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Cruising the Med Not that Expensive?

You know how nobody wants to go cruising in the Med anymore because it’s so incredibly expensive? According to Chay, Katie and Jamie McWilliam of the Henderson, Nevada-based Kelly-Peterson 46 Esprit, it doesn’t cost that much more to cruise the Med than anywhere else. They’ve been cruising the world at least half of every year since doing the 20103 Ha-Ha aboard the same boat. This summer they’ve cruised from Turkey to Spain.

Chay McWilliam has found that his family spends about $2,000 a month no matter where they go.

Esprit
© Latitude 38 Media, LLC

"When cruising in the Pacific," writes Chay, "we were able to anchor out more often than we’ve been able to in the Med, but most of the marinas here have charged less than $100/night. At least until the start of high season, when the prices can rise exponentially. For example, we paid 50 euros ($67 USD) at Porto Cervo, Sardinia, on the night of June 30, but when high season rates kicked in on July 1, the next night, it went up to 250 euros ($333 USD) a night. That said, we paid less than $100 USD a night for a slip at Monte Carlo in the high season. The bottom line is that some costs are more, some costs are less, and in the end we seem to spend $2,000 a month regardless of where we are."

Note for future cruising: If you’re on a budget, June 30 is the last day for cheap berth fees in Porto Cervo, Sardinia.

© 2013 Oyster Marine

For what it’s worth, according U.S. Federal guidelines, a family of three living on $19,530 a year, or $1,627 a month, is living in poverty. We’re trying to wrap our heads around the idea that you can cruise a yacht — assuming that you already own her — in the Med for a bit more than what’s considered to be poverty in the 48 contiguous states. And mind you, the McWilliams are not just surviving, they are touring extensively.

For those of you who may be skeptical of this low amount, we’ll remind you that when the late Mike Harker of the Manhattan Beach-based Hunter 49 Wanderer III cruised the Med about five years ago, he reported that he did it on $700 a month, all expenses included. Mike was able to do it because he was thrifty by nature and kept his boat and all her gear in perfect operating condition.

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