Liveaboard a boat in a marina

I got you to question your ability to survive living on a boat in my first blog called “living on a boat“. I will add more detail to the questions I raised in all parts of the blogs later, but for now, I offer further thoughts in this blog I am calling Liveaboard.

Location Location Location

Some say the marketing phrase “location location location” is used to death in the property world. Is it? Your business and home location are critical to success and happiness; moving is never straightforward and can prove financially crippling once you commit to either a mortgage or rental contract.
Not being in the same place forever is perhaps not a consideration if you’re a Liveaboard, slip the lines, and you are off! Indeed this will be one of the factors you will have considered if you’re getting out of the rat race. However, the reality is this; most people don’t move when they find a place they like. Generally speaking, people put down roots and make a living in the local community. So your choice of location is critical in much the same way as if you were buying or renting a conventional home.

Up sticks and moves are always a pain, especially if you are a liveaboard. If you are already liveaboard certain questions about your next location will be running through your mind before you commit. Do I tell the new Marina I am a Liveaboard? Read my comments about registering as a Marina Liveaboard in my first blog Living on a Boat.

If you find a lovely Marina that ticks most of your boxes, then give it a try for a while and learn from your mistakes.

Don’t get a horrible place in the Marina.

A challenge you will have to work on is whereabouts in a Marina are you going to be happy.
A great Marina location is key to your comfort, and you will soon learn where not to be based in a Marina. Unfortunately, a less than perfect location will certainly be the spot that the Marina will first offer you. This position will be the same horrible location for all new boat owners. It is true that busy Marinas only have limited space. They spend a lot of time looking after existing tenants who regularly pay berthing accounts.

Paying on time or in advance for your berthing account is key to the marina operator turning a blind eye if you become a liveaboard. It is undoubtedly the case; nobody wants a scruffy Tennant boat or owner who is always the last to pay his/her Marina bill in the Marina.

If you are moving to a Marina during the summer months, a weather location is not your number one concern. If your choice of Marina is to stay in one that appears to be full, cunning tactics need to be applied to find a perfect location. A full blog will follow on tactics that might help you find an excellent spot for your boat, briefly outlined below.

What has worked for me

A busy marina is hard to get into, or at least that’s what you think. Suppose I told you that I have never been refused a berth in a Marina at any time. I have cruised the Mediterranean and the UK extensively for more than thirty years as a private individual, professional sailing instructor, and in the past twenty-odd years as a yacht broker. I organised a good number of cruise in-company where I arranged berthing for over twenty visiting boats and yachts to stay in Marinas.

The golden rule is not to make it too hard for the individual offering to help and remember, a Marina operator who wants your money will work with you from the start to find a perfect location. A little more local knowledge is needed if you arrange flotilla holidays and you want to raft twenty-odd boats, but one thing I learned. In the Marine world, flexibility and goodwill towards each other seem to be common themes that run through this fantastic industry.

Get in touch

If you are looking to rent a berth in Spain, send us an email. We will be happy to help and advise.
From our perspective, Port Gineata in Barcelona is a perfect location for us. We have sold and continue to rent many berths in our Marina. For us, our ideal location is far enough from Barcelona’s centre so that visiting is a treat. This location also gives us the advantage of being near Sitges Marina, one of the prettiest Marina locations in Mainland Spain on the Costa Garraf about twenty kilometres from Port Ginesta.

Did you ever think about escaping the rat race to go and Liveaboard in Greece or another Mediterranean country? European Yacht Charters might be the key to exploring options.

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