A whole day is enough for the long route: cruise to Puerto Banús, stop for lunch at anchor and come back without rushing.
A full day is about eight hours on the boat, and on some motorboats seven. With that much time the trip no longer revolves around a single cove: you can cruise as far as Puerto Banús, anchor at midday for lunch and a swim, and come back in the afternoon without watching the clock.
With a skipper, the rate includes the skipper and fuel on the full day too, except on the yachts, where fuel for long routes is extra. If you take the boat out yourself on your licence, it leaves with a full tank and you pay for the fuel used when you return. Over a long day what matters is how the time is split: hours at anchor barely add anything, and what weighs on the bill is the miles covered.
With a skipper no licence is needed. To take a boat out yourself, the 4-metre boat requires at least the Spanish navigation licence and the 6.6 to 6.9 metre motorboats at least the PNB, Spain’s basic skipper licence. Anyone skippering on their own licence must be back in the marina in daylight.
Full-day boat hire in Fuengirola means about eight hours, enough to reach Puerto Banús, have lunch at anchor and come back without rushing. It is the length designed for the long route with several stops: leave in the morning, swim along the way, have lunch in a cove and return in the afternoon to the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola.
The direction is decided on the day. If the wind does not favour heading to Puerto Banús, the course changes and the day is split into more stops closer to base. What stays the same is the idea of covering more water than on a half day and coming back with time to spare before the light goes.
The skippered motor boats, from 8.1 to 15.2 metres and for 7 to 12 passengers, are the straightforward choice for the long route; the base is the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola and the boarding marina for each boat is confirmed when you book. The fishing boats in Puerto Banús have their own eight-hour full day, leaving at first light, which allows two techniques to be combined in the same outing.
The yachts in Puerto Banús and the one in Estepona, from 21.7 to 31.7 metres and for 10 to 15 passengers, are hired for a full day or for several days, with crew included. The 12.2-metre sailing boat also leaves from Puerto Banús, always with a skipper: on a long day there is time for the afternoon thermal breeze to arrive and for some proper sailing. The Marbella catamaran, on the other hand, is hired by the hour or by the half day.
On skippered boats other than the yachts there is no fuel bill: the rate includes the skipper and fuel. That bill only exists if you take out the small boat or a motorboat on your own licence, and it depends on the miles covered: you leave with a full tank, it is topped up when you return and you pay for what was used. At anchor it burns nothing, so a day with two long stops can cost less in fuel than a half day hopping from cove to cove.
On the yachts, fuel for long routes is extra, as are catering and berths in other marinas, and everything is set out in a written quote before booking. For that quote to match what actually happens, it helps to agree the route beforehand: a day at anchor off the coast uses far less than a long passage.
Yes, with a licence and with two conditions that matter more over a whole day than over two hours. First, the Spanish navigation licence for the 4-metre boat covers daylight sailing up to 2 miles from the coast, so the route has to stay within that strip. Second, you must be back in daylight, so it pays to leave early and not push the afternoon.
The 6.6 to 6.9 metre motorboats, for up to 8 passengers, require at least the PNB, Spain’s basic skipper licence. If nobody in the group holds a licence, the full day is done with a skipper: he takes the boat for the whole day, chooses where to anchor according to the wind and is responsible for safety, and you decide how long to spend at each stop.
Over a whole day the sea has more time to change than over two hours. The pattern on this coast is a flatter sea in the morning and a thermal breeze from midday; a westerly raises a chop in the afternoon and an easterly brings in swell. That is why it makes sense to do the furthest leg in the morning and start back before the wind picks up.
The day before, the AEMET marine forecast for the coastal waters of Málaga and the wind, wave and water temperature data on the home page of the website give a clear picture. Below 15 knots almost everything goes ahead; above 20 only the large boats go out. If the forecast does not allow a safe trip, the date is changed at no cost, and on skippered trips the final word on board is his.
Lunch and something for the afternoon, plenty of water in a cool box, a spare swimsuit, towel, cap, sunglasses and sun cream. At sea sun cream is reapplied every two hours, which over a whole day means three or four times. A long-sleeved layer protects you from the hours of sun that add up. No glass on board and shoes that do not mark the deck.
Everything fits better in canvas bags than in hard suitcases. If you are taking the boat out yourself, bring your original licence and the ID card or passport of whoever signs; if children are coming, give us their lifejacket sizes when you book. For the boats in Puerto Banús, allow about 30 minutes by car from Fuengirola on the A-7 and bear in mind that the paid underground car park fills up in August.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
About eight hours, and on some motorboats seven. You leave in the morning and return in the afternoon; anyone skippering on their own licence must be back in the marina in daylight.
Yes. A full day is enough to cruise from Fuengirola to Puerto Banús, have lunch at anchor and come back without rushing. The final route depends on the wind that day.
Yes, a yacht. The yachts in Puerto Banús and the one in Estepona are hired for a half day, a full day or several days, with crew included and a written quote.
On the yachts, berths in marinas other than the home one are paid separately, as are catering and fuel for long routes. Everything is set out in the written quote.
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.
