Anchoring in Spain

[Sta]

I read on Noonsite.com that it's necessary to ask for permission to anchor in Spain. You have to call the local Capitain, but where do I find phone number to them? E-mail would be great, if they reply to that. It seems like if in some areas they are very strict, in others they don't care. It depends on who is in charge of the office.
I'm especially interested in the Baleares since they are more strict there due to vulnerable bottom. What I understand, all anchoring is forbidden in the areas they have marked colorful on the maps you find on this page: Cartography of Posidonia oceanica in marine SCIs of the Balearic Islands Is that correct?

 

[Graham376]

Is this new and due to Covid? We've never asked for permission to anchor in SW Spain (Andalucia) and not been challenged.

 

[jeanne]

Is this new and due to Covid? We've never asked for permission to anchor in SW Spain (Andalucia) and not been challenged.

I have

 

[Graham376]

I have

Where?

 

[jeanne]

Sorry! Finger trouble. I agree with Graham, I have never been challenged, but we are on the Atlantic coast of Spain, and it may be different in the med.
I have heard that the problem there is that all the sheltered spots with good holding are off beaches, and so are 'coned off' with yellow buoys for the safety of swimmers. As far as asking for permission, I have feeling that it may be the same as radioing a marina for a berth, where the answer is probably going to be 'no': it is easier to just turn up.

 

[[3889]]

Only place I know requiring permission is Islas Cies where you need a (free) permit and must advise of date of visit in advance.
Permisos para visitar las Cíes

 

[Yngmar]

In Galicia there's hardly any officials around outside of A Coruna. Extremely unlikely to be a problem there. We got told off by hotel staff for landing on a deserted private beach once.

Costa del Sol doesn't really have much anchoring, but the few places nobody bothered us either, including the Mar Menor and we even anchored inside the abandoned marina construction site outside.

Baleares has tons of boats anchoring, but you have to watch the Posidonia grass. Patrol boats were going around in summer and chasing off boats who dropped their hook in the grass in many places. Just find a patch of sand and they give you the thumbs up. Only saw one get fined and it almost certainly was because they chose to argue with the authorities instead of apologizing and moving.

Cordoned off swim areas you must avoid, there will be a big fine if you or your tender are inside of them. Some of them have a beach access channel marked with red and green marks, which you can use for landing a tender (or launch a jetski or other murder toy from the beach).

If there are problems with a local authority in one area, you'll probably find it on the comments in Navily, Navionics or NoForeignLand. Always good to check those anyways for other tips (swell, sewage, jellyfish, good tavernas, bad tavernas, noisy nightclubs, etc.)

 

[Sta]

Except Baleares it seems like if it's not necessary to worry about it if there are noe signs or notes in the chart.
One place I wonder about in particular is La Linea at Gibraltar. In some places they say it's legal to anchor north of Alcaidesa Marina, but in some sources they say it's not. Anyone with updated knowledge about this?

 

[goeasy123]

Where on Noonsite does it say you need permission? There's only an entry made in 2012 that mentions specific areas in the Canary Islands.

There are not many, if any Posidonia police about now. They would have very little to do as there's now a handy dandy app the maps the position of the grass to the meter. As to sail across it it lets you know when you're safe to drop your anchor.

The bay at La Linea is rarely without anchored boats. The police patrol at least twice a day and I've never seen them on an anchored yacht.

 

[Graham376]

Except Baleares it seems like if it's not necessary to worry about it if there are noe signs or notes in the chart.
One place I wonder about in particular is La Linea at Gibraltar. In some places they say it's legal to anchor north of Alcaidesa Marina, but in some sources they say it's not. Anyone with updated knowledge about this?

They stopped people from anchoring behind the breakwater quite a few years ago but we've anchored off the beach several times except when they're dredging for shellfish, IIRC in August. Draw a line from the end of the breakwater to the sailing club entrance and anchor north of that. To go ashore, dinghy into sailing club for €5/day, it may be nicked if you leave it on the beach.

 

[Sta]

Where on Noonsite does it say you need permission? There's only an entry made in 2012 that mentions specific areas in the Canary Islands.

There are not many, if any Posidonia police about now. They would have very little to do as there's now a handy dandy app the maps the position of the grass to the meter. As to sail across it it lets you know when you're safe to drop your anchor.

The bay at La Linea is rarely without anchored boats. The police patrol at least twice a day and I've never seen them on an anchored yacht.

Thanks for the advice with the app. I think that would be good in other places with vulnerable life on the bottom.
I see now that it was an old report on Noonsite.

 

[WindyWindyWindy]

According to the RCC pilot book, Portugal requires prior agreement for anchoring, but I've anchored there with no problems.
Maybe iberian confusion?

 

[Mistroma]

Only place I know requiring permission is Islas Cies where you need a (free) permit and must advise of date of visit in advance.
Permisos para visitar las Cíes

I think we were last there in 2014 and still get an email every year to let us know they've renewed our permit for Islas Cies.

We anchored everywhere on the Atlantic coast between 2012-2014 and the only issue would be in areas where there was a lot of drug smuggling. We didn't ask permission in those areas but did get regular visits from officials in a launch. No problems anchoring at La Linea near Gibraltar or anywhere else on the South coast in 2014. Ditto in the med. for 2015/16, though we did take care to avoid certain places in the Balearics.

I doubt anything has changed since 2016, apart from Covid, but it would be interesting to read the original article to find out what they were talking about. I did look for it on NoonSite but couldn't find an article stating permission was required to anchor.

 

[Graham376]

Last time we anchored at the Cies was 2006 and as far as I know, permits weren't necessary then. Never any problems anchoring along north coast or in Rias,

 

[Mistroma]

Last time we anchored at the Cies was 2006 and as far as I know, permits weren't necessary then. Never any problems anchoring along north coast or in Rias,

It was certainly a requirement when we visited in 2013 and we were told our permit would be valid for 2 years. We kept getting an email with our renewed permit and think we had one in 2021. I think anchoring was still allowed without a permit if you did not stay overnight. I remember someone coming in late afternoon to check the number of boats but they didn't ask to see our permit. We had booked online to give the date we'd arrive and they had our boat name. I assume that system must have started after your last visit.

Presentación

We didn't have any issues in the Rias either apart from fairly frequent visits by the authorities in some places. I know of a couple of spots where you were guaranteed to have a visit. We started waving handfuls of coloured forms (possibly pink), collected from earlier checks on documentation. They usually just waved and departed once they realised we'd already been checked several times.

 

[Mistroma]

According to the RCC pilot book, Portugal requires prior agreement for anchoring, but I've anchored there with no problems.
Maybe iberian confusion?

Perhaps it's a recent thing we anchored all the time in 2013/14 without any problems. I don't remember ever being bothered by anyone. I think there might have been cases of multiple checks in the Guadiana a year or so earlier. We anchored up there for 5 weeks in 2014 and saw no officials at all.

 

[KompetentKrew]

Last time we anchored at the Cies was 2006 and as far as I know, permits weren't necessary then. Never any problems anchoring along north coast or in Rias,

It wasn't in my 20-year-old pilot book either, so I only learned of the requirement after I arrived there and dropped the hook.

It's easy to find the application form online, but I stayed a couple of nights without it and no-one bothered me.

This was the last week of September 2020, and there weren't many boats about. I think you'd have a higher risk of inspection in the middle of the season.

 

[WindyWindyWindy]

Islas Cíes Regs.
Know the existing regulations before traveling to the Cíes Islands in Vigo

 

[Wansworth]

Only place I know requiring permission is Islas Cies where you need a (free) permit and must advise of date of visit in advance.
Permisos para visitar las Cíes

To avoid over crowding,I am told

 

[Star-Lord]

Before covid what was necessary was not to anchor on sea grass - so look over the bow before dropping anchor - easier when sun is above