Winter in the Med, Corsica or Sardinia or Spain??

[monte]

Hi, We planning on heading to the Balerics for a month or so next week on our Lagoon 380. Then maybe to Sardinia or Corsica for a month or so.
How long can we sail and anchor in this area till the weather becomes too bad? Id like to sail as long as possible till it becomes stormy and cold, then leave the boat for as little time as possible before returning to resume sailing.
Is Sardinia a better climate than Corsica or they are much the same? When does the weather warm up enough again to enjoy sailing and anchoring in the area?
Also any suggestions for good marinas to leave her for the few months, either on the hard or afloat. Id probably prefer on the hard as I would guess there is less problems.
Or .. should we head back to around Cartegena after the Balerics and cruise to Corsica.Sardinia after April or so in 2013?
Thanks for any input/advice
Monte

[joemac4sail]

Fertila Marina just outside alghero and close to the airport. We just

[jckb]

Originally Posted by monte

How long can we sail and anchor in this area till the weather becomes too bad? Id like to sail as long as possible till it becomes stormy and cold, then leave the boat for as little time as possible before returning to resume sailing.
Is Sardinia a better climate than Corsica or they are much the same? When does the weather warm up enough again to enjoy sailing and anchoring in the area?
Also any suggestions for good marinas to leave her for the few months, either on the hard or afloat.

A bit of input, rather than advice!

October is the month when the 80% settled weather of the Mediterranean summer changes to the 40% unsettled weather of winter. And that unsettled weather brings vicious winds. In the more northern areas, the change occurs 2 to 4 weeks earlier than in the southern areas. See The Mediterranean | JimB Sail for more detail, then look at the West Med page for even more detail.

Finally, go really wild and check out the Spain and Sardinia pages to find suggestions for layup spots. Layup spots depend so much on how much time you'll be spending there, and whether the local culture appeals more that having a lively live-abord local community. Local culture - Cartagena or Cagliari have great appeal. Live aboard - Almerimar is one of the sunnier marinas to winter in, and this appeals to live-aboards, but it's a trek to local culture.

Quite a lot of the more popular layup sites are listed on the detailed pages of the site - with a summary list at the bottom of most.

JimB

[Jacques2]

When my boat was in Corsica (for 16 years) I used to sail from beginning of April till beginning of November. But , of course, it can change form a year to another...
It will be difficult to find a yard in Corsica..., and difficult to find a berth too for a catamaran...
In low season, the climate is quite the same from Cap Corse to the middle of Sardinian coasts. South Sardinian climate will be better, but south gale could be very strong.
I agree, Cagliari is quite well protected and could be an option. Arbatax on the W coast could be another one for your boat (they have both marina and yard), but not for living aboard (far from the "town") and quite far from any airport.....

[simonmd]

Corsica / Sardinia will be MUCH wetter and windier than mainland Spain. Instead of Cartegena, may I recommend another marina that is closer? Sant Carles is on the Catalan coast and like Cartegena, does NOT charge extra for multihulls. Unlike Cartegena though, it also does NOT charge extra for elec' and water so once you are there, you can use as much heating as you want over the winter. I'm booked in there with my Cat' and have paid just over €3000 for a 10m berth for the year. Best thing is, it is only 100nm from the Balerics so you can still pop over for a weekend if the weather is nice or be in a prime possition to start next years cruising.

[Oliver L.]

Monte,

we just moved our boat from the Barcelona area to South France. Decent cost for cats and the possibility to get some work done were the factors for us. PM me if you're interested in details...

Oliver

[monte]

Thanks for the feedback guys, Im really liking what I hear about the weather on the Southern coast from Cartagena to Denia so Im focusing on that area for now. Also im a day out of Cartagena heading for the Balerics so I figure its easy enough to head back this way for a day or two's sail to leave my cat for a few months. Id prefer somwhere that can haul it out while Im away as well. Rates seem to be around 400 Euros/month for in the water storage. Any suggestions along this coast or nearby greatly appreciated. Thanks for the replies again !
Monte

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by simonmd

Corsica / Sardinia will be MUCH wetter and windier than mainland Spain. Instead of Cartegena, may I recommend another marina that is closer? Sant Carles is on the Catalan coast and like Cartegena, does NOT charge extra for multihulls. Unlike Cartegena though, it also does NOT charge extra for elec' and water so once you are there, you can use as much heating as you want over the winter. I'm booked in there with my Cat' and have paid just over €3000 for a 10m berth for the year. Best thing is, it is only 100nm from the Balerics so you can still pop over for a weekend if the weather is nice or be in a prime possition to start next years cruising.

Our quote for 16 meter is €8737.64, which is almost 3 times your 10 meter quote.

Bill

[monte]

Cartegena price was around 2000 euros for 6 months and half that price if lifted out of the water (1000 euros) + $250 for lift each way (500 total)
Still looking into other options. We just left Cartegena after spending 5 nights in the marina. It would seem a great place to liveaboard and spend the winter, but I dont plan on living aboard, just returning and sailing ASAP. Im looking into the Balearics as well as I will be heading to Ibiza in the next few days.
Thanks again for the replies

[jckb]

Originally Posted by simonmd

Corsica / Sardinia will be MUCH wetter and windier than mainland Spain.

Partly true.

Spain north of Denia is quite a lot windier and wetter than Spaghetti Western country around Almerimar.

And South Sardinia, particularly Cagliari, also enjoys a rather better climate than to more northerly parts, since it is well sheltered from those extended winter mistrals!

[rivonia]

Originally Posted by simonmd

Sant Carles is on the Catalan coast and like Cartegena, does NOT charge extra for multihulls. Unlike Cartegena though, it also does NOT charge extra for elec' and water so once you are there, you can use as much heating as you want over the winter. I'm booked in there with my Cat' and have paid just over €3000 for a 10m berth for the year.

That information sounds great as we are an 11 metre catamaran and planning to return to Spain in 2013. Our catamaran is for sale and we think that Spain will be a good place to be based. How far are the nearest airports from the marina? Do you know if there is an active live aboard community over winter?

Tried to PM you but got a message saying your inbox is too full to take any messages!

Peter

[joemac4sail]

For your information regarding sant carles. The town is quiet enough of season, but all the facilities are available shops, etc. Car rental is quite good. I rented a small 4door in Barcelona Raus airport for 60euros for a week in feb this year. As the town is on the main Coastal route, bus travel should not be a major problem of season.
It's a well run modern Marina, with helpful staff.
Regards Joe

[SpainCharter]

Originally Posted by monte

Hi, We planning on heading to the Balerics for a month or so next week on our Lagoon 380. Then maybe to Sardinia or Corsica for a month or so.
How long can we sail and anchor in this area till the weather becomes too bad? Id like to sail as long as possible till it becomes stormy and cold, then leave the boat for as little time as possible before returning to resume sailing.
Is Sardinia a better climate than Corsica or they are much the same? When does the weather warm up enough again to enjoy sailing and anchoring in the area?
Also any suggestions for good marinas to leave her for the few months, either on the hard or afloat. Id probably prefer on the hard as I would guess there is less problems.
Or .. should we head back to around Cartegena after the Balerics and cruise to Corsica.Sardinia after April or so in 2013?
Thanks for any input/advice
Monte

Hello ,
Balearic's is not such a great idea to sail or stay in summer , the weather in Spain is pretty kind and nice , but the islands have a nasty cold wind during the winter , Denia is not a bad option but the prices are quite hight's . A good marina for mooring and enjoy the winter could be Real Club Nautico Valencia , or if you are looking for a dry mooring Altea .Any way if you need any kind of exact information , like prices , mooring conditions etc drop me a email

[simonmd]

Originally Posted by rivonia

That information sounds great as we are an 11 metre catamaran and planning to return to Spain in 2013. Our catamaran is for sale and we think that Spain will be a good place to be based. How far are the nearest airports from the marina? Do you know if there is an active live aboard community over winter?

Tried to PM you but got a message saying your inbox is too full to take any messages!

Peter

Mailbox now cleared. The nearest airport is Reus, about 90km towards Barcelona.

It seems there is a reasonable liveaboard community here and plenty of Brits, a few of whom have set up an online forum to keep everyone in touch. www.scmchat.com

[SpainCharter]

The nearest airport is Manises in Valencia at only few minutes driving . For the exact prices for dry mooring I would need the shipyard and model of your boat . Regarding at how much is active or not the life aboard community ....honest no idea , lot of people live aboard on there but I do not know if their act or not like a community
Hmmm my pm's ..... well as I'm a new member on here they act pretty weird till i'm gonna be " trust worth " ) member
Kind regards , Adriana