Both are good for a few hours at sea, but not for the same things. The choice depends on the plan, the group and the time of day you want to go out.
A sailing boat suits those who want to sail with the wind, without engine noise and without hurry; a motor boat suits those who want to get there sooner, anchor off a beach, swim and be back at a fixed time. On the Costa del Sol, the fleet’s sailing boat is 12.2 m long, takes up to 9 passengers and leaves Puerto Banús, always with a skipper.
The other difference is the wind: the sailing boat needs it and the motor boat feels it as waves. Because the sea breeze on this coast comes in from midday, the sailing boat goes best in the afternoon, while anyone looking for a flat sea to swim in prefers the morning. For large groups, the 24.1 m schooner takes 36 people.
The quiet and the lean. With the sails up and the engine off, all you hear is the water against the hull, and the boat sails heeled, that is, tilted to one side by the force of the wind in the sails. The first time it is striking; after a few minutes you realise it is the normal position of a sailing boat making way under sail.
On a motor boat the feeling is different: the sound of the engine, a level deck and a speed set by the throttle. You get where you want to go sooner and spend longer at anchor and in the water. If the plan is to swim, eat on board and sunbathe, the motor boat fits better; if the plan is to sail, the sailing boat.
The motor boat. Its speed depends on the engine and the state of the sea; a sailing boat’s depends on the strength and direction of the wind. A sailing boat cannot sail straight into the wind: it has to zigzag, tacking back and forth, and that lengthens the trip when the destination lies upwind.
That is why a sailing trip is planned around the route rather than the destination. Cruising yachts carry an auxiliary engine for entering and leaving the marina and for when the wind drops, but motoring the whole time defeats the point of choosing one. At sea, speed is measured in knots, and one knot equals 1.852 km/h.
Some wind, but not too much. At force 3 on the Beaufort scale, a gentle breeze of 7 to 10 knots, a sailing boat already moves smoothly under sail; at force 4, a moderate breeze of 11 to 16 knots, it goes faster and heels more. On this coast the sea breeze comes in from midday, so the afternoon is the natural time for the sailing boat.
The limits are the same for the whole fleet: below 15 knots almost everything goes out, between 15 and 20 the light kit is called off, and above 20 only the large boats sail. The westerly raises a chop in the afternoon, and the easterly brings in a swell. If the forecast does not allow a safe trip, the date is changed at no cost.
The state of the sea matters more than the type of boat. In a steady wind, the pressure on the sails holds the sailing boat over on one side and the side-to-side roll eases; stopped in a swell, on the other hand, it rocks. A motor boat under way bangs its bow into the chop, and at anchor in a swell it moves too.
What helps on any boat: going out in the morning, on a calmer sea; looking at the horizon rather than your phone; staying in the cockpit, in the fresh air, instead of going below; and not boarding on an empty stomach or straight after a heavy meal. Children sit in the cockpit, never on the bow, wearing a life jacket in their size.
The 12.2 m sailing boat takes up to 9 passengers. For more people there is the 24.1 m schooner, which takes 36 and has a full crew: besides the skipper, staff who look after guests on board, plus a second deckhand because it is over 24 m. Both leave from Puerto Banús, about 28 km from Fuengirola on the A-7, around half an hour by car.
Across the rest of the fleet the range is wider: 30 boats from 4 to 31.7 m spread over 5 marinas. In Puerto Banús there are yachts of 21.7 m for 12 passengers and 31.7 m for 15; in Marbella, an 11.5 m catamaran for 12 people with cabins; and in Estepona, a 21.8 m yacht for 10 with a full crew.
For the sailing boat, no. It always goes out with a skipper, who steers, anchors and is responsible for safety, and if someone in the group wants to learn, the skipper can teach them to handle it during the trip, starting with taking the helm. It is not a certified course: Alquiler Náutico is not a sailing school, and what you learn on board is for enjoying that day.
On a motor boat, without a licence the trip is with a skipper. To handle it yourself, at the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola a 4-metre boat can be taken out with the Spanish navigation licence (licencia de navegación), after a ten-minute briefing before casting off and within an area marked on the chart; there is only one, so in summer it is worth booking it well ahead. The 6.6 to 6.9 metre motorboats require the Spanish PNB licence (Patrón de Navegación Básica).
For a quiet afternoon’s sailing, as a couple or with a group of up to 9, the sailing boat from Puerto Banús. To anchor off a beach, swim and be back at a fixed time, the skippered motor boat. For a group of more than 15 people, the schooner. And if nobody wants to take the car, the boats that leave from Fuengirola.
All of them include a life jacket for everyone on board, safety equipment checked before every trip and the boat’s insurance. Rates are not published: they are given over the phone on +34 669 06 27 56. In July and August it is worth booking several days ahead; from October to May a call the day before is usually enough.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
No. The 12.2 m sailing boat always goes out with a skipper, who can teach anyone who wants to learn how to handle it during the trip.
Cruising yachts carry an auxiliary engine for when the wind drops, but the trip makes more sense with a breeze, which on this coast comes in from midday.
The state of the sea matters more than the type of boat. Go out in the morning, stay in the cockpit looking at the horizon and choose the day by the forecast.
Up to 9 passengers on the 12.2 m boat. For larger groups, the 24.1 m schooner takes 36 people and the Puerto Banús yachts take 12 or 15.
Leave us your number and we will call you. In July and August it is worth booking ahead.
Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola, local 367. You can drop in and see the boats before you book.
At no charge. Going out to see what happens is never worth it.
Life jackets for everyone on board, included in the price.
