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Old 23-11-2018, 09:34   #1
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: France
Boat: Beneteau 343 (34', 10.8m)
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Recommendations on planning liveaboard for South of France

Here's the situation:
- Buying 12m monohull in Mallorca in the next couple months
- Moving family to the boat by May/June
- US citizens, but will have a long-stay French visa when we arrive France
- plan is to liveaboard in south of France region for as long as we like it, 2-3 years
- Wife, daughter (15)

Favorite destinations based on our research:
- Antibes
- Ville-Franche and nearby
- Menton

Questions:
- how common is it to run into other cruiser families with kids, and do they have a method of finding each other?
- is there a good cruising boat guide that we should obtain? I purchased the Bloc Marine 2018

- how hard is it to get into the marinas for a 1-2 month stay? Is it something we can reasonably expect to arrange with a 1-2 month planning?

The marinas on the top of our list are:
Public Port Menton Garavan
Old Port Of Menton
Port De Beaulieu-sur-Mer
Port de Villefranche Darse
Port Vauban Antibes
Port de Golfe-Juan

Any advice on what we're doing? We love history, outdoor restaurants, culture and clear, warm water. We did 3 years in the Bahamas on a Leopard 40 and loved it, but that was a very different experience and want more culture on this trip (our blog). The idea of getting off the boat and walking through old towns, grabbing groceries and hitting the odd cafe would be a nice balance - if we can avoid noise and keep nature nearby. Which is why we like some of those ports above.

We'll winter in the marinas, and we have a reverse-cycle heater - which is hopefully good enough. My wife is worried about mosquitos, not sure how real that issue is in the marinas South of France. We weren't bothered by them in Bahamas because of the winds and we anchored all the time.

thanks,
ken
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Old 19-07-2019, 14:22   #2
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Re: Recommendations on planning liveaboard for South of France

Little late, but to put your wife's mind at ease, there are very few to no mosquitoes in the south of france
There are also quite long waiting lists for extended stays at most of these marinas, so you'll probably need longer lead times than that...
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Old 21-07-2019, 07:18   #3
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Re: Recommendations on planning liveaboard for South of France

Thanks! We are "temporarily" living/working in England and we'll be visiting the boat as we have time. In another year, we'll head to France, where it sounds like mosquito netting is low on our list. Appreciate the reply.
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Old 21-07-2019, 07:39   #4
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Location: Nice, France
Boat: Hunter Marine 38
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Re: Recommendations on planning liveaboard for South of France

Our boat is in the marina of St Laurent du Var, very close to Nice airport. We do have mosquitos in summer, probably because of all the pools of stagnant water alongside the Var river close by. Most marinas on your list are primarily occupied by yearlong yacht renters/owners. But it seems the tide is turning and lately there seems to be more berths available.

For marina information the “Bloc Marine" is giving you all the information needed. For marina and mooring information you have the (french) "Pilote Cotier", number 1 for the coast from Marseille to Genoa. Lots of pictures and drawings that help.
ISBN 978 2 916083 20 9.

I do not have the impression that you will find a lot of yearlong live-aboard with kids in these marinas. During our cruises we met most of UK cruisers spending the winter in Italian ports, Rome, Pise etc.
Otherwise feel free to send me a PM.
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Old 21-07-2019, 07:41   #5
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Re: Recommendations on planning liveaboard for South of France

Quote:
Originally Posted by Equivix View Post
Little late, but to put your wife's mind at ease, there are very few to no mosquitoes in the south of france
There are also quite long waiting lists for extended stays at most of these marinas, so you'll probably need longer lead times than that...

I can assure you that this isn't true, as I battled them heartily in Nice, but it may be that there is enough wind in the marina to keep them at bay.
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Old 21-07-2019, 07:49   #6
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Re: Recommendations on planning liveaboard for South of France

Thanks for the post, clearly people have different experiences around mosquitos.

I figured kids would be in poor supply. We'll just have to work harder to connect with any cruising families.
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Old 21-07-2019, 17:54   #7
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Re: Recommendations on planning liveaboard for South of France

How odd! I’m from France originally, but live in Canada now. Travel to Nice/Menton area regularly to visit family and have never noticed a mosquito problem.. that being said I avoid going in the heart of summer so could be a seasonal thing. I’m also used to Canadian mosquitoes, which swarm heavily enough that you’re at risk of anemia every time you venture out for a BBQ
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Old 21-07-2019, 21:42   #8
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Re: Recommendations on planning liveaboard for South of France

Hi Kenpimental
I have my boat at Port Napoleon marina at Port St Louis du Rhône just at the edge of the Camargue and we do have a bit of a mosquito problem when the weather is calm..... apart from that , it's a great place to use as winter storage on the Port á sec or in a wet berth.
The area was once heavy industrial but is now home to 3 marinas of vast capacity and is close to Arles and Avignon. Vincent Vangogh painted quite a lot of his most famous works all around the area and on the Rhône and there is some outstanding ancient architecture at every turn.
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