Book Of The Month - Mediterranean Spain: Costas del Sol and Blanca

Created by doina. Last modified on 2006-04-11 08:30:05
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Topic: Books,Charts and DVDs
Countries: Gibraltar, Spain

Mediterranean Spain: Costas del Sol and Blanca, Gibraltar to Denia

John Marchment

RCC Pilotage Foundation & Imray Publishers

5th edition 2005

UK recommended price £29.95

ISBN 0 85288 839 2

The first man to write a cruising guide to the Mediterranean coasts of Spain was Robin Brandon who spent many years sailing in the area while updating his various guides. A first guide published in 1975 forms the basis of the current book, now in its fifth edition, and greatly enhanced in recent years by the work of various authors under the aegis of the Royal Cruising Club and its Pilotage Foundation. The book covers the stretch of the Spanish coast that lies between the Strait of Gibraltar and Cabo de la Nao, near Denia. Cabo de Gata, that lies almost halfway between those two extremities, subdivides the coast into two distinctive halves: Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca.

Before anyone has a chance to object to the politically incorrect fact that Gibraltar had been included in Mediterranean Spain as well as in North Africa (Gibraltar also features in the cruising guide of that title) it must be pointed out that the publishers have done the readers a great service by putting the Rock where it belongs geographically, even if not politically.

Every port or anchorage is described in detail, with directions on the best approaches (including essential waypoints), anchoring or berthing arrangements, and a list of repair and shore facilities available. As to be expected from any Imray publication, the guide features excellent plans and chartlets, as well as a number of highly informative aerial photographs.

In the last two decades, the area covered by the book has seen a huge expansion in tourism facilities generally, matched by a parallel development in yachting facilities. There are now marinas dotted along the entire coast, which is perhaps a good thing, as the number of attractive anchorages is nowadays so limited that cruising along this coast is little more than marina-hopping.