• BOARDING: At 7:30 p.m. at the Royal Marina of Valencia
• DISEMBARKATION: At 6:00 p.m. at the Royal Marina of Valencia
1st RAIL: VALENCIA-COLUMBRETES (52MN)
Welcome and boarding at the Royal Marina of Valencia at the indicated time. The sailboat is already perfectly stowed and prepared to sail, so after settling in, we will have a first “GOVERNMENT, SECURITY AND NIGHT NAVIGATION WORKSHOP”. And already well prepared, after dinner, around 11:00 p.m., we will head to the Columbretes Islands to live the experience of a night cruise under the light of the moon and stars. We will do navigation watches in shifts, positioning ourselves on the chart and reviewing the indicators and safety elements every 2 hours.
2nd SINGLE: COLUMBRETES
The Columbretes Islands are one of the most spectacular nature reserves in the Mediterranean. An archipelago formed by a series of islets of volcanic origin grouped under four names: Illa Grossa, Ferrera, Foradada and Carallot. In total, 19 hectares of great ecological value. Its settlement in the sea, 80 meters deep, has allowed red coral and a great diversity of marine species to be generated here. We will swim and dive on the bottom of what was once the crater of the volcano where we can now enjoy its life: tiny colorful fish and larger ones such as grouper, croaker or even if we are lucky, we will see a sea turtle. Among the vegetation and native fauna we will find the margalló palm tree, and up to 10 species of endemic insects or reptiles, especially its famous lizards.
Around 08:00 we will practice mooring to one of the buoys on Grossa Island, the crater of a submerged volcano, since anchoring is prohibited as it is a protected area. After a good breakfast, we will discuss the program and distribute the tasks on board, and then take a bath or simply relax and enjoy the landscape. At 11am we will go ashore with the inflatable boat to learn about the fauna, flora and history of these refuge islands, on a curious guided tour. Around 1:00 p.m. we can snorkel to observe the varied underwater life and a spectacular volcanic bottom. Around 2pm we will enjoy the aperitif and after a tasty meal on board we will have free time. And in the afternoon we will have a new “SAILING NAVIGATION WORKSHOP”, to put it into practice during our next voyages. When the sun goes down, we will enjoy the senses in this unique place. And after a good dinner we will identify some of the most important stars for sailors lying on the deck of the ship. Or we will simply let the imagination fly that a lost islet under a starry sky awakens.
3rd ROUTE: COLUMBRETES-DELTA DEL EBRO (42MN)
Today we will get up early, around 6:00 to continue practicing all the theory of governance, safety and sailing navigation learned so far, heading to San Carles de la Rápita, in the heart of the Ebro Delta. A natural park and one of the places with the purest and richest landscape of the Catalan coast. During this journey we will also have a “COASTAL NAVIGATION WORKSHOP”. Sailing on the high seas and then entering the Delta natural park will offer us very good possibilities to practice everything we have learned so far.
Around 1:30 p.m. we will moor at the Musclarium, within the Alfacs bay, one of the largest bays in Europe, within a Biosphere Reserve. There we can taste some of the jewels of the bay: Mussels, oysters, seafood and fresh fish. Because not everything is going to be sailing. After eating, we will remain anchored in the bay to enjoy bird watching, especially flamingos, and an extraordinary sunset. As an alternative, we could enter the port and take a good walk along the coast, in the late afternoon.
4TH ROUTE: EBRO-OROPESA DELTA (39MN)
Around 8:00 a.m., we will cast off and raise sails, heading to Peñíscola, considered one of the most beautiful towns in Spain. During the course of this journey we will have a new “METEOROLOGY WORKSHOP”. Around 10:30 a.m., in front of the impressive Papa Luna castle-fortress that stands on a rock 64 m above the blue sea, we will put into practice the anchoring technique, to relax in this magnificent environment for a long time.
Then we will weigh anchor to begin to contemplate the beauty of one of the most virgin coastal mountain ranges on the Valencian coast, the Irta mountain range, which ends in the sea on a low rocky coast and in some points, high cliffs, before arriving to Oropesa del Mar where we will moor in its port to discover, during the afternoon, a municipality with a great variety of landscape and culture: La Concha beach or its Castle, occupied throughout history by characters such as El Cid or the King Jaume I The Conqueror, well worth a visit. We will spend the night here.
5TH RAIL: OROPESA-VALENCIA (42MN)
Around 7:30 a.m. we will begin our last voyage that will take us back to the Royal Marina of Valencia, passing through the well-known coastal municipalities of Canet de Berenguer, where we will anchor to enjoy its waters, and Puebla de Farnals.
We will take advantage of navigation to learn at least 4 basic knots in a last “ROBE WORKSHOP”. Around 5pm we will finally moor in Valencia and say goodbye to what will surely have been a great shared experience.
*The proposed program could vary depending on the weather or at the group's suggestion.
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