Defining your mission on the Med: day trips, island hopping or extended cruising

Start with a normal day on the water

Think about the last three times you wished you were at sea. Who came along? How long did you stay? How far did you go? Write the answers down. That is your mission, and every later choice follows from it: size, layout, engines and budget.

Three missions cover most owners

• Day trips. You are back in your berth by evening. A quiet cove, a swim, lunch at anchor. An open or walkaround boat of 30 to 40 ft does this well and is simple to run.
• Island hopping. Weekends and weeks around Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza. The crossing from Barcelona is roughly 110 to 150 nautical miles, so you want shade, comfortable cabins and a hull that handles a long swell.
• Extended cruising. Weeks away along the south of France, Italy or Sardinia. You need tankage, spare capacity in the systems and room to live aboard for days.

Be honest about three numbers

• How many days a year you will really use the boat.
• How many people come on a normal trip, and how many sleep aboard.
• The longest passage you will make in one day.

Most boats are bought for the big trip and used for the small one. If you will spend 20 days a year at sea, a smaller boat you take out often beats a bigger one that stays in its berth.

What to do next

Bring your answers to a broker before you start browsing listings. We turn them into a short list of boats and tell you what each one costs to own.