Two months in MED.

[mark]

In July I am going to pick up my new boat a Mahe 36 in France . It will be delivered to the south of France in the Med.I would like to get advice about the best places to cruise for two months.Then I will sail to Las Palmas where the boat will be shipped from there to Florida at the end of November . I would like to know how much of the Med I can see and enjoy in this time frame .Is it easy to find anchorages at this time of the year? Is it going to be easy provisioning? Any advise would be welcomed and appreciated.
Thank you
Mark

[Dunkers]

Mark, the Balearics are a good cruising area. I spent a couple of months in Majorca and Minorca and really enjoyed it. There are plenty of free anchorages and supplies are easy to pick up. The islands, although very close, are quite different in their topography and lifestyles. Minorca is very much a slow pace of life while Majorca is more like mainland Spain. I have no experience of Ibiza but I assume that there are plenty of anchorages there too. These islands are popular tourist traps for the British and Germans but they are in built up conurbations. There are lots of places where you can get away from these areas. I remember spending one night anchored in a tiny bay surrounded by cliffs on the west Majorcan coast. It was so still and quiet there and the light from my tilley lamp reflected off the water and cliffs. The water is very clear and swimming is safe.

Anyway thats my recommendation. Hope you have a great couple of months.

[Morski Krastavac]

... see my PN to you.

[swagman]

Hi Mark,
We spent three months in 2005 cruising the Balearics - all the isalnds are nice - lots of anchorages - no issues with provisioning as supermarkets everywhere. In fact we'll be back there for a while this August and then just like you, heading on down to Canaries.
If you want pictures / ideas on spots please go to our blog and go back to July / August 05 - Swagmans Sailing Blog - daily log was kept on anchorages etc.
Emjoy
JOHN

[JimB]

It's probably worth mentioning that the Balearics are a very crowded cruising area in July and August, and marina berths become eye-wateringly expensive as the demand builds up . . . and maybe your small vessel gets shoved into a berth that's a few metres longer than you need.

But, as mentioned above, there are plenty of anchorages, which in turn, become quite busy. Ibiza and Formentera are strong on anchorages. You'll need a permit to enter the national park area down there - set that up in Palma.

Sorry, but my site doesn't yet cover the Balearics (work in progress!), and for the last three days it's been overloaded. Hopefully, in a week it'll be updated running properly again . . .

Jim Baerselman
http://www.jimbaerselman.f2s.com/
Comparing the cruise areas of Europe