Marinas NW Spain

[Toutvabien]

I need to leave my wife and daughters on the boat for a week while I fly home from Santiago de Compostella to London. Any suggestions as to the best marina in rspect of communications to Santiago and somewhere that will keep the rest of the gang amused while I am away?

Villagarcia seems a possible at present.

We are currently in Camarinas and heading down towards Muros in the morning.

 

[Ocean Hound]

Villagarcia ok - lots of beaches within a five mile radius, but if they can't handle a boat, not a lot of good. Vigo is good for the girlies, lots of shopping and bars etc although the city marina is usually ckoka. There is another one, more seaward but a bit of a hike to city. Don't miss Isla Cies and the one before, forget the name but has a great restuarant overlooking spectacular views. Pm if you want more info. Spent 2 years cruising the area. Bayonna also good for the women in your life - Good beaches, great restuarants and a cracking hotel/converted castle. All still within reach of Santiago

 

[jimbaerselman]

Put A Coruna on you list too. A really lively town, with good beaches around. You'll find a summary of the area on my website. Click the 'sailing' tab, then the 'N Spain' link on the left of the sailing page.

If you do Villagarcia (train's just up the road from the marina) take 'em all out to 'Chocolat', about two km SE of the marina. One of the great Galician restaurants, and not over-expensive!

 

[PlanB]

I vote for A Coruna too. Marina vitually in centre of beautiful town. I seem to recall the cab to Santiago airport was about 50 euros. But check flights to A Coruna, it does have a small airport.

 

[Ariadne]

We're in Vilagarcia, need to book before hand as its full at present! But a realy happening place.

Portosin was good, reasonable beaches within walking distance, busses every hour to Santiago via Noia, about 1.5 hrs in total. Very freindly staff, excellent facilities they also do a deal for stays over a week. Cheap bar/restaurant. Gadis in Noia also deliver free, direct to the boat in Portosin.

 

[wagenaar]

I would also vote for A Coruna. As has already been said, the marina is right in the middle of town and there are also lots of activities going on at the moment. Walking accross the isthmus brings you to the beaches, a walk of ten minutes to a quarter of an hour. At this time of the year they are packed, but some people seem to like that. ClickAir, the cheap daughter of Iberia, flies directly from Coruna to Heathrow. There used to be a bus going to Santiago Airport twice a day, leaving from the hotel Atlantico, just five minutes from the marina I assume it still functions.

 

[charles_reed]

I was in Villagarcia

in 2001, and found it very satisfactory.

Not a tremendous amount going on in the town, but very a very pleasant marina.

La Coruna is a lively and attractive town but my experience of the marinas was that they were crowded, expensive and/or ramshackle.

The marina in Viviero was great, and you have the coast railway to give you a ride into la Coruna, town pleasant and convenient but not terribly charming.

 

[wagenaar]

Re: I was in Villagarcia

I think Coruna is better than it was in 2001, because since then there is a new marina in the middle of town, without the wash of the fishermen, which made the old marina sometimes very unpleasant.
Viveiro probably has a railroad-conection, but not directly to Coruna. Along the N-coast of Spain exists a narrow-gauge railroad, starting in Ferrol and, as far as I know, ending in San Sebastian. The station in Ferrol is the same as the station for the "normal" gauge railroad, which connects Ferrol with Coruna. It is quite a trip as far as I know. I travelled from Coruna to Ferrol once and it took me almost two hours, while by car it is just a bit over half-an-hour. (BTW, the gauge of the spanish railroads is bigger than in the rest of Europe, which makes it necessary to change the distance between the wheels when the trains pass the french border.)-

 

[jimbaerselman]

Re: I was in Villagarcia

[ QUOTE ]
my experience of the marinas was that they were crowded, expensive and/or ramshackle.

[/ QUOTE ] Just to clarify, presumably you meant that the pontoons by the root of the breakwater were crowded and ramshackle. They are now a single marina, Marina A Coruna, and refer to themselves as 'new', and I'm told they have a travel hoist. Though what else has changed (if anything) I'm not sure. Email on administracion@marinacoruna.com

While the 'Darsena Deportiva A Coruna' (email info@darsenacoruna.com )
at the entrance to the old fishing harbour (by the rather snooty Yat Club Real) was expensive?

 

[captainslarty]

update on marinas in NW Spain

La Coruna is a great place... we have been here for over a year - came for 3 days lol...
Heres some up to date info..
The 'old' marina near the breakwater is now mainly for small local boats only.. a few larger boats are hijacked on the way in by the marina launch, but only so they get a few extra euros.. the facilites are good though.. main problem is the swell barrier is gone and swell is horrendous.
The 'new' marina - Darsena Deportiva - Porto Real - is excellent however there are minimal facilities, showers are fine but thats all there is really, oh, and washing machines.
Fuel is only available from the 'old' marina and the berth is both tidal and difficult to get out of.. alternative for fuel is Sada about 10 miles away.
Being in the center of Coruna is fabulous as the city is all around you.
As for travel lifts, there is one at the old marina, but hardstanding is very limited, alternatives are Oza (Marina Seca) around the oil terminal about 15 mins sail from Coruna. Good hard standing but choice is either you do the work or they do, they dont like you bringing tradespeople in..
Sada is the best option here if one needs a haul out.. most things available and no problems with bringing people in or living aboard etc.
Prices are similar all around here to within a few euros. If you stay more than a week a discount applies, heavy discounts for more than a month.
We are due to get wifi here (Darsena Deportiva) in a few weeks, only delayed due to laying cables, wifi IS available if you have a directional antenna even now.
Taxi price from Santiago is 70 to 75 euros, other option is taxi from Santiago airport to train station (16 euros) then train to Coruna (3.75 euros per person), then taxi here 3.2 euros.
Yes, the bus from atlintico still runs and is a possibility but I have never used it.
Joe n Jayne, Yacht Ruddles

 

[PlanB]

Re: update on marinas in NW Spain

Hey, Yacht Ruddles. Remember Lin and Brian on Plan B? We made it to the Med! PM for e-mail etc.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Re: update on marinas in NW Spain

Hey, many thanks for that excellent update on A Coruna.

Do you know how Ria Betanzos is developing? Because that also was a useful local alternative.

 

[wagenaar]

Re: update on marinas in NW Spain

Besides Sada, also Ares has a marina and since this summer also a travellift. Before they used a very big forklift-truck. There is some hard standing and one can work on one's boat, as I am doing myself. The main disadvantages of Ares are the poorer connections to Coruna as compared to Sada and the distance from the marina to the center of the village (about 1.5 km). Since Ares is a marine of the Galician Government, the prices are somewhat lower than Sada and Coruna.
There are plans to build a marina in Mino, on the E-side of the Ria de Betanzos. I am almost sure this will happen pretty soon, since the mole of the Sada-marina as well as the small harbour of Mino itself, changed the currents in the Ria and causes the disappearance of the dunes and the beach of Mino. The moles of the planned marina are intended to change all that. I got this information from the mayor, who explained it during a meeting at the townhall about another subject. (As you will realise by now, I live in this municipality).

 

[captainslarty]

Yo! Plan B....

Ullo Brian n Lin
Great to meet up again !
Glad to hear you made it to the med... Jayne n I are still in Coruna.. lol... decided to do a major refit.. am staying over the winter - again !...
Molly - our one eyed cat is doing well apart from swimming yesterday... a major disruption to the people here as we had a rescue squad, me in the water, Jayne with a net and a couple of other cruisers ripping the wood from the pontoons to get her out.. sheeeeesh !!!..
My health is now A1... no probs, currently 25 - 30 deg c with a front coming over wed... baking !.
Am ripping out the interier and replacing.. got new leccy winches and watermaker, new easy roll boom and a miilion and one bits to replace, but otherwise chilled..
Please PM us, would love to keep in touch... my email is the username here at yahoo.co.uk
Now got Skype on the boat and wifi due to a wee bit of leeching off a local access point and the cantenna (along with the 1/2 watt booster......

For the thread, yes, many more marinas are planned and upcoming, Coruna remains the absolute best in our opinion,
the staff are superb,
the location is fantastic
EVERYTHING is available if you know where to look (ask us)
Good things here...
Entertainment
Wood
Plumbing
THE cheapest Stainless (Inox) Fittings anywhere - ie - 500 self tappers in A2 (304) for 6 euros !!!!
Nuts n bolts, for cents - in SS
Rope, 100 mtrs 4 strand 16mm nylon for 63 euros...
All the wood you need in Sada - cheap bus ride and they will deliver.
Carrefour (2), Gadis, Brikoking etc etc
Camping Gas at 8 euros ex.
Sikaflex at 5 euros
What more could a man want lol..

Joe n Jayne n Molly

 

[Toutvabien]

Re: Yo! Plan B....

Decided on Portosin, very good location and the restaurant is lovely. Free WIFI on the pontoon is good too!!!

 

[charles_reed]

la Coruna

Actually spent a night in Yat Club Real, thanks to Pierre in "Bloodhound", for free - however when I heard what "Bloodhound" had cost for the week I nearly had syncope.

Yes I did refer to the truly appalling HS&E risk that passed as a marina at the root of the breakwater.

I'm glad to hear they've cleaned the la Coruna act up, because it's a truly delightful town.

I anchored inside the breakwater, together with 3 Netherlanders (always prudent on expenditure), only trouble lots of foul ground and 20m of water.