Portugal - by ferry and Road

[JTURNER]

Hi Everyone I hope you’re all well and enjoying new found freedoms as we ease out of lockdown.

We are hoping to take the Boat to Portugal this summer. A bit of searching on the topic indicates a few of you may already have some experience of this.

Our plan is to take the ferry in late July to Santander and then drive to the Algarve. We will hopefully berth in Vilamoura marina for the duration and then return in late August.

It looks like the Marina requires UK registration which I have now applied for, does anyone know how long that takes to come through?

The ferry arrives at 8am in Spain, is Portugal possible in one day straight? Or will we need an overnight on the way (looks an 11hour drive)

Does anyone know of a hotel we can stop off on the way back whilst towing a large 7-8m long trailer (ideally in northern Spain - Valladolid, Salamanca). The ferry is 3pm departure so we will need to break the back of the journey the previous day.

I presume I bring insurance, my ICC, RYA papers, radio license etc, anything else you can think of??

Any guidance you all have would be hugely appreciated and if you think this is a totally mental idea, feel free to say that also ;-)

Best

J

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by JTURNER

Hi Everyone I hope you’re all well and enjoying new found freedoms as we ease out of lockdown.

We are hoping to take the Boat to Portugal this summer. A bit of searching on the topic indicates a few of you may already have some experience of this.

Our plan is to take the ferry in late July to Santander and then drive to the Algarve. We will hopefully berth in Vilamoura marina for the duration and then return in late August.

It looks like the Marina requires UK registration which I have now applied for, does anyone know how long that takes to come through?

The ferry arrives at 8am in Spain, is Portugal possible in one day straight? Or will we need an overnight on the way (looks an 11hour drive)

Does anyone know of a hotel we can stop off on the way back whilst towing a large 7-8m long trailer (ideally in northern Spain - Valladolid, Salamanca). The ferry is 3pm departure so we will need to break the back of the journey the previous day.

I presume I bring insurance, my ICC, RYA papers, radio license etc, anything else you can think of??

Any guidance you all have would be hugely appreciated and if you think this is a totally mental idea, feel free to say that also ;-)

Best

J

Been to Portugal 3 times & can’t wait to get back. Bear in mind we’ve done it with a campervan & had no time pressure. We towed our 5.45 RC on a meaty twin axle trailer. My initial thoughts:-
The Santander route is very expensive & takes 24 hrs (ish)
If your outfit vehicle/trailer exceeds 12m length, you need rear marker boards in Spain & are subject to a maximum speed of 50mph iirc (check this)
You’re going at the hottest time of year.
Portuguese marinas (and the Portuguese people) are very friendly & helpful, Marina prices are a bargain compared to UK, but be prepared to have to crane the boat in, slips are few & far between.
You will need to buy a carnet for the Portuguese motorway, dirt cheap to buy, but penalties steep for not having one.
The Algarve, been there done that, don’t rate it. The Atlantic west coast is much better & fewer Brits eating all day breakfast & watching live premier league on Sky. Sagres is stunning IMO, large sheltered harbour, free launch.
Not been since “The Thing” happened, but took all the usual paperwork. ICC/ship’s & personal radio licences, insurance, SSR, HMRC T2 form, technically not required but there are instances of people being asked for them. They are available free from HMRC & prove that the vessel is VAT paid. This may have changed since “The Thing”.
If your trailer is over 3500kg mgw, it needs registering, I doubt it will be. I also carry copies of original sales invoice & builders certificate.
If I think of anything else I’ll update you.
Salamanca is stunning.

[smallribber]

Sounds very interesting and exciting. Are you planning to post photos/video etc of your trip on here ?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Been to Portugal 3 times & can’t wait to get back. Bear in mind we’ve done it with a campervan & had no time pressure. We towed our 5.45 RC on a meaty twin axle trailer. My initial thoughts:-
The Santander route is very expensive & takes 24 hrs (ish)
If your outfit vehicle/trailer exceeds 12m length, you need rear marker boards in Spain & are subject to a maximum speed of 50mph iirc (check this)
You’re going at the hottest time of year.
Portuguese marinas (and the Portuguese people) are very friendly & helpful, Marina prices are a bargain compared to UK, but be prepared to have to crane the boat in, slips are few & far between.
You will need to buy a carnet for the Portuguese motorway, dirt cheap to buy, but penalties steep for not having one.
The Algarve, been there done that, don’t rate it. The Atlantic west coast is much better & fewer Brits eating all day breakfast & watching live premier league on Sky. Sagres is stunning IMO, large sheltered harbour, free launch.
Not been since “The Thing” happened, but took all the usual paperwork. ICC/ship’s & personal radio licences, insurance, SSR, HMRC T2 form, technically not required but there are instances of people being asked for them. They are available free from HMRC & prove that the vessel is VAT paid. This may have changed since “The Thing”.
If your trailer is over 3500kg mgw, it needs registering, I doubt it will be. I also carry copies of original sales invoice & builders certificate.
If I think of anything else I’ll update you.
Salamanca is stunning.

Ps, I really can’t see it happening this year without having to jump through a sh1t load of Covid related hoops. I’m not even considering it until 2022 when things have settled.

[Limecc]

How do you prove something is vat paid if it was purchased second hand from a private seller? Maybe you've had the boat some years?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Limecc

How do you prove something is vat paid if it was purchased second hand from a private seller? Maybe you've had the boat some years?

Dunno🤷*♂️ maybe contact the original seller/dealer/manufacturer & ask for a copy of the original sales invoice. Tbh HMRC aren’t bothered & would probably issue a T2 for an old bus ticket. You print the form, fill it in & send it to HMRC & they stamp it & return it. It’s a nonsense & even goes against EU rules as it’s not what the form was intended for. It’s basically officials in foreign ports mis-interpreting the EU’s own rules.

[JTURNER]

Thanks for all the guidance and input.

It’s taken a while but I now have the boat properly registered on the small boats register and have a letter from HMRC to confirm VAT paid. I have submitted everything to the marina office (where we plan to berth for duration) so fingers crossed all is in order and we will be good to go.

If anyone has any suggestions on potential stop off locations on the way back through northern spain that I can navigate into for overnight parking with a circa 8m trailer please advise. Not bothered on overall quality or (within reason) price of accommodation the security of the trailer is more important to me.

Thanks as ever

J

[_monkey]

Originally Posted by JTURNER

Thanks for all the guidance and input.

It’s taken a while but I now have the boat properly registered on the small boats register and have a letter from HMRC to confirm VAT paid. I have submitted everything to the marina office (where we plan to berth for duration) so fingers crossed all is in order and we will be good to go.

If anyone has any suggestions on potential stop off locations on the way back through northern spain that I can navigate into for overnight parking with a circa 8m trailer please advise. Not bothered on overall quality or (within reason) price of accommodation the security of the trailer is more important to me.

Thanks as ever

J

How did you het HMRC to confirm VAT status?

[jakew009]

Originally Posted by _monkey

How did you het HMRC to confirm VAT status?

They didn’t, HMRC have no way of confirming a boats VAT status as there is no registry.

In the same way a VAT invoice proves nothing, the person on the invoice could well have been VAT registered and claimed the VAT back or taken it out of the country and lost the VAT status.

The best you can do is try to have a paperwork chain that shows it was always in the hands of private owners and has never left the country for too long.

[JTURNER]

Thanks to Pikey Dave’s guidance, I found that HMRC have a special pleasurecraft division. (you can find via google). I contacted via email them with all relevant docs. They responded stating they don’t issue formal forms anymore but provided me a letter from HMRC to confirm they are happy VAT has been paid based on the information provided (receipts, build docs, delivery schedule etc etc).

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by JTURNER

Thanks to Pikey Dave’s guidance, I found that HMRC have a special pleasurecraft division. (you can find via google). I contacted via email them with all relevant docs. They responded stating they don’t issue formal forms anymore but provided me a letter from HMRC to confirm they are happy VAT has been paid based on the information provided (receipts, build docs, delivery schedule etc etc).

Glad you’re making progress.
This might be of interest:-

https://apple.news/ApsWSEUb8SUKQC0w8VVFEfw


The main motorways across the central Spanish plain are mostly deserted & a delight to drive. The stretch from San Sebastián to Valladolid is stunning. There are several large service areas along the motorway with hotels, I don’t know how secure they are for an overnight stay with the boat though. Another thing you could look at is overnighting at a vineyard/winery. Some have hotels & restaurants. We’ve never used any of the above as we are in the campervan. Most of the towns along the way are small ancient places, beautiful to visit, but not with an 8m boat in tow. This is why we got the SIB.

[JTURNER]

Hi All, so we’re off in a week tomorrow. Trailer checked over today and all EU required lights are working (electrics on my 3 year old SBS trailer is very poor....) great trailers but I think the lads were on the jar the night before they strung together the electrics on mine. Hopefully the electrics survive the trip.... and I don’t have another temperamental indicator.... I suspect the Spanish/Portuguese police will not like that

Do any of you know where or how I am supposed to hang the marker boards on the rear of a boat trailer? I can understand on a Caravan or truck it’s easy enough but a large Rib with outboard does not provide many flat places 50cm-150cm off the ground to put the two aluminium boards which are circa 565mm x 200mm each.... I’m a bit stumped.... suggestions please? Could I buy stick on ones and stick to the light board?

I have all the docs in place now including my Cert of Compliance for the trailer from SBS (who were most helpful), SSR number also went on the boat today, I have HMRC letters, all receipts etc etc as per all your suggestions so hopefully we’re in good shape.

BTW have any of you used the Halfords supplied puncture repair can? It’s looks very simple and will keep me on the road. Is it really as simple as it looks?

I am still on the lookout for a stop over for the way back. I will keep an eye out for viable options on the way down to the Algarve. Hopefully it is possible to do it in a day (fingers crossed) any suggestions I am super keen to hear

Thanks for all your help.

Best

J

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by JTURNER

Hi All, so we’re off in a week tomorrow. Trailer checked over today and all EU required lights are working (electrics on my 3 year old SBS trailer is very poor....) great trailers but I think the lads were on the jar the night before they strung together the electrics on mine. Hopefully the electrics survive the trip.... and I don’t have another temperamental indicator.... I suspect the Spanish/Portuguese police will not like that

Do any of you know where or how I am supposed to hang the marker boards on the rear of a boat trailer? I can understand on a Caravan or truck it’s easy enough but a large Rib with outboard does not provide many flat places 50cm-150cm off the ground to put the two aluminium boards which are circa 565mm x 200mm each.... I’m a bit stumped.... suggestions please? Could I buy stick on ones and stick to the light board?

I have all the docs in place now including my Cert of Compliance for the trailer from SBS (who were most helpful), SSR number also went on the boat today, I have HMRC letters, all receipts etc etc as per all your suggestions so hopefully we’re in good shape.

BTW have any of you used the Halfords supplied puncture repair can? It’s looks very simple and will keep me on the road. Is it really as simple as it looks?

I am still on the lookout for a stop over for the way back. I will keep an eye out for viable options on the way down to the Algarve. Hopefully it is possible to do it in a day (fingers crossed) any suggestions I am super keen to hear

Thanks for all your help.

Best

J

I fastened my rear marker boards to the A frame with some 2” U bolts.

[Tim M]

I previously screwed them onto the lighting board so they were visible above the lights etc. Not so easy if you have those swanky built in lighting arm things!

[willfinch36]

Do post some pictures once you arrive, used to have a RIB down in Lagos. Many happy memories of towing it down there etc.