Melilla (Spanish) 35º 17´.1N 02º 55´.6W info@puertomelilla.com Telephone 952 68 07 16 Club Maritimo 952 68 35 59
To make contact by telephone, in my experience, is a
little optimistic...but, if needed, try. You may be lucky.
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The Crossing from Almerimar.
Straightforward and pleasant. Eighty five miles bearing 186ºt and nearly always a beam reach. My suggestion is to leave about 04:00 and try to keep an average of 6 knots or more i.e. 14 hours. E.T.A.16:00 to arrive in daylight with time to spare…but you are yachtsmen and can work that out for yourself.
A current sets in as approaching the Isles de Albaran taking you in a southerly direction so bear this in mind on your return.
Watch out for the ferries when approaching the Moroccan coast they seem immune to normal rules of navigation.
The entranc
e
can be a little confusing: lots of cranes, wharfs and jetties. The best
landmark (without a chart plotter) is the control tower.
Looks
very futuristic and can be seen a long way of.
Come wide to the outside of the breakwater – there is a ferry berth there -
and then head towards the base of the tower. The entrance forms a dog-leg
into the marina and is not that obvious until you are quite close
- see plan from Google Earth below.
Normal
lazy line anchoring with stern or bow to, although some berths have wooden
stakes holding the lines so look out. Electricity and
water on jetty but all within the wisdom of marinas in the med of a
non-standard fitting so you will have to hire adaptors from the office. I am
told there is WiFi available, free. Have yet to verify this.
Berthing
Call on channel 11, 12, 14, 16 or head directly for fuel jetty looking lost and erratic. The staff become very enthusiastic and will nearly always be ready to direct you to your berth. I recommend compiling a list of all details of your boat when you go to the office to complete the formalities. They will want to know all dimensions of your craft, registration details, engine make and type, crew passports and so on. The list is quite long and in Spanish. Melilla is on the border of Morocco, the Guarda Civil, I believe, share the same office as the port authorities. Drugs and illegal immigration are a major problem and the authorities are vigilant. They will often watch you enter and leave with binoculars – it has been known for them to intercept with a patrol boat. That said they are friendly and helpful. And of course the bonus is that most parts of the marina, although no guarantee, is very secure.
Plenty of restaurants and bars and a couple of (expensive) chandleries. (The best restaurant we found for value was the Club Nautico.) The old town is stunning in traditional Spanish colonial style with parks, impressive buildings and wide streets. And of course it is a duty free area. That includes fuel from the marina jetty.
Take a trip to old Morocco while you there. Well worth the experience. Unless you have seen similar countries it could be a bit of a culture shock. Safest way is to negotiate a taxi to take you across the border. Caution…whatever, do not try to take photographs either of the people or anything on the border. You stand the risk of physical assault and you will certainly be warned off by the Guardia Civil or local police.
Any additions or suggestion to this article I welcome your input.
mail@SecretOcean.net
Chris, Yacht DriKé