Practical_Boat_Owner_-_November_2015_

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Cruising Notes

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

W

ith year-round sunshine

and marina berths at

tempting prices,

Lanzarote is increasingly being

seen as an alternative to the

Mediterranean for those who like

to keep their boat abroad.

As part of the Canary Islands

chain, Lanzarote belongs to Spain

and is within the EU. There’s modern

infrastructure, and English is widely

spoken. The three main marinas are

smart and effi ciently run. Whether

you’re fl ying in from London, Bristol,

Manchester, Bournemouth or one

of the many other UK airports with

direct fl ights to the island, it’s just a

short drive by hire car or taxi from

Arrecife Airport to your boat.

Former PBO editor

Sarah Norbury is

now a contributing

editor and a

freelance writer on

boats and travel. She enjoys

yacht cruising in faraway

places and sports-boat racing

at home on the Solent. Follow

her on twitter @sailingsarah

The year-round allure

of Lanzarote

This popular island in the Canaries is well

worth considering if you’re looking for a sunny

home for your boat, says Sarah Norbury

On a visit earlier this year I found

that some British owners, as you’d

expect, were eventually heading

across the Atlantic, stopping on

Lanzarote to make use of the

boatyards, chandlers and

supermarkets. But many others,

having sailed 600 miles from

Gibraltar to get there, intended to

keep their boats in Lanzarote for

years to come, enjoying days out

from the marina and longer cruises

to the islands in the Canaries chain.

Three modern marinas

Puerto Calero was chosen as the

starting base for the fi rst RORC

Transatlantic Race, and it’s easy to

see why. Its excellent yacht services

are matched by upmarket

surroundings – there’s a designer

shopping plaza, elegant restaurant

and cultural events including

outdoor opera. But the 450-berth

marina caters for all moods and

pockets, and many crew were to be

found in the friendly Irish pub and

cosy bars, in one of which (the

Casablanca) I bumped into PBO’s

roving columnist Andrew Simpson,

preparing his boat for crossing to

the Caribbean. Of all the bars in all

the world...

There are around 40 resident

British yachts at Calero, the number

growing each year. Some owners

also have a home on the island, but

most travel to their boat for holidays

and long weekends. The airport is

just six miles away. Calero is home

to Endeavour Sailing, run by Keith

and Stephanie Charlton. They do a

roaring trade in RYA training right up

to Yachtmaster Ocean. ‘People like

the fact that they can learn to sail in

the sun, but unlike in the Med

successful candidates go home

with a tidal certifi cate’, said Keith.

From the press boat at the start of

the RORC Transatlantic Race last

winter I watched as the big racing

yachts lined up off Puerto Calero in

a light breeze (the marina is on the

sheltered side of the island) against

the photogenic backdrop of

Lanzarote’s volcanoes. It was a

glorious day, the water blue and

glistening, and there was a rainbow

after an uncharacteristic shower. I

imagined the boats at home laid up

for winter and thought, the yacht

owners here are onto something!

Marina Rubicon has more of a

villagey, family feel with restaurants,

shops and the yachty One Bar

surrounding a large marina basin.

Although it is on the southern end of

the island, further from the airport (20

miles) and the capital, it’s next door

to the lively resort of Playa Blanca

so it doesn’t feel isolated. Rubicon’s

Saturday market attracts boatloads

of visitors from hotels on the

neighbouring island of Fuerteventura.

The marina was home to around

35 British boats last winter, many

crews joining in with the year-round

programme of holiday activities

including dinghy racing, water

aerobics and outdoor cinema.

Some owners visit for long weekends

in winter while others, mostly retired,

stay all winter, living aboard. Another

type of British boat owner at

Rubicon is the young family that

uses the boat for sunshine

getaways throughout the year.

The full-service boatyard adjoining

the marina was working on a

number of very large yachts when I

visited. The manager said that

wealthy owners stay in the nearby

fi ve-star Princess Yaiza hotel while

O

Puerto del

Carmen

Arrecife

O

O

Playa Blanca

Puerto Calero

O

Lanzarote

Graciosa

Timanfaya

National Park

The buildings in Marina

Lanzarote are brand new

Puerto Calero Marina nestles in the lee of

Lanzarote’s magnifi cent volcanoes and is

home to a growing number of British yachts

The island’s newest yacht haven, Marina

Lanzarote, is in the capital Arrecife

All pictures by Sarah Norbury