UK boating Verse Med Boating ,

Hard to choose I have been fortunate enough to of done both.

Downside of the Med for me was Cost, Unable to get visitors moorings for occasional overnights, The journey there and back.
But the advantages of Warm weather cruising make them a distant memory.

UK Love the more challenging cruising conditions and choice of destinations.

Given a choice and the money at my age (70 yesterday) I would choose the Med.
 
Much has been said and no point in repeating.

To me is is what makes a holiday? That is sun and fun, the boating is simply a nice incidental. I have kids and without sun and swimming there is really no holiday. Those without kids will have different needs.

We spent 4 or so years in La Rochelle. You were abroad, so it felt different, but at the end of the day we moved after sitting on a blustery beach in May. The kids were very little so less swimming etc

The boat for us is about the destination not so much the journey. Indeed journeys over say 90 mins get tiresome for kids and adults alike. We then anchor for x days and have fun.
 
Elessar said:
As I am not wealthy, I have to clean and fix my boat myself. That isn’t a chore actually as for me it’s part of the hobby. I don’t want to spend my holidays fixing the boat.
It is a paradigm shift in cost to have everything done for you. So I can’t afford to keep my boat in the med. Those who don’t DIY have more of a free choice.
Click to expand...
You are right. We made the shift to the Med in 2003 after 12yrs based in the Solent and there were two things that bothered me for years until I got used to it. First, I missed not being able to just jump into the car and drive down to the boat if it was a bit quiet in the office or if the weather looked good and second, I missed not doing maintenance jobs on the boat myself. With the best will in the world if your time on your boat in the Med is limited to a few weeks a year like me, you do not want to spend some of that precious time fixing your boat rather than cruising in it which means you are paying other people to do things that you would have done for yourself in the UK. That in turn means that the cost of maintaining your boat in the Med is inevitably going to be higher than the UK and if youre based somewhere in the Med where labour costs are higher than the UK, its going to be a lot higher. Of course if you are retired and can spend weeks on end on your boat in the Med, its a different matter and you can probably do many jobs yourself as if the boat was in the UK

As to what keeps me in the Med rather than the UK, there is obviously the weather but a big part of it for me is the water temp. In 12yrs of boating in UK waters, I know that I swam just twice off the boat in that time and regretted it both times because it was so cold. In the Med I am in the water from June to Sept all the time and sometimes later in the year than that and for me that is one of the great pleasures of keeping a boat out there. And then there is the feeling that when you are on the boat in the Med you are really on holiday whereas often in the UK, the weather, the sea conditions and the tides often made it feel like an ordeal than a holiday
 
I agree with all the things said about the virtues of Med boating but here is another on that is important to me.

I am going out tomorrow and I know the weather will be nice. I am going out in April and I know the weather will be nice. I am going in July and I know the weather will be nice. Ditto September when I am going with mates. Ditto October with mates.

The point being that as much as I could get the family/mates together and arrange a day out in the UK on the boat, it was ALWAYS weather permitting and so often it did not permit or it was OK but nothing special. In the med for the cost of a flight you can (pretty much) guarantee the weather and since you have paid for a flight you stay longer than a day and very rarely do you not get one cracking day in a weekend from March to October.

Also I guess we get 10 times as many person/days on the boat now than we did when it was in the UK
 
very few mentions about the food,
I'm not so familiar with brit food, and want to keep it like that, :)

but we love the food in most parts of the med,
Spain, France, Italy, yes and even in Croatia,..

the place where we are now, (Cagliari south Sardegna) the average cost of a main dish in a restaurant is 15euro, 20 euro at the max,
and I can assure you that it is delicious,
alway's !
 
BartW said:
very few mentions about the food,
I'm not so familiar with brit food, and want to keep it like that, :)
Click to expand...
Heavens, a traitor in our midst! You mean you dont like our jellied eels, black pudding, spotted dick and turkey twizzlers? Shame on you, that post almost makes me want to vote for Brexit;)
 
I have never 'boated' in the med. I am sure its great but I think for the majority its just not practical or affordable.

Not many fish about either, and the beer is complete tosh. Plus you don't need a Visa to head to the British seaside :D
 
And another for the Med.

Pluses - weather, places to go, variation in culture, food, choice of places to go (one hour san Remo, two hours St Tropez and everything in between), ability to swim off the boat for 50% of the year with no wetsuit, beach restaurants, ease of access, my berth is cheaper than one on the Solent, I want to be there, the joy of being with other nationalities and learning from them, cold clear crisp beer without sticks and bits of beards, no one tells me I have anchored in the wrong spot, with the wrong anchor, in the wrong boat, with the wrong dog and I voted the wrong way in brexit and I support the wrong sport.

Minuses - maintenance is pricey.
 
mcanderson said:
And another for the Med.

Pluses - weather, places to go, variation in culture, food, choice of places to go (one hour san Remo, two hours St Tropez and everything in between), ability to swim off the boat for 50% of the year with no wetsuit, beach restaurants, ease of access, my berth is cheaper than one on the Solent, I want to be there, the joy of being with other nationalities and learning from them, cold clear crisp beer without sticks and bits of beards, no one tells me I have anchored in the wrong spot, with the wrong anchor, in the wrong boat, with the wrong dog and I voted the wrong way in brexit and I support the wrong sport.

Minuses - maintenance is pricey.
Click to expand...

Dont forget everybody waves, the mobos and sail boats get on ( never understood the UK), no one complains about wash ( sometimes they should to be honest). Oh, and crew if you want them are freely available at a competitive price ( makes my holiday or I end up running a bed and breakfast!)
 
jrudge said:
Dont forget everybody waves, the mobos and sail boats get on ( never understood the UK), no one complains about wash ( sometimes they should to be honest).
Click to expand...
Actually that is very true and it is in stark contrast to the UK. All over the Med sailboats and mobos generally do get on and there is little if any bitchiness towards mobos by sailboats. I can only remember once ever being on the receiving of a less than friendly wave from a sailboat in the Med and I give you just one guess as to what flag that sailboat was flying
 
We moved down to the med about 9 years ago. I always thought it would be too expensive, but I discovered I could get a mooring in mainland Spain for less than a mooring on the river Ouse near York.
We were able to retire early so are not time restricted - this is a big factor in cost and boat usage as we can choose the best time to travel. The thing that does it for me is the weather and warm waters.
Although I do a lot of my own maintenance, I find lift outs, antifouling, canopies/seat covers etc cheaper with better service than the UK. Volvo parts are about 20% more expensive so I tend to bring service stuff with me when we drive over. So if you have the time it can cost less.

This was taken around lunch time today - down on the Costa Blanca it's been like this for 6 weeks. 24 degrees today with endless blue sky.The eagle eyed might spot the headland on the right is Cabo Roig
xz58ypW.jpg
 
Last edited:
Deleted User said:
Actually that is very true and it is in stark contrast to the UK. All over the Med sailboats and mobos generally do get on and there is little if any bitchiness towards mobos by sailboats. I can only remember once ever being on the receiving of a less than friendly wave from a sailboat in the Med and I give you just one guess as to what flag that sailboat was flying
Click to expand...
I was once in Villefranche. We we a long long way in front of him. Anchored. Apoplectic man. Ignored him. Lifted anchor few hours later and seems we had two ! Only time I have ever done that.

Apoplexy then became a a parroxism of rage. He was not a happy man but in my defence he must have had I guess 150mts of chain out.
 
I would like to offer this video as a challenge to Hurricanes excellent Med Video. This is from last year and is a vote for UK boating. The advantage I would add for the UK is a large group of boaters meeting to do this sort of thing. Some of you may recognise the maker of the video.

It was lovely to See Ed in the Video as he was invited on Smugglers Blues as his own boat had engine failure

 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

geem
First 6 months with no gas onboard
2 3
Replies
41
Views
1K
Baggywrinkle
Baggywrinkle

Share this page

Top