Hi everyone -
My partner and I are thinking about taking a 6 month sabbatical from work and having our *beloved 2008 *beneteau oceanis 31 shipped /delivered to the med and then spending the better part of half a year sailing / exploring / enjoying Europe before having her shipped / delivered back at which point we return to our jobs and the "real world" - we are both in our early 30's and want to take this opportunity while we're young, healthy and somewhat 'free' of responsibility. *
A couple questions that I'd love your help with....
1) Boat - is a 31 foot modern production boat *too small for this area? *We sail the Solent in the UK and English channel and are not opposed to "roughing it"
2) What modifications would you recommend? - off the top of my mind I know I've got to a) add air conditioning, b) a generator c) cockpit awning (we'll likely convert / adapt our full cockpit enclosure to a sun shade) d) other?*
3) Shipping from the UK vs. having the boat delivered. *Ideally we'd like to start in Nice in June and end in Barcelona in November. *What would be the preferred method to get the boat there and back safely and in a somewhat cost effective manner? *What's a reasonable budget for this and are there any suggestions for reputable companies? I'd personally love to sail her myself but that's a lot of time that we don't have.
4) Budget - right now we we are budgeting £1000 - £1500 per month for food, berthing fees, water, diesel, etc - this is what we've gathered from what we've read online - is it realistic or are we dreaming? *We are not bothered to spend time on the hook as we know all to well how expensive marina charges can add up. *We are not fine dinning people nor do we need to be having expensive drinks in the hottest clubs on Saturday night...*
5) Ports of call - *we'd like to see France, Italy, the Greek / Turkey islands, Cypress, Egypt, Malta, Tunisia and Spain before our trip Is over- is this too advantageous to complete over 5-6 months on a 31 foot boat? * What are the must hit destinations, vs. what can be missed?
6) Any other advice from those who may have already done this - ie If you could turn back the hands in time you'd do xxxx differently or would have planned for xxxx.
Many thx in advance everyone.*
My partner and I are thinking about taking a 6 month sabbatical from work and having our *beloved 2008 *beneteau oceanis 31 shipped /delivered to the med and then spending the better part of half a year sailing / exploring / enjoying Europe before having her shipped / delivered back at which point we return to our jobs and the "real world" - we are both in our early 30's and want to take this opportunity while we're young, healthy and somewhat 'free' of responsibility. *
A couple questions that I'd love your help with....
1) Boat - is a 31 foot modern production boat *too small for this area? *We sail the Solent in the UK and English channel and are not opposed to "roughing it"
2) What modifications would you recommend? - off the top of my mind I know I've got to a) add air conditioning, b) a generator c) cockpit awning (we'll likely convert / adapt our full cockpit enclosure to a sun shade) d) other?*
3) Shipping from the UK vs. having the boat delivered. *Ideally we'd like to start in Nice in June and end in Barcelona in November. *What would be the preferred method to get the boat there and back safely and in a somewhat cost effective manner? *What's a reasonable budget for this and are there any suggestions for reputable companies? I'd personally love to sail her myself but that's a lot of time that we don't have.
4) Budget - right now we we are budgeting £1000 - £1500 per month for food, berthing fees, water, diesel, etc - this is what we've gathered from what we've read online - is it realistic or are we dreaming? *We are not bothered to spend time on the hook as we know all to well how expensive marina charges can add up. *We are not fine dinning people nor do we need to be having expensive drinks in the hottest clubs on Saturday night...*
5) Ports of call - *we'd like to see France, Italy, the Greek / Turkey islands, Cypress, Egypt, Malta, Tunisia and Spain before our trip Is over- is this too advantageous to complete over 5-6 months on a 31 foot boat? * What are the must hit destinations, vs. what can be missed?
6) Any other advice from those who may have already done this - ie If you could turn back the hands in time you'd do xxxx differently or would have planned for xxxx.
Many thx in advance everyone.*