Winter/Xmas sun. Canaries or Gib?

[vertford]

Hi everyone,

The wife and I are looking for a week or so somewhere close for a bit of milebuilding/pay as you sail in Jan. Thoughts are Canaries/Gib as don't want to spend hours on a plane. We are thinking of milebuilding rather than a course.

Any thoughts/recommendations/cautionary tales welcome.

Many thanks in advance.

 

[capnsensible]

Dont get much winter sun in Gib. Unless gou get real lucky. Canaries best for sun but will be windy.

For what you suggest you could try Lanzarote or Gran Canaria.

 

[vertford]

Thanks Capn. Windy would be good.

 

[davethedog]

We are in Puerto de Mogan in Gran Canaria....it is bloody red hot and love it!

 

[langstonelayabout]

Go for the Canaries.

We've often been there during Christmas & New Year courtesy of Cunard or Fred Olsen and needed nothing more than t-shirts and shorts during the day.

 

[Danny_Labrador]

I have a very bad chartering experience in the Canaries - un-seaworthy yacht - PM me and I will give you the company.

 

[Jonny A]

Not Gib. Once got stuck there over Xmas by a week-long F8.

 

[ross84]

How is Gib early November??

 

[t21]

as I was saying to a Man City supporter, you can't beat the Canaries this time of year haha...

 

[Bellacruiser]

We've booked but not been yet to do RYA courses with Go-n-Sail in Ayamonte just over the border from Faro/Portugal. I believe they also do milebuilding type trips and are very flexible. Good experience booking and subsequently met the team at the boat show. Good reviews too on Tripadvisor and on here. Average weather for Dec/Jan looks similar to Gib.

 

[Danny_Labrador]

as I was saying to a Man City supporter, you can't beat the Canaries this time of year haha...

What a silly post.

 

[capnsensible]

How is Gib early November??

Likely to be mixed with a few days of sunshine but will be windy in Straits. Chance of some rain. Usually.

 

[capnsensible]

We've booked but not been yet to do RYA courses with Go-n-Sail in Ayamonte just over the border from Faro/Portugal. I believe they also do milebuilding type trips and are very flexible. Good experience booking and subsequently met the team at the boat show. Good reviews too on Tripadvisor and on here. Average weather for Dec/Jan looks similar to Gib.

Brilliant choice.

 

[robp]

How is Gib early November??

I live on the Costa Calida, Fairly North Of Gib. Lots of winter sunshine and sailing. Wind pipes up in the afternoons

 

[oldgit]

Southern Spain/Portugal can definately be cold in winter , never ever had that problem in the Canaries.

 

[PlanB]

We have barbecued our Christmas turkey and swum on Boxing Day in Duquesa, c 15 miles east of Gib. In 12 years of living there, I would say we have had many more good winters than bad. Never really cold, but when it does rain.........

 

[MichaelBoon]

Haven’t been to Gibraltar, but would definitely recommend the Canary Islands and particularly Lanzarote. Personal favourites in the Canaries: Garajonay National Park ( the ancient forest of Gomera is awesome), San Cristóbal de La Laguna and Teide National Park, particularly Mount Teide. It’s also a snorkeling paradise, specially Corralejo and Tarajalejo in Fuerteventura. There is also a restaurant where they use geothermal heat from a volcano to cook food, my kids loved it! We spent Christmas there a few years ago, we hired a boat (used one of those boat hire platforms that have appeared over the last few years, think it was either Click&Boat or Nautical) which made it easier to move around and explore. Fairly good weather, but maybe we were just lucky...