The 11.5-metre catamaran for up to 12 passengers is moored in Marbella marina. The yachts leave from Puerto Banús, ten minutes away.
Moored in Marbella marina is the 11.5-metre catamaran, for up to 12 passengers. It is the comfortable option for a group: it barely heels, it has plenty of deck and getting in and out of the water at anchor is easy.
The big boats — yachts, schooner and fishing boats — are in Puerto Banús, ten minutes along the coast. If you are looking for a yacht in Marbella, that is where you board.
For water sports and jet skis the base is Fuengirola: the kit goes from the beach there and is not moved.
No, they are two different marinas about six kilometres apart, roughly ten minutes by car. Marbella marina sits next to the old town; Puerto Banús is to the west, in Nueva Andalucía.
This mix-up causes more trouble on the day than anything else. Whoever books the catamaran boards in Marbella; whoever books a yacht or the schooner boards in Puerto Banús. The exact point is always confirmed when you book, and it is worth reading twice.
From six or eight people upwards, and especially if some of the group are not used to being at sea. A catamaran barely heels: where a single-hulled boat leans over and has you holding on, this one stays flat and people move about the deck normally.
It also changes how you swim. Between the two hulls there is a rear platform you walk in and out of the water from, with no awkward ladders. With children or older people, that decides the trip more than anything else.
There are sandy anchorages all along the coast between Marbella and Cabopino, and they are comfortable when the wind is light from the west. The skipper picks the spot according to where it is blowing from that day, not according to which one looks prettiest.
That decision, which sounds like a detail, is what separates a calm lunch on board from an uncomfortable hour of rolling. A beautiful anchorage with the wind on the beam is abandoned within five minutes.
Little, and soft. A cloth bag rather than a rigid case, because hard luggage wastes space on board. A towel, swimming things already on, a cap and plenty of sun cream: there is no shade on deck for much of the trip.
And shoes that will not mark. On deck you go barefoot or in light soles, and the black soles of street trainers leave marks that then have to be scrubbed off by hand. It is the rule of the boat that gets repeated most and forgotten most.
Yes, and a catamaran is where it works best, because at anchor it moves very little and you can lay a table without anything spilling. You can bring food and drink ready prepared, which is the usual thing on a group trip.
The one firm rule is glass: it does not come on deck. A broken bottle on a floor where everyone is barefoot ends the trip there and then. Plastic bottles, cans or flasks, as many as you like.
Fifteen minutes before departure, and with the whole group there. The time you booked is the time the catamaran casts off, not the time people start arriving; whatever is lost waiting comes out of the time on the water.
With large groups it is worth telling everyone half an hour before, and at a specific point in the marina. Saying "see you at Marbella marina" to twelve people guarantees that three of them end up in Puerto Banús, six kilometres away.
Yes, and it is the most requested format: enough time to get out, sail to an anchorage, swim without rushing and come back without watching the clock. For a group who want to eat on board, it is the right measure.
Shorter trips exist too and work well for a specific celebration, where what people want is the time on board rather than the sailing. What rarely pays off on a catamaran is the express trip: the boat takes its time getting out of and back into the marina.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
The 11.5-metre catamaran, for up to 12 passengers, in the marina.
The yachts are in Puerto Banús, which belongs to Marbella and is ten minutes along the coast. That is where you board.
The jet skis and the watersports kit go from the beach at Fuengirola and are not moved.
Because it barely heels, it has plenty of deck and getting in and out of the water at anchor is easy.
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.
