Sailing in the Med © Thierry@flickr CC-BY
The south of France has attracted visitors for decades. The Cote d’Azur, the sunshine, the fabulous coastline and of course the wonderful lifestyle has tempted people to move house to this region for a very long time. Many people these days are chartering yachts and cruisers for an idyllic holiday in the Med and the south of France offers them the perfect location to set off from.
The Med is great for sailing and the choice of either a bare boat or a crewed boat, means that even novice sailors can benefit from some serious quality time just lying back and enjoying the adventure of sailing along the coastline or hopping across to islands like Corsica. Many of the charter services in the south of France are real professionals and are more than capable of helping potential customers find the perfect boat for their holidays.
Sailing holiday in the Med © Thierry@flickr CC-BY
The great thing about chartering a boat for a holiday in the Med is that you can enjoy the freedom it gives you to travel around as you please. You don’t have to worry about hiring a car or finding accommodation wherever you happen to go for the day. You can drop anchor where you please, stay somewhere for as long as you like or move on to the next superb location. Exploring the southern shores of France on a boat is a great option for anyone who wants to really have an adventure holiday at sea.
Holiday in the Med © Thierry@flickr CC-BY
A great place to start your adventure is in Nice where there are many yacht charter agencies and they have a superb selection of yachts and motor cruisers available for charter, both crewed or bare boats. Seasoned sailors can benefit from chartering a bare boat and really enjoy the freedom of setting off on an adventure of a lifetime. For the novice sailor, the best option is to charter a crewed boat or a skippered one, as this means everyone on board can just sit back and enjoy the ride. It also means you can learn all the sailing jargon and sailing techniques during the trip. It also means you would be able to charter a bare boat to go off exploring with friends and families the next time you decide to have a sailing holiday.
Chartering a boat for a holiday in France © Thierry@flickr CC-BY
One thing to remember is that a boat, no matter how big is still a confined space, so you really do need to choose who you decide to go sailing with, making sure you all want to do the same thing at the same time. Another point to take on board when choosing a sailing holiday in the Med, is that some people do get seasick, even when the seas are calm, so seasick tablets are an essential part of the kit you have to take with you. If anyone does get seasick when you are out at sea, the best place for them to be is on deck and watching the horizon, as this is the only thing that will not be moving.
A sailing holiday in the Med is becoming more and more appealing to many travellers who want that little bit more independence when they are on vacation. Planning such a trip is really fun and there are some experts in Nice and other coastal towns who are there ready to help you organise a holiday to remember.