Winter boat use in the Med.

[SLC]

Just wondered how many of the Med owners get all year round use of their boats, by that I mean on the water not as an apartment.

Do those based in Southern Spain get better weather and sea conditions in winter than those in SofF?

Thanks.

 

[MedMilo]

I keep mine in Mallorca and tend to go down right through the winter, generally about every 6 weeks or so for a couple of nights. I usually have a night on the anchor somewhere local to my marina on the east coast just so the anchor winch, inverter/batts etc get a chance for a bit of a work out. Weather can be a bit hit and miss but is often sunny in my experience (though I tend to jump on a plane when there's a decent weather window). The sea is a bit too cold for swimming from mid-Oct to early June I'd say!

 

[DAW]

We use ours most weekends through to the end of October and then usually start regular use again from March/April onwards. Through the winter not so much, but more because there always seem to be other things to do than because the weather isn't good enough. The best mid-winter days can be 15+ degrees, with similar or better sea temperatures, so still very reasonable.

 

[Medskipper]

I'm in northern Spain about 100 miles south of Barcelona. I try and get to the boat every few weeks throughout the summer months but as others have said by the time November comes it is getting a bit chilly mornings and evenings. The growth in our marina is so bad that generally after 2-3 months the boat needs lifting and power washing off before it can be used properly, so it's not worth my while paying for that until the spring. By that time I'm looking to lift, antifoul and start using her again. It's still nice to just go there and see the sunshine though because we get so little in England during the winter.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Depends where you are in the Med. When we were based in Majorca we tried to get out there once or twice during the winter but the weather is pot luck. We once arrived in Cala d'Or where the temp was 4degC at noon and the mountain road on the NW coast was blocked by snow! For the previous 4yrs we have been in Croatia and the first problem is that nobody flies there in winter (unless you're based near Dubrovnik). The second problem is that the Adriatic can be very cold in winter with regular Bora winds which do stop you going anywhere. We are going to be based near Cagliari in S Sardinia this winter and Mapism of this parish has assured me that it is sunny and warm there all winter so I am looking forward to some winter boating this year
Generally speaking though, unless you can fly out to the Med at the drop of a hat when you see a good forecast, you can't rely on the winter weather in the Med anywhere. I remember once meeting a Spaniard in Denia who told me that what Brits don't realise when they first base their boat in the Med is that the Med has 4 seasons just like the UK!

 

[MapisM]

Mapism of this parish has assured me that it is sunny and warm there all winter

Yep, the last time I had Zeus and Poseidon onboard I took the opportunity to make a deal with both...

 

[blueglass]

The Ionian is also not a good winter option. Never all that cold but certainly in Corfu when it starts raining it doesn't know when to stop. The Med is all about sunny weather and without it there is little appeal. No direct UK flights either so its best just to put the boat to bed and come back in Spring.