Sailing the Med

[holmek]

One gets the impression that Med sailing is crowded marinas, No wind or Mistrals, making for lots of motoring, and most countries seem to be insisting on an ICC. (International Certificate of Competancy). Is this the case from those who cruise there? Thanks.

[stevensuf]

Never once asked for an ICC, Anchorages crowded mid season, june-aug, outside of this much more room, Marinas expensive, Very little sailing unless you are prepared to wait a long time for the right winds.

[Dockhead]

You will need an ICC in many countries if you're chartering.

I never had any problem with wind in the Eastern Med -- the Aegean in particular can be quite windy.

I have heard that the Adriatic has become much more crowded since I was last sailing there a decade ago. Still, the Croatian coast is so indented and with millions of islands, I can't imagine how you would run out of room. It wouldn't be hard to stay out of the named anchorages.

France and Italy may be different.

[Seaworthy Lass]

The Med covers and huge area and many countries, so no generalisations are possible. Even here in the Aegean it depends on which bit you opt to cruise in. An intermittently strong northerly type wind called the meltemi sweeps down the central portion often for days at a time. In contrast the very northern portion near Macedonia gets little wind, generally just a light sea breeze kicks in each afternoon.

There are few finished marinas in the Aegean, boats tend to tie up to local quays. We never use these, but in high season in areas where there are lots of charterers it tends to be crowded. There are however, hundreds of islands and countless wonderful anchorages and it is not difficult to find solitude even during peak season. Both this summer and last we had rare nights in the company of another yacht.

[PamlicoTraveler]

The Med is all about destinations. It is the center of the world with 27 bordering countries and a history that has defined the world we live in.

Winds in the summer are usually light, and there was not one drop of rain this summer. So make sure you have your engine tuned up, but the Med is an amazing body of water to cruise in.

[NornaBiron]

We have cruised through the Med to Greece since 2008. We never use marinas, preferring to find an anchorage instead. We rarely use our engine, we plan moves according to when the wind blows and can usually manage to get to most places by sail alone. We've been asked for our ICC once since we've been here.

We are currently cruising through the Dodecanese islands of Greece and have only seen five other yachts in the last month. As long as we don't give ourselves arrival deadlines the winds are not a problem. The Med is a huge area to cruise with great diversity of culture and weather depending on when you visit.

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by NornaBiron

We have cruised through the Med to Greece since 2008. We never use marinas, preferring to find an anchorage instead. We rarely use our engine, we plan moves according to when the wind blows and can usually manage to get to most places by sail alone. We've been asked for our ICC once since we've been here.

We are currently cruising through the Dodecanese islands of Greece and have only seen five other yachts in the last month. As long as we don't give ourselves arrival deadlines the winds are not a problem. The Med is a huge area to cruise with great diversity of culture and weather depending on when you visit.

Sounds like this was written by someone who does not have to deal with the Schengen Treaty limitation of only 90 days in all of the countries on the northern side of the Med combined, except Croatia, Montenegro and Albania.....and Croatia soon to be added to that list. With time constrictions always looming while cruising in the Med we cannot wait out those windless days and are forced to use our engine a lot of the time. In 2011 72% on the miles covered during our cruising Greek islands was motoring or motor-sailing. We managed to cover all the islands desired that season and cleared on on our 87th day of the 90-days allowed. In summer 2012 90% of our cruising the Turkish coastline was motoring or motor-sailing because there was just no wind.

Hope springs eternal that wind conditions will be better next summer in the Adriatic and we can get back to being propelled by sails.

Judy

[rivonia]

Agree with Bill & Judy - BeeBEE.

We also had to motor sail most of the time. Luckily being Brit's do not have to worry about travel restraints.

fair winds

Peter

[Seaworthy Lass]

We travel without any time constraints and just wait for a good weather window before pulling up anchor. We have only averaged about 80 hours of engine running time per year during the last five years in the Med. It depends how content you are to spend a week or two at anchor between passages (very content in our case) and how well your your boat sails in light air (very well in our case).

[NornaBiron]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

We travel without any time constraints and just wait for a good weather window before pulling up anchor. We have only averaged about 80 hours of engine running time per year during the last five years in the Med. It depends how content you are to spend a week or two at anchor between passages (very content in our case) and how well your your boat sails in light air (very well in our case).

+1

waiting for the right weather as we speak, in a lovely anchorage on Symi with only the local monastery for company (and a few goats)!

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by holmek

One gets the impression that Med sailing is crowded marinas, No wind or Mistrals, making for lots of motoring, and most countries seem to be insisting on an ICC. (International Certificate of Competancy). Is this the case from those who cruise there? Thanks.

It will be a very sad day if countries start asking for an ICC or the like. God forbid that this ever happens!

[Seaworthy Lass]

Originally Posted by Ship2210

It will be a very sad day if countries start asking for an ICC or the like. God forbid that this ever happens!

Most countries seem fairly relaxed about certificates of competency, but Croatia insists on some sort of certification when applying for the cruising permit. Also in Greece we have been asked for this in marinas when hauling out (yes, not to have the boat in the water but on land LOL).

[svBeBe]

Originally Posted by Seaworthy Lass

Most countries seem fairly relaxed about certificates of competency, but Croatia insists on some sort of certification when applying for the cruising permit. Also in Greece we have been asked for this in marinas when hauling out (yes, not to have the boat in the water but on land LOL).

A friend was denied entry into Montenegro July 2012 because he did not have an ICC. He is American on a USA flagged yacht, now in 10th year of circumnavigating with family. They continued on and entered Croatia and obtained cruising permit there with no problem.

It was our friend's understanding that the ICC is not required for Americans. We also do not have this certification but do hold captains licenses as US Coast Guard Merchant Mariners. Hopefully, these credentials will be accepted as proof of competency since an ICC is not issued in America.

Judy

[seedream]

I have been sailing in the Mediterranean since 1997 when I sailed my boat across the Atlantic from the United States. Often I am asked when I plan on bringing the boat back, will my answer is probably never. I have been stopped by law in force when officers over and over again in the United States with the ”intention of making sure my boat is safe”
the reality is they are looking to write a ticket to gain revenue. This is never happened to me in the Mediterranean. I don't know about the sailing qualification requirements that may be required if you want to charter a boat, I do know that when I get cruising permits I have to show some type of certificate of competency. In my case that's not a problem because I carry a US Masters Coast Guard license.

I sail in the Mediterranean for the culture, not the wind you are correct for the most part on not having enough wind or having too much wind but I have also sailed in the Caribbean with a wonderful trade winds and French Polynesia that also has great consistent winds but I found them boring after a week. It is the culture in the Mediterranean that makes it interesting.

I have a podcast and a website devoted to information on sailing in the Mediterranean it is called quote "Sailing in the Mediterranean" and can be subscribed to in iTunes. Also I have a website with a lot of information specifically on marinas in Turkey website is Sailing in the Mediterranean.

I hope this helps.

Franz