08:00 CEST from Gibraltar. 35 minutes after sunrise (07:26 CEST). A long leg.
Arrive
About 19:39 CEST at Málaga. With about 1 hour 30 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 21:08 CEST).
Tides
Range about 0.5 to 0.8 m: no tidal gates in the Mediterranean
Wind
Poniente (west) is fair; a Levanter (east) is on the nose. Afternoon sea breezes along the coast
Boat
35 to 38 ft sailing yacht, 1.9 m draught, 6 kn under sail, 5.5 kn under engine
Crew
Skipper and 3 crew, 2 watches of 2
Track and waypoints 1 to 8, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 07:00 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
No Levanter above force 5: it would be on the nose for 65 nm, with a short steep sea.
No westerly gale: down-draughts east of the Rock are violent in a strong Poniente.
Visibility 2 nm or more.
Málaga berth confirmed (Real Club Mediterráneo takes visitors up to 13 m).
If the weather is wrong, stay in Gibraltar. Leg 14Marina del Este is short and can be joined to a later day if needed.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 1.2 nm off land except at the harbour ends. Distances and courses are calculated from them. Plot every one on the current chart before use. Courses are true.
#
Waypoint
Latitude
Longitude
Course
Leg nm
Total nm
ETA
Notes
0
Queensway Quay Marina
36°08.1′N
005°21.3′W
08:00 CEST
Depart. Call Gibraltar VTS on VHF 12.
1
Off Gibraltar South Mole
36°07.5′N
005°22.2′W
230°T
0.9
0.9
08:11 CEST
Out of the harbour at 5 kn.
2
South of Europa Point
36°05.4′N
005°20.7′W
150°T
2.4
3.4
08:36 CEST
1.2 nm south of the light. Down-draughts east of the Rock in a strong westerly.
3
East of Gibraltar
36°09.0′N
005°17.5′W
036°T
4.4
7.8
09:20 CEST
2 nm off the east side of the Rock.
4
Off Estepona
36°23.0′N
005°07.0′W
031°T
16.4
24.2
12:04 CEST
2.5 nm off.
5
Off Marbella
36°28.0′N
004°53.0′W
066°T
12.3
36.5
14:07 CEST
2.5 nm off.
6
Off Punta de Calaburras
36°28.3′N
004°38.0′W
089°T
12.1
48.6
16:08 CEST
2 nm off the light (Fl 5s).
7
Off Benalmádena
36°34.0′N
004°29.0′W
052°T
9.2
57.8
17:40 CEST
2 nm off. The Laja Bermeja shoal lies west of the harbour.
8
Málaga approach
36°41.0′N
004°24.0′W
030°T
8.1
65.9
19:01 CEST
South of the port. Call Málaga port control. Check on the chart
9
Real Club Mediterráneo, Málaga
36°42.8′N
004°24.8′W
340°T
1.9
67.8
19:39 CEST
Inside the port, near La Farola. Position approximate. Check on the chart
Tides and time
Gibraltar · Tue 4 May · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
02:18
0.9 m
LW
08:17
0.2 m
HW
14:45
0.9 m
LW
20:28
0.2 m
Málaga · Tue 4 May · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
02:32
0.6 m
LW
08:20
0.1 m
HW
14:56
0.6 m
LW
20:27
0.2 m
From the Malaga station.
Tuesday 4 May 2027. The range falls from about 0.8 m at Gibraltar to about 0.5 m at Málaga. Tides make no practical difference to this leg.
Current. The surface current into the Mediterranean runs east along this coast, a little in your favour.
Tide times are predictions made for this plan from the TICON-4 harmonic constants (DGFI-TUM) with the Neaps tide predictor, because the official 2027 tables were not yet published when it was written. Tested against the official APDL table for Leixões on 23 July 2026, the predicted times were within 8 minutes and the heights 0.1 to 0.2 m lower. Heights are above lowest astronomical tide. Check every time against the official 2027 table before sailing.
Daylight. Sunrise at Gibraltar 07:26 CEST. Sunset at Málaga 21:08 CEST.
Weather
Levanter and Poniente as in the Strait, but weaker away from it. A Levanter brings low cloud over the Rock and a lumpy sea along the coast.
Sea breezes. In settled weather a sea breeze builds along the Costa del Sol in the afternoon.
Terral. A hot, dry wind off the land at Málaga in summer, sometimes strong. It blows offshore.
Forecasts to check
AEMET coastal bulletins, aemet.es, predicción marítima: “Costa de Andalucía Occidental y Ceuta” and “Costa de Andalucía Oriental y Melilla”. Coastal text updated at 12:00 and 20:00 local time. AEMET warns at force 7 or more, sea 3 m or more, or visibility under 1 nm.
NAVTEX Tarifa: 518 kHz, station G, at 0100, 0500, 0900, 1300, 1700 and 2100 UTC, in English; 490 kHz, station T, in Spanish.
Salvamento Marítimo coastal stations broadcast forecasts on VHF. Channels and times: Check the pilot book
AEMET zones Aguas costeras de Cádiz (De Punta Carnero a Punta Chullera) and Aguas costeras de Málaga.
Hazards
Leaving Gibraltar. Port traffic, bunkering tankers off the east side, and ships at anchor in the bay. The runway crossing is closed when the white strobe lights flash. 5 kn in the inner port.
Europa Point. The 1 nm exclusion zone round the light is open to vessels under 24 m. Down-draughts east of the Rock in strong westerlies.
Marinas and fish farms. Many marina entrances and some fish farms along the coast. Keep 2 nm off and watch for marked fish-farm cages. Check on the chart
Benalmádena. The Laja Bermeja shoal lies west of the entrance.
Málaga port. Cruise ships and ferries. Follow port control's instructions.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Gibraltar
Start
Within the first hour
3 marinas, 4.5 m.
Estepona
At waypoint 4
Levanter rising early
Marina, +34 952 801 800.
Fuengirola
3 nm from waypoint 6
Tired or late
Port +34 951 215 488; marina +34 952 468 000.
Benalmádena
At waypoint 7
Málaga full or late
VHF 9, +34 952 577 022. Waiting pontoon with fuel. Enter between the Laja Bermeja shoal and the breakwater.
Pilotage
Leaving Gibraltar
Call Gibraltar VTS on VHF 12 before slipping.
Leave north of the South Mole head (Q 2s) at 5 kn, then head south along the west side of the Rock.
Round Europa Point 1.2 nm off, then turn north-east up the east side of the Rock.
Entering Málaga
From waypoint 7, close the port from the south-west. Call Málaga port control (24 h +34 952 222 117). VHF channel: Check the pilot book
Enter round the west breakwater head (Fl(2) R 7s), watching for ships.
Go to the Real Club Mediterráneo visitors' berths (up to 13 m, 07:00 to 22:00, +34 952 226 300 extension 5).
Lights on the way
Europa Point
Oc 10s, 49 m
Punta Carbonera
Oc 4s, 39 m
Estepona, Punta de la Doncella
Fl(1+2) 15s, 31 m
José Banús
Fl(3) G 12s, 13 m
Marbella
Fl(2) 14.5s, 35 m
Punta de Calaburras
Fl 5s, 46 m
Málaga, La Farola
Fl(3+1) 20s, 38 m
Málaga west breakwater
Fl(2) R 7s
Communications
Gibraltar VTS
VHF 12, 16, 20
Estepona marina
+34 952 801 800
Benalmádena marina
VHF 9 · +34 952 577 022
Málaga port control centre (24 h)
+34 952 222 117 · port authority +34 952 125 000
Real Club Mediterráneo
+34 952 226 300, extension 5
Emergency
VHF 16, DSC 70 · 112
Salvamento Marítimo (Spain)
Rescue coordination centres for Cádiz, Tarifa, Algeciras and Almería: numbers Check the pilot book
Contingencies
Levanter sets in. Stop at Estepona or Benalmádena rather than punch into it.
Running late. If waypoint 6 is passed after 17:30 CEST, stop at Benalmádena.
Fog. Fog routine. Ships leave Gibraltar and Algeciras for the east: radar and AIS watch.
Engine failure. Sail to the nearest marina approach and call for a tow onto the berth.
Person overboard. Shout, point, throw the danger buoy, press MOB, DSC distress alert, Mayday on 16.
Before leaving
Forecasts read and logged before the go or no-go time
Gibraltar Port Authority notices and Spanish notices to mariners (Avisos a los Navegantes) checked for the route
Waypoints entered and checked against the chart
Ship's log started in UTC
Crew briefing: route, watches, safety gear, MOB, fog
Málaga berth booked
Fuel for 13 hours under engine, plus a reserve
Water, food and hot drinks for 13 hours
Lifejackets with crotch straps, jackstays rigged, harnesses
Liferaft, grab bag, flares in date, handheld VHF
Radar, AIS and navigation lights tested
Passports, boat papers and insurance aboard
Sources
Gibraltar: gibraltarport.com; Safety at Sea (2018); NGA Pub 131 (2025).
Málaga: puertomalaga.com (information for yachts, port directory); realclubmediterraneo.com (visitors).
Spanish ports: puertosdeandalucia.es port pages (positions, phones, berths).
Lights: The Lighthouse Directory, Spain (ibiblio.org/lighthouse/esanw.htm and esane.htm) and Gibraltar (gib.htm).
Tides: predictions from TICON-4 harmonic constants (Hart-Davis, Dettmering and Seitz, DGFI-TUM, 2025, doi 10.17882/109129) with Neaps (openwaters.io). Check against the Instituto Hidrográfico 2027 tables.
Sunrise and sunset: calculated (NOAA method).
Lights: The Lighthouse Directory (Rowlett), ibiblio.org/lighthouse, Portugal pages revised August 2024. Cross-check with the IH List of Lights, volume I.