Transport UK to Palma

By the way, I also humbly recommend that you take time with the boat, build up trust with her and then go for a passage.
 
Another option would be to have the boat delivered to a port to the west of the GdL (Roses?) then head for Sant Carles and stop there for a while (weeks/months). All inshore and lots of ports along the way.

As a reminder, we have been using the boat in the summer and believe the only two issues have been rectified. The boat is also being serviced and checked again this week.
 
Another option would be to have the boat delivered to a port to the west of the GdL (Roses?) then head for Sant Carles and stop there for a while (weeks/months). All inshore and lots of ports along the way.

As a reminder, we have been using the boat in the summer and believe the only two issues have been rectified. The boat is also being serviced and checked again this week.

Consider the fuel/wear and tear, marina charges, lift/relaunch charges etc
Why not ship direct to SC.
Jez's base and lots of us there - good, safe and cheap relaunch service (75 ton travel lift with trained and good MDL staff)
A big Volvo agent locally.
And only 110 miles to Mallorca which could be done very leisurely - maybe in company with some of us.
You could do some short shake down trips to local marinas the we know locally.
Test all your kit in the lagoon.
And you would get some winter sun in a lovely Spanish town - sorry not much in the way of night clubs so not the same as Magaluf I'm afraid!!.

EDIT
Oh yes, there are a lot of us in SC over Christmas and the New Year - we have even been known to have parties!!
Seriously, though, I'm planning on several trips out to the boat over the winter - one will be with our car and trailer so an opportunity to add some gear that you will have forgotten to put on board.
I know several others (some on this forum) that will be doing the same.
It would be a really good "stepping stone" to Mallorca.
 
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Another option would be to have the boat delivered to a port to the west of the GdL (Roses?) then head for Sant Carles and stop there for a while (weeks/months). All inshore and lots of ports along the way

I think it makes a lot of sense to have the boat delivered to W side of GdL. You'll probably save in fuel what it costs extra in transport, and you'll have a shakedown cruise along the coast before deciding whether to cruise across to Mallorca. It may be worth stopping at St Carles for the winter anyway though, as berthing costs are much lower, plus there is an established Brit community to help you find any trades you need, plus the hourly costs and liftouts seem quite low for any work you need doing.
 
I agree with a lot of this.
I think Spain adds a fair bit of cost to trucking but I have said to p pete this can be offset by the uber cheap winter berth you can pick up in Sant Carles

Even dropping in on the coast close to the French border the run down the coast can be done easily in a day
 
.......

Range decreases significantly the bigger the seas. I used to see litres pre NM increase from about 10 to 14 when the seas went from calm to about 1- 1,5m.

Whats the rush ?

I was really surprised with this. Recently did a 16 day cruise and averaged 3l per nm except on one day over a stretch of really rough water where I slowed to 16knts to keep on the back of the waves and it jumped to well over 5l /nm. Nearly double!
 
Gdl can be a nasty place anytime of year... I ve sat on a boat for weeks waiting for the mistral from the north to ease the sea state. Even alcudia bay can kick up a bad sea state... dunno much about mobos but I delivered a new 50 foot yacht from south france to Mallorca this time last year and had a bit of a hairy ride.

Good luck with your plan.. make sure you have a good shake down and check the weather in the gdl. It can be a nasty place or flat as a pancake with glorious sun shine.
 
Thanks all, I appreciate the candidness and that you don't want us to kill ourselves!

It feels there's consensus that a truck delivery avoiding GdL and a cruise down to Sant Carles is a more sensible plan. A quick look at Google maps would suggest that there are lots of points where we can stop off and the coastline actually looks quite attractive.
 
Thanks all, I appreciate the candidness and that you don't want us to kill ourselves!

It feels there's consensus that a truck delivery avoiding GdL and a cruise down to Sant Carles is a more sensible plan. A quick look at Google maps would suggest that there are lots of points where we can stop off and the coastline actually looks quite attractive.

It is pete. It's an easy run and while I know you don't love the idea of SCM it's cheap, there is lots of support there (both professional and moral) and it's still much nicer than Southampton in january
 
Thanks all, I appreciate the candidness and that you don't want us to kill ourselves!

It feels there's consensus that a truck delivery avoiding GdL and a cruise down to Sant Carles is a more sensible plan. A quick look at Google maps would suggest that there are lots of points where we can stop off and the coastline actually looks quite attractive.

Are you sure that it would be a cost saving dropping in close to the French border (I think the nearest place would be Leucate and thats a coast passage of 215 miles to SC)
I would just truck it to SC and probably save money - after all it will already be on the truck.
Coast to Coast are always delivering to SC so it is definitely do-able.

But if you do decide, here is an interesting place to call into on the way.



Not much in the way of good restaurants but an interesting port.
Partially twinned with SC (the Spanish partner involved in SC owns three other marinas along this coast - Port D'Aro is one of them)
 
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I need to check the quotes that I received when I get home tonight. Coast2coast were a lot more the Van De Wettering who come highly recommended.

If I remember correctly, the price increases quite markedly the further west the truck goes (probably triggered by crossing the border).
 
I'd be surprised if it makes sense to offload at Marseilles just to save money, but as you asked the question, I think it probably is feasible to follow the coastline around the GdL, and will give an easier weather window as the mistral blows off the land. I flew along a large stretch of this coastline in the summer, and was surprised at how many small ports there were, given that it's a boring stretch of coastline and seems thinly populated. A quick look at Navionics confirms there's never more than 10NM between ports, although you'd obviously have to check if they can take your size of boat. It adds about 60NM to the trip.

You could do Marseille to Sete in one go (70NM), without ever being far from land if the weather turns or you need to limp in on one engine, then Sete to Roses.
 
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