The Mediterranean, some things you should know.

So like so many before, the boat arrives in the Mediterranean, that´s it, no more searching, paradise is found, all is good, call the office and tell them I won´t be coming in on Monday or maybe ever. For some it really is or was like that.  In order to keep that boating dream alive, here are some things that you may not know about or have considered previously.

Sun ageing

Not just your skin. All manner of things around boats can be aged or damaged by the constant sun. Some things are merely cosmetic and you might just have to learn to live with it, other things are more serious. Some examples;

• Deck caulking, even the best UV protected caulking will be bested by the sun. Try not to use a lot of products on the teak and avoid excessive cleaning, they can accelerate the breakdown of the caulking. Left alone the caulking will last longer, eventually it will dry, this is easier to deal with than when it goes like tar and leaves a gooey mess on anything that touches it.

• Teak, that beautiful exotic hardwood, well, if you insist on keeping it pristine and golden you will be very busy because the sun will turn it lighter in colour.

• Varnished wood, looks beautiful, requires a lot of maintenance.

• Ropes, stitching, covers, really anything fabric will eventually need attention, the sun is quite unforgiving.

• Dark gelcoats, they can be effectively protected with the right products, some people end up painting the hull, lasts much longer.

• Rubber components, windshield wipers, exposed cable insulation, hatch seals, all of these last much less time.
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Feeling cold

What? Yes, you read that correctly. After boating in a hot climate for enough time, your ability to cope with cold or cold weather will decrease. You can spot the non-locals a mile off, when residents are trapesing around in long trousers, jumpers and maybe even jackets, Johnny foreigner is in shorts, sandals and vest tops.

I lived in the UK for more than 20 years and I never felt the cold like being on the coast of Southern Spain in January. Whatever you do, do not throw away those overcoats thinking you´ll never use them again. In the long term, you will see air conditioning as the enemy and curse very time you have visitors from abroad insisting that it´s on and laughing at you wearing a cardigan in August.

Water dependency

At the time of writing, this part of the world is experiencing a drought that has reached a critical level. You will get used to the Mediterranean habit of drinking a lot of water. Right now, a lot of towns are having to have water rationed or even delivered by tankers.

Do not be surprised in periods of low water availability that the marina where you are berthed will prohibit boat washing.

Hard water, aka supercal

The water that arrives to your boat is perfectly drinkable, you will see however, most people buy bottled water or have filtration systems installed, the reason is the hardness of the water. The Calcium content is incredibly high, ruining water heaters, washing machines and dishwashers, leaving stains on your boat after washing etc.

There is not a huge amount you can do about it, especially on a smaller boat. A sensible idea is to install an in line hard water filter to your hose for water tank filling and boat washing. Some boats have water filters on the main output of the tank to the water pump, some are to filter small solids others to clean the water as much as possible of impurities, usually using charcoal.

Raindrops keep falling

“Welcome to the Costa Del Sol, 300 days of sunshine a year” That is what the advertising hoarding used to say in the old terminal of Malaga airport. They neglected to tell you of the torrential rain that falls here. The first time it happened to me, I thought I might have boarded the wrong flight and had some how ended up somewhere during monsoon season. I also never experienced golf ball sized hailstones until living in this part of the world.

Anyone who has been to or lived in the tropics will know what I mean. Before winter weather arrives it is a very good idea to check your bilge pumping systems, deck drains, hatch covers, locker drains including anchor locker, Southern Spain, parts of Italy & Balearic islands to name a few, are capable of receiving a northern European countries annual rainfall in two or three days (it feels like that anyway).

The drainage systems of a lot of municipalities are woefully inadequate for the amount of rain. If you do get caught, do not be surprised by local flooding or road closures.

Med boat prep

Not all boats are good for staying onboard in this part of the world, northern European boats with their beautiful wood and heating systems can get rather warm to say the least. A few mods can make life considerably more comfortable.

Walking the plank - passerelle

The Mediterranean does not really have tides, even on the largest of spring tides the most you can expect is a little of a metre, the further east you travel the less it becomes, the port of Almeria on the Spanish coast usually is one of the last to have an official tide table published.

Because of this lack of tides, a lot of the ports have fixed docks, made of concrete, Puerto Banus in Marbella, Gibraltar and part of Benalmadena do have floating docks that rise and fall with tides, but they are exceptions. To compensate for the difference in height of the boat and dock, you will need a passerelle, a walkway from the dock to the boat.

Pasarelles come in manual and automated types, they range from fully hidden hydraulic ones that emerge from a flap on the transom of the boat to manual folding types, the can be made from wood, metal or even carbon fibre, I have even seem some made from planks of scrap wood and cheap ladders. Some feel as sturdy as suspension bridges, others like a mechanical bull at the fair. Please see next section on another reason for needing a passerelle.

Med Mooring

You may have heard this term before, it means mooring the boat in a berth either stern to or bows to the dock, there are very few alongside berths in the Mediterranean. Mediterranean style mooring

This is the low speed maneuver that causes more stress, angst and arguments that any other, mostly because if you are not used to it, it does not get taught elsewhere, it is almost unique to the this part of the world.

The boat is held to the dock with ropes and held off the dock with a deadline, one end is picked up from the dock, the other end is attached to the seabed via a chain, in some cases from very large boats or very small ports, you drop anchor and back up towards the dock.

Naturally things get worse as the number of onlookers increases, you could be on your own and moor a large boat in high wind like a boss, just one tourist has to look casually in your direction and it will all start going wrong.

I think Med style mooring singlehandedly keeps the bow thruster industry in business! Fitting a bow thruster post production

Here is a video from the incredibly well respected Jon Mendez giving some pointers on bringing your boat down to the Mediterranean.

Fouled up

The Mediterranean for some reason seems to be a zone that suffers with remarkable levels of growth on the hull of the boat. Leave a boat in the water with no antifouling paint and within 4  to 6 weeks maximum it will have a very noticeable layer. With each change in legislation comes a circular from the antifouling paint manufacturer informing boatyards of the changes.

Whereas before you could probably arrange for a yearly haulout, bottom clean and repaint, I would say now that ten months is more the norm. There are some more specialized high copper content paints available and these are the best by a nautical mile at resisting growth and can easily extend the scheduled yard visit to a year, some of these paints do not require a recoat for many years. Antifouling, what you need to know.

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