Flying Fish Articles


Puerto de la Duquesa – 36°21.00'N, 05°13.00'W
Cartagena – 37°35.00'N, 00°59.00'W
Soller – 39°47.75'N, 02°41.70'E
Rosas Bay – 42°11.00'N, 03°09.00'E
Getaria – 43°18.00'N, 02°11.00'W
Lequieitio – 43°22.00'N, 02°30.00'W
Castro Urdiales – 43°23.00'N, 03°12.00'W
Bilbao – 43°24.00'N, 03°02.00'W
Punta del Pasaje – 43°26.00'N, 03°25.00'W


Puerto de la Duquesa – 36°21.00'N, 05°13.00'W
1) INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY Mike Moody

2) DATE 1989?

3) HARBOUR OR AREA COVERED Puerto de la Duquesa, Mediterranean Spain Lat & Long 36º21’.5N 5º13’.6W

4) SUITABILITY AND ATTRACTION FOR YACHTS Perfect. Yachts with draft of over 6ft should not attempt to moor on piers 1 or 2 at low water s several concrete anchor blocks obstruct centre of channel

5) MARINAS, BERTHING OR ANCHORAGE Marina. Report to white tower (Torre de Control) for berth allocation. Arrival pier shown on chartlet

6) ENTRY PORTS Many, including this port. This is the second entry port for Spain inside the Mediterranean. Sotogrande is the first but has serious surge problems in anything other than flat calm

7) FORMAL REQUIREMENTS FOR YACHTS ENTERING/DEPARTING a) from/to same country Registration documents and crew passports b) from/to abroad Registration documents and crew passports c) visa requirements None for EU nationals

8) LOCATION/EXISTENCE OF

a) harbour master Control Tower

b) customs/immigration } c) health authorities }In Control Tower 0800-2000UT


9) CONTROL OF FOREIGN YACHTS 6 months in any calendar year. Not enforced unless you fall foul of authorities

10) ATTITUDE OF OFFICIALS TO VISITING YACHTSMEN Very friendly, proud people

11) REPAIR/HAULING FACILITIES Lift out not recommended as tower crane only. 2 boats dropped in 1987/8! Limited mechanical and GRP. Competence questionable. Good mechanical facilities at Estepona (5M to NE) and Gibraltar. Competent GRP repairs by Calybre Ltd at Sheppherds marina, Gibraltar.

12) SAILING DIRECTIONS OR CHARTS See chartlet. Safe entrance. Note NE current can be strong off entrance. East Spain Pilot – Robin Brandon Local advisor myself

13) PORT RADIO SERVICES VHF 9, 16, 10 (24hrs)

14) WEATHER FORECASTS Daily in control tower with weather map. Forecast from British Forces Network, Gibraltar, FM 97.8 0800 – 1200 – 1900 UT

15) YACHT CLUB(S) Alboran Yachting Fellowship c/o Atlas Marine. Informal Sunday Racing (PYS) and social activities.

16) OTHER FACILITIES -

a) drinking water On all berths

b) fuel At arrival berth, but cheaper at Gibraltar

c) gas (propane)/gaz At chandlers in marina

d) chandlers In marina. Limited. Two more at Estepona. Excellent facilities at Gibraltar.

e) bank

f) shops/market Supermarket at port. Large hypermarket 7M to N at Estepona with better prices

g) restaurants/hotels Many in marina – all expensive. Good sea food in small village ½M to south or large village (Sabimillas) 1M to north

h) post office/telephones In Sabimillas 1M to north

l) transport/air services) Regular bus service to Gibraltar and Malaga airport

17) RECOMMENDATIONS OR WARNINGS Entrance not recommended in NE winds above F6. Big breakers can build up. Malaga or Gibraltar are only ports that can be safely entered in strong easterlies.

18) OTHER INFORMATION This is the most secure port on the Costa del Sol to leave a boat unattended.

Cartagena – 37°35.00'N, 00°59.00'W
I can recommend Yacht Port Cartagena the easterly of the two marinas in Cartagena. It 's only half full and moderately priced with attentive marineros. Cartagena is a very Spanish city of great antiquity and fascinating history. I left Aqua Blue here for winter 2013/14 and much enjoyed my visits.

Murcia is the nearest airport, 38euros by taxi.

Soller – 39°47.75'N, 02°41.70'E
Additional pontoons have eased the pressure somewhat but it still gets full from time to time. In addition to anchoring, there are two options: the Islas Baleares Ports pontoons to starboard on entry (35 Eur for 11.80m) or the 'Marina Tramontana ' to port, bow or stern to a rather high quayside (57 Eur).

Water and electricity are included but other facilities are a long way from the IB Ports berths although the public loos next to the Mar y Sol restaurant(open at 9) are fairly close and usually very clean.

The IB Ports berths can be booked online at least 3 days in advance on www.portsib.es and follow the links.


Rosas Bay – 42°11.00'N, 03°09.00'E
By OCC Port Officers Julia Aspin and David Blackburn The town and bay of Rosas lie on the southeast coast of Spain, to the northeast of Barcelona, in latitude 42°11’N longitude 003°09’E. Rosas Bay has a large, pleasant and reasonably sheltered anchorage at the north end of the bay off the town beach. During the summer season this is a busy day anchorage, but at night things quieten down with perhaps half a dozen yachts left to enjoy the quiet of the evening. The beach is clean and the new wide promenade, which is lined with palms, provides an attractive place for an evening stroll. Cafes and restaurants abound. Some three years ago, Rosas constructed a new marina next to the fishing harbour and we had high hopes that this would place our pretty town ‘on the map’, but unfortunately the marina is highly priced and until something is done to provide better protection for the fuel and visitors berths and the management becomes more ‘user friendly’, we can only recommend the marina in a real emergency. Our new Mayoress is well aware of the issue, so we hope to be able to report later that things have improved.

Getaria – 43°18.00'N, 02°11.00'W
Getaria has a very comfortable and welcoming marina, something of a rarity along this stretch of coast, and is a straightforward entrance with few dangers so can be safely approached in most weather.

As with so many of the small ports in Basque country Getaria is full of bars and restaurants set on terraces as the ground rises towards the town and overlooking the harbour and sea.

A thoroughly recommended visit both for its ambience and also its first class marina.

Lequieitio – 43°22.00'N, 02°30.00'W
Lequietio was an alternative to Bermeo in our passage plan and we were very glad that we took it. We had a look at Bermeo which was almost entirely given over to industrial fishing and offered very few berths for yachts, all of which were taken, so on to Leqietio.

In Lequeitio we had to secure to the wall on long lines, as we would have had to in Bermeo, but here we were in the centre of a lively old town that felt like fun as soon as we secured. The quayside was lined with tapas bars and restaurants and the local yacht club was more than welcoming - a first for us in northern Spain. Although sharing the harbour and the wall with fishing boats, there was no sense that yachtsmen were unwelcome and the restaurants were the best that we found anywhere on the coast.

Leqeitio is a genuinely well preserved old town, with open air barbecues outside the restaurants and much to see. Well worth a visit.


Castro Urdiales – 43°23.00'N, 03°12.00'W
As the RCC Pilot says, this is a delightful town with an anchorage sheltered by 2 long breakwaters which take most of the force out of the Biscay swell (or did when we were there!).

There is plenty of room and depth to anchor inside the breakwater and the holding is good. Ashore the town is old and charming with plenty to do and see. We liked it so much that we returned after a short visit to Bilbao.


Bilbao – 43°24.00'N, 03°02.00'W
Another good port for a crew change with two marinas and excellent communications both by metro into the city and by sea and air to UK.

The Las Arena marina, which we used, has seen better days but as so often in Spain the yacht club maintains very high standards, even if one of its buildings had been blown up by ETA the month before our visit. Apparently the club had failed to pay its protection money!

The city itself is well worth a visit, as is the outside of the Guggenheim Museum. A little like our very own Dome, it is possible that the city elders designed a fabulous building and then wondered what to put in it.

From Gijon east, and particularly once we were in Basque country (do remember your Basque courtesy flag either under the Spanish flag or alone) we sensed a joie de vivre that was absent in Galicia and Asturias. This part of northern Spain is definitely worth visiting.

Punta del Pasaje – 43°26.00'N, 03°25.00'W
Ria de Santona is in general a useful refuge area with a number of options for berthing, including a small marina in Santona where one would have to berth on the wall as all the pontoons are private.

Punta del Pasaje is a yacht club on a sand spit to the south of Santona on the opposite side of the river. There are visitors buoys to which one might be directed by the club launch, but at 30 euros a night we were quite content to anchor further up the river beyond the club moorings and the take the dinghy ashore to visit the club.

The club, in common with so many Spanish yacht clubs, is as much country club as sailing club. It offers a good restaurant, a swimming pool and showers with tennis courts as well.

Overall, a useful overnight stay but not much else.