Explore: San Sebastian de La Gomera
General Info
Description:
La Gomera is the second smallest island in the Canary Island group and like it’s neighbors is volcanic and mountainous in nature. It is a quiet, untouched island, originally populated by Berbers from the mountains of NW Africa.
San Sebastian is the capital and main harbor of La Gomera located on the east coast. It is a busy little town popular with tourists from Tenerife. The harbor and marina are protected by a long SW facing breakwater with the marina tucked up inside against the cliffs at the far end. There is no anchoring permitted in the harbor.
Cruiser Highlights:
Port of entry; a friendly marina with good shelter and town center location; reasonable prices; ferries to Tenerife, La Palma, and El Hierro; boatyard; most repairs possible; limited marine supplies.
Entrance Notes or Cautions:
- Take care as you are likely to experience very strong winds as you approach the island of La Gomera. The marina is also exposed to the SW and can be uncomfortable in gales.
- Before entering the port you must call Traffic Control on VHF Ch. 16/12 and request permission to enter.
- When entering the harbor, keep to the port side and motor between the yellow buoys parallel to the beach. This is to leave space for the ferries to enter and depart from the dock. This channel is not immediately obvious on entry.
- Call the marina on VHF Ch. 09 before entering.
- The fuel berth at the marina entrance is also the reception berth, but directions are sometimes given to proceed directly to an allocated berth.
Position: 28° 04’56″N, 17° 06’39″W (harbour breakwater)
Clearance
This is a Port of Entry.
See Canary Islands Formalities for full details of clearing into and out of the country.
Domestic Clearance:
After having docked the boat in the marina, either at the receiving dock or in an empty slip, the captain should report during office hours to the marina office. The office is located west of the marina.
International Clearance:
San Sebastian is not a frontier port and therefore cannot provide an official exit stamp from the Canaries. Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the nearest port offering official clearance. That said, many places will accept a passport stamp from the marina with arrival and departure dates and marina receipts.
Note:
A 72-hour weather report is displayed daily on the noticeboard outside the marina office.
Last updated: October 2018
Docking
Anchorages:
Anchoring in the harbor is prohibited (Photo from Thibault of S/V Moya). There are a number of bays close to and SW of the harbor offering good anchoring over sand.
Marinas:
The marina has a member of staff on duty 24 hours a day, but they don’t always speak English. Surge can be a problem in the eastern part of the marina if the wind is from the south. If allocated a berth in this area, beware of a ramp in the far corner. Larger vessels (15-30m) may be berthed alongside, north of the fuel berth.
During high season (November) advance reservation, especially for yachts larger than 10m, is highly recommended.
Last updated: October 2018
Marina photo from sail-invia.com
- Photo from sail-invia.com
Yacht Clubs
Members of yacht clubs can use the facilities of the Gomera Yacht Club which is located by the beach, past the ferry terminal.
