Trouble in Med

[Guest]

Anybody hear the BBC R4 To-day programme yesterday which reported that rich yacht owners (presumably superyachts) can't find anywhere to drop anchor because all the marinas are full! Contradiction in terms doncha think?

 

[charles_reed]

Unless you're in protected waters the swell in the W med makes anchoring impossible in all but utterly calm conditions.
That means you have to get into an harbour.
A large number of the "natural" anchorages are only tenable when the wind is from a particular direction and my experience is that many of them, at this time of year, are full of tunny nets.
As these nets will successfully cripple a coaster yotties are well advised to steer clear of them.

 

[Guest]

It is quite true that the Med is very crowded, especially the Balearic Islands. It is common to be turned away from marinas in the evening because they are full, this can happen even in bad weather when the next marina or alternative anchorage is miles away.