Taking the boat to the Mediterranean in 2011

We have had a long held ambition to cruise the Mediterranean so this year we decided to make it happen.  We had always envisaged taking Buena Vista there on its own bottom, which is why we bought an ocean going vessel.  However, on closer research and with current events, there were three major drawbacks; the security situation around Somalia and Yemen which appears to be getting worse by the week,  the time it was going to take which we estimated at about 18 months given the need to dodge cyclone and monsoon seasons (and at my age, time is precious!!) and now the political issues in North Africa.

Therefore, we decided to send her piggy back on a yacht carrier.  That way it only takes 6 weeks and when it arrives, the boat and crew are fresh and ready to cruise.  So how hard is it to organise, what needs to be done and is it an option for others?  Hopefully we can answer some of those questions here and encourage others to at least think about it.

Who do you use to ship the boat?
After some research we narrowed it down to only two companies, both of whom specialise in yacht transport and run a service from Australia to the Mediterranean; Sevenstar and Dockwise.  Sevenstar are supposedly the largest yacht carriers in the World and Dockwise who use the unique “Float On Float Off” system.  Since Sevenstar were less than half the price than Dockwise, appeared to have all the right credentials, did not require any monies up front and suited our timing, they are who we chose.  Yachts on either carrier travel with keel on and mast up, so there is very little preparation required.

Where do you Load and Unload?
Sevenstar seem flexible on the loading port based on what boats they will be loading  I requested Newcastle and that is where we were loaded, along with 6 other boats of varying sizes from 40’ to 160’.  For this passage, unloading can be in Gibraltar, which is what we opted for, Amsterdam or Ipswich in the UK.  Dockwise load in Brisbane and unload in Palma, Mallorca.

What are the costs?
Personally, I think the costs are reasonable and work out less than trying to take the boat yourself when you take into account wear and tear on boat and crew, insurance, fuel cost, port costs, provisioning, canal & pilot costs etc.  For example the shipping costs in 2011, on Sevenstar from Newcastle to Gibraltar, for Buena Vista, including insurance, cradle, lashing and loading/unloading was US$68,500.  This amount would also allow for very little chartering time for a boat similar to Buena Vista. 

What about insurance?
We shopped around and opted for the largest insurer of cruising yachts in Europe, a German company called  Pantaenius, as well as being large and well known, they were also recommended by our current insurer in Australia.  The cost was surprisingly reasonable, about the same or even marginally cheaper than our Australian insurance and that covers all Mediterranean waters, personal items, tenders and outboards etc.

What documentation do you need?
There certainly seems more bureaucracy in Europe than in the Pacific, but I guess that is to be expected.  However, there is nothing that is onerous if the preparation is done.  As for taking you boat out of Australia anywhere, it will need to be Australian registered, which is done through AMSA.  You should also have originals of the following documents:

• Insurance certificate with third party cover for a minimum of €1M, some countries (at the moment Spain, Italy & Greece) also require a local language translation of the certificate which in the case of Pantaenius is supplied as standard.
• Some countries require a ships radio operators licence so I would recommend the MROCP (Marine Radio Operators Certificate of Proficiency), which cruising sailors should have anyway.
• Some countries will want proof of competency and in Europe that is an International Certificate of Competence (ICC).  This doesn’t apply to Australian cruisers as it is a European qualification and can only be issued to a European citizen for a European registered boat.  Many cruisers apparently rely on their Boat Licence as proof of competency, but advice is that this is not sufficient and could be risky if you get a officious individual.  To be on the safe side I would recommend the Yachtmaster Day or Coastal Skipper practical as it is accepted as an equivalent everywhere and is not a bad thing to have.
• It is also apparently, a good idea to have your liferaft survey up to date as it may be asked for, particularly on the European Atlantic coast, and also make sure you keep a ships log.  This can also be requested by Australian Customs if cruising in our own area, e.g. we were asked for ours by Australian Customs when clearing in last year when returning from New Caledonia.

What about cruising guides and charts?
The best source of information on Cruising Guides is www.imray.com they list everything you need.  Two essentials to get you started are: “Mediterranean Cruising” by Rod Heikell and “Mediterranean Almanac 2011/12” (published every second year) by Rod Heikell and Lu Michell.  Electronic charts are very competitively priced these days compared with the past, I have just received a CMAP Mega Wide set (MW1M-EM-M917) covering the whole of the Mediterranean, 100’s of charts, for about A$450.

What about Visas?
This is the “good news, bad news” story.  The good news is that Visas are not required by Australian Citizens, except for Turkey, which can be obtained on entry.  The bad news is that most European Union countries are signatories to the Schengen Agreement (except UK, Ireland & Gibraltar), which basically means that once you are cleared into a Schengen country, you have free passage in all other Schengen countries for 90 days ….. so what’s the bad news in that? 

Well you are only allowed to stay for 90 days in any 180 days, which means after 90 days in the Western Mediterranean (Spain, France & Italy), you need to leave for either Croatia or Turkey, as they are non Schengen countries.  We intend to spend our next 90 days in Croatia.  Or you can do as most cruisers appear to do and take a chance as this apparently is not well policed.  However, be aware that if caught, penalties are severe.  As there is a large influx of refugees to Europe from North Africa, we will not be taking the chance.  

While this is a nuisance, we believe the Eastern Mediterranean is the better cruising anyway and once there, it is easy to share your time between Schengen and non Schengen countries.

How long is the cruising season?
Although this can be dependent upon where you are, in general the season is the start of April to the end of October, although the weather can be bad at either end of this season.  The good news is that weather reports are plentiful and relatively reliable.  During the winter season, it is both cold and very windy so we will be leaving the boat in Greece and returning to Melbourne.

Where do you leave your boat over winter?
This is obviously a personal choice and there are plenty of options as all marinas are apparntly quiet over winter.  When selecting potential places, given the complexity of Buena Vista’s systems, we did not want to leave it in a place where excessive ‘winterising” was required, i.e. a place that freezes during winter, so decided on Greece. 

Many yachts spend winter on the hard, which is a similar price to leaving the boat in the water, plus haul out/in and propping costs, although once out of the water, the boat can be antifuouled for the start of the new season.  We have decided on wintering in the Ionian side of Greece where there are many options, e.g. Gouvia, Lefkas, Preveza etc, all of which are well protected international standard marinas, have travel lifts capable of hauling Buena Vista, have good access to transport and are convenient to Croatia and Turkey.  In all these places, there are good live-aboard communities over winter, which adds to safety and security.

Of course, the Mediterranean is only one destination in Europe and we would hope to take the opportunity while there, to also explore the Atlantic Coast of Portugal, Brittany & Normandy, together with the UK, Ireland and maybe even some parts of the Baltic ….. but that is all for another day.