Advice on Sailing the Mediterranean Undo Re

[boatman61]

Hi Timreyn.. congrats on the new boat..
Greece is full of free docks (short term 2-3 days) and anchorages.. for other parts of the Med and beyond www.noonsite.com is a good resource for you.
Enjoy..

[Captain Denis]

Originally Posted by Timreyn

Are there any good books relating to this subject that would help?

Hi Timreyn,
Congradulation! I would suggest that, after you have quickly explored Croatia, you sail to Turkey, Greece or Italy where you can live at anchor or at fishing docks for much less daily cost.
Please, check my profile at Captain Denis. I can help you get started sailing the Med. which is not easy because the weather is very unpredictable and, once you are ready to go across the Atlantic, help you again bring the Cat across the Atlantic to the Caribbean islands which I have done twice (once in a race).
I am currently based at the Riviera Maya (Isla Mujeres, Cancun) but will be back in Canada in February..
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Captain Denis

[Polux]

Originally Posted by Timreyn

My wife and I are newbies who have bought the dream and a large Catamaran. We will pick her up in Feb in Croatia. Our plans have been to live aboard and sail the Caribbean and think we can do that within our budget, avoiding marinas most of the time. But I would love to explore Croatia, Greece etc and would like to stay one season. Wow marinas are expensive! I don't see life in Croatia working if we have to pay that much to stay every night. Can one find safe places to anchor or cheap mooring balls? Are marinas a choice like they are in other sailing areas or are you forced in due to the nature of the area? Would things get better in Greece or other areas within sailing range? If we love the Med we might stay two seasons. We will have a young skipper with us initially but would hope that as our experience increases we can sail on our own.

Our other choice and original plan is to hire an experienced Captain to take us to the Caribbean right away. Would be a shame to miss the wonders of Europe!

Any advice would be appreciated. I know your advice would be to buy small but since we intend to live on her it is too late for that!

On Croatia you still can find places to anchor...the problem is that you will sail very little since about noon it is better to start looking for one before they all get occupied. Buy a book called 1000 anchorages or something like that (it used to be 777).

On Greece you still find lots of places to anchor both on the Ionian and on the Aegean even if much more on the Aegean. On the Aegean you will find lots of places not very expensive to pass the winter and many places with good all around shelter. The quay ports are not expensive at all on Greece, some cost for day something like 7 or 8 Euros (probably more for a multihull).

[TheThunderbird]

I have opened a thread here under Destinations/Mediterranean pointing at cheap/free mooring solutions, as chance allows.

Wasting money in unprofessional/impolite marinas is horrible imo.

I hand out wine to fishermen...

PS February to April is still quite cold and dangerous weather wise...

[bluewaterbill]

You won't regret time spent in the Med. We initially planned to spend 1 maybe 2 years and stayed for 10! We cruised during spring and summer only but enjoyed every nm of it. I haven't been in Croatia since 2009 but rates are relative. If you want " fancy" be prepared to pay for it. Many restaurants offer "free" moorings for dining with them. Or anchor out. Part of cruising is learning self-sufficiency. No need to plug in every night.

We frequently tied up at town marinas or piers in many Greek islands. Btw, don't miss Astypalia (Matanzas Beach). Great local color and quiet community. Italy has many "touristica marinas" which are enormous ... 500-1000 slips! But the small fishing harbors (especially for shallow draft cat) would be appealing. Turkey is (was) wonderful. Inexpensive dockage, although the instability in the area might be a deterrent now. Check it out first. Sicily, Sardinia, Malta etc are too fabulous to miss. You can't get a bad meal in Italy!

The Caribbean has sun, palm trees and beach bars, but it will still be there. The Med should not be missed!

Fair winds!

[Timreyn]

Great info. Thank you all. I feel much better and will spend the first season in the Med. There seems to be so much to see it might be hard just to stay one year. Hope to run into you guys this summer!

[brianlara 3]

Clearly, lots of qualified advice given already.
But IMHO, just as important as dry bilges is being to hold the bottom in almost any conditions. And there will not always be a mooring ball nearby when the stuff hits the fan.
Surely......at some time or another you will invest (if not already spec'd) in a state of the art anchor, lots of heavy chain and a damned good windlass.
The cost of enormously capable ground tackle is miniscule, all things considered.
So unless you ordered the boat accordingly, and new boat ground tackle spec probably leaves a bit to be desired, 'don't leave port without it'. Then, with a good rib and motor you can go virtually anywhere and at any time and if, like me, you don't like getting out of bed or the attendant anxieties you'll enjoy a sense of security not always felt by the marina huggers.
Just my opinion which may not be echoed by others & I'm sure, for many, that a slip in a flash marina carries lots of essential Cache'.
CF, you can be sure, will be your best available IT companion.
All the best.

[meirriba]

Originally Posted by Timreyn

My wife and I are newbies who have bought the dream and a large Catamaran. We will pick her up in Feb in Croatia. Our plans have been to live aboard and sail the Caribbean and think we can do that within our budget, avoiding marinas most of the time. But I would love to explore Croatia, Greece etc and would like to stay one season. Wow marinas are expensive! I don't see life in Croatia working if we have to pay that much to stay every night. Can one find safe places to anchor or cheap mooring balls? Are marinas a choice like they are in other sailing areas or are you forced in due to the nature of the area? Would things get better in Greece or other areas within sailing range? If we love the Med we might stay two seasons. We will have a young skipper with us initially but would hope that as our experience increases we can sail on our own.

Our other choice and original plan is to hire an experienced Captain to take us to the Caribbean right away. Would be a shame to miss the wonders of Europe!

Any advice would be appreciated. I know your advice would be to buy small but since we intend to live on her it is too late for that!

Rapanui advice is very good.
IN Greece you can anchor in the summer in almost any iland or find a town quay. Very few marinas anyway.
The best pilot books for Greece and Turkey will be Rod Heikell's (Imray) books.
The '777 harbours' book for Croatia is fine. There is a pilot book by Dina & Trevor Thompson which I did not like (admittedly it was more than 10 years ago - so it may have improved with the time passed since).
In Turkey (S/W coast, between Turgutreis in the west to Kemer in the middle of the S coast) , like in Greece, you can spend the whole summer on anchor, except when you need fuel/water etc.

[kimwindjammin]

We just spent 3 months cruising through the Med and I would say go for Greece and Turkey, for sure!! Inexpensive and easy. As we went west through Italy, Sardinia, Balearics and to Gibraltar it just got more crowded and expensive. If I did it again, I would spend all that time in Greece and/or Turkey.

[chuckr]

We have spent the last 3 years in the Med and last year did the Black Sea and that is after sailing across the pond in 2013 -- we will spend at least one in not 2 more years in the Med before heading back

The Med is incredible for history and what to see whereas the Carib is warm water -

as above it is possible to do it without huge expense - all mentioned Heikell and that is the bible for the Med - there are several -- and 777 as it is really good for Croatia and Albania - a not to miss country

as for cost take a look at our costs in 7 years of cost data in the dollars and cents area of this forum -- we account for every penny we spend and are full time liveaboards - any questions please pm us

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Timreyn and nextis12.

[Symphony]

thanks to all for sharing their experience in the area

[bustermaw]

Originally Posted by Timreyn

My wife and I are newbies who have bought the dream and a large Catamaran. We will pick her up in Feb in Croatia. Our plans have been to live aboard and sail the Caribbean and think we can do that within our budget, avoiding marinas most of the time. But I would love to explore Croatia, Greece etc and would like to stay one season. Wow marinas are expensive! I don't see life in Croatia working if we have to pay that much to stay every night. Can one find safe places to anchor or cheap mooring balls? Are marinas a choice like they are in other sailing areas or are you forced in due to the nature of the area? Would things get better in Greece or other areas within sailing range? If we love the Med we might stay two seasons. We will have a young skipper with us initially but would hope that as our experience increases we can sail on our own.

Our other choice and original plan is to hire an experienced Captain to take us to the Caribbean right away. Would be a shame to miss the wonders of Europe!

Any advice would be appreciated. I know your advice would be to buy small but since we intend to live on her it is too late for that!

I have rented sailing boats out of Split and Dubrovnik quite a lot over the years .
It's not necessary to use marinas , I never do .
Just keep your eye out for drifting at anchor . I have seen several boats drag on the pebbly sea bed .

[David B]

Originally Posted by Echtagon

You can anchor in bays in Croatia and Greece. People often anchor and tie stern to rock of tree ashore - so have a long mooring line - preferable one that does not float.
I also very strongly recommend joining the Eastern Mediterranean Yacht Rally for 3 months of fabulous cruising staying in marinas all for a very cheap joining fee. You will be with sailors from round the world to newbies who will all be most helpful. I did it in 2012 and it was an amazing unmissable experience. Google EMYR. The organisers are experienced and careful to avoid areas that could be dangerous. The fellow sailors will be from every country you can think of.

I had not heard of the EMYR. Sounds interesting, so will investigate. Thanks

[David B]

Originally Posted by Herb Miller

Please don't kill the messenger. This is just an FYI.

I googled EMYR and this is what I found at:
http://www.emyr.org/eng/2016_iptal.htm

EMYR – MARCH 2016 EMYR NEWSLETTER

XXVIIth EMYR (EASTERN MEDITERREANEAN YACHT RALLY) 2016



The 2015 ' Mini' EMYR was considered a great success despite the small number of participants (14 yachts) and the shortened route. The yachts were hosted by Turkish and North Cyprus marinas and social and cultural activities were attended with great gusto.
The EMYR Committee had decided in principle to organize an EMYR in 2016 and announced this on the web site E M Y R and also at the Boat Shows in Paris December 2015, London January 2016, Düsseldorf 2016 and İstanbul February 2016.
However, due to the political turbulences on the Eastern Mediterranean waters, a final decision has been made as not to organize the EMYR2016 and keep tracking all the developments for EMYR2017.
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by this but we feel that under current circumstances this is the most appropriate decision. We wish and hope to have a better political climate for 2017 and we also wish and hope a peaceful and safe future for the Eastern Mediterranean countries' people including Turkey.
Further details and entry forms can be found for EMYR2017at E M Y R The EMYR will remain as non-profit making organization that has as its main objective to promote yachting tourism in the Eastern Mediterranean, besides being of a major sporting event.

THE EMYR' 2016 COMMITTEE Kath & David Gerrard
SY Mashona, UK Sue & Lammert Zwagaastra
SYMakena, NL Gönül & Hasan Kaçmaz
SY IBIS II, Turkey

I could not find any way of subscribing to a newsletter either.