Wintering in Lefkada

[luckybeanz]

It may help a bit if you say what type of work you looking to do , and if you plainning to do it or get others to do the work .

There are some marinas/ yards now that won't let you work on your own boat out side the boats , so it's well worth to find out what the rule is before you book a berth .

Thanks. Well that depends on how much money we have when winter comes... I'd like to do much of it myself, but there is some steel work which may require welding and potentially some fiber work such as spider cracks (boat has a LOT) to get repaired. One of the other things I have really not appreciated about Greece is trying to get anything delivered here, it seems pot luck as to how long and what you will get charged by customs. We got a package from the States with some baby clothes and it cost more to get it through customs than the package was worth!

 

[Tony Cross]

Thanks. Well that depends on how much money we have when winter comes... I'd like to do much of it myself, but there is some steel work which may require welding and potentially some fiber work such as spider cracks (boat has a LOT) to get repaired. One of the other things I have really not appreciated about Greece is trying to get anything delivered here, it seems pot luck as to how long and what you will get charged by customs. We got a package from the States with some baby clothes and it cost more to get it through customs than the package was worth!

That often happens whenever you use a courier company to ship stuff into Greece from outside the EU, it's a way for the courier company to make money by levying ridiculous handling charges. When having stuff shipped in to Greece use the normal postal service if you can rather than a courier company, the post office here doesn't use the same tactics.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Has Tony said tend to happen in most country's when stuff Imported out side the EU , it's also depend on the cost of goods . If it's low value some country's will let it go .

If you looking for somehere cheap whereyou can spend the winter weather pretty mind and where you can do your own work , I would suggest Monastir Tunisia , you always find a few US boats there plus your out of the EU , steel work you find many that will do welding and SS work at a good price but you have to bargain a bit , since people started going back there and throwing money around like no tomorrow the cost have gone up , but to give you an example, we had some Davits made up with a swinging frame on top to house panels , it ended up costing €400 , I guess in the EU you be looking at over €1500 at the very less although the price did start at €900 but as I said you have to battle a bit with them .
GRP you can also get done there , only thing is with spider crack as you probably know it may not be a simple job , it may need to be reinforce in places .
Hauling out is cheap and so is A/F work done by them , as it happen most who normally do there own AF don't bother and get them to do it for them .
Now the down side , what ever you need in parts you need to take with you , it's hit and Miss if you find what you want , normal engine service stuff you will find but things like seals , bearing,A/F paint unless your happy buying there AF paint with is cheap but been mix so not so strong , if any AF paint is strong now day , you can buy local AF paint with a bit of copper in it , work well for fishing boats , its cheap but it's only in red and it hard .
Anyway enough to be getting on with .
We had three winters in Greece in the last 10 years and in all 7 in the 28 years and not once have we had a dry winter , mostly wet after Dec and in the North. Very cold , not my idea of a winter full time on a boat , but them many do .

Of cause Monastir is just one place there are others like on the costa de sol , Malta is another place where it's warm butits not cheap for mooring , the yacht yard near msida will let you do your own work and has very good workshop and probably some of the best craft men's for thousand of miles around . Plus you can almost get anything you need in Malta .

I sure other will have some places.
One last thing , of you do plain to go to Tunisia then stop in Malta first , buy everything you need the VAT is lower in Malta then head for Tunisia a 29 hour sail .

 

[vyv_cox]

Our weather experience - we wintered ashore in Spain, around Denia area, driving an unheated open car. In Dec, Jan, Feb there was never a day too cold to drive and we saw no rain. Lots of sunshine, very pleasant indeed.

In April arrived in Leros, fresh northerlies, cold day and night. Ran the heating morning and night for a week, first time it has been on for five years. Locals tell us it has been very wet and windy all winter.