Sant’ Carles, La Rapita

Nestled in the north-west corner of a tranquil, shallow lagoon, just south of the River Ebro delta, Sant’ Carles marina is run by MDL marinas. The marina is the northern of the two port areas, the southern being the more commercial, with fishing and local boats. The entrance into the lagoon is shallow and a well-marked and lit channel takes yachts parallel to the coast before a turn to port into the harbour complex. A cautious starboard turn at the top of the channel opens up the lagoon, but care is needed to navigate here and with no marks or lights is not recommended at night. Handy withies mark particularly shallow spots, but the depths rarely exceed 4 metres and are often less.

Sant’ Carles offers full service berthing and is incredibly well protected, especially from the strong north-westerlies that can reach down this far into Spain. It was to wait out 24 hours of this strong Tramontana wind that we came here, having spent the previous night at anchor in the spacious lagoon surrounded by nature and mussel beds. It was a peaceful night, and we could have ridden out the winds quite happily I suspect. But rather than be stuck on the yacht, we decided to go to the marina, tie up and explore the small town of Rapita.

Due to our size we were placed on the outer pontoon just inside the marina entrance. It was clearly a transit pontoon, with no electricity or water. The seagulls had taken semi-permanent residence and the surface had much evidence of their presence! But it was secure and only a short walk the showers and main office. The facilities are excellent; new, smart, with an on-site bar and restaurant, swimming pool and clean, hot, showers. The town was a 15 minute walk, and had a pleasant board-walk with bars and restaurants.

Prices are reasonable, the climate clement and the marina facilities offer all you need, so it’s not surprising the marina has carved a niche as a popular over-wintering location, with many foreign yachts both afloat and on a small hard. The staff speak several languages and are friendly and helpful. For anyone contemplating both short or long stays on this coast, it’s a well-run marina in which to safely leave a yacht. We paid just 60 Euros as a visiting yacht (to date the cheapest marina we have yet stayed in, albeit well early in the season).