Where to berth Magnum in 2006?

Magnum

Magnum

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Well our new P67 arrives in 3 months and I decided it would be best to keep her close to the Princess factory for the first 6 months due to the usual problems. After that we have decided that the UK just isn't working out. The weather is mainly crap and we don't have a permanent berth due to increase in length. Today's sewage situation was the last straw.

We had intended to put her in Antibes and even bought a berth, now sold, mainly because they were not as in demand as we had been led to believe and controlled letting fees made in non-sensical to keep for a while before we arrived.

So we are looking for alternatives but Antibes is still very much up there. Criteria :-

1 - Good weather.
2 - Attractive marina.
3 - Reasonable flight times from NW England (Manchester, Liverpool, East Mids, Birmingham airports).
4 - Good cruising grounds - we like to get about. Not really into the 2 mile trip, drop the hook and do nothing thing.
5 - Don't like crowds although I accept this may be unnavoidable in the med.

Options :-

1 - Antibes area.
2 - Balearics.
3 - Adriatic - Italy? Croatia?
4 - Anywhere else.

Comments and suggestions welcome /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Re: er, antibes

um, that berth was ded cheap. It'll cost 50k extra to buy it back. Antibes is the largest leisure marina in europe. Having seen loads ofmarinas - i'd choose antibes for that boat. The "controlled" letting fees go up - and your boat would be there anywhere so what was the problem?
 
Re: er, antibes

The price was fair, but I subsequently found out that there were others at the same price in the same location and others for less in not quite as good a spot. I'm confident that buying another won't be a problem.
 
Re: er, antibes

errrr ,, really !!

Take my word for it , yours was the only one available at that price (when you made it available for sale).

ALL of the others really available were 'elsewhere' in the port with 'strong' fish-related smells or a damn good walk .... Reason I know as we were looking/helping to put another boat on 'Mole Sud' and the reality was yours was the only one 'really' for sale . There is one other currently for sale at +€ 75000-ish and has been available for some time.

Never Mind, done and dusted.

No point my replying as you know I am a Franglophile ... nothing compares with the choice in Antibes down here. I love Golfe Juan BUT no way is it as accessible as Antibes for the occasional visitor.

ATTENTION Med Boaters .... Magnum is looking for recommendations other than Antibes... ( as he pushs the thread blatanly upwards)
 
You could always join the luvly Pauline in Port Vell. Also the new marina at Forum is flogging off berths a lot cheaper - but they are not ready yet.

Stacks of flights from the nether regions to Barcelona.
 
Re: er, antibes

Well it was registered with 3 berth brokers including the one that sold it to me at the price I paid. Quite a few others knew it was for sale too. Only got one enquiry and that person bought it for 10K less, so maybe not quite the bargain you think. I'm not complaining though. If I do go back to Antibes a longer walk into town would not worry me at all. As for the old port, that's a different matter.
 
Palma options

Right, I'm off to Palma for a week at the beginning of May. The boat show is on so there's bound to be something worth seeing.

The main reason for the trip is to have a good look at Real Club Nautico, Club de Mar, Marina Port de Mallorca and Puerto Portals, the latter just to see what all the fuss is about. Going to hire a car for a few days to to explore the coastline.

Any first hand experience of the above marinas?
 
Re: er, antibes

I think you've kind a answered the question yourself already.... you've just sold off a berth at the wrong time of year surely????

When you are at the airport and you are queing to to check in, ask yourself the question which que do you feel more comfortable in ?? The Nice que or the (Any Spanish Resort) que???? The people in the que are the people that will be holidaying near you and around you??????
 
Re: er, antibes

[ QUOTE ]
When you are at the airport and you are queing to to check in, ask yourself the question which que do you feel more comfortable in ?? The Nice que or the (Any Spanish Resort) que???? The people in the que are the people that will be holidaying near you and around you??????

[/ QUOTE ]
I don't know. Most of our time will be spent onboard in marina or at sea. But yes, in restaurants that will apply. I am assuming there are decent places to eat in Palma? Some of the small boutique hotels look stunning and I believe parts of the old town are quite chic. This is why we are going - to have a look.
 
Re: er, antibes

Yep you will find some nice places in Palma, the old town is nice, but these are few and far between imho and there are more than you can shake a stick at in SoF... but it is horses for courses
 
Re: Palma options

Had my boat in Santa Ponsa (Club Nautico). Until December 04

Nice Marina with a diving centre on site, swindle'ry, and small bar/cafe thats never open at the right time and you chucked out of at 7pm.. run by a sullen Scottish chap by the name of Jerry. what ever you do, do not ask for a boiled egg! only microwave food.

Above there is a restaurant which serves pretty good fare! Balcony overlooks the marina and is pretty busy with locals and holiday makers. Wine list is not exciting but lots of local plonk.

Has fuel and easy to enter although can be a little tight round the dog leg entrance.

Lovely bay to drop hook in at Santa Ponsa, and take dingy to beach and shops..

Easy drive from Palma airport 20 mins max.

Moorings as usual pretty tight so you'd have to squeeze yourself in. Largest boat there is a 70' Drettman Elegance..

Local yard with lift facilities.

If you want a decent marina within short walk of town and without the goldfish bowl of Portals then its perfect IMHO.

If you want to show off the P67 and be gawped at then go to Portals... only thing is your boat will be a little on the small side against the 100+ footers!
 
Re: Palma boat show, haha

um, the palma boat show should occupy at least an hour! As with many early-season med shows, it's a second hand show selling the stuff that won't shift, and dealers kickstarting their season.

But anyway, i've been to most of those above marinas

Nautico- the KING supposedly goes there, so despite it being a bit crumbly, it's ok. It has a pool. Most central to old palma. Nice bar as i hazily remember

Club de mar. Strcitly an overspill marina - big big boats here, not many facikites tho. My favourite bit is near lady moura's berth, where the garbage containers have been repainted so they don't say "lady moura's rubbish" and now say "reserved for the garbage from lady moura" which isn't much better. You need bikes or scooters to zip around. The supermarket is close by acros the road and you can sort of nip back with a trolley if you are quick across the dual carriageway!

portals. It's nice and cute, with posh-ish restaurants. It's quite white trashy so expect to see TV-am types like anthea redfearn here. My favourite middle of the road genetral purpose restaurant is the Bismark right at the end. One way of getting berth will NOT be to talk to the port, but insteasd see if you can grovel to some or all of the dealers with shops on the front - the whole port is privately owned see, so whoever manages the boats also sort-of manages the space in which it sits - and knows when it'll go. Portals is a tosspots marina in that you are "called in" in the afternoon so the marineros (two per boat) can help - i once went on vhf and sed "yeah but i don't need any help" at which point the pressure was on a bit!... Welly's key is IT, with Welly's bar on the other end - probaly next one back or two would be fine for 67 foot. Not sure I totally understand why there is such a fuss about portals except that the other marinas are more busted - or praps it's just expensive cos er they've decided it's expensive...

Nope not done marina port de mallorcas - think this the recent fill-in place between nautico and club de mar i fink. Excellent security when i walked past. Well, they wouldn't let me in anyway.

If you want a berth in any of the above ports, shiny up your rolex and nip into on of the offices, all represented incl prinny and others such as the Rodriguez office at portals, introduce yerself as a possible potential customer to David Hahnrathes who runs rodriguez spain and will sell you a 2nd hand leopard from under a million if yer a tightwad, or a mangusta if your are as rich as erm er his dad who bought a nice new 108 off him - so altho he's quite young, he knows his stuff. If i bought another mobo, i'd buy it from him.
 
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