Areas in Detail -
N
Spain
Quiet, unspoilt cruising around N Spain
Balearics The busy area of Mallorca,
Minorca, Ibiza and the sandy bays of Formentera
Corsica & Sardinia Brilliant white undeveloped beaches and coves, stunning scenery.
Sicily & Malta Unique; bubbling
volcanoes and ancient sites
Greece
The stunning variety of the many Greek cruising areas
SW Peloponese
Every harbour, cove and anchorage. Good bars,
too.
___________
Copyright
Jim Baerselman.
Last update
- 6
Jul 07
Please email
us with your corrections and comments
Areas in Detail
Cruising in North Spain
North Spain offers unspoilt cruising in a mild, if a little damp, climate. It’s best cruised from East to West with the prevailing winds and currents. The cruising area splits naturally into two regions; North Coast, and the delightful Rias of Galicia.
There are some wonderful old historic cities to visit, either on the coast, or easily accessible from a port. There are plenty of harbours, most geared to fishing vessels, and a few marinas. Some staging posts for voyagers are busy with yachts; otherwise there are few sailing boats compared with Britain or France.
A word of warning about language; a yacht harbour is 'Puertos deportivos' — or sports port I suppose. 'Marina' just means 'of the sea', so don’t use the word unless you want some lively misunderstandings.
Quick jumps on this page:
| When to Go | Comparing N Coast with the Rias | N Spain Harbours |
| The Rias |
Sailing in Spain
People and Politics
The area has a history of independence, being cut off from the rest of Spain by mountain ranges. It is industrialised, the coast fairly densely populated, supporting a good standard of living. City dwellers dress noticeably well. Little English is spoken.
A certain Celtic heritage is claimed, except in the fiercely independent Basque country (east of Bilbao) which speaks its own language (Euskadi — full of x’s and k’s and quite unintelligible). Terrorist activity associated with Basque separatism, no longer a problem, is marked only by graffiti in some ports.
Further west, Asturias and Cantabria have a relationship with Spain similar to that between England and Wales — including the coal mines, steel works and rain. Galicia is different again, altogether more isolated, reliant on farming, fishing, smuggling (mussel rafts make great hideaways) and a certain number of Spanish and Portuguese holidaymakers. Gallego is spoken in Galicia; a mix of Portuguese and Castilian.
All Spain has a morning and late night culture. Morning, until 1300, is for shopping and business. Afternoons are pretty quiet; most shops close. Things come to life again about 1700. Evening meals don’t start until 2200 or later and nightlife goes on ‘til dawn!
Food. Basque and Galician cuisine is acknowledged as Spain’s finest. Seek out some good restaurants. Especially, try out the tapas bars in a city.
When to go & Sailing Conditions
Winter. Winter weather, October to April, is dominated by the passage of depressions and fronts through Biscay. Gales are common, and Atlantic gales also are likely to generate massive swells, which sometimes close ports for days at a time. More settled weather arrives in late spring when the Azores high diverts depressions further north — to UK.
Cruising Season. The comfortable summer cruising season runs from early June to late September, when the worst Biscay depressions are more rare. Even so, outside the Rias, boats and crews may be exposed at times to severe Atlantic weather, and should be able to cope with this. Temperatures are about 5°C warmer than south England, though the rainfall is similar. Late summer thunderstorms are quite frequent in the south-east corner of Biscay. South of Finisterre the climate is noticeably sunnier, and the more sheltered waters allow a longer season. For a further understanding of Biscay weather and it's affect on seasons, see Frank Singleton's Site.
High Season. Fiestas are a noisy feature of the local holiday season (about 10 July to 20 August) when every excuse is found to explode hundreds of air bombs during the day and curtains of fireworks at night. And if you’re not careful there will also be a quayside pop group hammering away ‘til four in the morning for your personal entertainment.
Winds. Summer winds are mainly northerly, the north end of the Portuguese trades. They blow from April onwards, settling to a regular F4 to F5 throughout the season. When there’s a thermal low over Spain (common in high summer) winds strengthen in the afternoons, F6 or so near the coasts. Off the NW corner (Finisterre to La Coruña) such winds locally reach gale force, but generate little swell. If working against the winds, leave early in the morning to avoid the worst.
Visibility. Off Galicia, mist and fog occur about 10% of July and August.
Tides & Currents. Tidal range in the area is 3 metres at springs, 1.5 metres neaps. Many smaller estuaries on the north coast can only be entered on the last of the flood tide. Tidal streams are otherwise not significant. Currents are mainly wind driven, running gently to the west, although a period of winds from the westerly quadrant can create east going currents. Maximum currents can be observed near the French border, up to about 4kts. My preference is to cruise from east to west in order to end up pottering around the Rias of Galicia.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Comparing N Coast with the Rias
North Coast
The Area. This bold, mountainous, green and often cloudy coast between France and Galicia (Ribadeo) is little visited by yachts, most of which rush straight to the Rias. I rate it 7/10 for magnificent scenery (consider hiring a car to tour the Picos Europas - 8/10).and the interesting social culture (do tapas and seafood restaurants). There are few yachts, and those who like this will rate the area even more highly. Altogether, there are enough harbours and inland interest to keep you happy for a slow three-week potter from one end to the other. Rich in minerals, and well populated, there are some big industrial ports, but there are many more busy fishing ports and quiet villages. Some are cut into clefts in the rock, some protected by massive sea walls, others are hidden in shallow estuaries behind sand bars. And when the fishing fleet is in, it’s sometimes difficult to find any quiet space. Luckily, the fleets are often out for days at a time.
The Coast. From the French border to Ribadeo is an easy coastal cruise of about 240nm. The longest sail between two safe harbours is about 70nm, but with many intermediate ports and harbours, a cruise using only day sailing is easy to achieve.
Hazards. Swell is a significant factor, often closing the small ports with sand bars at their entrances. Normal access to these in good conditions is during the couple of hours before high water. In heavy swell keep clear. Shoal areas of even 10m depth have breakers. The coast is steep to, with no dangers more than 1nm off the shore. Buoys or beacon towers marking offshore hazards are not present, and not needed. Simple pilotage skills are adequate. Landfalls and coastal navigation are straightforward, though low cloud is common, obscuring high set lighthouses. This makes night landfalls without radar or GPS quite scary. A random hazard is large numbers of fishing floats, unmarked, often with coils of rope floating nearby.
The Rias of Galicia
The Area. The North West corner of Spain (between Ribadeo and Bayona), is Galicia, a wonderful cruising ground comprising a granite coastline deeply indented with steep sided ‘Rias’, each just a day sail from the next. Each Ria is a mini-cruising area in its own right. I rate the area 8/10 for lots of sheltered sailing with good beaches, many anchorages, and some interesting pilotage. Allow four weeks for a good explore. Take a day inland to visit Santiago de Compostela (9/10).
The Rias north of Finisterre (Rias Altas) are generally easy to approach from the sea, but quiet and less developed. The sunnier southern Rias (Rias Bajas) are more popular with Spanish holidaymakers and sailors. They are sheltered by rocky archipelagos, interesting for rock dodgers, which create some lovely remote island anchorages. Small tidal ranges and weak streams mean that pilotage is not too demanding. The Bajas are well served with marinas. Many yachts return to re-visit this cruising area several times.
Hazards. Be prepared for the strong northerly winds south of Finisterre, often reaching gale force locally in the afternoons where they're channelled down valleys or accelerated over ridges. Unmarked rocks and shoals lie up to 4nm offshore. Swell from distant heavy weather creates breaking seas over many banks, some 10m or more deep. Landfalls and coastal navigation must therefore be planned with care, especially bearing in mind that low cloud and poor visibility are quite frequent (10%) in summer. The whole area is dense with fishing floats and crab pot markers. Areas are set aside within many rias for mussel rafts; these are mostly unlit, so stay in the fairways at night.
Cruise Routing. It is reasonable to work north against the strong winds by making relatively short passages from Ria to Ria, departing early in the morning. Hence, I cruise the whole area by making landfall in the NE, pottering round to A Coruña, taking a long hop to Bayona, then returning north in a series of short hops from Ria to Ria. Different, of course, if you're heading south afterwards . . .
________________________________________________________
Harbours and Rias in Detail
Some Harbours of North Spain
Only a few of the total number of harbours and anchorages
available are listed. If you rate un-crowded cruising highly, raise our assessments a
notch! With large‑scale charts, settled weather and updated pilot guides a
suitable boat will find many more. The harbours marked in green can be entered in all conditions; they are not necessarily attractive!
Click on the map for a larger scale version
Ria Bidasoa 3/10. The border between Spain and France. Gurutzandi is an easily approached fishing harbour, otherwise entrance is restricted to the top half of the tide. There are several resting spots, a marina and anchorages at Hendaye (France) and Fuentarrabia (Spain).
Puerto de Pasajes 2/10. A safe harbour, busy and commercial. Anchor near the small villages of San Juan or San Pedro outside moorings.
San Sebastián An elegant city (7/10) around a beautiful bay; a major tourist resort. Sadly, limited mooring space (2/10) especially in high season. Anchor where moorings permit (it may be a rolly spot!), or try for a yacht club mooring. If you find a suitable spot, visit the Casco Viejo (the old city). This comes to life in the late evening with (what are said to be) the best tapas bars in Spain.
Guetaría 5/10. An easily entered small fishing port. Some pleasant old streets, one of which runs through the church basement! Moor between buoys or tie alongside when fishing boats are away.
Puerto de Motrico 5/10. Fishing port with easy but narrow approach. Tie alongside when fleet is away.
Zumaya 4/10. Small coast resort with good yacht facilities. Marina. Sand bar at entrance; don't enter when there's a swell!.
Ondarroa 3/10. A very crowded small fishing harbour, easily entered.
Lequeitio 4/10. Very busy small fishing port and holiday resort, easily entered. A favourite if you can find space, which is difficult.
Elanchove 6/10. Easily entered small, quiet fishing harbour under a small town on a cliff with lovely views down into the harbour. The town is so small that the local bus has to turn around on a turntable! Moor between buoys or tie alongside.
Bermeo 5/10. Easily entered busy fishing port with a well‑protected harbour. The inner harbour stinks when there's no wind in high summer, but has colourful tall terraces of houses, some of which are only two metres wide. The more fragrant outer harbour usually has room to lie alongside, especially in July and August.
Bilbao 7/10. Safe to enter in all weathers. A huge commercial port, good for crew changes. Two full service marinas; The expensive Getxo marina, a fair way out of town usually has plenty of space. The friendly old 'Real Club Maritimo del Abra' is much cheaper and more central, but is often full. Spacious anchorages are an alternative. Good beach; ferries and flights to UK. Visit the Guggenheim museum, and see the grand old houses skirting the harbour. At Algorta (a short walk northwards from Getxo) the picturesque old fishing village with its restaurants and bars is well worth an evening visit.
Castro Urdiales 7/10. Easily entered picturesque and interesting old town. Two arcaded streets run parallel to the main harbour front, dense with cafés and restaurants, great for people watching. If there's a NW swell running, take a walk west along the cliffs to see some magnificent blow holes doing their thing. Anchor in outer harbour, tie alongside, or anchor and tie bows- or stern-to one of the strings of mooring buoys. Some swell in ENE winds.
Santander 6/10. Safe to enter in all weathers. A pleasant city, large port and holiday resort with lots of sandy beaches, good for crew changes. Two marinas, anchorages with plenty of space. Ferries and flights to UK.
San Vicente de la Barquera 7/10. An attractive little estuary with a pleasant old fishing town. Seek out 'First Bar' - it's south over the bridge, a short distance left down the road. Run by a very friendly family of five brothers. Great seafood in a fairly scruffy setting. Select your fish from one of the big tanks in the room. Estuary only accessible near HW. Moor alongside a fishing boat on a buoy, sometimes quay space.
Llanes 7/10. A lively little town with some excellent restaurants and bars, obviously on the local's tourist circuit. Some grand old houses slowly decaying, but a recently developed harbour that is easy to enter.
Lastres 6/10. A tiny cliff side village with narrow alleys, a couple of stores, a couple of café-restaurants, a butcher and a baker. Tie alongside or anchor off.
Ribadesella Small fishing port on river. Sand bar closes entrance in swell, otherwise entrance restricted to 2 hours before high water. Moor alongside rough quay - you'll need a long chafing plank to bridge the piles. Visit the stone age Tito Bustillo caves from here. Sadly, the famous Altamira caves are closed.
Gijón: Muelles Locales 6/10. The old harbour near the city, marina. Bar makes entry difficult in strong N winds. Popular and useful harbour. Good base for exploring Picos Europa, (8/10) the magnificent range of mountains inland — steep gorges and an amazing diversity of scenery and walks. Hire a car for a day or three.
Gijón: Musel 3/10. Safe to enter in all weathers. Large commercial harbour easily approached. Anchor, or tie alongside in fishing harbour.
Avilés. 2/10. A commercial harbour surrounded by heavy industry, though town is attractive. An easy approach; signals at the entrance control traffic. Anchorages, or tie alongside.
Cudillero 6/10. Tiny attractive old village and port. Very narrow entrance to large fishing harbour with pontoons for visitors. Enter on top half of tide if there’s any swell.
Luarca 7/10. Attractive and lively small town. Easily entered fishing port. Tie alongside inner harbour if there's room; more likely pick up mooring in outer harbour with line to wall. Good seafood restaurants, try the one just by the harbour entrance.
The Rias of Galicia
Each of the Rias of Galicia offers a
variety of anchorages, harbours, marinas and opportunities for cruising,
with plenty of well sheltered anchorages
This list gives a thumbnail sketch of each ria in turn, noting some of
the highlights, travelling west along the Rias Altas, then south through
the Rias Bajas.
Click on the map for a larger scale version . . .
Ribadeo. 4/10. More a shallow river mouth than a ria. Can be entered in all but N storms by keeping to leading lines (both lit). The Ria is mostly shallow sand banks. Tie alongside in the well-sheltered harbour of Ribadeo town, which has its own faded beauty once you bypass the modern blocks. Cheap berths, with a good Italian restaurant near the marina office.
Puerto San Ciprian 2/10. Not a ria, but safe to enter in all weathers. A large industrial harbour, which can be entered in all conditions, though exposed to NE swell. Three anchoring zones.
Ría de Viviero 6/10. A quiet, attractive ria with an easy entrance, exposed to the north. Several light weather anchorages and a sheltered deep-water fishing port at Cillero. Or, much better, go to the good value perfectly sheltered marina up the river at Vivero. Water and electricity. Good shopping, and an attractive old town (7/10) with narrow streets hidden behind the rather grotty (mostly destroyed) city walls. Good bars and restaurants in the old city.
Ría del Barquero 5/10. Easy entrance to attractive, quiet ria with several small beaches. Anchor off beaches, or the village of Puerto de Bares. High water access to Puerto Barquera.
Ensenada de Santa Marta 4/10. Wide bay, easily entered. Good landfall after crossing Biscay. Anchor off Ensenada de Espasante (on the E). Tie alongside pontoon in Cariño (an unattractive fishing and commercial port with canning factories). Or consider taking a pilot to Santa Marta de Ortiguera, a lovely river trip.
Ría de Cedeira 6/10. Attractive ria with lovely beaches, easy access and a spacious, well sheltered anchorage. Best anchorage is beyond the main mooring area, at the south end of the main town beach. Holiday town, busy in season. Excellent first landfall after crossing Biscay. Get into the rhythm of Spain at Kilowatio, an excellent little tapas bar on the north side of the anchorage, and sample Spanish seafood at 'Las Brisas', a little further east. A 350 berth marina is planned - watch this space. (Thanks Neil!)
Ría de El Ferrol 4/10. Attractive Ria, sadly dominated by busy naval base. Moor alongside in commercial harbour, or several pleasant anchorages, subject to naval tolerance. Close to A Coruña.
Ría de Betanzos y Ares 6/10. Easy entrances, part of large sailing area around A Coruña. Many beaches, also many anchorages in both Rias off small towns and fishing harbours. Choose one to suit the winds. Sada marina is good and modern with a boatyard and chandlery, reasonably priced. Also a smaller marina in Ares, and plans to build a marina in Miño.
Ría de A Coruña 8/10. Easy entry; keep to west entrance leading marks to avoid breakers in strong onshore winds. Big commercial port, also centre of large sailing area. Fascinating town and favoured port of call for yachts on passage. Some hate it, but I love it. Spacious anchoring area behind breakwater near the very conspicuous port office towers (10–15m but patches of foul ground). 'New Yacht Club' moorings closer to shore, or crush into its dodgy pontoons. the 'New Yacht Club' is very helpful at arranging any type of yacht support. There's a more modern marina, Darsena de Marina, centred around the grand 'Old Yacht Club' a magnificently snooty place (dress well to enter!). Quieter anchorages off beaches to east and south of Ria. A Coruña is a superb old Galician City. Spend at least three nights here to get the best out of it. Lively markets (a good fish market well into the town). Sit in a café on Maria Pita square in the early evening. Later that night eat in the tapas bars in the streets just west of the square, then go east to the old city and whoop it up in the late bars. If that's your thing. Take a long walk around the coastline to the Torre de Hercules, or go by tram if you feel lazy.
Ria de Corme & Lage 6/10. A quiet and friendly ria. Two small holiday towns with fishing harbours and good beaches. Easy to enter and open to NW. Anchor behind the breakwaters off Corme or Lage, depending on the winds.
Ría de Camariñas 6/10. An attractive small ria with two quite busy fishing harbours. Easy to enter. Anchor behind breakwaters or off one of the many good beaches, depending on the winds. Sailboats may find pontoon berths available in Camariñas. Seek out the traditional lacemakers and watch their nimble fingers. If a siren blows, a fishing boat is coming in, and it's a call for the fish sorters, who arrive at the Lonja (fish quay) with their long tables and many trays to unload, sort and ice the catch at any time of day or night. One night at 3am the sixth siren blew - sure enough, a sixth team arrived 15 minutes later as yet another vessel pulled in to the quay. Grandmothers, children, they were all still at it at 7am as the big lorries started to turn up.
Ría de Corcubión/Finisterre 4/10. The wide bay behind cape Finisterre contains several anchorages, although when the strong northerly winds blow it is very windy here, and you need to anchor well into the shore for any shelter. Open to the south. Worth exploring in settled weather, but there are several rocky plateaux and shallows in the bay, not all marked, so a large-scale chart should be used. Finisterre breakwater provides limited shelter in southerly winds.
Ría de Muros 7/10. 4nm wide and 7nm long this is a larger ria — a mini cruising area. Unmarked rocks and shoals lie off the coasts and there are mussel rafts in some bays, so careful pilotage is needed. There are anchorages off several villages or towns. There's a good full service marina at Portosin, run by the yacht club, whose very good restaurant upstairs is worth a visit. Portosin is a quiet tiny resort with a good beach. Make a point also of visiting Muros town (8/10), which has a busy fishing harbour (which you're most unlikely to get into) and a rather deep, stony anchorage (3/10). This lively old town has good restaurants, distinctive architecture and nice atmosphere.
Ria de Arosa. 8/10. 8nm wide and 15nm long this is the largest of the rias and a very interesting cruising ground. There are dangerous unmarked rocks 3nm off coast en route to Ria de Arosa from Muros. And plenty of reefs and passages to test seasoned rock dodgers who want to take a short cut in from the north. The main fairway is straightforward and well marked, easy to enter day and night under sail. But make sure you've worked out your safety bearings to avoid the mussel rafts. Off the fairway there are many interesting pilotage challenges through rocky channels to lovely island anchorages. There are also large farms of unlit mussel rafts! It's easy to spend a week or more here with so many anchorages, beaches, islands and small towns. The Ria is well served with marinas. The principal town of Villagarcía (well connected by rail and bus to Santiago) has one, and this is a good place for a crew change. It's also an excellent port from which to visit Santiago de Compostela (9/10), a wonderful old granite city proud of its high rainfall. Go by bus or train. And while you're in Villagarcía, Chocolate (10/10) is one of the best restaurants in Galicia, not too expensive, lined with pictures of past heads of state (including Edward Heath) embracing the host. It's about 2km out of town to the south, on Avenida Cambados, No 151 (tel: 986 501 199). Best to take a taxi.
Ría de Pontevedra 7/10. An easily entered ria (sheltered by Isla Ons) whose north shore is busy with holiday resorts. There is a marina at Aguete on south shore. In settled weather try the quiet anchorage off the beach at Islas Ons. Combarro (9/10, in spite of the crowds) is a must see, an extraordinary old town full of Horreos (granaries on stilts, suggesting a past rat problem). Anchor between the quays. The place is very busy with (Spanish) tourists. On the coast side of the main walking circuit around the town is a tiny café/tapas bar dug into rock. Hunt it down. It serves ham, cheese, and barrel wine out of great saucers. Sit here and watch the crowds flit through — a wonderful education in local social habits.
Ría de Vigo/Bayona 6/10. An easily entered ria, dominated by Vigo city, sheltered by Islas Cies (delightful to anchor off - 8/10 for piece and quiet). To the south is Bayona, a good shore run, favourite with voyaging yachtsmen, with a (crowded) marina or YC moorings available. Plenty of anchoring space too. The Parador hotel above the marina is recommended for a visit; they do a fine gourmet meal at a reasonable price.
_____________________________________________________