Gibraltar Destinations ?

[Bowman matty]

Hi guys,

I'm planning a weeks charter out of Gib. Can you recomend me some ancorage/romantic coves to head for either on the spanish coast or is it worth heading over to tunisia?
Any other useful infomation you know on this sail area would be greatly recieved.

Matty

[chelsea666]

Matty

i keep my boat in Gib mainly as i know it is looked after well by friends who own a sailing school there and its easy to get to. Gib is quite interesting place for a night or two anyway!

Sailing? Well you will prob be governed by wind direction/forecast on yr choice. Ceuta is Ok on African mainland good bars and restauarants. SMIr is in Morocco and Ok befor or after Ceuta. No real places to anchor though!

Up Spanish Coast no coves or places to anchor ( except for 2-4 hrs) for 200 miles! Plenty of Marinas with Estapona being good and Banus/Sotogrande being good but expensive. Velez Malaga fishing Port has good fish restauarants but is a fishing harbour so can be noisy and a bit smelly but different!

I am sure Portugal is better but somehow we never go that way although thinking about it in sept!

I just spent week in Croatia and this is prob best place for anchoring and romanic coves etc in Med! Too far though from Gib!!

Enjoy anyway

Neil

[Langusto]

The Bay of Algeciras is rather nice. Just north of the bridge there is a long sandy beach with an eatery or two. Getares beach has a small cove. Tariffa has a great little harbor. Cadiz, I've heard from distants friends ...no, strangers have told me it is a nice port. There has been so much human trafficing along this area that any boat approaching the beach is immediatly suspect -though I have never sailed in this area, at any time, thank you very much for that.

Seems like you might want to make your way up the coast to Valencia and then over to the Balearic Islands -not that I have ever been there.
Yes, a week may get you there and back. Tunis is quite far ...so I am told.

[swagman]

Hi,

Some conflicting suggestions already! But IMHO you'd struggle to do Balearics and return in a week, and I'd agree with the first response in that local anchorages Med side of Gib or over in N Africa are few and far between.

We've only visited Morocco by ferry but others have reported Smir as being good. Professional and safe. Ceuta just like a regualr Spanish marina but obviously with Morocco just five minutes drvie over the border. Tangier not the best place to try and spend a night with a boat if it is a romantic relaxed time you're looking for.

But if you're up for looking westward from Gib - then the coast twix Gib and Cadiz has several anchorage areas behind small islands, up rivers etc, and not many other charter boats crowd these out.

And certainly further west from Cadiz there are rivers and lagoons you can anchor in up to and beyond the Spanish / Portuguese border.

The lagoons off Faro are peaceful, calm and romantic - but get busy with locals weekends. Midweek beach BBQ's where you'd not be distrubed are just a short swim ashore to the sand island which protects the anchorages...............

Cadiz itself is really a not to miss place for stunning architecture, busy squares full of locals, and more atmosphere than you could ask for. Several marinas to choose from.

If you do take this westward option then I suggest you'll get more from the week relaxing if you preplan to do complete an overnight straight run back from the Algarve to Gib.

We've done this several times and provided you get weather and tides right it means you can whoosh into the straights with 10+ knots SOG.

Spain and Gib to the left, the Atlas Mountains of N Africa to the right.

Stunning.

So hope you enjoy whatever you decide.
Sail safe.

JOHN

[MacG]

Swagman gives a good and accurate report. It depends on how much time you have and of course the winds.
The Strait owns one proble and that is the Levante, an Easterly storm that can vary in strength but is mostly around Bft 8-9. It announces itself a day before by a fog that comes from the East. Next day it is Bingo!
As Swagman says, it might be nicer to go to the westside of Spain.
The last time we rounded São Vivente, we were greeted by an emeral sea and we sailed along the coastline just till Gib. The wind in summer is mostly NWN or about.
Cadiz is top - don't miss it.
You might also try M'Diq, about 30 NM south of Gib on the Moroccan side.
On the foot of Cabo Negro you willfind the old fishing port which has now been upgraded to marina quality.

[barnakiel]

Santi Petri is nice and I love Cadiz.

The Cadiz marina is maybe not top glam but it is quiet and the town ... the town is gorgeous!

b.

[Langusto]

Yes, there is a creek of sorts with depth for a sailboat between Puerto Santa Marie and Cadiz that could offer shelter. This is where the ferry from Cadiz lands. There is also shelter around the northeast of Cadiz near the nautical club. I do not know the depths, though there are some larger boats in this area.

I've heard Almaria is very nice for yachting. There is indeed shelter in Malaga.

[MacG]

On one of our trips from Holland to France, we ran out of gas. Unfortunately the big gas bottles in Spain are incompatible with the Dutch and cannot exchanged so we had to buy a new Camping Gaz system. In the area of Almeria we found a ver small but extremely nice little resort called "Puenta de Mona del Este" - very friendly and unusual hospitable. A few days before we have had a small fire onboard and that we explaiined to the girl of the Capitaneria.
She said that if it was real bad we could stay and repare the boat for free.
I never forget that small cosy place and the unusual friendly people.

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Bowman matty

Hi guys,

I'm planning a weeks charter out of Gib. Can you recomend me some ancorage/romantic coves to head for either on the spanish coast or is it worth heading over to tunisia?
Any other useful infomation you know on this sail area would be greatly recieved.

Matty

To be honest I'd head east... not many romantic coves or anchorages but at least you'll be able to get the boat back on time no matter where the winds coming from.
Tunisia and the Ballearic's are to far for 1 week, unless its a fast motor yacht...
I'd head straight for Nerja (30hrs sailing) and then explore east from there as far as maybe Cartagena if you've the time. There's places to anchor along the way... even Almerimar has a decent anchorage if there's no gales blowing.

[MacG]

Time of the Levant's 's is already there. Weather will be unstable. I have one destination about 7 hrs sailing. Cabo Negro with the small village of M'Diq but things have rapidly changed over the years.
There should be any good sailing in the Algarve. If you are not hit by a Poniente.