The Spanish Mediterranean coast is just as popular a destination for boaters as the Canary Islands. But what lies in between? Most people would answer: 600 nautical miles of Atlantic Ocean. That's why only larger motor yachts can make it non-stop from Gibraltar to Lanzarote. And you always have land on your port side en route: Africa is within your grasp. Why doesn't anyone moor there?
"It's desert", "there are no harbours", "it's unsafe there". This is the popular opinion. But there are harbours on the Atlantic coast of Morocco, on the edge of the Sahara. And for motorboat crews in particular, it would be an interesting option to make stops along the way to refuel with fuel and water. It is not true that there is only desert sand there anyway. Morocco, for example, has one of the largest fishing fleets in the world stationed here. However, its harbours are almost unknown internationally and are only mentioned in passing or not at all in many nautical charts and guides. However, as the kingdom generates more than ten percent of its foreign currency through tourism, its nautical sector has long been recognised as an economic factor. The Canary Islands route is particularly interesting here.
For this reason, King Mohammed VI, who has been in power since 1999, has already had several marinas built and also wants to create berths for yachts in existing fishing and commercial harbours.
Famous Arab cities such as Rabat, Casablanca or Essaouira not only sound like something out of an occidental fairytale, they are also so exotic and uniquely beautiful that you feel transported to a completely different world. Despite all preconceptions, it is now also possible to moor there. For motorboaters and sailors travelling from southern Spain to the Canary Islands, this opens the door to a whole new world. We present the seven most important harbour towns between the Strait of Gibraltar and the Canary Islands and show you where you can moor and what awaits you there.
Rabat: the city of the king
- 34° 1' 50" N, 06° 49' 18" W , VHF 10, 16
Rabat, which is around 3000 years old, is one of Morocco's four royal cities alongside Fès, Mèknes and Marrakesh and has been the country's capital since 1956. The Phoenicians already had a seaport here in ancient times, roughly where the Bouregreg Marina is located today on the river of the same name. The Kasbah, a fortress with metre-thick walls that has grown over thousands of years, is enthroned on the opposite bank of the river. To the west is the Arab medina, enclosed by a city wall dating back to the 11th century.
After passing the pier heads, the Bouregreg marina lies 1.24 nautical miles upstream of the river mouth into the Atlantic. The river can be passed with a maximum draught of 4 metres. However, as it has a current of around 4 knots, it is generally recommended that those not familiar with the area request a pilot via VHF when first entering the harbour. The route is reportedly due to be buoyed and fuelled in 2023. If the swell exceeds 2 metres off the mouth of the river, access to the marina will be closed. Bouregreg Marina offers 240 berths for boats up to 30 metres in length as well as a berth for a mega yacht up to 60 metres in length. There is electricity, water, WC/showers, a travel lift up to 80 tonnes and a diesel filling station.
Mohammedia: fine sandy beaches
- 33°42'48'' N, 07°23'48'' W , UKW 11, 16, 17
Located around 25 kilometres east of Casablanca, Mohammedia is an important transshipment port for petroleum products. At the same time, the town with its wide sandy beaches is a seaside resort for the well-heeled inhabitants of Casablanca. There is a fishing harbour and the Yacht Club du Maroc at the very heart of the extensive harbour facilities. Boats up to 16 metres long and with a draught of 2.3 metres can moor here. There is electricity, water, toilets/showers, a diesel fuelling station and a technical service (mechanical, electrical). The crane lifts 5 tonnes.
Casablanca: a piece of film history
- 33°37'04''N, 07°35'20'' W , VHF 16
The seaport of Casablanca is the largest transhipment centre in Morocco and ranks sixth among the largest ports in Africa. Yachts can currently moor at the western end of the new cruise terminal (on the inside of the north jetty). The mercilessly overcrowded fishing harbour is currently located in the far west of the extensive harbour facilities. It borders directly on the medina, the medieval centre of Casablanca. A new, large basin is currently being built for the fishing fleet in the far east of the harbour. The fishermen are due to move there from 2023 so that the current fishing harbour can be converted into a marina. It should be ready in 2027.
Next to the medina, which borders the older part of the harbour, you should have seen the Hassan II Mosque. Its prayer room offers space for 25,000 worshippers. Casablanca was and is also a melting pot of nations and cultures. The most famous Christian building is the Èglise Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes at the Rond-Point d'Europe. There are 30 synagogues in the old town centre for the largest Jewish community in the kingdom.
The city became famous thanks to the film "Casablanca" with Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergmann. The legendary Rick's Café, where almost the entire film takes place, never existed in Casablanca, but only in the Hollywood studios. Because tourists were always looking for Rick's Café in Casablanca, in 2004 the former US diplomat Kathy Kriger had the film set faithfully recreated at its intended location. It is located not far from the harbour at 248 Boulevard Sour Jdid, and when the classic "As Times Goes By" is played there in the evening, it is not "Play it again, Sam", but "Play it again, Issam" - because the pianist is not American, but Arab.
El Jadida: on colonial traces
- 33°15'21''N, 08°29'59''W , VHF 12, 16
Founded and fortified by the Portuguese at the end of the 15th century, the harbour town served to secure the supply of water and provisions for their own ships on the sea route to India and later Brazil. In 1769, El Jadida was reconquered by the Berber tribes. The inhabitants fled to Brazil.
Pleasure craft first head towards the fishing harbour and then moor at the Club Nautique pontoon. If there is nothing free there, they can go alongside at the pier in front of the Gendamerie. The harbour is accessible for boats up to 2 m draught and 25 m length. There are toilets and showers at the Club Nautique. Electricity and water can be connected to the berth. There is a diesel filling station in the fishing harbour.
Safi: in the shadow of industry
- 32°18'51''N, 09°15'24''W , VHF 12, 16
The approximately thousand-year-old harbour city was a Portuguese trading centre for slaves, gold and ivory from the middle of the 15th century. Today, Safi is an important industrial harbour where phosphate for the chemical industry in particular is shipped.
Because the ships were getting bigger and bigger, making the existing piers too small, a new chemical harbour has been under construction further south since 2020. This Port Nouveau Safi is as good as finished.
The old harbour, which lies below the old town, is to be converted into a marina. Until this is completed, pleasure craft can moor on the wide quay wall below the harbour office, on the port side just before the entrance to the fishing harbour. There is water, toilets and showers at the berth. Diesel can be purchased through an agent. There are several fishing companies and shipyards in the harbour area that can carry out all kinds of repairs. The travel lift can lift 350 tonnes.
On 17 May 1970, the Norwegian archaeologist Thor Heyerdahl set off from Safi in the papyrus boat "Ra II" and reached Barbados eight weeks later. The old town of Safi is famous for its pottery market, where the local craftsmen sell their wares.
Essaouira: among the fishermen
- 31°30'20''N, 09°46'29''W , VHF 12, 16
The very quaint and lively fishing harbour can be used by boats up to 27 m in length and 3.5 m draught. There are no guest berths; the harbour office will allocate a free berth. Apart from water, there are no services. Diesel is supplied from a petrol station 2 km away. There is a 280-tonne travel lift in the neighbouring repair yard for fishing trawlers. The former Portuguese harbour and fortress town was reconquered by the Arabs in the 16th century and developed into the most important seaport on the Atlantic coast. The hub of caravan and sea trade provided a good basis for prosperity and wealth. The medina, which is well worth seeing and where many artists and artisans have settled, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Agadir: modern city
- 30°25'10'', 09°37'00''W , VHF 09, 16
Founded by Portuguese seafarers in 1505, the harbour town was almost completely destroyed by a devastating earthquake in February 1960. Only a few historic buildings have been preserved in the Kasbah, which is 240 metres above sea level. The district is currently being restored and should be accessible again as a place of culture and the arts from 2023.
The new Agadir is a modern city with 700,000 inhabitants. Hotels, shops and restaurants are lined up parallel to the beach. There is no longer an Arab old town.
After the earthquake, the Marina Residence was built south of the fishing harbour, a modern apartment complex with its own marina. Boats up to 15 metres long and with a draught of 4 metres can moor here on modern floating jetties. There is electricity, water and a diesel fuelling station. There are also sanitary facilities, but it is better to avoid these.
Larger yachts can moor in the neighbouring Port Commercial. In the fishing harbour, several repair yards carry out all repairs in wood, metal and GRP. Newbuilding yards still build boats and ships from cedar (under water) and eucalyptus (above water). Workshops for engines, electrics, electronics and radar round off the service. The largest travel lift lifts 250 tonnes.
Navigation
Regardless of the size of the ship, it is only permitted to call at a Moroccan harbour between sunrise and sunset. The reason for this is to better control maritime traffic in order to prevent the smuggling of people and narcotics. Boats or yachts from abroad should always register (channel 16 or working channel). A boat flying a foreign flag may only enter a harbour at night for compelling reasons (heavy seas, accident, medical emergency, including severe seasickness). This must also be reported. In many places, a pilot boat is then sent. There is a border police and customs station in every harbour and marina. You have to clear in and out everywhere. After that, you can move freely around the town and the whole country.
Cruise literature
There is currently no up-to-date and detailed nautical chart and no really up-to-date harbour handbook of the Moroccan Atlantic coast available to buy as a printed product. The only digital product that provides a reasonably accurate and up-to-date depiction of the Moroccan coast is the electronic charts from Navionics. As unseamanic as it may sound, the most accurate way to see the coastline and the buildings above water is on Google Earth.
Security
Morocco is endeavouring to establish the rule of law. The presence of the police and military is omnipresent, especially in the harbours. Unauthorised persons are not usually allowed into a seaport or marina. In this respect, a yacht flying a foreign flag is very, very safe there. Nevertheless, you should lock everything when you leave the boat so that no unauthorised person "leaves" anything on board. The trade in hashish is widespread. Unfortunately, border guards or customs officers also offer "weed" in exchange for alcohol. Never enter into such deals. Never take "gifts" of unknown content on board.
In Morocco, alcohol is only available in international hotels and may only be consumed in the bars there. Do not leave any opened bottles of wine or spirits lying around on board, not even in the fridge. You should also not leave glasses with leftover red wine in them in the sink, but wash them up immediately. The police and customs will come on board every time you clear in or out. If they see traces of alcohol consumption, a lengthy interrogation quickly begins. There are no problems with unopened bottles that are packed as transit goods and stored in a crate.
Photography
While the smartphone selfie culture is also spreading rapidly in Morocco, anyone carrying a professional-looking camera is scrutinised with a critical eye. If you take too obvious a photo with it, you will soon have the (almost) ubiquitous police on your back. People want to be asked before they take photos. This applies in particular to the (mostly) camera-shy Berbers. It is absolutely forbidden to import and use drones of any kind.
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Bodo Müller
Freier Autor
