Greece as a place to buy a boat and get experience?

[philaw]

Day skipper it is!

Originally Posted by MartinR

3rd party insurance is obligatory to be allowed to sail in Greece. Also, you need to have a license.

Answer to your question: A few days to be able to sail the boat.
Then a lifetime to master. Sailing is both simple and complex at the same time;-)

[philaw]

Please share the name and contact details of the broker and surveyor if you still have them. I'll put them in Evernote for when I need them.

Originally Posted by robert sailor

We found Greece a good place to buy a yacht, which we did. Bought ours in Lefkas through a British broker and used a British surveyor. The whole experience was positive. I like dealing with the British, they kinda wrote the book on how to do things properly and above board.

[kas_1611]

Get the Day Skipper and the Short Range Certificate for the VHF plus full insurance.

The VHF licence is a legal requirement to use a radio and you will need to have insurance in Greece as you will be expected to prove you have it in marinas and even in town harbours plus the Coastguard can stop and request all your documents at anytime, and the insurance certificate must be available in Greek.

You will also need your DEKPA and TEPAI and don't risk trying to avoid either of them as the penalties can be harsh.

Why not join a local sailing club, learn the ropes (so to speak) and get the experience without the expense of buying straight off. Then try a charter holiday, with your Day Skipper, before committing to living on board.

There is also the slight problem of Brexit which could result in UK citizens being hit with the 90 days in 180 Schengen problem

[MartinR]

Originally Posted by philaw

Day skipper it is!

Actually, Greece requires that you fulfil the licensing requirements from the country of registration. You need to show it to get your DEKPA. BUT - Greece bureaucracy does not work very well, so maybe you can get away without a license, maybe they require a license, even though it is not required in the country of registry (like for my boat).

[Ken Pole]

try reaching out out to sailingcreo.com; they also have a great youtube channel. british couple who have done what you’re planning. 🇨🇦⛵️

[picklesandjesse]

I wanted to find a place to sail for my new wife 3 years ago who is Chinese and needed somewhere easy to sail and interesting and cheap to live. We bought a Contessa 28 in The Netherlands and had a great summer. There's plenty of places to tie up for free and the sailing is moderate most of the time. Lots of opportunities to sail and mostly fresh water if you want. Also English is understood by 90% of people. If you store it for the winter there are some very cheap storage deals.
Boats are cheap there and the paperwork is very relaxed. You can find lots of boats on Marktplaats NL. You'll need to translate.

[philaw]

I'll likely use the local dinghy club for initial practice and have my eye on a yacht club close to home. It's being planned as. A sabbatical because I work overseas. If it goes well illgo back to work, store a boay if I bought one, and save up to do a bigger trip.

The point of staying in the EU was to avoid that beaurocracy, but it doesn't seem prohibitively complex or expensive. If Brexit makes it even harder I may have to stick with home waters.

Originally Posted by kas_1611

Get the Day Skipper and the Short Range Certificate for the VHF plus full insurance.

The VHF licence is a legal requirement to use a radio and you will need to have insurance in Greece as you will be expected to prove you have it in marinas and even in town harbours plus the Coastguard can stop and request all your documents at anytime, and the insurance certificate must be available in Greek.

You will also need your DEKPA and TEPAI and don't risk trying to avoid either of them as the penalties can be harsh.

Why not join a local sailing club, learn the ropes (so to speak) and get the experience without the expense of buying straight off. Then try a charter holiday, with your Day Skipper, before committing to living on board.

There is also the slight problem of Brexit which could result in UK citizens being hit with the 90 days in 180 Schengen problem

[philaw]

I will! Thanks.

Originally Posted by Ken Pole

try reaching out out to sailingcreo.com; they also have a great youtube channel. british couple who have done what you’re planning. 🇨🇦⛵️

[philaw]

Thanks. Funny you should mention China as I've been working out in China almost ten years and speak the language fluently. Sat near Guangzhou right now! Holland is worth exploring and I have a good friend from there.

Originally Posted by picklesandjesse

I wanted to find a place to sail for my new wife 3 years ago who is Chinese and needed somewhere easy to sail and interesting and cheap to live. We bought a Contessa 28 in The Netherlands and had a great summer. There's plenty of places to tie up for free and the sailing is moderate most of the time. Lots of opportunities to sail and mostly fresh water if you want. Also English is understood by 90% of people. If you store it for the winter there are some very cheap storage deals.
Boats are cheap there and the paperwork is very relaxed. You can find lots of boats on Marktplaats NL. You'll need to translate.

[SteveSadler]

We bought our ex charter boat in Croatia and found it very cheap and easy.
Greece is very easy to sail and cruise on a budget. Best to look for a boat online and contact each chapter co about boats for sale as they don,t always advertise on line. I would chose a 35’ or bigger boat as you will likely want to upgrade as you learn to sail. Anchorage’s are plentiful public harbors are cheap,but marinas still cost lots. Charter boats usually come equipped with all the charter equipment, so you don’t need to buy much.
Good luck!

[Toys_with_time]

Originally Posted by philaw

Greek waters are meant to be easier ground for learning than the UK, and the cost of living is low, with some free island marinas. So, how about if I fly out there and buy a cheap boat on the water (all set with PV, tiller pilot, bimini, etc) and cruise around that local area, basing myself at a cheap or free island marina until I get myself together? It seems like a great combination of a quick start, adventure, moderate cost, and low odds of dying.

All comments welcome!

Thanks

The Meltemi is manageable if you pick your windows but it can regularly hit F7 and above. The stretch to be very wary of is the path down the middle of the Aegean where there are no islands to slow its progress and the islands immediately to the East or West of that which also cop it. On a daily basis leave early and dock early and you will avoid the worst of the afternoon sea breezes and look up the weather on Poseidon.gr to get advance notice of gale warnings. There are plenty of solo sailors who spend their summers there on small sailing boats so you will be in good company.

In terms of berthing, "marinas" are few and far between in Greece and your best bet is the town quays - a med moor berth there will only set you back a few Euros per night in a small boat and if you anchor off (where allowed) or sit in one of the many wonderful small bays you will pay nothing.

Suggest you check if ICC is compulsory in Greece and it may be necessary anyway to get boat insurance - you may not be worried about your boat but the mega yacht that you can hit will be!

I wish you well

TwT

[David1033]

Originally Posted by picklesandjesse

I wanted to find a place to sail for my new wife 3 years ago who is Chinese and needed somewhere easy to sail and interesting and cheap to live. We bought a Contessa 28 in The Netherlands and had a great summer. There's plenty of places to tie up for free and the sailing is moderate most of the time. Lots of opportunities to sail and mostly fresh water if you want. Also English is understood by 90% of people. If you store it for the winter there are some very cheap storage deals.
Boats are cheap there and the paperwork is very relaxed. You can find lots of boats on Marktplaats NL. You'll need to translate.

If anybody needs a quick translation from Dutch to English, I'd be happy to oblige. I've lived in the Netherlands since 1971, so the language is no problem (any more).

Moving to Portugal soon, so another language to learn. I'm hoping to pick up a Formosa 51 from the northern Adriatic and sail back to Portugal, but after reading this thread, it looks like I have a lot of prep to do - crewing, acquiring skippers papers, VHF licence, etc. If anybody in NL can point me to an accelerated route to those things, I'd be grateful.

[philaw]

Anchorages and public harbours are what I'm after. This is a big project and it's a way off, yet, so I'm trying to keep an open mind about boat choice. A bilge keeler would suit a drying mooring on the Humber to keep long term, but a full keel might be better if I ever tackle a crossing in it. Some people have said a lighter boat would be better in the med. Crewing will educate me about various boats.

Originally Posted by SteveSadler

We bought our ex charter boat in Croatia and found it very cheap and easy.
Greece is very easy to sail and cruise on a budget. Best to look for a boat online and contact each chapter co about boats for sale as they don,t always advertise on line. I would chose a 35’ or bigger boat as you will likely want to upgrade as you learn to sail. Anchorage’s are plentiful public harbors are cheap,but marinas still cost lots. Charter boats usually come equipped with all the charter equipment, so you don’t need to buy much.
Good luck!

That's all very promising. The town quay's sound great. It would be excellent to connect with sailors out there. Having a buddy boat at the beginning would help.

Originally Posted by Toys_with_time

The Meltemi is manageable if you pick your windows but it can regularly hit F7 and above. The stretch to be very wary of is the path down the middle of the Aegean where there are no islands to slow its progress and the islands immediately to the East or West of that which also cop it. On a daily basis leave early and dock early and you will avoid the worst of the afternoon sea breezes and look up the weather on Poseidon.gr to get advance notice of gale warnings. There are plenty of solo sailors who spend their summers there on small sailing boats so you will be in good company.

In terms of berthing, "marinas" are few and far between in Greece and your best bet is the town quays - a med moor berth there will only set you back a few Euros per night in a small boat and if you anchor off (where allowed) or sit in one of the many wonderful small bays you will pay nothing.

Suggest you check if ICC is compulsory in Greece and it may be necessary anyway to get boat insurance - you may not be worried about your boat but the mega yacht that you can hit will be!

I wish you well

TwT

[philaw]

Based on my research so far, the essentials can be done pretty quickly. There are fast track courses even to Yachtmaster level now. While that might be dubious, cramming to Day Skipper level to be able to safely day sail in good weather appears totally achievable.

The Adriatic to Portugal is pretty far, and someone mentioned that winds often being too light. With a boat that big it might make sense to get yourself trained up as crew and then team up with someone more experienced for the trip.

Originally Posted by David1033

If anybody needs a quick translation from Dutch to English, I'd be happy to oblige. I've lived in the Netherlands since 1971, so the language is no problem (any more).

Moving to Portugal soon, so another language to learn. I'm hoping to pick up a Formosa 51 from the northern Adriatic and sail back to Portugal, but after reading this thread, it looks like I have a lot of prep to do - crewing, acquiring skippers papers, VHF licence, etc. If anybody in NL can point me to an accelerated route to those things, I'd be grateful.

[David1033]

Originally Posted by philaw

Based on my research so far, the essentials can be done pretty quickly. There are fast track courses even to Yachtmaster level now. While that might be dubious, cramming to Day Skipper level to be able to safely day sail in good weather appears totally achievable.

The Adriatic to Portugal is pretty far, and someone mentioned that winds often being too light. With a boat that big it might make sense to get yourself trained up as crew and then team up with someone more experienced for the trip.

Thanks for that. Unfortunately (for me ), I have to agree with you. Fortunately (for me, and my wife) I'm not foolhardy enough to think I can just go it alone .

Adriatic to Portugal I reckon will take about six - eight weeks, taking it reasonably easy, revisiting one or two places from the past, I think.

Luckily, a friend of ours has his Ocean master's papers. He's crossed the Atlantic a couple of times, sailed the Caribbean for about ten years or so, and now lives in the UK. I think I can persuade him to come with us.