Puerto de Morro Jable Fuerteventura (Part 1)

We left Gran Tarajal just before midday on Sunday 22 October and once again were able to sail as soon as we had cleared the harbour. The wind was strong enough for us to make 5½ knots which worked well for a gentle afternoon potter down to the southern extremity of Fuerteventura.

Punta de Morro Jable    

As we went south the scenery softened a little and the hills, particularly with the low cloud, reminded us of the hills in the Derbyshire Peak District. And, like parts of the Peak District, we saw very little in the way of habitation, certainly until we got as far as the tall lighthouse marking Punta de Morro Jable. This point is also the eastern-most end of the holiday development and from here the sandy beach is overlooked by hotels and holiday apartment complexes.

 

The scenery continued in that vein for the next couple of miles whereupon the beach ran out up against the eastern wall of the port. We’d been watching yacht traffic approaching the harbour on the AIS display and were slightly concerned that the majority of the yachts which had entered the harbour then came out again and moved to the anchorage at the western end of the beach. We had had no confirmation that our request for a berth in the small marina had been successful and it was looking doubtful that there was space for us.

Puerto de Morro Jable    

Not to be put off from a challenge, Nicky got on the radio to start negotiations. Somewhere during the conversation, the distinction between having a booking and having applied for a booking seemed to be a little vague and we were delighted when the Sunday afternoon security guard invited us onto the refuel area from where he would direct us to our mooring. This turned out to be about the only empty mooring that we could see in the harbour and so we gratefully accepted that and worked on a good cat’s cradle of lines to secure BV in a short finger pontoon space that was probably designed for a yacht at least 6 foot shorter than us. [Ed: like our berth in Gran Tarajal, this berth was both too small for BV and downwind, but there was no option here so we made it work.  At least there was plenty of depth!] Whilst we were sorting ourselves out, a few other yachts came into the harbour, trying to get a mooring, but they were all turned away. Nicky definitely won the ‘Best Moorings Negotiator’ award for that day.

First proper view of the fabulous beach   

Whilst Nicky and I sorted lines and had a look around the port for mooring contingencies should the Monday morning port team decide that we couldn’t stay where we were, Alex and Lucy walked over the hill to check out the bars by the beach. We followed them a short while later and, as we crested the high ground between the port and the holiday resort, we got our first proper view down onto the fabulous beach. We were also almost directly above the anchorage to the east of the port and were jolly glad that we didn’t have to spend the night there. The wind was blowing along the line of the beach and the swell was coming in from a different angle so the yachts were pointing in all directions and rolling madly.

The anchorage east of the port (R)   

Despite it being early evening, the beach still had a few people paddling but most had switched their attentions to the bars and restaurants. Finding Alex and Lucy was surprisingly easy and we toasted our good fortune in getting a place in the marina with a round of large beers. It was a relaxing end to the day interspersed with the odd squeal to look at the anchored yachts which we could still see dancing around and rolling very uncomfortably.

Returning to the port at sunset   

Wandering back to the port area at sunset it was very clear that the marina and, indeed, the whole harbour was totally calm and sheltered. For that night at least, it was a much better base from which to enjoy Morro Jable and the fab beach.

Puerto de Morro Jable, Fuerteventura, Canary Island