Most of the large fleet is moored here: the 21 and 31-metre yachts, the schooner, the fishing boats and the sailing boat.
Puerto Banús holds the big boats of the fleet: the two yachts of 21.7 and 31.7 metres, the 24.1-metre schooner, three fishing boats from 10.9 to 13.7 metres and the 12.2-metre sailing boat. All of them go out with a skipper or a full crew.
It is the marina that suits a long day best: from here you run along the coast towards Marbella and Estepona with the day in front of you, or head for Gibraltar if you book several days.
Boarding is in Puerto Banús, not in Fuengirola. It is worth knowing when you book, because there is a good half hour by car between the two marinas, and parking there in August takes a while.
Puerto Banús is in Nueva Andalucía, within Marbella, about twenty-eight kilometres from Fuengirola on the A-7. By car that is around thirty minutes in normal traffic, and a good deal more on a Saturday in August.
The marina's underground car park is the safe option: it is paid parking and it fills up in high season, so allow an extra twenty minutes between parking and reaching the pontoon. For a ten o'clock departure, leave Fuengirola at nine.
Westwards the coast opens out towards Estepona and Sotogrande, with the Sierra Bermeja behind. It is the natural route for a full day: you sail, anchor for lunch and come back with the sun dropping astern, which is also when the coast looks its best.
Eastwards Marbella is a step away, a little over half an hour of easy going, and carrying on you reach Cabopino and the Mijas beaches. That is the half-day option. For Gibraltar you need to allow the whole day, or plan several days on board.
In the morning the sea is usually flatter. On this coast the thermal breeze comes in from midday and chops the water, which does not stop a large boat but does change how comfortable it is for the people on board.
For an afternoon trip, the payoff is the light: the last hour before sunset is the best of the day for seeing the coast and for photographs. If anyone in the group gets seasick, go in the morning; if what you are after is the atmosphere, go in the afternoon.
The skipper is the one who handles the boat: navigation, anchoring and safety on board are his. The fishing boats and the sailing boat go out with a skipper, and that is all a day trip needs.
A full crew also includes service on board: somebody looking after the food, the drinks and keeping the boat in order throughout. The yachts and the schooner go out that way. The difference shows most on long days and when you eat on board.
It depends on the boat, and the range is wide. The fishing boats, between eleven and fourteen metres, work with small numbers because what matters there is room to fish, not passenger count. The twelve-metre sailing boat is in a similar range.
The yachts and the schooner take clearly larger groups, and there the daytime capacity has nothing to do with sleeping on board: a boat that carries fifteen people under way may have eight berths. When you book we confirm both figures, because they are the ones that decide whether the boat suits.
The big boats in Puerto Banús are booked by the half day, the full day or several days. Two-hour trips, which do exist on the small boats in Fuengirola, make little sense here: just getting out of the marina and back in again eats a chunk of the time.
The format that works best is the half day: enough margin to reach an anchorage, spend a while swimming and come back without rushing. The full day earns its keep when the idea is to eat on board and get further along the coast.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
The big ones of the fleet: the two yachts of 21.7 and 31.7 metres, the 24.1-metre schooner, three fishing boats from 10.9 to 13.7 metres and the 12.2-metre sailing boat.
No. The office is at the Puerto Deportivo de Fuengirola; the berths are in Puerto Banús. Boarding does happen there.
A good half hour by car, and in August you have to allow for parking. It is worth leaving with time in hand.
Along the coast towards Marbella and Estepona with a day in front of you, or on towards Gibraltar if you book several days.
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.
