We left Torrevieja around noon, as Alicante is only about 26 nautical miles away, where we intended to stay for a few days. However, as often happens in sailing, plans changed along the way.
About 10 miles before Alicante, there is a nice little island called Tabarca, and since it was so calm, anchoring there would have been really nice before heading to Alicante. We circled the island looking for a suitable anchorage. On Tabarca Island, there is a cute little town with a lighthouse and beaches, and the island is also car-free. It was clear that July and the holiday season were in full swing, as there were boats packed closely around the island. After searching for a suitable anchorage for a while, we decided to continue straight to Alicante after all.
We turned the bow towards Alicante, and Andrus immediately started calling the marinas in Alicante. There was no hope of getting a berth. The marinas in Alicante were fully booked for the beginning of the week as well. Our schedule was so full due to work commitments that we couldn’t make reservations in advance, which we really should have done for Alicante. We were very disappointed, as we had been looking forward to Alicante. It just had to be left for some future boating season.
During the upcoming week, we had to be in Valencia, where Suwena would stay for the winter, but more on that shortly.
The skipper pulled out the third route plan for the same day, and we turned the bow towards the town of Calpe. There was still plenty of daylight left, so our new route plan was to spend the night at anchor off Calpe and continue to Valencia the next day. We passed by the skyscrapers of Benidorm and arrived at Calpe in a beautiful sunset. When we arrived, there were already a few boats there, and by the evening, there were over 20 boats anchored with us. Another similar number of visiting boats was found in the Calpe marina. The bay had a very international atmosphere, with boats from various European countries, the USA, and Canada. Boats arrived in the bay from all directions. This is a good place to continue both north and south along the Spanish coast, and many headed towards the Balearic Islands in the morning.
We spent a peaceful evening and night at anchor. We enjoyed the last velvety soft Mediterranean night of our summer trip, and in the morning, the final leg to Valencia began.
Andrus had already reserved a spot for Suwena for the upcoming winter at La Marina de Valencia back in the spring. The process was handled excellently via phone and email, which is not always a given here in Spain. However, they also speak English at the Valencia marina, so everything went very smoothly.
After enjoying a peaceful breakfast in Calpe, Andrus sent an email confirmation that we would be arriving in the evening. All of Suwena’s paperwork had also been handled electronically in advance with the marina, so they just warmly welcomed us and asked us to notify them via VHF when we arrived at the marina. It was wonderful not to have to deal with any check-in procedures, allowing us to focus on arriving at our new location just before ten in the evening. The marina staff came out in a dinghy to show us our long-term spot and also helped with the med mooring lines.
The Valencia marina has two basins. The northern basin is in front of the marina office, and it is a short walk to the metro to travel to the city center. There is also a long row of restaurants on the nearby sandy beach, so the northern side can be said to be busier. However, it does get more swell, and for us, the shelter is always more important in a winter storage spot since we won’t be monitoring it all the time.
We got an excellent spot in the southern marina according to our wishes. What’s nice is that there are many boats in our dock where people live year-round, so we immediately noticed the great atmosphere in our dock upon arrival.
However, the southern marina is further from the city center. It’s about a 1.5 km walk to the bus stop, and the nearest metro station is 3 km away, which also provides easy access to Valencia Airport.
Our first week in Valencia was spent preparing Suwena for winter storage. It felt bittersweet to leave the boat alone in the middle of July in over 30-degree heat when the best summer weather was still ahead, but work called, and thus Suwena was left for the first time in its med mooring spot waiting for us in Valencia.