jfm
regular
Reged: 16/05/2001
Posts: 7818
Loc: London/Antibes
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I just got my annual papers from Antibes Port and they included a flyer advertising a new visitor berth booking system for mediterannean France and Italy (French border to Genoa only). Looks quite good. www.resaports.com. According to the papers they sent, this is a business/service run by the local chambers of commerce and the union/club of the med marinas, so it is not a third party/intermediary business.
It seems only to do short term/next few days reservations. You can't book 2 weeks in August on it now.
Seems a good idea and i hope it works. If anyone has any success with it please report back!
(Edit: When registering you have to enter/select your country as Royaume Uni if you are UK)
Edited by jfm (19/06/2008 11:03)
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Nick_H
regular
Reged: 20/04/2004
Posts: 3002
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It was running last year as well. In July and August it just confirms every day that you can't get a berth anywhere on the Cote, which I already knew. It does show a small number of berths available now, we booked into Beaulieu last week with it. It's always the same places, which makes me think some marinas register their available berths, but most don't bother.
Hopefully it will be one of those things that develops over time, and more and more places will start to use it. Somehow though, I think there's too many vested interests in leaving it the way it runs now, where the charter boats can get priority by paying backhanders to the Capitanerie's, so everyone's happy except us private boaters.
I'm going a different way and trying to make the boat as good as possible at anchor, by making up stabilisers, using the kedge where poss, curing any creaks, and I already have oversize anchor, lots of chain, and a good tender for runs to shore. I think my next boat will have aft cabin as well, the T46 was fab at anchor 'cos we had no wave noise in the back cabin.
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jfm
regular
Reged: 16/05/2001
Posts: 7818
Loc: London/Antibes
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Ah, thanks, I must have missed it last year. Yeah, I sort of suspected that many marinas just wont bother to upload their available berth data. Sounds like you need a big Trader or something?
Also what's happening in SoF this weekend? (You're still down there, right?) I tried to book my weekend flights yesterday, as usual, but there was zero availability London-Nice on Easyjet on Friday and I had to book saturday morning instead at £450 or something for the return BA was £707 one way for the late Friday flight. Is it just cos the sun has come out?
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mikef
regular
Reged: 16/05/2001
Posts: 9304
Loc: chesham, bucks and palma,major...
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Quote:
'cos we had no wave noise in the back cabin
Heh, heh, you're finding that too. It drives me crazy when we're at anchor overnight. Even a skinful of vino and some wax earplugs don't work for me
I don't know what the going rate for backhanders is now in SoF but €25 worked berthing miracles in 2003 when we there
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Poweryacht
regular
Reged: 21/05/2007
Posts: 1363
Loc: Malta - Med Sea
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Quote:
Quote:
'cos we had no wave noise in the back cabin
Heh, heh, you're finding that too. It drives me crazy when we're at anchor overnight. Even a skinful of vino and some wax earplugs don't work for me
I don't know what the going rate for backhanders is now in SoF but €25 worked berthing miracles in 2003 when we there
did you ever try with the rope and rubbber suspension on the chain on the bow, it usually works fine
I suggested the idea to a few friends and they where all very happy about it, to be honest a guy also convinced himself to keep his Ferretti 53 in change for an Azimut 55, pity I lost a sale on this
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Poweryacht
regular
Reged: 21/05/2007
Posts: 1363
Loc: Malta - Med Sea
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bTW
did anyone try this online berth booking PortBooker
http://www.portbooker.com/
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Nick_H
regular
Reged: 20/04/2004
Posts: 3002
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Not aware of anything special in SoF this weekend, but we've been trying to get a nanny/stewardess for the summer, and a couple we've seen have said that lots of early season charters were cancelled due to the bad weather, so maybe everyone's heading down now the weathers changed? Having said that my flight with BMI for a week on saturday was £5.99, so its probably just rip off BA.
We're in Port Grimaud at the mo', what an amazing place, its like a combined Venice/Provencal France theme park. You have to admire the efforts of the developers, even staggering all the roof lines to make it look like each house has been built seperately. A bit different to the formulaic marina developments in the UK. Off to the Porquerolles tomorrow, weather looks good for the next few days.
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Nick_H
regular
Reged: 20/04/2004
Posts: 3002
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I don't know, I never feel comfortable offering it in case they get really offended at me questioning their honesty! I think i've still got a bit to learn about the SoF. Somewhat different I know, but through a contact I'm trying to get a trackside berth for the Monaco GP next year, and the unnoficial booking fee is more than my annual berthing was in 2003!
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jfm
regular
Reged: 16/05/2001
Posts: 7818
Loc: London/Antibes
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I always give them the money after they've given me the berth. 25-40, depending. They take note and next time you want a berth you are on the A list. I dont offer the tip upfront as a condition of getting the berth, unless visiting the capitainerie in person
Will be interested to hear what happens ref Monaco. I did arrange a big boat berth in 2006 but did it through "other channels". I got the invoice and it was staggering! You would most likely be put on the south side of the port through the normal channels not trackside. The trackside berths that would suit your boat size (in the NW corner, near Tabac corner, and south of there coming down to the swimming pool) are VERY hard to get. Great stuff if you have a contact who can get one though!
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Nick_H
regular
Reged: 20/04/2004
Posts: 3002
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I'm definitely talking trackside, NW side as you say. F used to run charters there every year on her classic Beneteau, including Sylvester Stallone (who apparently just threw up the whole time as there was a swell coming into the port). It's not guaranteed by any means, but she's on the case.
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