Med-Mooring in Greece in June

[goboatingnow]

Really don’t fret the Med mooring , zillions of dumb ass charters manage it

Personally I way prefer my own anchor to lazy lines. In Greece the minority of public spaces will have lazy lines.

Currently anchored on the quay wall in mytikas , 50 m out. Nice and quiet just three boats. No charge

[Elcid]

You can choose your time window - usually in the morning there is barely any wind. And around noon it changes direction. At least this was the case in the Lefkada area. So, as a beginner, I would go when there's not much cross-wind (arrive somewhere before 10-11 AM).
If there is wind, you need to do all manoeuvres with a bit of power & speed. In 4 months I never got into trouble, but there were a few instances were it was a bit scary tbh.
There were a lot of charter boats who would arrive in marinas in the evening - and most of the times there were strong winds in the evening. Some of their attempts did not end well.

I understand that arriving in a marina in the morning when you have a 1 week vacation makes zero sense. So I don't know what the solution is then. Imo I'd rather be anchoring and use the dinghy to come ashore than attempt med mooring in strong cross winds.

[Joh.Ghurt]

Originally Posted by capnmatt

Timewise, we would want to spend 2-3 weeks on the boat beginning around June 18 or so and potentially extending into the first week or so of July.

In my opinion you chose the best time to go. You get all the nice weather, the water is already warm but it isn't overrun yet with tourists (though already busy).

Originally Posted by capnmatt

Location-wise we are looking at either the Lefkas/Corfu area in Greece, or mid-to-upper Croatia with a potential run over to Venice. [...] I guess it's a discussion to have with the specific companies.

I wouldn't cram too many destinations into your time, specially if it's your first time in Europe. Croatia and Greece are both wonderful countries with much to discover without having to do too many miles. You don't want to end up like Chinese tourist doing Europe in 7 days: It's Wednesday, so this must be Paris.

A lot of the charm of these countries (at least for me and most other people I know) is from experiencing the life there. (For Greece, try https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057831/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2 )

I find Venice to be largely overrated in Summer. Better go there in early Spring or end of February around the time of the Carnevale. Same for most other cities of Italy with great culture like Rome, Florence etc. Or do it in Autumn.

[nznoeta]

We are in our third season in Greece on our cat and have med moored only a handful of times, we anchor every night and have been to most islands. June should be quiet (but you never know in these COVID times) as the holidays don't start until July and even in the height of the season (July and August) we always manage to find an anchorage. I note our anchorages on an embedded google map in our website www.noeta.nz it might be helpful to you? And lastly, yes to Greece, it is wonderful.

[capnmatt]

Thanks again for all of the tips and advice from everyone. Still thinking Croatia will be a good option for us.

One last question. I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but it sounds like anytime from June through August marinas and moorages can fill up pretty early in the day. What happens if it is getting a bit later in the afternoon and you can't find your spot? In the Caribbean it is usually very easy to find somewhere to drop the hook - worst case it just might be around the corner from where you'd really prefer to be. From what I've read here and other places though it sounds like anchoring is difficult at best in Croatia - and more often not even possible in many locations. I think my biggest stress at this point is not finding a suitable moorage/marina/anchorage and frantically searching for a solution as the sun is hitting the horizon. Does that happen in Croatia or is there usually always SOMEWHERE you can go? Same question for the Ionian in Greece?


Thanks!

[bensolomon]

Originally Posted by capnmatt

This sounds very appealing. I was looking at that as a possibility but figured the charter companies would likely not allow it. I guess though it's really no different than sailing from island nation to island nation in the Caribbean - and probably even more straight forward being that both Croatia and Italy are in the EU.



Did you charter a boat when you did that? If so what company?



Any requirements in terms of customs & immigration or is it just a matter of checking in with the harbour master since they are both EU countries?



One other thing I noticed while looking on Google earth is that most marinas in Venice seem to have mooring posts that a catamaran would not fit between. Would finding a berth for a catamaran potentially be an issue?



Wonder if I could do a one-way from Split to Pula with a side trip to Venice. Dream Yacht Charters has a base in both of those locations and I've done several one-ways with them in the Caribbean.



Thanks,



Matt

Call or email nauticEd. Just came back from a one way Croatia charter booked through them. The whole experience was amazing!

[bensolomon]

Anchoring was easy in Croatia, and finding mooring balls was easy, as well. The important thing was to get moving by 8 am, and get to the Anchorage/balls by 12.

We grabbed a couple restaurant balls, and patronized that establishment. It was fantastic! Only got charged to anchor in the national parks. They were gorgeous!

[Anders]

Originally Posted by capnmatt

Thanks again for all of the tips and advice from everyone. Still thinking Croatia will be a good option for us.

One last question. I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but it sounds like anytime from June through August marinas and moorages can fill up pretty early in the day. What happens if it is getting a bit later in the afternoon and you can't find your spot? In the Caribbean it is usually very easy to find somewhere to drop the hook - worst case it just might be around the corner from where you'd really prefer to be. From what I've read here and other places though it sounds like anchoring is difficult at best in Croatia - and more often not even possible in many locations. I think my biggest stress at this point is not finding a suitable moorage/marina/anchorage and frantically searching for a solution as the sun is hitting the horizon. Does that happen in Croatia or is there usually always SOMEWHERE you can go? Same question for the Ionian in Greece?


Thanks!

Lot's of flotillas in the popular ports in the ionian. They always come in late and the flot leaders has to find space for them.Can be on a different quay, outside the harbour wall or rafted outside. Ask a flot leader if you see one. Wind always drops in the evening and shelter is not needed overnight.

[goboatingnow]

In greece in the Ionian there are zillions of bays and inlets and hideaways. If the popular places are full there are loads of anchorages. Mostly winds overnight are very light to complete calm. In a blow you pick your Anchorage