Leg 14 of 97 · Passage plan · RYA Yachtmaster standard
Málaga to Marina del Este
East along the Axarquía coast past Nerja to the cliffs of Maro-Cerro Gordo, a protected stretch of coves and caves, and round Punta de la Mona into Marina del Este.
About 17:56 CEST at Marina del Este. In the early evening, with a swim stop off the cliffs on the way.
Tides
Range about 0.5 m
Wind
Light to moderate, with an afternoon sea breeze; a Levanter would be on the nose
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 5, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 09:00 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
No Levanter above force 5.
Sea calm enough to swim off the cliffs: no swell from the south or east.
Marina del Este berth confirmed.
A short leg in sheltered water: if the morning is wrong, wait for the afternoon or take the rest day planned on 6 May.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 1 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
Real Club Mediterráneo, Málaga
36°42.8′N
004°24.8′W
10:00 CEST
Depart. Call port control.
1
Málaga approach
36°41.0′N
004°24.0′W
160°T
1.9
1.9
10:29 CEST
Out of the port. Turn east.
2
Off Torre del Mar
36°42.0′N
004°05.0′W
086°T
15.3
17.2
13:01 CEST
2 nm off.
3
Off Nerja
36°43.0′N
003°52.0′W
084°T
10.5
27.7
14:46 CEST
1.7 nm off.
4
Off the Maro cliffs
36°44.2′N
003°46.5′W
075°T
4.6
32.2
15:41 CEST to 17:11
Swim stop, only where the protected-area rules allow. See Hazards. Check on the chart
5
Marina del Este approach
36°43.0′N
003°43.6′W
117°T
2.6
34.9
17:43 CEST
South of Punta de la Mona. Check on the chart
6
Marina del Este
36°43.7′N
003°43.5′W
004°T
0.7
35.5
17:56 CEST
Breakwater head, from the port's own page.
Tides and time
Málaga · Wed 5 May · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
03:07
0.6 m
LW
08:53
0.1 m
HW
15:36
0.6 m
LW
21:00
0.2 m
From the Malaga station.
Marina del Este · Wed 5 May · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
03:04
0.6 m
LW
08:48
0.1 m
HW
15:33
0.5 m
LW
20:50
0.2 m
From the Motril station.
Wednesday 5 May 2027. Range about 0.5 m: no practical effect.
Marina del Este has no station in the TICON-4 set; the Motril station, 10 nm east, is shown.
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 Málaga 07:20 CEST. Sunset at Marina del Este 21:06 CEST.
Weather
Sheltered coast. The Sierra de Almijara and the Sierra Nevada behind shelter this coast from the north.
Sea breeze. From late morning, a south-westerly or south-easterly sea breeze builds. A Levanter would put the cliffs on a lee shore.
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 Málaga and Aguas costeras de Granada.
Hazards
Maro-Cerro Gordo protected area. The cliffs from Maro to Cerro Gordo are a protected natural area. According to a secondary source citing its management plan, motorised craft must keep 200 m from beaches and 50 m from the rest of the coast, anchoring is allowed only in designated zones and only from sunrise to sunset, and boats may not enter the coves or caves. The official text could not be reached. Check the rules with the Junta de Andalucía before stopping.
Swimming from the boat. Engine off, a line streamed astern, someone on watch, and swimmers wearing bright caps: tourist boats and kayaks work the cliffs.
Fish farms. Fish-farm cages are moored off parts of this coast. Check on the chart
Málaga port. Cruise ships and ferries on the way out.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Málaga
Start
Within the first hour
Real Club Mediterráneo.
Caleta de Vélez
2 nm from waypoint 2
Weather turns
Harbour with fuel, +34 951 509 476. Entrance 80 m wide.
Marina del Este
Destination
First choice
227 berths, +34 958 640 801.
Pilotage
Leaving Málaga
Call port control before slipping.
Leave round the west breakwater head and turn east.
Make sail for the run along the coast.
Entering Marina del Este
From the cliffs, round Punta de la Mona (light Fl 5s, 140 m, on the point).
Approach from the south and call the marina for a berth (+34 958 640 801). VHF channel and depths: Check the pilot book
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.