Three ways to get south
From the south coast of England, Gibraltar is around 1,100 to 1,200 nautical miles by sea, and the Balearics or Barcelona around 1,500 to 1,600. You can have the yacht delivered by sea by a professional skipper, shipped as cargo, or trucked across France on a low-loader.
Side by side
| Sea delivery | Road | Ship | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical cost | £5,400 – £6,600 fee for a sailing yacht, plus expenses | Quote-based: depends on width, height, escorts, permits, Channel crossing and lifts | Quote-based: usually the most expensive; depends on size, sailing date and what's included |
| Time | About 12 – 15 days at sea | A few days on the road; book 1 – 3 weeks ahead, longer in spring | Around 10 days afloat, plus waiting for a scheduled sailing |
| Best for | Seaworthy sailing yachts and long-range motor yachts | Smaller yachts and boats going to the French or Italian coast | Large or valuable yachts, motor yachts with limited range |
| Watch out for | Biscay weather, wear and engine hours, fuel on motor yachts | Wide-load escorts and permits, mast and keel height | Sailing dates, cradle and port charges |
Option 1: sail it there with a delivery skipper
For most sailing yachts this is the cheapest option. Real skippered deliveries from the south coast to Spain and Gibraltar in 2025–26 cost:
- Solent to Gibraltar, 16m sailing yacht, 1,200nm, 12 days: £5,400 fee.
- Hamble to Cartagena, 13m sailing catamaran, 1,420nm, 15 days: £6,450 fee.
- Brighton to Barcelona, 12m sailing yacht, 1,590nm, 14 days: £6,545 fee.
- Solent to Lisbon, 11m catamaran, 890nm, 10 days: £3,900 fee.
On top of the fee you pay expenses: marina fees, fuel, food and crew flights home. For a sailing yacht on this route, expense floats of £1,000 to £2,000 are typical, and more if the boat needs repairs on the way.
Motor yachts cost more. Day rates are higher, and fuel is the largest cost. On real 1,000 to 1,300 mile motor yacht deliveries the fee was around £6,000 to £6,400, and a 920 mile delivery of an 18m motor yacht needed a £6,000 float for fuel and expenses.
More on how skippers price: yacht delivery cost.
Option 2: truck it across France
A specialist haulier collects the boat from a UK yard, crosses the Channel and drives it to a port on the French Mediterranean coast or further. It avoids Biscay entirely and is fast once booked.
The price is quoted for each boat. It depends mainly on the boat's width, height and weight, the escorts and permits needed in each country, the Channel crossing, and lifts and mast work at each end. In France a boat 3 to 3.5m wide needs one escort vehicle and one 4.5m or wider needs two. Italy needs at least three weeks' planning for permits.
Road suits smaller yachts best. As boats get wider and taller the escorts, permits and route restrictions quickly add up. See boat transport costs.
Option 3: ship it
Specialist yacht carriers run scheduled sailings from northern Europe to the Mediterranean, typically from ports such as Kiel or IJmuiden to Palma, Genoa or Split, taking around ten days. You get the boat to the load port, it is lifted aboard with its rig up, and it is lifted off at the other end.
Prices are quoted individually and depend on the yacht's length and beam, the sailing date, the cradle, port charges and insurance. For a typical sailing yacht going to the western Med, shipping usually costs more than sailing. It comes into its own for large or valuable yachts, motor yachts without the range for the trip, or going further east. See yacht shipping cost.
Which should you choose?
- Seaworthy sailing yacht, 30 to 50ft, flexible on dates: sea delivery is usually the best value.
- Smaller yacht, heading to the French or Italian coast: get road quotes too, as they can be close to the delivery cost with no sea miles.
- Large motor yacht: compare a delivery including fuel against shipping. Fuel alone can change the answer.
- Going to the eastern Med or beyond: compare all three, as the longer distance favours shipping.
On BoatMove you can request quotes for the mode you want, or ask for more than one so you can compare. See sea, ship and road compared.