Gibraltar live aboard in winter

[Bean Counter]

Hi, Just researching what live aboard in Gib may be like for winter season.
Are you stuck there or are there nice winter days to go sailing and places to visit. Is there a winter cruiser community?

[nauticalnomad]

Queensway is near impossible to get into. There is a waiting list and not much room. They also lock the marina entrance with a boom at 8pm and open it at 8am. So you could get stuck outside these hours.

Marina bay is pretty full and they are about to start building a huge complex on stilts in the middle of marina and bay and they were not taking any long moorings. The uncertainty of the construction start date means they are not sure on whats happening.

[nauticalnomad]

The weather is nice enough to go sailing all year round. But it can get a bit windy in the winter when trying to berth. But you should be able to go sailing each week. Morocco is accross the straights with marina Smir, and also the new marina in Tangier charging 30 euros a night.. Estepona, Sotogrande and Duquesa is just up the coast.

[mikedefieslife]

I've been looking at it too, but too expensive for me (catamaran). La Linea on the other hand is super cheap (cheapest quote of i've had including Ragusa and Almiramar), and offers finger pontoons, but has a poor reputation.

[stewie]

If last winter was anything to go by there will be a lot of rain and the winds will be 60% easterly. So it will be pretty cold in the evening. Better move along the coast where the weather will be better and it will probably cheaper all round. Try Benalmadena. Spent a winter there and enjoyed it and there is plenty to do as you can take a train into Malaga etc.

[inchcailloch]

A few years ago we had sailed from Scotland to winter in that area. Everyone we met suggested we carry on to The Canaries.....best advise we had that year! Swimming in the sea in December and January!

[Segelschulzi]

We just decided to leave our catamaran at La Linea. Staff is friendly and helpful. Fingerpontoons are in excellent conditions and the Marina is nice. If you manage to get a place in the easterly bassin you should be good for the winter.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by stewie

If last winter was anything to go by there will be a lot of rain and the winds will be 60% easterly. So it will be pretty cold in the evening. Better move along the coast where the weather will be better and it will probably cheaper all round. Try Benalmadena. Spent a winter there and enjoyed it and there is plenty to do as you can take a train into Malaga etc.

Last winter was very unusual indeed, from Feb onwards for week after week after week in the Algarve anyway. Jet stream pointing at Morocco for months, one low after another bringing rain and wind. Not usually like that. Portugal went from drought at the start of Feb to full reservoirs a few months later.

Algarve is another option, most marinas offering winter deals, sail all winter. Or live on the hook free up the Rio Guadiana.

[CarinaPDX]

I wintered in Gib 2000-2001. It was an interesting experience. The frequent east winds do bring in damp air, but otherwise it is pretty nice weather. Personally I did not sail locally - I got plenty of sailing the rest of the year. It is a good base for travel to Morocco (ferry from Algeciras), or inland by train or bus in Spain. It was easy to pop over to La Linea for dining/drinking/shopping. At that time there was a large community of cruisers and liveaboards in Marina Bay. There are several decent places to eat, from pub grub to Indian, as well as very good shopping at the supermarket. There are also many interesting places of historic and/or cultural interest to visit, in addition to the tunnels and apes. The only downside is that there is a tendency for locals to put themselves ahead of tourists, whether waiting in line at a restaurant or chandlery or just walking down the narrow sidewalks (you will be expected to get out of their way by stepping into the street) - by the end of winter it gets a bit old.

The La Linea marina was built after I left, so I don't know the status there now. At the time the La Linea anchorage was quite literally a den of thieves, constantly stealing dinghies to use for a quick tobacco run to Gib (smuggling is a well-established business there). Drug runners also used the boat ramp to recover their speedboats and disappear into the traffic. I hope it has improved but if it is anything like I experienced I wouldn't want to stay there for long.

Greg

[nauticalnomad]

Originally Posted by CarinaPDX

I wintered in Gib 2000-2001. It was an interesting experience. The frequent east winds do bring in damp air, but otherwise it is pretty nice weather. Personally I did not sail locally - I got plenty of sailing the rest of the year. It is a good base for travel to Morocco (ferry from Algeciras), or inland by train or bus in Spain. It was easy to pop over to La Linea for dining/drinking/shopping. At that time there was a large community of cruisers and liveaboards in Marina Bay. There are several decent places to eat, from pub grub to Indian, as well as very good shopping at the supermarket. There are also many interesting places of historic and/or cultural interest to visit, in addition to the tunnels and apes. The only downside is that there is a tendency for locals to put themselves ahead of tourists, whether waiting in line at a restaurant or chandlery or just walking down the narrow sidewalks (you will be expected to get out of their way by stepping into the street) - by the end of winter it gets a bit old.

The La Linea marina was built after I left, so I don't know the status there now. At the time the La Linea anchorage was quite literally a den of thieves, constantly stealing dinghies to use for a quick tobacco run to Gib (smuggling is a well-established business there). Drug runners also used the boat ramp to recover their speedboats and disappear into the traffic. I hope it has improved but if it is anything like I experienced I wouldn't want to stay there for long.

Greg

This happened earlier this year in La Linea...
Its like you would see in an American movie.. The gang leader was arrested and the gang broke him out of hospital. https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...ms-hospital-in spain-to-release-arrested-drug-suspect

Then the same chain of events unearthed a beachfront house on the eastern beach with a commercial radar dome on its roof monitoring the straights and drug boats were back and forth from Morrocco to La Linea when the guardia and gib police boats were no where to be seen.
Its bizarre there. 3 weeks ago a high speed drug boat rammed a police boat and the police shot at the drug boat and the next day a body washes up on the beach. Alcaidesa marina in La Linea has boats on a nightly basis running in and out of the marina... You hear them all night.

[stewie]

Fortunately the drugs gang have all been arrested and the problem has diminished.

[Bean Counter]

Thanks all, we are Australians so will have a Shengen issue out side Gibraltar in Spain and Portugal.

[Catapault]

Originally Posted by Bean Counter

Thanks all, we are Australians so will have a Shengen issue out side Gibraltar in Spain and Portugal.

That damn visa issue is the Bane of our life.....

The timing logisitics required to make it across the western Med next year, and over the Pond, whilst complying with visa.. bleh...

It has made cruising the Mediteranean far less enjoyable than it should be. (as Full time liveaboards). If you go home for 6 mo, its prob ok, but full time is a pain-in-the-neck!

Mark.

[onavegador]

as I like in winter also a mild climate I would not winter in Gib. I would favor the spanish east coast at the hight of Cartageno or even better between the capes of Cabo de Palos in the south and Cabo de la Nea in the North. This is the part of the spanish east coast with the mildest weather in winter. Sailing on this coast is a pleasure even in winter. I remember that we sailed one on christmas day from Alicante (what is the main port on this part of the coast) to Isla Tabarca in Bermudas and no T-shirt.
There are many Marinas on this part of the Coast and even several anchorages.
Good luck.
James

[Alita49DS]

I am a huge fan of Gibraltar. Admission over.

If you can, I would try and get a berth in Queensway. Much better than Marina Bay. More civilised, floating pontoons and a short walk into the middle of town. Do not be put off by the no space answer. Until they see the whites of your eyes there is no definitive answer.


Whatever anyone says about Alcaidesa a stones throw in Spain La Linea is the pits.


If you want to consider Spain then Estepona is a recommendation to research.


Gib can be very wet in winter and the sailing can be challenging all year round. I love it. There is also a lot to be done in a small space on land.