Just over the "LOA limit" (EU/Med)?

[Dockhead]

I have never once been asked for boat papers in any port or marina in 8 years of cruising Northern Europe. I declare myself the hull length of my boat (54', 16.4 meters) and that is always cheerfully accepted. Although LOA was closer to 60 feet with the old big dinghy in the previous big davits.

I did get stung badly in Visby on the island of Gotland where they push you into another class, DOUBLING the cost to more than 100 euros, if your beam is more than 4.5 meters. Ouch! Makes it the most expensive berthing in the Baltic for me.

In many places in the Baltic, berthing fees are a flat amount without regard to length. Often 10 or 15 euros.


But to answer the OP's question -- just declare the hull length. If it's a tenth of a meter over, you might try rounding it down.

[Paramotorgreg]

We left the UK last May and sailed round to Valencia and the Balearics. In every one of the many marinas in which we have moored in France, Portugal and Spain they have required our Ship's Registration Papers on which are detailed our length and beam.

Unfortunately our boat is 15.1m and the price frequently increases at 15m so we are generally charged the higher fee. On a few very rare occasions when we have stayed for a few weeks it has been possible to negotiate the <15m fee with a friendly marina, but this has been totally at their discretion.

Anchoring is clearly the best way to reduce costs but we found that safe anchoring opportunities along the Atlantic coast are very rare, and whilst there are more opportunities to anchor along the Mediterranean coast of Spain these are very weather dependent. If there is any significant wind from the southern quadrant then there isn't generally much protection along this coast.

In contrast there are loads of very secure anchorages around the Balearics, though around Formentera you are generally required to pick up (and pay for) a mooring buoy in order not too damage the Posidonia seaweed (which is actually protected by UNESCO).

[Polux]

Originally Posted by TheThunderbird

you can't drop the anchor within 300m from the coast (but by night) and half a mile off harbour inlets. (Italy)

some sea beds are steep and deep, or protection is limited.

In no way you can leave a boat unattended on the anchor.

The 300m limit is a rule on most European countries. It is obviously intended for ships but the law makes no distinction.

In Italy were I have sailed for some years and anchored most of the time, the practical rule that is imposed by the Guardia Costiera is that you cannot anchor in front of a public beach, one that has a concession (where people are crowded).

You can anchor on the sides of the beach (out of where most people are) or on a sand bottom where there are no beach. On some places the Guarda Costiera makes those own rules imposing shorter distances and let you anchor in front of a beach, for instance in Vulcano.

And Yes, many times I left the boat unattended to go chopping or to have a lunch on a restaurant but I agree that for a long time that would be trouble also because the winds can change rapidly direction on the Italian coasts.

The Italians anchor for the night very rarely. Most the boats you see on anchor in Italy are foreign boats and even if there are some anchorages they are much less frequent than in Greece.

Anyway for some years I had my boat near Rome and I went every year to Greece making all the Italian coast south of Rome and some Italian Islands without stopping at a marina, anchoring, unless I needed water or diesel.

[ReneJK]

Not sure if this will work in any other country , but when I applied for registration for our boat I supplied the LOA info keeping this exact problem in mind



So I told the registry office it was 13.98 Meters , and that length is now on the papers instead of the 14.30 the Mfg says it is , it keeps me in a lower length bracket and no marina I have visited will actually measure , they all take the LOA from the registration

[GTom]

Thanks the hint Rene, I might give it a try. Two 10.1m boats are high on my list - even the occasional overpricing might worth the additional comfort.