How much does it cost?

Often people ask me how much it costs to cruise in the Med. Here is one such question:

"just curious if it made sense for me to have a sailboat parked there as a place for retirement visits instead of hotel rooms - what's the yearly cost of parking in a marina (on anchor vs at a dock?) for a year? what an expected yearly boat upkeep cost e.g. for a size you have (repairs/insurance etc)?"

This is what I answered:

I suppose it depends on how often you are in Europe and which part of Europe you want to visit. It is quite expensive to leave a boat in a marina (Between 1,500 and 4,000 Euros per year on a yearly contract for 10 m boat (depending where - Portugal is cheaper than Italy). This works if your cruising area is relatively small - otherwise you are still paying for marinas as you sail from place to place during the summer.

During high season, marinas will cost you between 15 (Spain) and 100 Euros (Capri, Naples) a night. Anchoring is sometimes possible if you don't go too far inland. Leaving your boat anchored overnight is risky - I wouldn't do it unless someone responsible was on board and I definitely wouldn't do it in winter. The Med is at the same latitude as San Francisco, and the weather is similar in winter - storms move through at regular and frequent intervals. During the summer, sudden and violent storms can come up too, so if you plan to leave the boat to travel inland, a marina is really the only safe place.

As far as insurance and repairs are concerned, you can add another 2-3,000 Euros for those. This of course depends on whether you buy liability only or full insurance and whether you do a lot of your own boat maintenance or hire someone to do it.

Many people buy a time share in a sailboat and so the cost is divided among several people. The only reason to own a boat in my opinion (unless you are very wealthy) is to live aboard for a large part of the year and thus save on rent or rent out your home while you're sailing. I see hundreds of unused boats in marinas everywhere.

I found that Bernard Moitisier, a French sailor, had the best answer to the question of how much it costs to cruise: "It takes as much as you have". Some people do it on a shoestring and others in first class style. Once you taste the lifestyle, you stop worrying about the cost and do whatever it takes to pursue it.

I am available for personal consultations regarding choosing your cruising boat and living aboard. If you are interested in more information, please send your email address through the comment form here or my website contact form.

See you on the water...