37 36N 00 59W

Osprey
John Bowering
Tue 28 Dec 2010 11:18

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!