Leg 15 of 97 · Passage plan · RYA Yachtmaster standard
Marina del Este to Almerimar
East along the Costa Tropical under the Sierra Nevada, past Cabo Sacratif, Castell de Ferro and Adra, to the marina at Almerimar at the start of the Almería coast.
09:00 CEST from Marina del Este. 1 hour 45 minutes after sunrise (07:15 CEST).
Arrive
About 16:59 CEST at Almerimar. In the late afternoon, with about 4 hours 5 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 21:04 CEST).
Tides
Range about 0.3 to 0.4 m
Wind
Light to moderate, with an afternoon sea breeze; Levanter or Poniente 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 5, with ports of refuge as squares.
Go or no-go
Decide at 08:00 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
No Levanter above force 5.
Visibility 2 nm or more.
Almerimar berth confirmed.
If the weather is wrong, stay in Marina del Este. Almerimar to San José on 8 May is short enough to absorb a day.
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
Marina del Este
36°43.7′N
003°43.5′W
09:00 CEST
Depart.
1
Marina del Este approach
36°43.0′N
003°43.6′W
184°T
0.7
0.7
09:09 CEST
Clear of Punta de la Mona. Turn east.
2
Off Cabo Sacratif
36°40.0′N
003°28.0′W
103°T
12.9
13.6
11:18 CEST
1.7 nm off the light (Fl(2) 10s). Motril port is to the west of the cape.
3
Off Castell de Ferro
36°40.5′N
003°21.0′W
085°T
5.6
19.2
12:14 CEST
2.5 nm off.
4
Off Adra
36°43.0′N
003°01.0′W
081°T
16.2
35.4
14:57 CEST
1.5 nm off the harbour.
5
Almerimar approach
36°41.0′N
002°48.0′W
101°T
10.6
46.1
16:43 CEST
South of the marina. Check on the chart
6
Almerimar marina
36°41.8′N
002°47.9′W
008°T
0.8
46.9
16:59 CEST
Breakwater head, from the port's own page.
Tides and time
Marina del Este · Fri 7 May · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
04:19
0.6 m
LW
10:01
0.1 m
HW
17:00
0.6 m
LW
22:01
0.2 m
From the Motril station.
Almerimar · Fri 7 May · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
04:17
0.4 m
LW
10:03
0.1 m
HW
17:10
0.4 m
LW
21:52
0.2 m
From the Almeria station.
Friday 7 May 2027. Range about 0.3 to 0.4 m: no practical effect.
Stations. Marina del Este uses the Motril station; Almerimar uses the Almería station, 17 nm east.
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 Marina del Este 07:15 CEST. Sunset at Almerimar 21:04 CEST.
Weather
Costa Tropical. Sheltered from the north by the Sierra Nevada. Sea breezes in the afternoon.
Toward Almería. The coast becomes drier and flatter east of Adra, and a Levanter more frequent toward Cabo de Gata.
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 Granada and Aguas costeras de Almería (Costa Sur de Almería).
Hazards
Motril. A commercial port west of Cabo Sacratif: watch for ships.
Greenhouses and fish farms. The plain west of Almerimar is covered in greenhouses, which reflect sunlight and change the look of the coast. Fish farms lie off parts of it. Check on the chart
Fishing. Small fishing boats and gear off Adra and Castell de Ferro.
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Marina del Este
Start
Within the first hour
Marina.
Motril
2 nm from waypoint 2
Weather turns early
Port authority +34 958 601 207; Real Club Náutico +34 958 600 037.
Adra
At waypoint 4
Late or weather
Harbour with fuel, entrance 155 m wide. Port office +34 950 805 061; Real Club Náutico +34 950 403 487.
Almerimar
Destination
First choice
997 berths, +34 950 607 755.
Pilotage
Leaving Marina del Este
Leave the marina and round Punta de la Mona to the south.
Head east for Cabo Sacratif and make sail.
Entering Almerimar
From Adra, keep 1.5 nm off the coast toward Almerimar.
Approach from the south and call the marina (+34 950 607 755). VHF channel and depths: Check the pilot book
Enter round the breakwater head (green light).
Lights on the way
Punta de la Mona
Fl 5s, 140 m
Cabo Sacratif
Fl(2) 10s, 98 m
Punta del Melonar (Castell de Ferro)
Fl(3) 13s, 237 m
Adra
Fl(3) 10.5s, 49 m
Punta de los Baños
Fl(4) 11s, 22 m
Sabinal
Fl(1+2) 10s, 34 m
Communications
Marina del Este
+34 958 640 801
Motril port authority
+34 958 601 207
Adra port office
+34 950 805 061
Almerimar marina
+34 950 607 755
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. Stop at Motril or Adra.
Fog. Fog routine; radar and AIS watch for ships bound for Motril and Almería.
Engine failure. Sail to the nearest harbour approach and call for a tow.
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
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
Almerimar berth booked
Fuel for 10 hours under engine, plus a reserve
Water, food and hot drinks for 10 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
Motril, Adra and Almerimar: puertosdeandalucia.es port pages; apmotril.com.
Strait, Tarifa, Algeciras and Gibraltar: NGA Pub 131, Sailing Directions (Enroute) Western Mediterranean, 19th edition (2025), sector 1.
NAVTEX: NGA Pub 117, chapter 3; AEMET maritime guide (2016).
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.