great. But then, if you don't mind me asking, why are you even wondering about the Med?
I mean, I've yet to come across one single person who lives anywhere in the Med and is wondering about Brittany.
Or South of England. Or anywhere else, for that matter.