I have to say that you are extremely nice and I love to listen all your comments, so outstandingly British in the nicest way. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and experiences. Much love from Italy!
Hi Michael, While other YT creators do everything to rise to the stars, you are humble and do the opposite at the end of the video, a pleasant twist compared to the mainstream. I look forward to the next episode. Cheers.
I sort of feel that if people are finding them interesting and or entertaining they will want to watch more - I try to do a subscribe reminder rather than plea,,, Really pleased you are liking the Med series...
Just found your channel & must take the time to congratulate you on the valuable information given in your videos. It is highly appreciated. fair wind and following seas to you sir.
Many thanks sir, for your exemplary detailed informations you provide us all, we love the Med and cruising its beautiful ports is always a great joy and leaves non forgettable memories , hence your vital tips and tricks , do help us avoid trouble places and also enjoy others at it fullest, you are the best SIR, look forward to seeing your next Vids.
Really pleased you like the videos -... I normally try to present places as I see them - from my own experiences - I will follow your suggestions - thank you
Greatly appreciated this segment. For me, the closest port is Puerto Banus. Of all the options, I’m inclined to choose between Estepona and the fishing marina of Marbella. For me living in San Pedro, it is a similar distance to both.
@@SailingGently I think so… it’s also the Marbella fishing port where I used to take morning walks and dream of getting a sailing boat. Thus, all seems to lead for me to berth there! Next step is to figure out courses and get some training done. I’ve found marbella sailing school and this looks like a good option.
@@jamieopulence I think doing a dinghy sailing course first is the best way Jamie - unless you have already done this.. Once you can sail a dinghy you can sail anything...
Wonderfully presented series with fantastic detail, I know a couple of these marinas and your spot on with your assessments of them. I love the comment from Gav Mackenzie that Micheal Briant could be the David Attenborough of the sailing world and I couldn't agree more ... Stay Safe !!
@@SailingGently Sadly I'm just dreaming. Need to get a boat first. Torn between sailing and worldwide mobility and settling down in a narrow boat. But your videos really help with that.
Hi Michael. Great video as usual. Looking forward to the next one, i'm hoping you'll mention Motril! I lived there for 2 years but didn't have a boat back then. I do have one now, and we are gently making our way from Les Sables d'Olonne to the Med, and hope to stop by Motril to see some friends. Curious about your opinion of it, if yuo have been there. thanks for all the great info!
Raf hi, Pleased you enjoyed it - I lived in La Rochelle for a long time and visited Sables d'Olonne frequently.. The yacht club at Bayonne is very welcoming when you do the jump to Spain... I will indeed mention Motril in the next one - once I sit down to start writing it - Living in southern Spain is good!
@@SailingGently we stayed in Baiona about a week, and it was indeed excellent, and super welcoming. we are currently in Porto, enjoying the neighborhood. we'll probably leave in 2 or 3 weeks and our next stop is Nazare - we are thinking of spending however much time is needed to wait for the huge waves... I saw it many times on youtube videos, I now fancy seeing it from the viewpoint near the lighthouse!
You are a delight to listen too Michael. Very good information on a topic that is high on my list. I am going to have a look at some old your books. Thank you.
Hugh I am so pleased the video was useful - back in the day I found it difficult to find out about these places but RUclips and google have changed that!!!
Excellent video Michael. If you do not get Part 3 out before Christmas, wishing you a happy relaxing time wherever you might be, thought you were off to the Caribbean? Many thanks
Thanks for your video! Very interesting - I have to admit this was a part of Andalucia I avoided when I lived there (prefered to explore the less touristy parts :-)!)
Glad you enjoyed it Tom. I lived in Ronda for a long time and that was very different - tourists by the thousands and mainly North Korean - apparently there is a TV series there featuring the bridge
@@SailingGently Ah yes Rohda can be very touristy too, spectacular place though! I took my parents there and stayed at the Parador with the swiming pool at the top of the cliff and a view of the bridge (only in a dictatorship would you get to build a holel there :-)!) Surprisingly not that expensive at the time- good memories!
@@tomriley5790 I lived in the old town 100 yards from the Parador... Lovely town and even today the cost of living in Spain is considerably less than in France or the UK. Spanish hotels are superb value for money.
Howdy! Have been watching all your videos so far. Thought it was time for a comment. Your knowledge is amazing, video editing and story telling skills are in world class. I have never sailed outside Norway and your videos really encourages me to go on a longer trip. I have a dream of sailing to the Caribbean a some point. But the Mediterranean sound like a good place to start. I have a 1986 31feet Moody, but I think it will be big enough for my journey. Keep up the good work!
Hello Icewolfen - thank you for the kind words - I started with 4 years in the Med as far as Turkey - which is lovely - then got bored and headed out for the Caribbean. I think Moodys are excellent boats - sail well with amazing accommodation for the LOA - and absolutely fine for a passage to the Med and cruising there... And across the Atlantic - lots of smaller boats have made this passage.. Fair winds
As excellent as ever, Michael, do you have any experiences you could share of sailing around the Greek islands?? I’d love to see your opinion’s of sailing Greece in general.
@@SailingGently we've a house not far from there and would be ideal for us when we eventually find the boat we want and need stop off points on the way back to ireland so itll be fuengirola or benalmadena for us. Enjoy the winter weather and looking forward to the next video
@@cilldublin07 I lived in Ronda and had the boat in Gib and never minded the drive... we went down to the boat more often and stayed longer - it is a sort of 2nd home
Are there any free and fully wind-protected anchorages in Southern France, Liguria or Balearic where one could leave the boat unattended during the winter?
These 3 are some of the most expensive and heavily boat populated areas in the Med. Big gales in winter... A marina which has cheap winter rates nearby is Almirimar - Spain
@SailingGently That's true, hence my question. So far, I have I've come across people suggesting that Cala Teulera (Menorca) and Le Grazie (La Spezia) to be absolutely wind-safe and free anchorages. Do you know these places? Do you know of other similar anchorages?
@@MrMediterrano Your outside my comfort zone. I don't know of any anchorage in the world where it is safe to leave a small boat anchored all winter un-attended! There are major gales in the med and 'swell' can get into any anchorage. No anchorage in the world is absolutely wind-safe! Depends where the centre of the depression is! To leave a boat unattended is asking for trouble - depending on the value of the boat - But to address your question I suspect in the Balearics the authorities might not be impressed...
A bit misleading about de club de nautical,s I lived along the costas and sailed on Spanish boats in the local regatta scenes , being the only brit and at the beginning not speaking Spanish, the welcome from all was welcoming , I will say at a 4oyal status yc in the UK your comments are justified, I have been to all the marinas you have talked about to date , marbella the issue never any wind . Dress code maybe just smarter in general I agree . At all the regattas they were normally sponsored And food and drink incl . And free clothing well polo shirts .
David thank you for your comments. I belonged to Port Balis Yacht club and spent time in the Bayona Yacht Club plus visiting Motril a couple of time not to mention Cartagena and all you say is correct - really nice people and mainly I have always been treated with courtesy. They are none the less, in my opinion, somewhat elitist and you need money to to become a full member. The big difference between UK yacht clubs where basically the sole activity is connected with boats - Spanish clubs are orientated towards swimming, golf, tennis and other activities, many very family orientated.. It is a club for middle class families with a range of good facilites. Not exclusively boating. Nothing wrong with them at all, excellent institutions but perhaps not for the average sailing Brit - Didn't intend to bad mouth them rather call it as I see it...
@@SailingGently that may be because st.tropez few miles away has taken up the preferred stop for the Millon dollar yachts so the designer malls are in st Tropez.the Spanish set is all in one place.
David I don't think so... You use up the 90/180 day and then need to spend 90 days out to restart the clock - I think I got it wrong in the first Med video - but using a Schengen calculator it appears 90/180 then 90 days out is correct - I think!
The rule is 90 days in 180, you can break it up however you want but if you spend 90 days there you'll unfortunately need to spend 90 days out before going back in. You could do alternate months if you liked. Basically you can alternate whatever amount of time you like. The other alternative is one way or another get a longer term visa or residency/passport from any schengen country (Irish citizenship is open to anyone with Irish parents/grandparents). If you have residency/a passport you should be fine but if you have a longer term visa but careful as you may need to exit from the same country that gave it to you (I'm sure this may vary but be careful).
You are right Tom - Thank you for the clarification. I do have EU residency - permanent in France so I can spend 365 days there but there are issues if I am out for more than 180... I cannot do more than 90/180 in any other EU country but the problem with Schengen is that when I drive my car out of France into any other country there are no border guards and nowhere to get my passport stamped out or in... Only a problem if I decide to fly to anywhere from a EU country as when I return I cannot get my passport stamped OUT at the Schengen frontier... Still working on that issue
@@SailingGently ah interesting, I could (probably) get an Irish passport (my grandmother was born in Ireland) but I haven't gotten around to it. I'm not sure if there are any downsides.
I have to say that you are extremely nice and I love to listen all your comments, so outstandingly British in the nicest way. Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts and experiences. Much love from Italy!
Thank you Giovanni, So pleased you find the videos interesting - I adore your country and loved visiting..
I think Michael Briant might be the David Attenborough of sailing videos
Thank you Gav - Mr Attenborough is pretty amazing and I love his shows
@@SailingGently an accolade which I don’t use lightly. Love the videos , let’s have more!
@@gavmackenzie Couldn’t agree more!
The correllory is understandable but given DA perverse eugenics stance, unworthy of an association with our kind host.
@@we-can-do Get over yourself.
Hi Michael,
While other YT creators do everything to rise to the stars, you are humble and do the opposite at the end of the video, a pleasant twist compared to the mainstream. I look forward to the next episode. Cheers.
I sort of feel that if people are finding them interesting and or entertaining they will want to watch more - I try to do a subscribe reminder rather than plea,,, Really pleased you are liking the Med series...
Excellent. Stuffed full of detail.
Glad you liked it Nick - Thank you
Thank you Michael. Excellent info👍🏻
Glad it was helpful Paul. Thank you for watching
Very good! All the things that matter, efficiently presented. TY!
Glad it was helpful David,,, Thanks' for watching
Much appreciated videos!!!! Thank you very much.
Glad you like them Shane and find them useful
Thanks Michael. Excellent and informative as always 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
Glad you enjoyed it - thank you for watching
Just found your channel & must take the time to congratulate you on the valuable information given in your videos. It is highly appreciated. fair wind and following seas to you sir.
Thank you so much Bernard. So pleased you like them!
Fantastic as usual, weve watched all your videos now. Thank you for your insight.
Josh thank you - really pleased you find them helpful
Interesting & informative, thank you.
Glad it was helpful! I was not too sure how interesting these videos would be so it's good to get feedback. Thank you
Many thanks sir, for your exemplary detailed informations you provide us all, we love the Med and cruising its beautiful ports is always a great joy and leaves non forgettable memories , hence your vital tips and tricks , do help us avoid trouble places and also enjoy others at it fullest, you are the best SIR, look forward to seeing your next Vids.
Really pleased you like the videos -... I normally try to present places as I see them - from my own experiences - I will follow your suggestions - thank you
Loved these 3 videos. Thanks much. Will you cover Greece and Croatia?
That's the plan Tim - Not sure I will do those areas in such detail but will certainly cover other parts of the Med
Thank you Michael.👍
My pleasure Norman - glad you enjoyed it
Greatly appreciated this segment. For me, the closest port is Puerto Banus. Of all the options, I’m inclined to choose between Estepona and the fishing marina of Marbella. For me living in San Pedro, it is a similar distance to both.
thanks Jamie - I was in the Marbella fishing port this morning and it was nicer than I remembered... Parking probably much easier
@@SailingGently I think so… it’s also the Marbella fishing port where I used to take morning walks and dream of getting a sailing boat. Thus, all seems to lead for me to berth there! Next step is to figure out courses and get some training done. I’ve found marbella sailing school and this looks like a good option.
@@jamieopulence I think doing a dinghy sailing course first is the best way Jamie - unless you have already done this.. Once you can sail a dinghy you can sail anything...
Wonderfully presented series with fantastic detail, I know a couple of these marinas and your spot on with your assessments of them. I love the comment from Gav Mackenzie that Micheal Briant could be the David Attenborough of the sailing world and I couldn't agree more ...
Stay Safe !!
Glad you enjoyed it Bob. It's good to hear my impressions of marinas are not unique... i just try to say what I think about them
Thanks Michael. Plenty of places I would avoid, no touristy stuff for me.
Really helpful.
Pleasure Kev - There are less full on places coming up in Ep 3 onwards. Glad it's helpful
@@SailingGently Sadly I'm just dreaming. Need to get a boat first. Torn between sailing and worldwide mobility and settling down in a narrow boat. But your videos really help with that.
@@kevgermany The narrow boat makes economic sense - I love the French Canals but far away places with strange sounding names....
@@SailingGently you, the old seadog and Tom Cunliffe are luring me away from David Johns. Hmm. I'll finish my campervan and make a decision then.
Great advice and info. Everything but the boat now.
I remember the feeling well Steve... A RN officer friend gave me great advice - just get a boat... Worked for me - and it was a credit job but...
Thank you Michael
Glad it was useful Finbarr
what a lovely video
Thank you
thank you Trade Wind - so pleased you enjoyed it
Hi Michael. Great video as usual. Looking forward to the next one, i'm hoping you'll mention Motril! I lived there for 2 years but didn't have a boat back then. I do have one now, and we are gently making our way from Les Sables d'Olonne to the Med, and hope to stop by Motril to see some friends. Curious about your opinion of it, if yuo have been there. thanks for all the great info!
Raf hi, Pleased you enjoyed it - I lived in La Rochelle for a long time and visited Sables d'Olonne frequently.. The yacht club at Bayonne is very welcoming when you do the jump to Spain... I will indeed mention Motril in the next one - once I sit down to start writing it - Living in southern Spain is good!
@@SailingGently we stayed in Baiona about a week, and it was indeed excellent, and super welcoming. we are currently in Porto, enjoying the neighborhood. we'll probably leave in 2 or 3 weeks and our next stop is Nazare - we are thinking of spending however much time is needed to wait for the huge waves... I saw it many times on youtube videos, I now fancy seeing it from the viewpoint near the lighthouse!
@@raflanz6770 Your doing really well.. Well done Raf - Enjoy Porto - and enjoy looking at rater than being in big waves...
Really good, thank you👏🏻
No problem - glad you found it interesting MK
You are a delight to listen too Michael. Very good information on a topic that is high on my list. I am going to have a look at some old your books.
Thank you.
Hugh I am so pleased the video was useful - back in the day I found it difficult to find out about these places but RUclips and google have changed that!!!
Excellent video Michael.
If you do not get Part 3 out before Christmas, wishing you a happy relaxing time wherever you might be, thought you were off to the Caribbean? Many thanks
Thank you, Russ and seasons greetings to you... Both shipping companies cancelled so I am wintering in Spain
Thanks for your video! Very interesting - I have to admit this was a part of Andalucia I avoided when I lived there (prefered to explore the less touristy parts :-)!)
Glad you enjoyed it Tom. I lived in Ronda for a long time and that was very different - tourists by the thousands and mainly North Korean - apparently there is a TV series there featuring the bridge
@@SailingGently Ah yes Rohda can be very touristy too, spectacular place though! I took my parents there and stayed at the Parador with the swiming pool at the top of the cliff and a view of the bridge (only in a dictatorship would you get to build a holel there :-)!) Surprisingly not that expensive at the time- good memories!
@@tomriley5790 I lived in the old town 100 yards from the Parador... Lovely town and even today the cost of living in
Spain is considerably less than in France or the UK. Spanish hotels are superb value for money.
Thank you.
My pleasure - glad you liked it
Howdy! Have been watching all your videos so far. Thought it was time for a comment. Your knowledge is amazing, video editing and story telling skills are in world class. I have never sailed outside Norway and your videos really encourages me to go on a longer trip. I have a dream of sailing to the Caribbean a some point. But the Mediterranean sound like a good place to start. I have a 1986 31feet Moody, but I think it will be big enough for my journey. Keep up the good work!
Hello Icewolfen - thank you for the kind words - I started with 4 years in the Med as far as Turkey - which is lovely - then got bored and headed out for the Caribbean. I think Moodys are excellent boats - sail well with amazing accommodation for the LOA - and absolutely fine for a passage to the Med and cruising there... And across the Atlantic - lots of smaller boats have made this passage..
Fair winds
Thank you
You're welcome Brennig. Glad you liked it
As excellent as ever, Michael, do you have any experiences you could share of sailing around the Greek islands?? I’d love to see your opinion’s of sailing Greece in general.
Glad you liked it - Good suggestion thank you... Will probably try to do a bit of Greece and Turkey
thanks for sharing so informative. i will be buying your books
Glad you like the video Jamie - thank you for watching.
Cabopino is very shallow about 1.5 meters and the entry is dodgy especially in a strong westerly. Does have some nice bars and restaurants
Cillian hi, Thank you for confirming what I suspected... Pretty place but not really a place to keep a sail boat permanently
@@SailingGently we've a house not far from there and would be ideal for us when we eventually find the boat we want and need stop off points on the way back to ireland so itll be fuengirola or benalmadena for us. Enjoy the winter weather and looking forward to the next video
@@cilldublin07 I lived in Ronda and had the boat in Gib and never minded the drive... we went down to the boat more often and stayed longer - it is a sort of 2nd home
Are there any free and fully wind-protected anchorages in Southern France, Liguria or Balearic where one could leave the boat unattended during the winter?
These 3 are some of the most expensive and heavily boat populated areas in the Med. Big gales in winter... A marina which has cheap winter rates nearby is Almirimar - Spain
@SailingGently That's true, hence my question. So far, I have I've come across people suggesting that Cala Teulera (Menorca) and Le Grazie (La Spezia) to be absolutely wind-safe and free anchorages.
Do you know these places?
Do you know of other similar anchorages?
@@MrMediterrano Your outside my comfort zone.
I don't know of any anchorage in the world where it is safe to leave a small boat anchored all winter un-attended!
There are major gales in the med and 'swell' can get into any anchorage. No anchorage in the world is absolutely wind-safe! Depends where the centre of the depression is!
To leave a boat unattended is asking for trouble - depending on the value of the boat - But to address your question I suspect in the Balearics the authorities might not be impressed...
❤
Thank you Rory
A bit misleading about de club de nautical,s I lived along the costas and sailed on Spanish boats in the local regatta scenes , being the only brit and at the beginning not speaking Spanish, the welcome from all was welcoming , I will say at a 4oyal status yc in the UK your comments are justified,
I have been to all the marinas you have talked about to date , marbella the issue never any wind .
Dress code maybe just smarter in general I agree . At all the regattas they were normally sponsored
And food and drink incl . And free clothing well polo shirts .
David thank you for your comments. I belonged to Port Balis Yacht club and spent time in the Bayona Yacht Club plus visiting Motril a couple of time not to mention Cartagena and all you say is correct - really nice people and mainly I have always been treated with courtesy. They are none the less, in my opinion, somewhat elitist and you need money to to become a full member. The big difference between UK yacht clubs where basically the sole activity is connected with boats - Spanish clubs are orientated towards swimming, golf, tennis and other activities, many very family orientated.. It is a club for middle class families with a range of good facilites. Not exclusively boating. Nothing wrong with them at all, excellent institutions but perhaps not for the average sailing Brit - Didn't intend to bad mouth them rather call it as I see it...
ben al medena is a lot like fort grimaud close to st tropez.
Your right - but not so elegant I think
@@SailingGently that may be because st.tropez few miles away has taken up the preferred stop for the Millon dollar yachts so the designer malls are in st Tropez.the Spanish set is all in one place.
You got the 90/180 right this time! 😁
Yes Fig thank you... Never going to talk about it again - !!
Are you sure , can't you stay for 90 days , leave for one month and then go back for a month? You can juggle it about , go home August come out Sept,
David I don't think so... You use up the 90/180 day and then need to spend 90 days out to restart the clock - I think I got it wrong in the first Med video - but using a Schengen calculator it appears 90/180 then 90 days out is correct - I think!
The rule is 90 days in 180, you can break it up however you want but if you spend 90 days there you'll unfortunately need to spend 90 days out before going back in. You could do alternate months if you liked. Basically you can alternate whatever amount of time you like. The other alternative is one way or another get a longer term visa or residency/passport from any schengen country (Irish citizenship is open to anyone with Irish parents/grandparents). If you have residency/a passport you should be fine but if you have a longer term visa but careful as you may need to exit from the same country that gave it to you (I'm sure this may vary but be careful).
You are right Tom - Thank you for the clarification. I do have EU residency - permanent in France so I can spend 365 days there but there are issues if I am out for more than 180... I cannot do more than 90/180 in any other EU country but the problem with Schengen is that when I drive my car out of France into any other country there are no border guards and nowhere to get my passport stamped out or in... Only a problem if I decide to fly to anywhere from a EU country as when I return I cannot get my passport stamped OUT at the Schengen frontier... Still working on that issue
@@SailingGently ah interesting, I could (probably) get an Irish passport (my grandmother was born in Ireland) but I haven't gotten around to it. I'm not sure if there are any downsides.
@@tomriley5790 It appears you can have both an Irish and UK passports at the same time so I think it would be worth pursuing