Cruising the Med

[JimF]

After nine years in the Med, my advice is: Buy the boat you will be comfortable with. You're not crossing the ocean. You won't be cruising in the winter- too dangerous. Summer weather will be clear skies and little wind except for the Greek Islands and adjacent Greek and Turkish coasts where the Meltimi can buildup quickly in summer months and the North west corner of the Med (Barcelona to Marseille) where the French Mistral occurs in spring and fall. Both can transform placid conditions into hurricane force winds in 8 hours but that is the extreme. While boat size and design are not critical, timely, accurate weather info is a must. We used Navtech for imminent weather notices and SSB for longer forecasts. In addition Italy broadcast daily forecasts on VHF. The SSB net usually available throughout the Med (subject to sunspots, etc. but Navtech and VHF etc. should be plotted out before you leave for a new country. With adequate weather reports, you'll have no heavy weather problems in the Med. Good sailingl

[feelsgood]

[QUOTE=PMCunha;931673]Sure but I'm a bit worried about storage space, although this boat has a nice storage compartment behind the shower.
I'm not expecting too much rough weather on these parts so I think this boat will do. Anyway, it's always good to know other people's opinions.

I have sailed there often in al sizes of yachts and can tell you that with all the different weather systems you can go from a F2 to a F8 in 5 mins in any part of the med. What people dont realise is the size of the med it is not a calm pond. That said there are many places you can sail in relative safety and peace of mind if you listen t the local fishermen. We have always found them t be the very best source of weather information. Hope you enjoy your time there and do have fun meeting the locals.

[feelsgood]

Originally Posted by JazzyO

Be very careful: weather changes quickly and your boat does not go quickly. If you are taking off on a 40 mile trip with clear skies but Cirrus clouds, you might be halfway when the gales hit. By the time you realise your mistake you won't be able to escape it because you're a couple of hours from port. It is absolutely naive to think you will be able to miss all bad weather!

Besides the Med winds, already mentioned by someone, note that there are a lot of mountainous ranges close to shore, possibly causing katabatic or erratic winds. Also consider that there are rocky shores without ports for long stretches, so a safe haven might be hard to get to.

I support the need for training. I have sailed a lot when I was young and saw some people get into very serious trouble just because they didn't know what they didn't know. Now that I'm returning to sailing after a 20 year hiatus, I am taking the RYA Day Skipper course, both theory and practical, because I know that I have forgotten a lot and I'm also new to yachting with an engine and heavy sails. Once my boat is ready, I will take an instructor with for a couple of days to get used to my new baby. Then I'll spend the summer in familiar waters before sailing her over to my new home in Jersey, a 700 mile trip. On that trip, I won't be skippering the boat, I'll hire a yachtmaster because I consider myself not experienced enough by September.

I think you should really consider doing something similar. If you go on the water unprepared you might hurt yourself, your wife, or the chances of staying married.

This is not said to discourage you. If you take a little bit of time to prepare yourself, and it will empower you to really enjoy yourself. The only way that you can face bad weather without panicking is if you have the experience to a) recognise it early, and b) take appropriate action before things get out of hand.

I have booked a Day Skipper course with the Yacht Sailing School in Sardinia. I think you AND your wife should do the same - gives you a feel for the Med and you will know so much more about what to expect.

Please also note: if you are two-handing a boat, it is my firm belief that both people should have the confidence to skipper it under almost any circumstances, and preferably scrap the "almost". Your wife should be participating in learning to sail as much as you are.

Good luck!


Onno

Realy solid good advice obviously from someone that knows. I agree that a married couple sailing on their own should ALWAYS have to skippers we have. When I am off watch I have NO worries because I know that my wife can sail,navigate,bleed the engine and cook when these occasions arise. A couple that do everything together argue less and acheive more. Its not a compitition its a way of life and I am proud to say that after 21 years we are still happily sailing together.

[Burls]

Regarding boat size, if you have the time and aren’t sailing to a schedule, then IMO the weather shouldn’t be too much of an issue if you’re cautious and use the many tools available. Yes, the Med can get very rough very quickly, but with today’s technology you can really stack the odds in your favour weather wise - Internet (Using 3G), VHF, Navtext etc.