Tunisia

[Jeva]

I'm writing this sitting in El Kantaoiu in Tunisia. Just a few other guests around which I don't understand. Sure it's Ramadan but that just keeps the noise level down. Hospitality is great, security is everywhere but discreet and prices are tumbling.
14M berth is about €35/night, annual berth €2000 includes water and electricity. Fuel around €0.45 litre.
Winds are generally about 15 knots during the PM so good sailing. and the temperature around 28-30 degs C.
Couldn't recommend it more.

 

[Heckler]

I'm writing this sitting in El Kantaoiu in Tunisia. Just a few other guests around which I don't understand. Sure it's Ramadan but that just keeps the noise level down. Hospitality is great, security is everywhere but discreet and prices are tumbling.
14M berth is about €35/night, annual berth €2000 includes water and electricity. Fuel around €0.45 litre.
Winds are generally about 15 knots during the PM so good sailing. and the temperature around 28-30 degs C.
Couldn't recommend it more.

Was in Smir Morocco until Ramadan started for a couple of days, similar situation.
Stu

 

[AndrewB]

Maybe because of the current Foreign & Commonwealth Office Travel Advice, which "advises against all but essential travel to Tunisia", with a state of emergency currently in force. (See https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/tunisia).

I know, sometimes that is the best time to visit a country. I've been thinking of sailing there myself, so your reports are helpful. But it might put off some people.

 

[Sea Devil]

http://www.michaelbriant.com/cruise_1995.htm - we were in Sidi Bou Said (well we tried to be but it was silted up and impassable) Bizerte and Tarbarka trying to get a better wind slant up to Mahon.

Because the beach massacre had only recently happened I contacted a security advisor at the UK Embassy in Tunis and was told the following.
Avoid crowds of non Tunisians. Avoid Expat meeting places (i.e. French and Italian) Avoid staying in one place too long. Vary routes to shops etc. - All common sense.

She told me that the boarder areas with both Libya and Algeria were very dangerous with 'militants' crossing into the country and the Tunisian forces having real problems containing the situation. There had been several terrorist 'drive by' shootings of police and other violent activities. Tunisian media had been instructed to downplay all this and the state television did not report on the problems.
Al-Qaeda
As far a Morocco is concerned there is a long standing war going on the Sahara region against Al-Qaeda inspired forces - the hotel attack of about a year ago the most reported.

Because we have been concerned about the Brexit problems for Gibraltar - the Spanish making the frontier almost impossibly slow to pass - we considered moving the boat to the new marina in Tangier. Easy to get to and inexpensive. The problem is that doing that would break some of the cardinal rules of personal security in a hostile environment - Staying in the same place too long, Using the same route... and despite us both speaking good/fluent French we would stand out from the crowd.

Our feeling is that it is fine to visit Smir (hundreds of French ex-pats) live there and Tangier is a lovely place to visit for a week or so but longer? Not sure - London and Paris are what they are, but to be in a Muslim country with inevitably some extremists within the majority population and Police forces that are not particularly well trained is perhaps not wise. We are looking for other solutions for a safe haven for the boat and us.

Michael

 

[Grehan]

Michael, just to ask the obvious question . . . not a marina in Spain?

 

[Sea Devil]

Frankly it's the money! Estapona to Velez Malaga cost 20-30% for Paw Paw more than Gib. La Linea is about the same price but it's very cut off and wants 350€ PA to park the car!

Also despite having a 12% matriculation tax exemption paper I 'suspect' that there are going to be problems with boat import issues into Spain. The Spanish media does not report Brexit with affection nor do the population (unlike French folks.) My suspicion is that the Spanish are going to enforce the 12% matriculation tax rule on all UK flagged boats permanently in Spanish waters. Why not if they can?

My exemption paper is totally legal and has been inspected by the Guardia Civil but we are UK citizens and not Spanish or in 20 months not EU citizens. It is possible the exemption paper becomes non-valid. Us leaving the EU is going to cost the Spanish a lot of money - raised taxes etc and independently of any EU legislation/deal the Spanish can recover a signifigent amount of money from all the UK boats in all the harbours from Cadiz to Barcelona.

We have just been making inquiries - for a long time Tangier seemed a good idea then interaction with some Moroccan authorities about bringing and leaving the car for months on end in the marina whilst we sail made us wonder... not to mention the security issues I mentioned previously.

Michael

Michael

 

[GHA]

We have just been making inquiries - for a long time Tangier seemed a good idea then interaction with some Moroccan authorities about bringing and leaving the car for months on end in the marina whilst we sail made us wonder... not to mention the security issues I mentioned previously.

Might not even be an option for quite a while yet ...

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f129/the-office-in-morocco-186026.html#post2412788

 

[Jeva]

Just a final update: We left Tunisia this week by checking out in Kalibia. Kalibia is much tidied up up. Not exactly a C& N resort yet, still very much a fishing port, but a lot of the old wrecks have been removed. No problems at all with the authorities or PP. Not a place I want to spend time in but convenient.

By the way we tied up alongside what appeared to be a Brit registered Beneteau 50 - abandoned by the look of it. Who can afford to dump a boat of that size that can only be a few years of old? Unless it's a stolen boat that's been dumped?