Buying and Sailing Small Cruising Catamaran in Greece/Croatia/Med

[bigbluesea]

Hi everyone,

This is my first post so I'm requesting you to cut me some slack in advance if I've posted in the wrong place or doubled up or whatever . Anyway basically I'm looking for your kind wisdom, especially if you have first hand experience buying a small cruising catamaran like a lagoon 380 from Greece/Croatia and sailing it around the med. I'll list out the questions but first I'll introduce myself and provide a bit of background.

So without further ado, my wife and I are in our early 30's any we have a 1 yr old baby. We're Australian, have done a little bit of sailing before, RYA Offshore Yachtmaster qualified (did a very intense training course in the Caribbean a few years ago with some amazing instructors), and we're looking to cruise for a couple of years starting in the med this year, and maybe cross over to the Caribbean .. probably as part of an Arc rally or something...

Here's what I'm hoping to get your experiences/thoughts on;

1) What do you think of Lagoon 380's for sailing around the Med with a baby? Do you think it can be done safely? Anything we should consider? Are there better alternatives for similar/lower price?

2) If we buy an ex charter yacht from greece or croatia and register it in Australia, how long should we allow for the entire process to be completed? From the offer to actually being able to sail it away.

3) Our budget is 180K USD for the boat, plus about 80K to keep us going over 2 years. We don't want a monohull. It's not much but how do we make this happen? Solutions please

4) Have any Australians actually ever bothered to get the visa with Italy/Spain/France under the separate arrangements where you can travel there and they don't count it as Schengen? Can you arrange this while in Europe or do you need to be in Australia to organise it? Or is it easier just to do the Schengen shuffle?

5) Has anyone used a buyers broker/agent in Greece ir Croatia.. do you recommend it? If so got any good recommendations for Lefkas or Athens, or Split, or Dubrovnik areas?

6) For lagoon 380's specifically.. would you take one across the Atlantic?


Those are my questions so far.. I have plenty more but I'll start with those.

Would really appreciate any advice/tips/personal experiences.

[tkeithlu]

Welcome aboard the forum, bigbluesea.

[boatman61]

I will answer on the Lagoon 380 questions..
If you can, get the owners version.. 2 cabins port hull, 1 large master cabin to stbd.. way superior to the 4 cabin shoehorn.
The 380 to my mind is the best Lagoon ever made and can handle the Med comfortably and is well capable of taking you across the Atlantic and S Pacific safely.
They are capable of a fair turn of speed and I have had 11kts for prolonged periods under reefed sail and steady speeds of 9kts down wind with just an asymetric ..
Owners of larger Lagoons will argue otherwise.. but then they would, few will slag off their own boats..

https://uk.boats.com/sailing-boats/2...n-380-8114860/
https://uk.topboats.com/barcos-ocasion/lagoon-380-35

[bigbluesea]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I will answer on the Lagoon 380 questions..
If you can, get the owners version.. 2 cabins port hull, 1 large master cabin to stbd.. way superior to the 4 cabin shoehorn.
The 380 to my mind is the best Lagoon ever made and can handle the Med comfortably and is well capable of taking you across the Atlantic and S Pacific safely.
They are capable of a fair turn of speed and I have had 11kts for prolonged periods under reefed sail and steady speeds of 9kts down wind with just an asymetric ..
Owners of larger Lagoons will argue otherwise.. but then they would, few will slag off their own boats..

https://uk.boats.com/sailing-boats/2...n-380-8114860/
https://uk.topboats.com/barcos-ocasion/lagoon-380-35

Thanks Boatman, great to get your insight. There seems to be lots of 380’s scattered across the globe which indicates their seaworthiness but it’s good to hear from someone that’s actually sailed one. I think if the opportunity arose we would get an owners version but they are pretty few and far between at the moment it seems.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by bigbluesea

Hi everyone,



This is my first post so I'm requesting you to cut me some slack in advance if I've posted in the wrong place or doubled up or whatever . Anyway basically I'm looking for your kind wisdom, especially if you have first hand experience buying a small cruising catamaran like a lagoon 380 from Greece/Croatia and sailing it around the med. I'll list out the questions but first I'll introduce myself and provide a bit of background.

I sail currently in Greece but have delivered and sailed all over the place

So without further ado, my wife and I are in our early 30's any we have a 1 yr old baby. We're Australian, have done a little bit of sailing before, RYA Offshore Yachtmaster qualified (did a very intense training course in the Caribbean a few years ago with some amazing instructors), and we're looking to cruise for a couple of years starting in the med this year, and maybe cross over to the Caribbean .. probably as part of an Arc rally or something...

Interestingly , how did you build the sea miles necessary for Rya YM ( 3000)

Here's what I'm hoping to get your experiences/thoughts on;


1) What do you think of Lagoon 380's for sailing around the Med with a baby? Do you think it can be done safely? Anything we should consider? Are there better alternatives for similar/lower price?

Make sure you understand the berthing costs of owning a catamaran. Make sure you get a berth. It’s getting very expensive to berth cats in Greece and Croatia

2) If we buy an ex charter yacht from greece or croatia and register it in Australia, how long should we allow for the entire process to be completed? From the offer to actually being able to sail it away.

Allow about 2 months depending on registration delays.

3) Our budget is 180K USD for the boat, plus about 80K to keep us going over 2 years. We don't want a monohull. It's not much but how do we make this happen? Solutions please

That’s plenty of money , we spend about 15,000 euros per year on direct living expenses in Greece

4) Have any Australians actually ever bothered to get the visa with Italy/Spain/France under the separate arrangements where you can travel there and they don't count it as Schengen? Can you arrange this while in Europe or do you need to be in Australia to organise it? Or is it easier just to do the Schengen shuffle?

In practice to get long term visas you have to establish residency , that’s not what you want

There isn’t a Schengen shuffle , it’s 90 days on followed by 90 days out ( rolling days out of 180 ) best plan on that. It will limit you to 3 months in the EU with a considerable gap.

5) Has anyone used a buyers broker/agent in Greece ir Croatia.. do you recommend it? If so got any good recommendations for Lefkas or Athens, or Split, or Dubrovnik areas?

I’m in lefkas , pm me

6) For lagoon 380's specifically.. would you take one across the Atlantic?





Those are my questions so far.. I have plenty more but I'll start with those.



Would really appreciate any advice/tips/personal experiences.

[Tetepare]

I’m with Boatman61, the 380s2 is the best design. It’s as perfect as can be. I’d be more than happy with one in the Med. Not sure I’d really enjoy the Med in winter.

Anything can cross the Atlantic at the right time and with the right crew. Keep in mind “stuff happens” so the question is if the crew can handle unexpected crises.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

I’m with Boatman61, the 380s2 is the best design. It’s as perfect as can be. I’d be more than happy with one in the Med. Not sure I’d really enjoy the Med in winter.

Anything can cross the Atlantic at the right time and with the right crew. Keep in mind “stuff happens” so the question is if the crew can handle unexpected crises.

winter med in a nice marina near a small town is very pleasant, there's usually a liveaboard community and often a great buzz with events being organised etc ( if you like that sort of thing )

[bigbluesea]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

I sail currently in Greece but have delivered and sailed all over the place

Interestingly , how did you build the sea miles necessary for Rya YM ( 3000)


Make sure you understand the berthing costs of owning a catamaran. Make sure you get a berth. It’s getting very expensive to berth cats in Greece and Croatia



Allow about 2 months depending on registration delays.



That’s plenty of money , we spend about 15,000 euros per year on direct living expenses in Greece



In practice to get long term visas you have to establish residency , that’s not what you want

There isn’t a Schengen shuffle , it’s 90 days on followed by 90 days out ( rolling days out of 180 ) best plan on that. It will limit you to 3 months in the EU with a considerable gap.



I’m in lefkas , pm me

Thanks for your responses goboatingnow, really appreciate it! To answer your question regarding the miles, we basically sailed all day everyday up down and around the islands with a few long trips here and there and some theory days mixed in. Was actually a great way to see the lesser Antilles.

I had a look at the berthing rates at lefkas and preveza, does seem expensive so we'll make sure we have a good anchor and try to limit the time we're on the dock... at least for the peak season

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by bigbluesea

Thanks for your responses goboatingnow, really appreciate it! To answer your question regarding the miles, we basically sailed all day everyday up down and around the islands with a few long trips here and there and some theory days mixed in. Was actually a great way to see the lesser Antilles.

I had a look at the berthing rates at lefkas and preveza, does seem expensive so we'll make sure we have a good anchor and try to limit the time we're on the dock... at least for the peak season

Yes marinas are few in the Ionian and pricey due to significant demand

[Adelie]

Welcome.

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

Finally, a Lagoon 380 is not a small catamaran. It's small compared to most people's shoreside living arrangements, but it a boat on the large end of midsize.

[bigbluesea]

Originally Posted by Adelie

Welcome.

I would suggest updating your profile with your general location and your boat make & model or “Looking” in the "Boat" category. This info shows up under your UserName in every post in the web view. Many questions are boat and/or location dependent and having these tidbits under your UserName saves answering those questions repeatedly. If you need help setting up your profile then click on this link: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3308797

I would happily help more if the link above is not enough.

Finally, a Lagoon 380 is not a small catamaran. It's small compared to most people's shoreside living arrangements, but it a boat on the large end of midsize.

Thanks Adelie, good to get the perspective of an omnipresent moderator.