Wintering in the Mediterranean

[simonmd]

To amend what I put earlier in this thread, I wont be returning to Gib this autumn as I have found myself a much more reasonable winter base. Sant Carles on Spain's eastern coast has won my business and i've booked in for a year beginning in October. €3000 for my cat on a 10m berth including as much water and electric I want for a full year was a deal too good to pass up. Plus the fact it's only 100nm from the Baleric Islands makes it a great jumping off point next year and easy to get to after the summer.

[jckb]

Sunniest part of the Med for wintering? Spain, Costa del Sol, between Malaga and Cartagena. It's in the rain shadow of the Sierra Nevada. Sadly it's only a coast of transit, rather than a cruising ground, with marinas and ports, but hardly any anchorages.

Warmest parts? The southern areas. Morocco, Tunisia, Crete, Cyprus. No frosts, but these suffer from a sequence of well developed depressions during the winter. Nice periods - 18c to 21c. Cold periods - 6c extreme when the wind is off the land, 10c to 16c more normal, closer to the sea temperatures. Sadly, none of these are brilliant cruising areas, though Tunisia (politics permitting!) is OK.

South Turkey, from Bodrum Peninsula to Antalya is a good compromise if you want to wander and cruise over winter. Loads of safe ports and anchorages if there's unsettled weather coming in, and some good secure spots to spend a week or more. You may have a brief cold period (a day or two) when offshore winds get close to freezing.

Those depressions - they often bring some really vicious winds. Best to be in a secure and well sheltered port when they are passing through.

[PamlicoTraveler]

We are looking in Tunisia and are trying to decide which marina would be best. For non-EU cruisers it seems important to get out of the Schengen area for the winter, and that leaves Turkey, Tunisia, Croatia etc.

Sardinia would be great we're it not for the 90 day Schengen issue.

[Lagoon4us]

We have booked in Turkey hoping to do work on our boat there as well......