The Italian Lakes
Hi
I am thinking of towing my Fletcher 17 to the Italian Lakes next summer. I am having difficulties finding information on suitable slipways, fuel facilities and the like. Have any of you had experience of doing this? If so do you have any helpful hints or sources of information? Are there any published guides and/or maps etc.? I guess an alternative would be to hire something similar there, so information on that would also be welcome. Thanks. Wilson |
The Italian Lakes
Wilson
I don't know about the Italian lakes but FWIW: We towed a 20' power boat to Spain (Costa Brava) this summer. We did loads of research and tried to prepare for all eventualities but found that it was very different when we got there. Generally everything was a whole lot easier with relaxed attitudes and we saw very little of the 'red tape' we were informed to expect. We stayed on a park that catered for boats and had basic boating facilities except fuel. We found that: Fuel was available at most ports but not always on a Sunday. It obviously cost more than on the road but still less than UK prices. UK, French or Spanish customs were not at all interested in the VAT documents for the boat or in any of the registration papers etc. we carried with us (and went to great lengths to obtain). -Maybe I was just lucky. The cost to take the boat on the ferry was half as much again as the car. My International Certificate for Operation of Pleasure Craft never saw the light of day, neither did my VHF certificate, Insurance or SSR, but there was the occasional port patrol boat that, I suppose, could have asked to see them. UK customs were concerned about stowaways and contraband in the boat on our return and, it would have been very easy for someone to hide under the cover unnoticed as there were plenty of opportunities to do so. I will be more vigilant next time! maybe even take the cover off before boarding the ferry. (VHF etiquette is very different in Spain. The port and marina operators could speak very little English, but we got by with mixed French and phrase book Spanish. VHF use is more akin to citizens band radio. I still wouldn't be without it though.) There are literally hundreds of boat dealers, engineer shops, chandlers etc. New and used spare parts galore, most considerably cheaper than in the UK. Many beaches have dedicated informal boat landing areas, Slipways are available at most 'club nautiques' but short stay/overnight moorings are in short supply. Security seemed low key (virtually nonexistent?) at all that we visited. The weather can and does change very much faster and to greater extremes to that here in the UK. A cloudless sky and slight breeze can turn into an unbelievable hurricane in less than an hour. There is a English spoken weather forecast broadcast on VHF at regular times but the announcement on CH16 is in Spanish and with all the other chatter it is difficult to pick it out. The marinas have the channel and times of these. We picked up a book about cruising along the coast of Spain with quite detailed information on ports harbours slipways and marinas giving some chart info on most. We found this was much more use than the IMRAY chart of the area for our purposes. Whilst wandering along the quayside I noticed a few hire 'companies' and priced hiring a similar boat out there, the cheapest deal was more than 2000 euros per week from a guy at a table on the promenade in L'Estartit. He had a couple of photos of the boat and wanted cash up front! An other slightly more reputable dealer trading from a nearby 'hut' quoted around 3000. Again, only a few photos- you couldn't actually see the boat before booking it. I'm sure that it would be possible to hire a boat but I would imagine a hefty deposit would probably be required and would be suspicious if it wasn't!. Towing was not as straightforward as expected. there was four in the car with luggage for 3 weeks, all the usual holiday gear, and an arsenal of spares, ropes, anchors, extra fuel cans and camping gear etc. We slept in the boat en-route at a caravan site. This was great fun for the kids but you don't get any sleep and, as we discovered on the return journey, its a lot easier in a cheap motel. All this added weight made a considerable difference to the driving. We must have been towing at least 2 tons (single axle trailer) plus luggage with a Discovery. I have often towed the boat a couple of hundred miles a day, and previously towed a caravan for several years across the UK and on the continent. I didn't consider that the towing was going to be an issue but it was a lot more stressful than I had anticipated. Driving on the wrong side of the road from the wrong side of the car with hardly any acceleration, near no rear visibility and greatly increased braking distance at a maximum stable speed of 55 for over 1000 miles with your family is no walk in the park. (My hat is off to the long distance lorry driver) . The standard strap-on towing mirrors are next to useless as they don't stick far enough out to be able to see past the width of the boat from the driving position, and they shake about too much. We made it there and back without any (serious) incidents, narrowly avoiding several detours to the divorce courts. Sorry, I'm going on a bit here. Overall, I would do it again, but I would Take less weight, learn a bit of the language, allow extra travelling time, get door mounted mirrors and not bother with boat spares that I couldn't replace whilst afloat. Shade in the cockpit is however essential as is a sympathetic bank manager! At the risk of ridicule, a few snaps at http://www.lomaxelectrical.btinterne...abrava2003.htm The RYA have some advice about boating abroad www.rya.org.uk Good Luck, let us know how you get on. Steve "Wilson Bolsover" wrote in message ... Hi I am thinking of towing my Fletcher 17 to the Italian Lakes next summer. I am having difficulties finding information on suitable slipways, fuel facilities and the like. Have any of you had experience of doing this? If so do you have any helpful hints or sources of information? Are there any published guides and/or maps etc.? I guess an alternative would be to hire something similar there, so information on that would also be welcome. Thanks. Wilson |
The Italian Lakes
Very many thanks for some very helpful advice Steve. It is encouraging (I
think...) Wilson "lomaxelectrical" wrote in message ... Wilson I don't know about the Italian lakes but FWIW: We towed a 20' power boat to Spain (Costa Brava) this summer. We did loads of research and tried to prepare for all eventualities but found that it was very different when we got there. Generally everything was a whole lot easier with relaxed attitudes and we saw very little of the 'red tape' we were informed to expect. We stayed on a park that catered for boats and had basic boating facilities except fuel. We found that: Fuel was available at most ports but not always on a Sunday. It obviously cost more than on the road but still less than UK prices. UK, French or Spanish customs were not at all interested in the VAT documents for the boat or in any of the registration papers etc. we carried with us (and went to great lengths to obtain). -Maybe I was just lucky. The cost to take the boat on the ferry was half as much again as the car. My International Certificate for Operation of Pleasure Craft never saw the light of day, neither did my VHF certificate, Insurance or SSR, but there was the occasional port patrol boat that, I suppose, could have asked to see them. UK customs were concerned about stowaways and contraband in the boat on our return and, it would have been very easy for someone to hide under the cover unnoticed as there were plenty of opportunities to do so. I will be more vigilant next time! maybe even take the cover off before boarding the ferry. (VHF etiquette is very different in Spain. The port and marina operators could speak very little English, but we got by with mixed French and phrase book Spanish. VHF use is more akin to citizens band radio. I still wouldn't be without it though.) There are literally hundreds of boat dealers, engineer shops, chandlers etc. New and used spare parts galore, most considerably cheaper than in the UK. Many beaches have dedicated informal boat landing areas, Slipways are available at most 'club nautiques' but short stay/overnight moorings are in short supply. Security seemed low key (virtually nonexistent?) at all that we visited. The weather can and does change very much faster and to greater extremes to that here in the UK. A cloudless sky and slight breeze can turn into an unbelievable hurricane in less than an hour. There is a English spoken weather forecast broadcast on VHF at regular times but the announcement on CH16 is in Spanish and with all the other chatter it is difficult to pick it out. The marinas have the channel and times of these. We picked up a book about cruising along the coast of Spain with quite detailed information on ports harbours slipways and marinas giving some chart info on most. We found this was much more use than the IMRAY chart of the area for our purposes. Whilst wandering along the quayside I noticed a few hire 'companies' and priced hiring a similar boat out there, the cheapest deal was more than 2000 euros per week from a guy at a table on the promenade in L'Estartit. He had a couple of photos of the boat and wanted cash up front! An other slightly more reputable dealer trading from a nearby 'hut' quoted around 3000. Again, only a few photos- you couldn't actually see the boat before booking it. I'm sure that it would be possible to hire a boat but I would imagine a hefty deposit would probably be required and would be suspicious if it wasn't!. Towing was not as straightforward as expected. there was four in the car with luggage for 3 weeks, all the usual holiday gear, and an arsenal of spares, ropes, anchors, extra fuel cans and camping gear etc. We slept in the boat en-route at a caravan site. This was great fun for the kids but you don't get any sleep and, as we discovered on the return journey, its a lot easier in a cheap motel. All this added weight made a considerable difference to the driving. We must have been towing at least 2 tons (single axle trailer) plus luggage with a Discovery. I have often towed the boat a couple of hundred miles a day, and previously towed a caravan for several years across the UK and on the continent. I didn't consider that the towing was going to be an issue but it was a lot more stressful than I had anticipated. Driving on the wrong side of the road from the wrong side of the car with hardly any acceleration, near no rear visibility and greatly increased braking distance at a maximum stable speed of 55 for over 1000 miles with your family is no walk in the park. (My hat is off to the long distance lorry driver) . The standard strap-on towing mirrors are next to useless as they don't stick far enough out to be able to see past the width of the boat from the driving position, and they shake about too much. We made it there and back without any (serious) incidents, narrowly avoiding several detours to the divorce courts. Sorry, I'm going on a bit here. Overall, I would do it again, but I would Take less weight, learn a bit of the language, allow extra travelling time, get door mounted mirrors and not bother with boat spares that I couldn't replace whilst afloat. Shade in the cockpit is however essential as is a sympathetic bank manager! At the risk of ridicule, a few snaps at http://www.lomaxelectrical.btinterne...abrava2003.htm The RYA have some advice about boating abroad www.rya.org.uk Good Luck, let us know how you get on. Steve "Wilson Bolsover" wrote in message ... Hi I am thinking of towing my Fletcher 17 to the Italian Lakes next summer. I am having difficulties finding information on suitable slipways, fuel facilities and the like. Have any of you had experience of doing this? If so do you have any helpful hints or sources of information? Are there any published guides and/or maps etc.? I guess an alternative would be to hire something similar there, so information on that would also be welcome. Thanks. Wilson |
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