Italy, France, Spain med coast. Why bother?

[hoppy]

I've never sailed the Italy, France or Spain on their med coasts and when I hear descriptions of what cruising those areas is like, I really have never felt the desire to go there.

It sounds like that more often than not, you have to spend your nights in overpriced marinas. I see very little attraction in that.

Sure there are lots of must see places you perhaps will want to cross off on a bucket list, but do you really need to go there by boat.

I'm wondering if it's not better to just leave your boat in a cheaper area of the med and just hire a car and follow the coast that way. If you are living onboard, do a road trip during the winter. With a car you'll get to see more things faster.

Then you can use the time you saved spending more time cruising the Balearics, Sardinia, Corsica, Sicily, Greece etc....

Anyone feel the same? Just curious...

[skipmac]

For me I would visit that area because, as you are probably aware, there are lots of places and sights to see. Haven't been but I think one can avoid expensive marinas with careful planning but I could be wrong. If you can, it will be a lot less expensive than traveling by car and paying for hotels.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by skipmac

For me I would visit that area because, as you are probably aware, there are lots of places and sights to see. Haven't been but I think one can avoid expensive marinas with careful planning but I could be wrong. If you can, it will be a lot less expensive than traveling by car and paying for hotels.

The thing is, I'm not sure if you can avoid the expensive marinas so often and for what I've heard they are shockingly expensive.

If you sail, maybe on average you'll be stopping for the night every 30nm. If you do it by car maybe each day you will visit 3 to 5 sailing days of places (not everywhere will be special).

For me, when I had westward sailing plans, I was never going to do the coasts because I have been there by car and motorcycle over the years. To be honest, unless there is some special wow factor of doing it by sea which I have not heard, I suspect that a road trip is more fulfilling.

If you are not going there for the overcrowded beaches, doing it in spring will keep the hire car and hotel costs down.

[Kenomac]

OH MY GOD....

You're really missing out on some of the best spots, and what jackass told you it's expensive? And more important, why did you listen to the fool for over 17 years?

In over four years (5 summers), I've only paid four times for a mooring, no more than 1000 euros in total or less than 250 per year, and I've spent time in Capri, Naples, Sardinia, Corsica, Mallorca, Malaga, Menorca, Elba, Northern Italy and now in Montenegro. Jeez, you're only a day's sail away from me right now, why don't you head up here to Kotor for a week.... It's stunningly beautiful here.

When I was in Rome a few weeks ago, it only cost me 45 euros per night to stay in a new marina for a 16 meter boat. In Brindisi, a beautiful town, we paid only 30 euros per night to be right downtown with front row seats for the speedboat racing.

Come on up, we can go on a road trip and you can try out my Hasselblad.

Ken

[Saleen411]

.. and I've spent time in Capri, Naples, Sardinia, Corsica, Mallorca, Malaga, Menorca, Elba, Northern Italy and now in Montenegro. Jeez, you're only a day's sail away from me right now, why don't you head up here to Kotor for a week.... It's stunningly bea.utiful here.

Do you mind if I ask, which is your favorite?....One which you would spend the longest time if given a chance.

[hoppy]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

OH MY GOD....

You're really missing out on some of the best spots, and what jackass told you it's expensive? And more important, why did you listen to the fool for over 17 years?

In over four years (5 summers), I've only paid four times for a mooring, no more than 1000 euros in total or less than 250 per year, and I've spent time in Capri, Naples, Sardinia, Corsica, Mallorca, Malaga, Menorca, Elba, Northern Italy and now in Montenegro. Jeez, you're only a day's sail away from me right now, why don't you head up here to Kotor for a week.... It's stunningly beautiful here.

When I was in Rome a few weeks ago, it only cost me 45 euros per night to stay in a new marina for a 16 meter boat. In Brindisi, a beautiful town, we paid only 30 euros per night to be right downtown with front row seats for the speedboat racing.

Come on up, we can go on a road trip and you can try out my Hasselblad.

Ken

I'm talking about the mainland coasts and not the islands and mostly between Northern Italy and Gibraltar.

I prefer swinging at anchor.

Not 17 years... Only thought about the boating aspect in the last 4 or 5 years. Prior to that I'd been doing the road trips around there.

[Dave22q]

A lot of posts but none either confirm or deny that marinas in the Med. are very expensive. I would be interested in some facts.

[FlyTheCoop]

We are changing crew mid August in Menorca. Best rate I could get was 260 euros/night for a 13m cat at Marina Mahon. Ouch! Some marinas had no vacancy at all.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by hoppy

I'm talking about the mainland coasts and not the islands and mostly between Northern Italy and Gibraltar.

I prefer swinging at anchor.

Not 17 years... Only thought about the boating aspect in the last 4 or 5 years. Prior to that I'd been doing the road trips around there.

Yep, those are the areas we've been cruising. Mainland Italy and Spain.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by FlyTheCoop

We are changing crew mid August in Menorca. Best rate I could get was 260 euros/night for a 13m cat at Marina Mahon. Ouch! Some marinas had no vacancy at all.

Then why don't you try the FREE anchorage just off the fort on the right just after you enter the harbor? Or go into Puerto de Fornells and anchor there for free? It's only a ten minute car ride into Mahon. A car rental shouldn't cost more than 50 euros.

Just use your imagination instead of your wallet.

[reed1v]

just like the US east coast. About the same prices for transient stays. Usually $10 per foot overall per day. However you can anchor in the designated anchoring spots for about $25 per night or free if you go to a more isolated place or to the local fish piers at night. The problem is not the price but finding vacancies during summertime. Again just like the US east coast.

Small towns lot cheaper. We liked Sardinia, Malta, and Trieste. Just join a well known yacht club and get temp moorings for next to nothing. We joined the RYC-London and enjoyed reciprocal privileges throughout Europe. Worth the price.

[barnakiel]

There are many motivations and many budgets. Some like the Med, others hate it.

Then again, one must try something out to tell how it suits them.

b.

[kimwindjammin]

Just stayed in a marina on the coast near Pompeii - Marina di Stabia in Castellemare. It was 60 euro per night if you stayed for 10 days or more which we did while we rode the train up to Florence, Venice and back to Rome. Other than that we've been two months sailing from Turkey to Sardinia and anchored everywhere for free. Personally, I love seeing the coast from the water...and then weaving through the islands.

[Russ]

Reedv1
Did you really mean $10 a foot. I have never paid even $5 a foot for a transient slip in FL or anywhere on East Cost of USA. Or did you mean east coast of ????? Russ

[Prairie Chicken]

Originally Posted by Dave22q

A lot of posts but none either confirm or deny that marinas in the Med. are very expensive. I would be interested in some facts.

In July we paid 70 euros for one night at Porto Colom, east coast Mallorca for a 13 m mono, px, water, & wifi included, in the heart of the town. There are mooring balls available for 27 Euros a night (no services), and a little room left for free anchoring. There are mooring balls available at Porto Petro, just south of Porto Colom, for 30/nite; or a berth for 78/night. Andraitx, SW corner of the island, has mooring balls for 44/nite for a 13 m boat and includes services for garbage, water taxi, etc. There is also a fine, full service marina. I'm going to guess a berth for the night would be around 80/nite. Mooring buoys in Cabrera Nat'l. Park are 24/nite, no services, permit required, and duration of stay is limited, depending on the season. I believe the Poisidona buoys offered at a few Balearic sites are about the same price.

The Balearics, Ibiza & Palma in particular, are more expensive than almost anyplace else in the Med, or so we've heard. It is definitely far more expensive than the mainland.

Prices decrease with the length of stay, and the season.

Hope that gives you an idea.

Oh, and Hoppy, we've heard there are not a lot of anchorages on mainland Spain as there are in the Balearics. It tends to be a come out of the marina & sail, then return. On the plus side, the marinas are far less expensive than in the Balearics. Personally, I'd do some research on line for reasonable marinas, go there, and rent a car for some day trips, coming back to the boat at night. I'd also be looking for some anchorages asap.