09:30 CEST from Águilas. 2 hours 30 minutes after sunrise (07:01 CEST).
Arrive
About 15:31 CEST at Cartagena. In the afternoon, with about 5 hours 30 minutes of daylight in hand (sunset 21:02 CEST).
Tides
Range about 0.1 m: no practical effect
Wind
Levante on the nose, Poniente behind
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 08:30 CEST. Go only if all of these hold:
No Levante above force 5.
Visibility 2 nm or more.
No navigation warning for naval exercises off Cartagena.
If the weather is wrong, stay in Águilas. Cartagena has a rest day planned on 12 May.
Route and waypoints
Waypoints are planning positions in open water, checked against a 1:10m coastline to be at least 1.3 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
Club Náutico de Águilas
37°24.0′N
001°34.1′W
09:30 CEST
Depart.
1
Águilas approach
37°23.2′N
001°34.0′W
173°T
0.9
0.9
09:43 CEST
Clear of the harbour.
2
South of Cabo Cope
37°24.0′N
001°29.0′W
079°T
4.1
4.9
10:23 CEST
1.5 nm off.
3
Off Mazarrón
37°31.0′N
001°16.0′W
056°T
12.5
17.4
12:28 CEST
2.5 nm off the port.
4
South of Cabo Tiñoso
37°30.5′N
001°06.4′W
094°T
7.6
25.0
13:45 CEST
1.7 nm off the light (Fl(1+3) 20s, 146 m).
5
Cartagena approach
37°34.4′N
000°58.6′W
058°T
7.3
32.3
15:04 CEST
South of the harbour entrance. Naval base: see Hazards. Check on the chart
6
Yacht Port Cartagena
37°35.7′N
000°58.6′W
358°T
1.3
33.7
15:31 CEST
Position from the marina.
Tides and time
Águilas · Tue 11 May · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
07:17
0.3 m
LW
13:24
0.1 m
HW
21:15
0.3 m
From the Cartagena station.
Cartagena · Tue 11 May · CEST (UTC+2)
HW
07:17
0.3 m
LW
13:24
0.1 m
HW
21:15
0.3 m
Tuesday 11 May 2027. Tides. The range here is 0.1 to 0.3 m: tides make no practical difference. Wind and air pressure move the sea level more than the tide does.
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 Águilas 07:01 CEST. Sunset at Cartagena 21:02 CEST.
Weather
Cabo Tiñoso. A high, steep headland: gusts and confused sea off it in a strong wind.
Sea breeze in the afternoon in settled weather.
Forecasts to check
AEMET coastal bulletins, aemet.es, predicción marítima: “Costa de Andalucía Oriental y Melilla” (Aguas costeras de Almería) and “Costa de Valencia y Murcia” (Aguas costeras de Murcia, del Mar Menor, de Alicante, de Valencia). High-seas areas Alborán, Palos and Baleares.
NAVTEX Cabo de la Nao: 518 kHz, station X, at 0350, 0750, 1150, 1550, 1950 and 2350 UTC, in English; 490 kHz, station M, in Spanish. Check the times against the Admiralty List of Radio Signals. Check the pilot book
Hazards
Cartagena naval base. Spain's main Mediterranean naval base. Restricted areas and exercise areas lie in and off the port. Check the chart and notices, and keep clear of warships.
Escombreras. The oil and industrial port east of Cartagena: tankers at anchor and under way.
Commercial traffic. Ships use the Cartagena entrance between the Navidad and Curra breakwaters. Listen on the port channel and keep out of their way. Check the pilot book
Fish farms. Cages in the Bay of Mazarrón and off the coast. Check on the chart
Ports of refuge
Port
From the route
Use it when
Notes
Águilas
Start
Within the first hour
Club Náutico.
Mazarrón
2.5 nm from waypoint 3
Weather turns
Port and marina. Check the pilot book
Cartagena
Destination
First choice
Yacht Port Cartagena.
Pilotage
Leaving Águilas
Leave the harbour and head south-east round Cabo Cope.
Make sail for Mazarrón Bay.
Entering Cartagena
From Cabo Tiñoso, close the entrance from the south-west.
Enter between the Navidad breakwater (Fl(2) R 10s) and the Curra breakwater (Fl(3) G 14s), watching for ships.
Call Yacht Port Cartagena on VHF 9 (+34 968 121 213) and go where directed. Berths are alongside, bow-to or stern-to.
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.