Seasoned boat tester Duncan Kent chooses the sub-40ft power and sail boats for cruising the sunny–and sometimes fickle–Med
Sailing in the Mediterranean usually means flitting between idyllic anchorages in fickle winds and hot sunshine. Some days there’ll be little or no wind until the sea breeze kicks in late in the afternoon. On others, it could be a howling Mistral lasting two to three days. Fortunately, it is warm and sunny most times, which easily compensates for the few tempestuous intervals.
An ideal sailing boat for the Mediterranean has to be open and airy below, with a large, open cockpit for lounging in as the sun sets.
If you’re planning to take your own boat there then, unlike the poor charterers, you won’t be forced to venture out on the rare stormy days just to make the most of your brief time on the boat. For this reason, I’d probably put comfort before ocean-going ability. Many a night I’ve lain in my bunk in a typical British-built boat with minimal hatches, trying to decide if I could sleep with a noisy fan whirring overhead or simply boil naked with the mozzies dining on me. While I wouldn’t like to cross oceans with a boat with 20 opening portlights, on a hot summer night in Greece it’d be perfect.
The cockpit is a crucial part of any decent Mediterranean boat too, as almost every night you’ll want to cook, dine and sup nightcaps outside. Ideally, it would have easy access to a barbecue, swimming platform and maybe an outside shower too.
20-25ft LOA
Few boat owners choose to sail from the UK to the Mediterranean in a 20-footer, although it’s not unheard of. I once met a man in Majorca who’d sailed his 18ft Swift across Biscay and down the Portuguese coast single-handed. Later, I met a young couple who’d motored their 26ft MacGregor down the French canal system before sailing across to Corsica. Having done similar myself in a 24ft boat I’d definitely choose now to tow a trailer-sailer to the south of France and launch her there instead. It takes planning and knowledge of the French towing regs, but it’s easy if the boat and car are well matched.
The Polish-built Viko S21 is modern, spacious, easy to tow and doesn’t require a crane to rig her on arrival. She can be supplied with either a pivoting centreboard or a deeper lifting keel with a ballast bulb. Though the latter increases stiffness under sail and improves her righting moment, it does make it slightly less easy to load on a trailer. Both feature a swing-up, transom-mou
