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SPAIN SAILING

Cultural adventures under sail

Where do we go?

Our tours begin and end in our home marina in the historic town of Combarro. Each day we will aim to spend between 1 and 3 hours sailing. The 6-night tours are group bookings and don't have to follow a specific schedule, but our 5-night tours are scheduled as follows:

Day 1: Arrive in Combarro after 3pm and make yourselves at home on board our yacht Marta. Spend the first night moored in Combarro, after dining in the old town.

Day 2: Set sail to explore the rias. Spend the second night at anchor off a beach.

Day 3: Sail to Baiona to moor in the marina for the third night, and take your pick of some superb bars and restaurants

Day 4: Set sail to do more exploring in the rias (estuaries) and choose another place to anchor for the night.

Day 5: Sail into Combarro to moor in the marina for the final night.

Day 6: Depart by midday.

Combarro:

The historic town of Combarro provides our home marina.

Combarro combines a magnificent historic village with a modern bustling town and marina. It's big enough to have plenty of bars and restaurants and a supermarket, and close enough to Pontevedra to make it easy to get to from Santiago and Vigo. The atmospheric old town, with its narrow streets and cloistered pavements makes it a wonderful place to stroll in the evenings and relax in a bar or restaurant. And it is only a two-minute walk from the marina. For a slightly longer walk the beautiful Monastario de Poio is about half an hour along the coast. For the more adventurous runners and walkers the forested hills behind the town are full of interesting paths and tracks. We also thoroughly recommend taking a 15-minute taxi ride to the wonderful Attis winery, where you can wander around vineyards and admire the incredible views over the Salnés Valley, the heart of the Rias Baixas wine-growing region. It's only a few minutes by bus or taxi from Pontevedra the provincial capital.

Anchorages:

There are hundreds of amazing places to anchor in Rias Baixas.

There's Barra beach, with its lovely walk around the three lighthouses and up to the Celtic remains at O Facho. The incredible Cíes Islands with their rugged rocky coast, beautiful white sandy beaches, crystal-clear waters, wildlife, lighthouses, and panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Galician coastline. There's the inlet at Aldan, with the quiet village and harbour and walks beyond. You'll definitely want to explore the ruins of the fairy forest! The Atlantic Island of Ons offers a quite different experience to that of Cíes. Less rugged, but no less beautiful, and with plenty to explore. One of the joys of sailing is that you can just spot a lovely place and decide to drop anchor. And there are plenty of places to choose from in Rias Baixas.

Baiona:

Everyone loves Baiona. It's beautiful, historic, interesting and very relaxed.

Baiona is, without doubt, the jewel of Rias Baixas. This wonderul historic town, with its busy narrow streets full of architectural interest, is focused around the 11th century Monterreal Castle and the marina alongside. Baiona is a very relaxed family-friendly place, with bars and restaurants along the seafront and tucked away in the winding stone streets behind, and a brilliant children's playground right next to the castle. You can walk around the castle walls admiring the views of the sea; the sheltered bay on one side, and the exposed Atlantic breakers on the other. Above the town, the forested hills hide gems such as the statue of the Virgin of the Rock and the charming Baiona river. This is a paradise if you enjoy exploring woodland walks; modern technology enables you to explore with the confidence that you won't get lost. The most thrilling way to approach Baiona is from the sea, sailing through the narrow gap between the imposing rocky shores of the Wake Islands and the Monteferro promontory. Then relax and breath again as you enter the sheltered bay of Baiona, dominated by its castle. Baiona was the the first European port to receive news of Columbus's discovery of the Americas in 1493. You can visit a full scale replica of Columbus's Pinta, which is permanently moored alongside the marina.

Food and Wine:

The Rías Baixas is renowned for its seafood and Albariño wines.

The region's coastal influence and moderate climate combined with the soil create perfect conditions for cultivating grapes. The Albariño grape produces crisp, vibrant white wines with citrus and floral notes. With around 200 wineries and thousands of vineyards the Rías Baixas presents a thriving, and very traditional industry. Many wineries are in the coastal towns and villages and they are often based in wonderful ancient buildings with incredible heritage. Albariño is the perfect pairing for the fresh, local seafood pulled from the cold waters of the Atlantic and the uniquely mixed fresh and sea waters where bateas are used to harvest mussels and other shellfish. Goose barnacles (known as percebes) are a local speciality. It's not just the marvellous taste, but also the adventurous catching of percebes that contributes to their fame. They are hunted by so-called 'percebeiros' (barnacle hunters) who risk their lives scraping the barnacles from the peaky rocks as the wild ocean pounds them.

FAQs
What do I need to travel to Spain?

Passport: You will need a valid passport which expires no sooner than 3 months after your return date.

Visa: For 2025 and beyond you will also need to apply for a visa waiver called ETIAS. This must be done before you travel and costs £7 for adults and is free of charge for under 18s.

Health card: You should also take a UK Global Health Insurance Card. These are free and last for 5 years. They allow you access to emergency treatment in the EU and are a convenient way of presenting your details to a hospital or medical centre.

Travel insurance: You should take out travel insurance to cover anything outside the scope of the health card.

How do I get there?

The cost of the tour doesn't include flights but we'll be happy to help plan your trip. You can fly to Vigo, Santiago de Compostela or Porto, and then take a bus, train or taxi (we can arrange for a friendly English-speaking taxi driver to collect you from the airport).


We can send you comprehensive guides for when you know how you would like to travel. If you find that it would be convenient to move the dates of your tour by a day or two to fit in better with your travel plans then please let us know as soon as possible and we'll do what we can to help.

What about the cabins, beds and bathrooms?

Our yacht has 3 double cabins for our guests, each with a double bed. Bed clothes and towels will be provided and there are small wardrobes and cupboards for your things. The two stern (rear) cabins have en-suite facilities. The forward cabin shares a bathroom with Skipper Tom. If you book a single cabin it will be one of the en-suite cabins unless there is only the forward cabin left unbooked. In this case we will make the situation clear before booking.

The bathrooms all contain a toilet, sink and shower. There are excellent washing facilities in the marinas too.

How fit do I need to be?

You will need to be able step onto and off the boat when it is moored in the marina. And climb up and down the ladder-like steps between the saloon and the deck. You should also be able to keep yourself stable while the yacht is sailing. If you wish to actually carry out some sailing yourself then you'll be winding winches, standing on a moving and sloping deck and perhaps being splashed by the sea.

If you wish to go ashore while at anchor in a sandy bay then you will have to be able to get into and out of the tender (small inflatable boat with a motor) at the yacht and at the beach or pier steps.

Will I be on the yacht with people I don't know?

If you have booked as an individual or a couple then you will be on board with people who you don't know at the beginning of the tour. However, our experience is that everyone gets on very well indeed and some fantastic friendships have been formed this way.

If you have booked the whole boat then the only person on board other than your group will be Skipper Tom.

What equipment do I need to bring?

Only normal holiday things, but make sure you allow for the fact that it can be cooler and wetter at sea than on land. So bring waterproofs and warmer clothes than you might normally bring on a land-based summer trip to Spain.

Will I be able to use my phone?

Yes! We have USB charging points on board and the signal in the area is excellent. Our guests have no problems using their phones for calls, internet or using maps, sat nav, Strava navigation etc. You will find your phone invaluable for exploring the woods, navigating and, if you don't speak Spanish, translating!

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