costa del sol marinas

[strat]

I am planning to cruise eastwards from sotogrande this summer. Any advice on marinas and availability of berths would be welcome

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[tcm]

i did the trip TO sotogrande recently in april, so in reverse order, here's some notes


Le lavandou. Stopped here to tip out Learner who had stowed away the night before but then started wailing that barcelona was too far and he needed a passport. Good staff here, not silly and fussy, so no prob up against the (whole of the) visitors pontoon for 15 minutes and he gave us the forecast which told us the weather was getting windy. Decided to head off quickly, not for barcelona but Toulon.

Toulon
Huge natural port, home of the french navy. hence, like portsmouth, bit of a dump. Quite good maritime museum. Otherwise rather weird town with piped music along all the streets. Toulon is a fairly run-down. Fuel 93 cents a litre, argh. Needed 63 amp red connectors for power which i smugly had on board. Selves andf neighbour arrive at the same time. On entry to the port I heard something about "1000metres" on the vhf and look uop to see a minesweeper. Erk. Not seen one before, ever. Also ,he is right inthe middle of the entrance so not easy to give him 1000 yards clearance.
Neighbouring boat and us are now hanging around in Toulon waiting for a good time to cross the Golfe de Lion. Nice crew, 80foot rizzardi "du Ciel" also on their way to Sotogrande. Their boat is totally open inside, with the ultra-modern steel/perspex galley positioned right in the middle of the saloon with seating around as if to do cookery demonstrations. But the crew didn't quite know how to wire their power, so blew it up, praps blew up bits of his lectrix, so he decided to limp back to Cannes. 2 nights here. No idea what the loos or shower are like at any ports, incidentally as we use our own on board. Yes, we do have a holding tank and even a grey water tank too but no you can't smell anything.

Tossa de Mar. No port here but a nice little bay. Hoiked the dinhy out and whammed it up the beach to go and buy daft hats and t-shirts. No brits whatsoever, and none of the shopkeepers understand why you are smiling whilst buying a hat printed with "Tossa de Mar" on the headband.

Barcelona, Port Olimpico. Excellent place, good staff ready for anyone in any language. Fuel only about 72 cents a litre, same all along the spanish coast. El tunnel restaurant was closed for a refit, damnit. Took a cab round some sights including the Nou Camp - barcelona FC home ground. A cafe called "Opera" on la Rambla is recommended. Cheap port - about 50 euros a night for a 23 metre - tho obviously off season.

Denia
We are getting better at these long runs. The boat seems to do 10 litres a mile and will whizz up to 30 knots if we want, probably a bit more but you have to wait a bit at WOT and i don't much like doing it. We trundle along at between 20 and 24 depending on conditions. In open sea we can play a DVD on one of the dashboard screens and shift the radar plus nav to the other screen. I have other nav as well on old garmin handheld. Engine noise is not too loud but for a long run i wear earmuffs. Then we need to turn up the sound system a lot. Must look a bit mad to others boats making such a racket, but we can still keep a good lookout and there no rule saying you can't play dvd at full blast i suppose.

Denia is a smart new marina, but rather rubbish staff who need to be treated with kid gloves. Arrived at about 1:30 and the guy at the fuel pontoon went a bit mental said no no no and various other incomprehensible but negative things in spanish. But thru sign language and by talking to the lady in the harbour office, we agreed it wd be no prob to get fuel and a place after lunch, at about 3ish. Marinero chap much happier that he will get his lunch break. Went to a smart caf/restaurant in the marina close to the fuel. No english spoken, nor french. The waiter explains something abou the menu and we wave expansively to agree that he should bring it on. Not at all sure what we orderd, not when the food due, but paella and other stuff turned up, with wine and more wine and rather massive Cointreau with ice all for 60 euros for 4 including wine. Fuel lorry goes past at 3:25. Slot boat in and find we only have 32 amps, but unmetered. Promptly blow the shore supply fuse, so darnit no airconditioning/heating upstairs for us.
Finally got fuelled and a space by 5:25pm. Decide to do the paperwork the next day, and popped into the harbour office to say i will be round tomorrow. But the officious girls go potty and say no no you must pay up front and answer loads of stuff on the computer. Oh, and it's 130 euros a night. erk

Denia port is spanking new, tho the town needs some work. There's a good restaurant along the front, right at the far Northern end forgot the name, in the place ramses or summink. Had enopugh of denia after 2 nights . Met an old friend who has a place in the town (jerba?) nearby. The kids think denia is an excellent place cos we lettem go to the dodgems all evening.

Alicante
Short trip cos the sea was iffy. Alicante is a big serious city. The darse restaurant is popular, and the Monastrell is almost worth a special trip to alicante from the UK. the local michelin rep needs shooting becos this pace has no star. We promised we would badger the michelin peeps to go round and give them a star. Continuing dodgy weather so hung about for three nights here.
Took a cab to benidorm 30 miles away cos they are advertising a bullfight. Benidorm is very weird. The tower block are resticted to several hundred in number and 50 floors in height, so the place is a mess, and like everywhere else, it's a building site. Seems the reason spain is doing well is cos loads of brits are spending their money here. Like us i spose. Some of benidorm is new, but some of it is very horrid. One of the lower seafront aprtments has a corrugated iron roof. In benidorm we wear sunglasses to ensure we don't meet anyone we know. The cathedral church in the middle of town is nice enough though. A woman is praying, possibly begging forgiveness for wearing non-matching shell suit trousers and sequinned sneakers. Son #2 buys a large sombrero so we look like the biggest nerks of all.
The bulfight is cancelled due to lack of interest. We arrive as they are putting the bulls back inthe lorry which is still quite interesting, tho of course not as interesting as watching them charge about in a vain attempt to stay alive. We trusdge back to the coast tthough the park, quite good actually, made as if to create another seafront cos all the rest is built over. I attempt some spanisg with the lady taxi driver "Toros cancellado!" i venture and she seems very surprised and natters away. I may have just said that i personally wiped out the bulls, or of course i may have got it right, nobody is quite sure.

Cartagena
Alicante is protected from the north of course, and i knew there's be a bit of wind like praps 12 knots, but not 27 knots. Windguru really is quite rubbish for forecasts. So turned in at Cartagena only 40 miles away, complete contrast, hardly touristy at all. Alongside berth (no water or lecky) for 40 euros. Chap behind us in 22 m princess is on a big adventure coming up the coast, owner plus three crew, and seems a bit baffled that our kids are our crew.
It utterly chucks it down all afternoon. There's an excellent and brand new museum about the thirties civil war air raid shelters dug into the side of a hill in the town. Otherwise, the harbour building is probably one of the best places in town, and it's not much cop in the rain cos there are leaks and no heating. Mare Nostrum rrestaurant in the port looks v promising but is rubbish. Only one night here. Two old blokes in the bar affect massive experience that they have been here all winter. Very sheltered, but very dull - apart from the museum.

Puerto del Este
This is far too small for us really, and we find that they have no blimmin water. We meet up with dave snelson for a couple of hours, but then he has to go off back to nerja, and we go out and find lunch. I explain to kids that dave is on holiday here. "what, here for a whole holiday???" says the youngest and shudders. No arcades, see.

Puerto (Jose) Banus, Marbella
This is a supposedly quite poncy jet-set place. But it is a tired and poor imitation of St tropez, especially on the front around the port. Behind the front the supermarkets and shops are pretty good and obviously catering for large influx of brits. Berths prices are high around here and the nitwit port has flooged most of the spaces. 160 euros for just one night out of season in 75-footer.

Sotogrande
Originally intened to go Duquesa (much more friendly and lively) to see suncoast, but Phil Cool calls and explain that in the swell we mnight hit the bottom, so press on for sotogrande. Getting a bit blase about the weather now and we bosh along with big swell, quartering seas and 25 knots on the beam.
Sotogrande is advertised in the sunday times a lot, and its quite refined as building sites go, but the main development all around the port is a bit dead. Lots of bored kids accompany parents in the sparse restaurants, no shops, not much to do. The actual town of sotogrande is just far enough away to be too far to walk, but just near enough for it not to be worth while for anyone to open up competing shops in the port. Hence sotogrande may always be a bit dead. But facilities for boats are okay, with big boat lift and better and better shelter the further back in the marina you go. But over 20 m you are on the back wall.


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[strat]

Many thanks for your very comprehensive advice. Which way did you go when you got to Gib

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[tcm]

ah, well actually i'm in sotogrande this very minute. The is due to be shipped to so'ton and we crusie back south over thise season, or that's the plan anyway.

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[Danthegorrila]

Hi
We did the same trip In March as far as Mallorca, ( where we are now)

A lot depends on how big your boat is and when your doing the trip, many marinas have differnt prices and high/low/med seasons at diffrent times, now we are into med/high season.

Here's our notes.

Jose Banus ( in Dec) Very flash !! Loads of huge powerboats, we were given a berth that was too small and hated it, although very good people watching. The bars were very expensive 12e for 2 drinks, although with a live singer.

Caleta de Velez, short of space and being re built which should be finished now, nice but no real live aboards, we spent 2 months there ( because we have friends living near by) had a bike and skateboard nicked at differnt times during the stay, cheap and friendly staff.

Marina del est, small very pictureque.

Adra friendly with a few liveaboards, not a very nice town, plent of space inside and room against the wall. Spent a few nights and were not charged for all of them.

Marquetas; very nice marina, with scope to anchor outside. Quite holidayish area by the beaches. Very friendly did not bother charging us for 1 just 1 night.

NB The Andalucia Hunta do a good colour leaflet of all the Marinas from the Portugesse border to the Costa Balanca, well worth getting for prices and little pilot plans.

There is a tiny marina whos name I cant remeber San Jose or something, on the end of Almera bay, it looks a great place to break the journey but it is tiny I would not plan an over night stop there unless the weather was such that you could anchor if you had to or could carry on for 30 miles.

From there upto Garushia there are no marinas but a few not very sheltered anchorages.

Garushia Ok quite cheap and although it says no anchoring a couple of boats did arriving at sun down and leaving early.

Just west of Cartenga is a large peninsular with good anchorages at the insde end.

Cartenga was horid, windy in the marina, tangled lazy lines and not very helpful staff, although there were a lot of liveaboards there, so may be we hit a bad day.

Torrevca The best stop up the coast, room to anchor, helpful and friendly staff at the marina, all the facilities in the town, and loads of liveaboards there, seams to be a common wintering place.

San Polo, The only time in our lives we have been turned away from a marina although they adertise 40 visitors berths, and no anchoring.

Alicanti; nice enough but very expensive ( possible because they do not have low season prices, which may not make any difference now) All facilities but a long walk to the city as you have to go right round the basin.

Vilasoa nice and very helpful and cheap although very little space, I would expect it to be ful now. Small town with few facilities not even shops!

Mayira. Very nice, real Med feel, like your much further east. Friendly and helpful seemed to have a fiar amount of space. Small town with few facilities. We had friends with us there and both the women fancied Carlos the club Nautico waiter so be careful!


Sabina ( Isle Formetera) Nice plenty of space etc expensive for us 12m cost 25e in March but in high season this would 125e yes that is right 125e for one night!

Loads of anchorages around Formtera, Espelmador and Ibiza.

We spent a while at San Antoni marina which did have plenty of space and was very cheap (not as the pilot suggests) there is also plenty of room to anchor.

Port Andratx there now, some anchorage space and we managed a good deal at the marina for a month.

Some of my spelling may be off as this is all from memory with no references.

Cheers, look us up if you get around Mallorca/ Menorca as we will be around for about another month before heading further east ourselves.

Yacht Tighmara a westerly sealord.


pete



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