Since arriving in the Mediterranean seven days ago we have been sailing and motoring from marina to marina with the beaches of the Costa del Sol (Sun Coast) to port and the aquamarine waters of the Med to starboard. We have probably been in more marinas this sailing season than all of our other seasons combined.
The Costa del Sol extends from Gibraltar in the west to Cabo de Gata in the east, a distance of 155 nautical miles. It is said that this stretch of coastline has an average of 300 days of sunshine per year and people come in droves to get a tan. To accommodate all of the sun worshipers tall apartments, hotels and condominiums line the beaches and behind them soar rocky mountains. There are very few places along the coast that have not been built up, and the beaches form an almost continuous band of sand adorned with red and brown bodies.
In the 1970's people of the jet-set went to cities like Malaga, Marbella and Torremolinos and photos of their famous selves had backgrounds of brilliant white houses adorned with tiles and flowers. It looked pristine and idyllic. That was a long time ago and many things have changed, however the sun stills shines.
Any of the natural coves or bays that we would normally have anchored in have long since been developed into marinas. And where there wasn't a natural harbour to use, artificial harbours have been built. There are marinas every 10 to 20 miles along the coast and range from small, rudimentary fishing harbours to massive
, elaborate ultra posh marina-condo complexes where the rich and famous love to be seen. Even though all of the marinas have an enormous capacity, these are often full during the height of the summer. Disappointingly for us, Curare and her crew have had to cruise from marina to marina rather than being able to enjoy nature and cool breezes on the hook. We did anchor our first night out, at a recommended anchorage (which was directly in front of a beach), but the swell was large and we rolled all night. In the morning as we watched the tractors going back and forth raking the sand on the beach we had to clutch our coffee cups to prevent them from sliding off of the table. That made the decision to be marina goers a little easier.
After our rolly, sleepless night we went to Marina Bajadilla in Marbella, where we had called to make a reservation. As we sailed in we could see it was no longer a city of bright white, tiled houses, but it did have several beautiful beaches and even a few palm trees. Best of all we finally connected with the man who could fill our Canadian propane tanks. While waiting for propane we wandered into the old town and it was there we found the Marbella of the 1970's, unspoiled and slightly sleepy. In any other year the old town would have been claustrophobic with tourists, but Covid 19 has kept almost everyone away. For us it was idyllic and an enjoyable place.