Sailing Netherlands -> Med

[crankysailor]

Hi everyone!

So we are now well into phase 2 of our master plan which means we bought a boat, moved in and are day sailing around the Netherlands, buying equipment and just learning all the systems and how she handles etc..

But now we are thinking that for phase 3, which is to deliver the boat from the Netherlands down to the Med, given our inexperience, we want to consider what our best option is. Until now, we have been thinking we'd start coastal cruising, doing day trips down the North Sea coast.. But we are still uneasy about going out for the first time alone on the ocean and right away sailing down in one of the busiest most challenging waters in the world!!

So we thought hiring a skipper to come along might be an option.. I asked around a couple of months ago on this forum and got a TON of replies which pretty much sounded like this: "Hi, I am Skipper I have experience I help you. You pay flight from Eastern Europe you pay all costs you pay 150€/day .. " errr.... Right.. I think we'll pass on this one.

So I thought.. Hmm maybe there is another option... And hell it doesn't hurt to ask here if there is a young soul with experience sailing in the Atlantic coast of Europe (not necessarily a profi or yachtmaster), who speaks good English, German or Spanish, has a mental age of 30-40 regardless of body age and might just have the time for a trip like this. Sailing down to the Med in the summer, all expenses paid (flights and food inkl. wine :-)

So basically we just want to make a new sailing friend who wants to come along with us (married young couple who just bought their first boat) for the trip to increase our safety margin.

So if interested or know somebody pls don't hesitate to PM us!

Cheers!

PS: the boat in question is a 1977 Contessa 32 so it will be cozy in here with 3 people but surely a good sail!

[nauticalnomad]

If you day hop down to guernsey you will be confident to cross biscay. Just take extra fuel and service autopilot.. Its not as bad as everyone makes out. Ive done it 3 times this summer already. And all 3 times ive had to motor 2/3rds of the way. Better still... Wait an extra year for the med and go around inside of Biscay.. Its beautiful down that French coast. Locturdy, Concarneau, Lorient, La Rochelle.. If you need parts for your boat there is a huge 2nd hand boat wrecking yard in Lorient but its out of town bout 5 miles. They have everything you could need at half the prices. All separated into shelves.. The place is my heaven.

[athene]

Or - if you're up for a different kind of adventure - you could travel down to the Med via the inland waterways. You'd have no problems with draft, but you'd obviously have to take your mast down. Lots of yachts have their masts shipped rather than carrying them all the way down to the Med.

Anyway, just a thought.

GORDON KNIGHT