Why ‘lay-up’ for winter in the Med?

[wayneA]

My wife and I are currently planning our transition to long term cruising. We plan to leave UK in spring ‘05, starting in the Med and then, all being well, working up to a full circumnavigation. We are both in our early 30’s and we’re refitting a Warrior 35 with all the kit to take us bluewater.

From all the research we have read/done for the Med, you know the usual stuff – ‘sell-up and sail’ books, internet and chatting with cruisers when we have chartered – it seems everyone overwinters or lays-up in a port for 4/6 months. Why is this? I know a lot of Med cruisers spend half year in the Med and rest back home in the UK, but do a number of people also cruise right through the year?

Although we have chartered in the Med during summer, we have no idea if it is realistic to continue to cruise through out the year. Like most sea areas, I know the Med can turn quite short and nasty, but with a good eye on the weather and a well-founded boat/crew is it worth it? If we wanted to lift out to dry the GRP hull and re-antifoul, would this maybe better in July/August when it is warmer and the areas more crowded?

I know the Med is a big place and areas different, I’m just looking for a general view on what people consider to be their sailing season.

Many thanks in advance

Wayne


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[Roberto]

It is feasible, if

1.you have plenty of time, ie you are able to stay in port as long as it takes for weather to improve, and do not plan to go round the full med in six months

2.some stretches of coasts have shelters every 10/20nm (south east france, spain, croatia, greece, etc) others only have far fewer (tunisia, southern italy, etc)

3.despite so called weather windows, on some longer crossings, eg malta to ionian greece, sardinia to balearics, you could risk very bad weather anyway, as conditions can vary quite quickly

If you plan to cruise in winter, I think it is better to choose one suitable area and stick to it, leaving longer crossings to better seasons.


all imho of course

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[Abigail]

Not done it ourselve but know various friends who are long term liveaboards who have. It seems to be the case that if you want to stop actually sailing for a few months (and possibly either earn some money or do some work on the boat) then winter has major advantages - cheaper marina fees for a start, plus you get to sail in the nicer bits!

In the eastern med we were recently very favourably impressed by Turkey, where some friends are overwintering at Finike - friendly, cheap, efficient and sailable all the time (as much as anywhere is)



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[steveh]

I have been thinking the same thing. We are taking a year out and want to carry on sailing through the winter. We are thinking of heading to the Canaries or maybe Africa. Think I will get to the Med first and decide then.

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[charles_reed]

It's probably more feasible to cruise all-year-round in UK waters than in the Med.

From Beginning October to end March the weather is too fluky and the seas too short, sharp and vicious when there is any wind to be safe or comfortable.

It's slightly warmer, but that's the only advantage

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[MedMan]

The longer you stay in this game the more you realise that there is no such thing as a 'general view.' Apart from living on boats the folk out here have but one one thing in common - they are all individuals!

Cruising folk include genuine 365 day/year Liveaboards, those who live aboard for 8 to 10 months per year, those who live aboard for around six months per year, many more who spend just a few weeks aboard when they can and, of course, every permutation in between. Just when you thought you had worked out three of four well established patterns you meet another three couples who do things quite differently. In short, there are as many ways of doing it as there are folk out here!

There are also huge differences between regions in the Med. You may be able to spend Christmas Day in the eastern end of the Costa del Sol in shorts but in parts of Croatia you could need snow shoes. It was an offence in ancient Greece to take a ship out of port in the winter and the winter weather there is much the same now as it was then. Cruising is possible anywhere at any time, of course, if you are happy to sit out the gales wherever you happen to be and wait for the next good day to come along. One person's hardship may be an adventure to his neighbour.

More important than all of this though is your personal answer to the question: "do I really want to be sailing for 12 months of the year?" What about Social Life and/or visiting Friends and Family back home? What about a period of stability when you don't have to find a safe anchorage every night, when you know where the supermarket is and where to go to get good bread?

When they add all these things together, many cruising folk conclude that it makes good sense to book into a marina for, say, a 4 to 6 month period through the depths of winter. Rates often go down for a six month period or more making such a decision even easier. Social Life in some of the popular over-wintering spots can be excellent making the decision to stay put for a while even easier to make.

Go into your new life with an open mind. You views will develop as you go and will change over the years. Don't worry about it. Go with your instincts and adapt them on the way. Good luck!

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[wayneA]

Roberto

Thanks for the reply. We won't be in any hurry so waiting out storms or unpleasent weather is not a problem. I guess alot is down to where in the Med you are! This may all be academic, as when we're in the Med, we might just think 'sod the winter sailing' its more fun in port?

Cheers

Wayne

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[wayneA]

Sarah&Pip

Thanks for the reply - getting a job and working over winter had slipped me by - but a good point.

Cheers

Wayne

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[wayneA]

Charles

We do try to sail all year round in the UK. This, I guess, is why I'm inclined to hope that we could continue this philosophy when in the Med, but as you say it is maybe easier in the UK. I’m starting to think that winter sailing is not worth the hassle?

Thanks for the input – much appreciated

Wayne


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[wayneA]

Medman

Wise words – I take your point entirely.

You venture the internal question "do I really want to be sailing for 12 months of the year?". To be honest, we only started to think about year-round sailing when we asked ourselves if we could spend 4-6 months in a marina without moving. That is an answer, as you imply, maybe best concluded when we’re cruising - you can do all the research you like but, I imagine, you only start to learn when you’re out there doing it.

Valuable input – much appreciated

Thanks

Wayne


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[Metabarca]

I can only speak with experience of the Northern Adriatic, which in winter is cold (4°C today at midday but heading for 0°C in a day or so) and suffers (enjoys?!) the bora wind (also blowing today). This can reach 170kph in winter and affects pretty much all of the coast from Trieste to beyond Split. ie this is not the Med as one imagines it! On the other hand, there are plenty of splendid sunny days when you can have the entire sea to yourself. So long as you can heat your boat and are patient in port waiting for the good days, you could certainly sail year round.

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[ccscott49]

Over 105 MPH winds! Very naughty!

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[dart]

You won't find many others (in the W med anyway). We met only 2 other boats (excluding locals, deliveries and sail training boats). Try to coincide your winter cruise from Lagos to Denia. You will get reasonable weather especially in Costa del Sol and be ready to jump to the Balerics in Spring. Many marinas are much easier to visit in winter, eg Puerto Banus 14€ for <12m in winter, over 3x that in summer.

If you want to anchor (possible in Algarve, difficult in Cosra del Sol) you need a heater. We haven't got one and its tough!

We met many liveaboards staying put for 4-6 months. It would drive me nuts. Better to move from marina to marina spending 2-4 weeks in each one to save your sanity. Each to his own of course ...

December/Jan has been very good weather this year and fine for cruising S Spain. February has not been so good ...

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[charles_reed]

Because of the weather

The mediterranean has far more unsettled and changeable weather than you experience in the Atlantic. During the winter winds, storms and unfavourable weather are far more common than during the summer.

It is, in my experience, far more feasible to sail all the year round in the Atlantic than in the mediterranean.

Generally speaking it is unwise to plan passages with hope of making them to schedule between October and April.

The Atlantic IMHO is far better sailing than the Mediterranean - still experience it for yourself.

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[tcm]

The med regularly has winds the like of which we don't have in the uk. Stories abound of trains being pushed backwards with the french "Mistral" for example and i imagine the same applies elsewhere. There are of course good days but the bad days are very bad, and the weather systems are by no means as easy to predict as the systems in the UK. I've been in nasty F7+'s off coastal italy, france which weren't predicted 20 miles away - because it stayed nice and calm in those regions.

A separate issue is that many smaller ports are near-shut in winter, and lots f the larger ports in W med anyway are near-bursting with boats parked up for 6months or more, so that finding berths can even be more difficult than in summer.

But of course, find the right places (choose "real" towns) and go very cautiously, being prepared to stay days and weeks in the same placee, call ahead for forecast to your destination, praps also have a stash of websites, and winter crusing is quite possible.

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[BrianReynolds]

It was very cold in Northern Italy last weekend. Brian

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[bbilly]

Medman, a question - what's the pennant?

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[charles_reed]

Cruising Association nm

nm

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[MedMan]

As Charles has already answered: the Cruising Association. They have a very active Mediterranean Section close to 500 strong. I wouldn't cruise the Med without them.


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[temptress]

Go for it!

Tha last time I was in the med I did just that and kept on moving. It's a bit like an english spring, mostly OK but lots of Gales blowing through.

Once got stuck in Malta for a month longer than I wanted to because of bad weather, good food and wine. Could have always have gone east but wanted to go North and west.

If you plan around the weather and do ont commit to be in place A by any given date then it works. We wanted to go to Barcelona for Xmass butonly made it there in the summer.......Still had a great time!

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Southsea Marina
Hants
UK