France - Corsica

Posted elsewhere on the site by Jim Norris:

We are in Malta on the way from Greece to the French canals.
We went to the French embassy here to see about long term visas for France. Here is the official email answer.

Concerning your question about Schengen Visas:
- Further to the French-Canadian Agreements on 06-17 April 1950, all Canadian nationals are allowed to stay in France during 3 months without any Visa, independently of previous stays already done in other countries of Schengen area.
Martine RIGAUD-BUSUTTIL
Service Consulaire/ VISAS
AMBASSADE de FRANCE
130 Melita Street
VALLETTA VLT 1123
TEL (00356) 2248 0600

So it appears us Canuks at least can get 180 days (actually more as it says 3 months).

As newcomer to Noonsite I would like to add up to ports & good sailing ground the area around Port Vendres, where the Pyrenees mountains drop into the Mediterranean; Sun, Wind,& wild scenery as well as Good way of life (food, hiking, anchorages ...). In addition one port? Canet en Roussillon (1300 berths, quays for repairs) with outstanding facilities for drydocking & repairs, with lifts from 30 to 200 Tons capacity (monohulls as well as catamarans) & loads of workshops & suppliers for all work related to sailing. The proximity of the city of Perpignan with even more industrial capacity helps keep prices low (not cut-throat as often encountered with Shipchandlers). I warmly recommend the services & will happily help out if wishing for more information.
SV Désirade VIII - soon (9/11/2017) to cast off to South Atlantic.

For anyone who plans to travel through the inland waterways from or to the Mediterranean, you can download the e-pilot we wrote about our route from Amsterdam to the Med in 2015, updated with info from fellow cruisers we launched version 2.0 last month. Go to www.e-pilots.net for the latest edition.

Posted on behalf of Mark & Lisa Powell

A warning to non-EU cruisers in the Med.

We would like to pass on our experience yesterday with French customs. As the website correctly states, non-EU registered boats may remain in EU waters for 18 months before payment of VAT is required. We entered the EU last July, after crossing the Atlantic in May and then spending some time in Portugal and “resetting the clock” in Gibraltar in July. Therefore, the boat could stay in the EU until Jan 2017 without paying VAT. However, before returning the US for the winter, we obtained a “Precinto” (6-month customs bond) in Spain. This basically put the boat in bond while we went back to the U.S. for 6 months. Our understanding was that this Precinto would stop the Temporary Importation (TI) clock for 6 months, effectively extending our time to 24 months in EU waters before VAT payment is required.

Yesterday, while motoring along the south coast of France (near Bandol/Toulon), we were approached and boarded by French customs. Because out boat has only been in EU waters for since last July (13.5 months), they were very cordial and we had no problems. We also showed them our Precinto from Spain. They were completely unfamiliar with this document. I also showed them the paragraph in the IMRAY cruising guide describing the customs bond and 6-month extension. In no uncertain terms, they told us that France does not provided such an extensions and that they would not recognize or honor this Precinto from Spain. They kindly suggested that we sail to Tunisia for a day to “reset the clock” before our 18-month deadline in Jan 2017.

Posted on behalf of Alison Spinney, SY ChaliVentures III (USA)
Ports we visited in 2013, EAST COAST: From South to North
Note: We have a 12m boat.

Port Rondinara - JUNE
Stayed here for 6 nights waiting for a Mistral to pass. Good protection, but not from the East! Very crowded with charter boats and flotillas from Sardinia.

Solinzara - JUNE
38€/night. Laundromat and Carrefour just up the street. Lots of restaurants. WIFI!

Port de Taverna/Campoloro - JUNE
37€/night. Just an overnight. There was a small convenience store, But they had WIFI!

Bastia-Port Toga - JUNE
35€/night. We had wanted to go into the vieux port of Bastia, but they were doing some construction and it was very tight maneuvering. Also on the end of the outer breakwater, there were hordes of teenagers, and it just didn’t seem very secure. So we bailed and went into Port Toga instead. They had WIFI. Directly across the street was a FABULOUS Géant Casino. 2 blocks away was a self-serve Laundromat. The girls in the office directed me to a dry cleaner service that cost a fortune which was just across the street from the marina next to the Geant Casino. We LIKED Bastia. It’s pretty small, so things were pretty close.