The widest part of the fleet: 8 to 15 metres and up to 12 passengers. A skipper comes with the boat, so you need no licence of any kind.
| Boat | Seats | Marina |
|---|---|---|
| Motor boat, 8.1 m | 7 | Fuengirola |
| Motor boat, 8.8 m | 8 | Fuengirola |
| Motor boat, 11.7 m | 11 | Fuengirola |
| Motor boat, 11.9 m | 9 | Fuengirola |
| Motor boat, 12.0 m | 11 | Fuengirola |
| Motor boat, 12.8 m | 11 | Fuengirola |
| Motor boat, 13.7 m | 10 | Fuengirola |
| Motor boat, 15.2 m | 12 | Fuengirola |
| HOURS | FEE | SKIPPER + FUEL |
|---|---|---|
| 1 H | ask us | ask us |
| 2 H | ask us | ask us |
| 3 H | ask us | ask us |
| 4 H | ask us | ask us |
| 8 H | ask us | ask us |
Boat hire with a skipper in Fuengirola is the widest part of the fleet: motor boats from 8 to 15 metres, for groups of 7 to 12 people. It is also what gets booked most, because a boat with a skipper settles the two usual worries at once: the licence and knowing how to sail.
The skipper agrees the route with you before casting off. The usual thing is to run along the coast to a cove, anchor for a couple of hours for a swim and come back, but it can be done the other way round: more time under way and fewer stops.
The skippered rate includes his work and the fuel. That is the difference from hiring without crew, where fuel is paid separately from the half day upwards.
The skipper handles the boat, agrees the route with you, chooses where to anchor according to that day's wind, and takes care of leaving and coming back alongside, which is where boats and tempers get damaged.
He is also the one who knows what is and is not allowed: minimum distance from beaches, roped-off swimming areas, traffic entering the marina and what to do if the forecast changes. Booking with a skipper is not only about comfort: it takes the responsibility off you.
The short trip, two hours, reaches Benalmádena or the Calahonda area and comes back. There is time to anchor once and swim without rushing.
The half day, four hours, lets you run along to Marbella or Torremolinos with two stops. The full day, eight hours, gets you to Puerto Banús, lunch at anchor and back without hurrying. The route is decided on the day, looking at where the wind is coming from.
The skippered motor fleet runs from 8.1 to 15.2 metres and takes 7 to 12 passengers depending on the boat. The skipper does not count as a passenger.
The number on the paperwork is the legal maximum, not the comfortable one. On an 11-metre boat rated for 11 passengers, twelve people counting the skipper are noticeable; eight have room all day. If the group goes above twelve, the answer is not a bigger boat but a catamaran.
Yes. You can bring food, drink and a cool box, and most people do: at anchor in a cove at midday you eat far better than in any beach bar in August.
The one firm condition is no glass on deck. A broken bottle on a boat where everyone is barefoot ends the trip on the spot, and that is not our rule: it is basic sense at sea. Cans, plastic and rigid cool boxes, no problem.
The skipper decides, and his decision stands. If an easterly comes in and a swell starts to build, the route is shortened or shelter is found on the landward side, which is the normal thing on this coast.
If the trip is cut short for safety before the halfway point, it is made up on another day. If most of it has already been used, it counts as done. That is standard practice in this business and it is explained before casting off, not afterwards.
Because it settles at once the two doubts that hold a booking back: the licence, and the fear of damaging something. With a skipper on board no licence is needed, and the berthing manoeuvre — which is where hulls get scraped and people get embarrassed — is his job.
And because the skipper knows this coast. He knows which cove is sheltered with that day's wind, where the bottom is sand so the anchor bites, and what time each spot fills up with boats. That is not something you improvise with a chart and two hours of hire.
The good coves on this coast are not the ones you can see from the promenade. Between Fuengirola and Benalmádena there are sandy anchorages sheltered from the west; towards Mijas and Calahonda the bottom is stonier and you need to know it.
The skipper picks according to where the wind is coming from that day, not according to the prettiest photograph. A beautiful anchorage with an easterly on the beam turns into an uncomfortable hour and an anchor that drags. That decision, which sounds minor, is what separates a good day from an average one.
If it is not here, call us: two minutes on the phone and it is sorted.
No. With a skipper on board you need no licence and no sailing experience: he handles everything and you decide the plan.
It is agreed before casting off. The usual thing is to run along the coast to a cove, anchor for a couple of hours for a swim and come back, but it can be the other way round: more time under way and fewer stops.
Yes, no problem. The only thing we ask is no glass on deck: if it breaks, the trip ends there.
It depends on the boat. The 8 to 12-metre ones leave from Fuengirola; the larger ones from Puerto Banús or Estepona. It is confirmed when you book.
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.
