Well here we are still in Cartagena and at the end of 2010. Having
first found Cartagena
whilst looking for shelter from some rough weather we have fallen in love with
the place. Anyone contemplating a stop in Spain
should definitely consider Cartagena.
Full of history as a very old naval base it now has two first class marinas as
well as the facility for yachts to berth on the “Town Quay” in
amongst the bustle and activity. The latter can be a little noisy at times as
the local inhabitants do tend to party well into the early hours in the
adjacent bars and restaurants. For us the main attraction after visiting the “Costas”
on the way from Gibraltar, was the complete
absence of tourists and perhaps more importantly after the last world cup –
English soccer supporters! In part this is due to the absence of tourist
type hotels and probably also the absence of beaches. After initially berthing
on the town quay we found the adjacent Yacht Port Cartagena. This is a brand
new marina, beautifully laid out with all the facilities required by the
cruising family. Shops and the town centre are a 15 minute walk away and Murcia the
nearest airport is 25 minutes distance by car or bus. The marina will provide a
shuttle service to and from Murcia
for 25 Euros each way – much cheaper than the local taxi service. Beware
of some of the buses as they do not go to the airport but to an adjacent stop
which is in itself a taxi ride away. The berths are very sheltered being inside
the new breakwater / passenger ship berth. And the marina staff (Marineros) are
all knowledgeable and very helpful. There is constant activity in Cartagena itself with
many festivals. We were lucky to have the roman festival and two weeks of jazz
in the late summer. It was absolutely fabulous – all the more so for it
being all local people – though a good Spanish dictionary is absolutely
essential! We quickly decided to winter in Cartagena;
rates are very competitive and there are no local tax implications (for non
Spanish Residents) as happens in many areas of Spain. We have used the boat as a
floating hotel and also managed some excellent sailing around Cartagena. We came back to the UK for Christmas but will be back on the boat in
late January then February and with a planned departure for Sardinia and Sicily in March. Osprey
is in great shape with only one minor defect on the list at present. We did
though bring the generator raw water pump home with us for a rebuild on the
workshop bench. At the time of writing that is yet to be completed as we have
not been game to dig a path through the snow to the workshop!