Wintering on the hook

[Ausluke]

Hi all,
Please forgive the bad idea (if it is)... newbie here.

Is it possible or reasonable to continue living on anchor throughout winter anywhere in the Med?
Don’t get me wrong, bad weather and blows will obviously make a mariner a must at certain times, I suppose more of a direct question would be- do you really need to find a “winter mariner”.
We are young and not to fussy with comfort in order to save a few bucks.

Thank you in advance

[Anders]

You list Ionian as your location and there is a number of places there where you can winter without going in to a marina, someplaces you may need to leave if something nasty shows up from the wrong direction . Keep in mind that the services that are there in the summer may not be there in the winter.

[Dockhead]

Making heat and electricity yourself through the winter will burn a lot of diesel and put a lot of hours on the heating and generating plant.

I always found it cheaper and nicer to go into a marina on cheap winter rates, and plug in, at least during the three or four coldest months, compared to staying on my mooring. YMMV.

In the Ionian, if I'm not mistaken, you have a big choice of free town quays to go onto. Why wouldn't you do that?

[mikedefieslife]

The Ionian is extremely windy. At least 60% of the time the wind has been above 20knts must have been closer to 45 the other night. It is also extremely wet, with hard driving rain at lot of the time. The two combined make even being in a marina unpleasant.

People tell me that it's been an odd few months weather wise and that it's not normally like this, but I'm not sure. Either way I won't be wintering here again.

[Ausluke]

Thanks for the reply’s,

Our boat is currently in the ionion on the hard this winter, as we are home.
The general feeling I get is heading Turkey/Egypt way the weather is more on the bearable side? Any truth in this.

[mikedefieslife]

I reckon you could do Mallorca.

Soller, Portocolom and a few other places are extremely protected. A friend of mine mentioned that people winter at anchor in Parma Nova too.

[Anders]

I spent a couple of winters in inland Ionian and the weather was usually fine with sunny skies and little wind but once in a while it gets rainy for a few days and when it rains it buckets down.
Gale or storm warnings are not unusual but it usually goes between Italy and Greece and does not make any difference inside of Lefkas island and they can be tracked on Poseidon for many days before they would reach you.

[mikedefieslife]

I in Lefkas now. For Christmas we've had beautiful sunny skies, but since I've been here (October) it's been extremely heavy rain and 20+ knt wind most of the time.

Like I said, many have told me that it isn't usually like this (global warming?), but it's probably not worth taking a risk on it.

Where Lefkas marina is located, you've got mountains on either side so the wind has no where to go but right through the town and the marina, and along the east side of the island.

[LACHLANC]

Friends of ours have wintered all year 'round in the Med for a number of years. They had a diesel heater that also heats their water, solar panels & a wind generator - I would want all of those items to winter on the hook. If you had all of those you could then look at locations and while some are much better than others you still need to be prepared for a burst of 50+ knt winds through the winter.
As mentioned earlier you can find some town quays for free and while they may not have power or water you would prob have decent wind/sea protection (effluent could be an issue).
You also could combine the two where you stay on the hook and move to a quay for big winds (although you could get caught out with unexpected strong winds).

[patprice]

I have not spent a winter in the Ionian but plenty of summers. Wonderful cruising area. Bit more summer wind might be useful but I'm not complaining.

But back to the question. I would be very selective and careful spending the winter at a town quay. In the summer we spend about half the time at a quay and unfortunately when the wind does get up, usually 01.00 in the morning it seems, troubles arise. Anchors let go, sterns hit the wall, often yachts have to motor to keep of the wall. Happens in summer in September mainly but surely common in winter. One would have space, not jammed in like sardines in a can.

Maybe it is possible with the extra space to put out two anchors with extra scope and if the wind is forecast then use longer stern lines. I guess most things are possible with care and planning.

We have done plenty of winter cruising in Tasmania but not of late. We used to use a keroscene "Tilly" lamp for light and that also kept the cabin quite warm. There are better methods of heating. Plenty of anchorages are available, sheltered and secure with good holding.

But I prefer summer cruising. Or tropical.

[Anders]

Few town quays or anchorages in Ionian are safe from heavy winds from every direction.
I no longer winter afloat but if I did I would go back to Ionian in a heart beat but would get a spectra watermark and a extra solar panel.

[boatman61]

I'd suggest Syracuse, Sicily for wintering on the hook.. you'll get 4 to 5 fine days a time through the winter for exploring the S coast or making runs down to Malta and back for cheap supplies and any gear you may want.. so plenty to help pass the time.

[mikedefieslife]

Excellant holding in Siracusa. The old town is nice and food and drink is cheap. The fuel pontoon opens most days for Diesel and there is a free potable water close by.

The main problem is terrible fouling. I arrived during a bit of a storm, but had no problem anchoring, there's tons of space. It does get choppy though in a breeze. The marina (if you could call it that) will accept deliveries if you're nice, but Italian Post offices will not accept Poste Restante.

You do need to call (best done by phone) the harbour master and ask for permission, but it's mostly a given. I'm not sure if there is a time limit on staying though. In Trapani, you have to leave after two days. I stayed about 10 in Siracusa.

Originally Posted by Anders

Few town quays or anchorages in Ionian are safe from heavy winds from every direction.
I no longer winter afloat but if I did I would go back to Ionian in a heart beat but would get a spectra watermark and a extra solar panel.

Some town quays are charged for, so you need to watch for that. Lefkada town quay is not protected from winds of all directions at all.

Originally Posted by patprice

I have not spent a winter in the Ionian but plenty of summers. Wonderful cruising area. Bit more summer wind might be useful but I'm not complaining.

But back to the question. I would be very selective and careful spending the winter at a town quay. In the summer we spend about half the time at a quay and unfortunately when the wind does get up, usually 01.00 in the morning it seems, troubles arise. Anchors let go, sterns hit the wall, often yachts have to motor to keep of the wall. Happens in summer in September mainly but surely common in winter. One would have space, not jammed in like sardines in a can.

Maybe it is possible with the extra space to put out two anchors with extra scope and if the wind is forecast then use longer stern lines. I guess most things are possible with care and planning.

A nightmare if like me the rudders are the furthest thing aft on you boat.

I think a recent SLV episode they ran into precisely the issues you mention with having to run the engines to stay off the wall. Letting extra rode out isn't going to help you really as you need it relatively tight to keep you off the wall.

That being said, there is a cat and a couple of monos here (Lefkada) that are tied alongside. That might be easier if you have some good fenders.

[yeloya]

Originally Posted by Ausluke

Thanks for the reply’s,

Our boat is currently in the ionion on the hard this winter, as we are home.
The general feeling I get is heading Turkey/Egypt way the weather is more on the bearable side? Any truth in this.

This is true. There are many very well protected (and much warmer) anchorage in Turkey where you can stay forever w/out any worries. Further sout and east you go, there will be less wind and warmer sea. Kekova roads is ideal for that purpose..

Cheers

Yeloya

[TheThunderbird]

Syracuse.

No time limits