North West coast of Spain

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WorldNorth AtlanticSpainNorth West coast of Spain
North West coast of Spain
42°38.429'N, 005°33.010'W Chart icon.png
lat=42.64048 | lon=-5.55016 | zoom=6 | y
IslasCies.jpg
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The magical Islas Cies of Galicia

The North West coast of Spain, which extends from the Atlantic border with France round the NW corner and down as far as the harbour of Bayona, is one of the most neglected and therefore unspoiled cruising grounds in the whole of Europe. Starting from the small French port of Hendaye on the border with Spain, a cruise west along this little-frequented southern coast of the Bay of Biscay takes in the major cities of San Sebastian, Bilbao, Santander and Gijon before reaching the start of the Galician coast at the Ria de Ribadeo. Along this coast, which includes the Spanish regions of the Basque Country (Pais Vasco), Cantabria and Asturias as well as Galicia, are also some charming smaller harbours such as Lequeitio, Guetaria, Castro Urdiales and Ribadesella which are only occasionally visited by yachts and where fishing is still a staple of the community.

From Ribadeo, a yacht continuing on west and then south ‘around the corner’ will be greeted by one of the loveliest sailing areas in Spain, the sea inlets or Rias of Galicia. This stretch also has its share of major ports such as La Coruna (Corunna), Vigo and Bayona, but the true delights of this coast are the smaller harbours tucked into its deep sea inlets, such as the Ria de Ribadeo,Ria de Viveiro, Ria de Cedeira, Ria de Corme, Ria de Camarinhas, Ria de Muros, Ria de Pontevedra and Ria de Vigo. There is an increasing number of marinas and harbours suitable for yachts in the Rias, but for many visiting cruisers the chief pleasure is anchoring in superbly sheltered waters with excellent holding and pottering ashore in the dinghy whenever a good stretch of the legs or a change of cuisine is called for. Fifteen miles south of Bayona at the mouth of the Ria de Vigo, the last of the rias, Spanish waters end, and a yacht will enter Portuguese waters.

Charts

The following smaller scale charts cover the NW coast of Spain from the French to the Portuguese borders. For details of larger scale charts, see the various port entries.

Imray C42 - La Rochelle to Santander

C43 - Santander to A Coruña
C48 - A Coruña to Porto
C18 - Western Approaches to Biscay
C19 - Cabo Finisterre to Gibraltar

British
Admiralty
1291 - Santona to Gijon

1292 - Mimizan-Plage to Cabo de Ajo
1290 - Cabo de San Lorenzo to Cabo Ortegal
1111 - Punta de la Estaca de Bares to Cabo Finisterre
3633 - Islas Sisargas to Rio Mino

Weather

Give local weather conditions or refer to another page (a region or island group) that covers these conditions.

Sources for weather information:

Currents & Tides

Give information on tides & currents.

Passages

Most yachts cruising this area arrive from the French coast of Brittany since a sail north from the Mediterranean pits a yacht against the prevailing winds and - what is worse - the considerable Atlantic swell that seems to roll incessantly along this coast. The most common route is from one of the west Brittany ports such as La Rochelle or Les Sables d'Olonne down across the Bay of Biscay to Gijon or La Coruna (Corunna). However, this route misses out some of the most delightful ports along the coast, such as Saint-Jean-de-Luz in France and Lequeitio, Guetaria and Castro Urdiales in Spain - not to mention the fascinating city of San Sebastian. A much better route if you have time (and one which avoids the risk of encountering severe conditions on a long passage across Biscay) is to follow the French coast as far as the Ile d'Oleron and proceed from there down to St Jean de Luz - possibly calling in at Royan if you wish to shorten the passage. This entails a passage of around 200 miles instead of the 300-400 miles involved in a sail across Biscay. Some yachts even stop halfway at Arcachon, although the entrance here is shallow and on a lee shore in the prevailing winds.

Islands

Communication

Add here VHF channel for coastguard, harbor masters. etc.

Also see World Cruiser's Nets

Navigation

Add any navigation notes such approaches, dangers etc here. If this section does not apply, remove it.


Ports, Anchorages, and Islands

The following ports and rias in NW Spain are listed from E to W then S down to the border with Portugal. Click on the links for details.

Key to symbols: |Port of entry icon – port of entry |Harbour icon – harbour |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |Needs data icon – needs data ||
NW Spain harbours, marinas, and anchorages
Hondarribia Hondarribia /wiki/Hondarribia Port of entry icon – port of entry |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
San Sebastian San Sebastian /wiki/San_Sebastian Harbour icon – harbour |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Guetaria Guetaria /wiki/Guetaria Harbour icon – harbour |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Lequeitio Lequeitio /wiki/Lequeitio Harbour icon – harbour |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Bilbao Bilbao /wiki/Bilbao Port of entry icon – port of entry |Harbour icon – harbour |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Castro Urdiales Castro Urdiales /wiki/Castro_Urdiales Harbour icon – harbour |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Santander Santander /wiki/Santander Port of entry icon – port of entry |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Ribadesella Ribadesella /wiki/Ribadesella Harbour icon – harbour |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Gijon Gijon /wiki/Gijon Port of entry icon – port of entry |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Cudillero Cudillero /wiki/Cudillero Harbour icon – harbour |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Ria de Ribadeo Ria de Ribadeo /wiki/Ria_de_Ribadeo Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Ria de Viveiro Ria de Viveiro/wiki/Ria_de_Viveiro Harbour icon – harbour |Marina icon – marina |
Ria de Cedeira Ria de Cedeira /wiki/Ria_de_Cedeira Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Ria de Ferrol Ria de Ferrol /wiki/Ria_de_Ferrol Harbour icon – harbour |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Ria de Betanzos Ria de Betanzos /wiki/Ria_de_Betanzos Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Sada Sada /wiki/Sada Marina icon – marina |
La Coruna La Coruna /wiki/La_Coruna Port of entry icon – port of entry |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Ria de Corme Ria de Corme /wiki/Ria_de_Corme Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Ria de Camarinhas Ria de Camarinhas /wiki/Ria_de_Camarinhas Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Ria de Muros Ria de Muros /wiki/Ria_de_Muros Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Ria de Arousa Ria de Arousa /wiki/Ria_de_Arousa Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Vilagarcia de Arousa Vilagarcia de Arousa /wiki/Vilagarcia_de_Arousa Marina icon – marina |
Ria de Pontevedra Ria de Pontevedra /wiki/Ria_de_Pontevedra Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Sangenjo Sangenjo /wiki/Sangenjo Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Ria de Vigo Ria de Vigo /wiki/Ria_de_Vigo Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Vigo Vigo /wiki/Vigo Port of entry icon – port of entry |Harbour icon – harbour |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |
Bayona Bayona /wiki/Bayona Harbour icon – harbour |Marina icon – marina |Anchorage icon – anchorage |

Friends

  • Cruiser Log moderator Nausikaa (Stephen) is currently living and working in Vigo. Visiting yachts are welcome to contact Stephen, using the messaging facility on the Cruiser Log site, who will be glad to offer any assistance he can.

Forums

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

Links

Links to relevant websites.


References

See Spain.

Comments

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SailorSmiley.gifContributors to this page

Names: Lighthouse, Athene of Lymington


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