BOATING IN GRAN CANARIA

Las Palmas Marina in Gran Canaria is a vibrant port that has a strategic position which links the three continents of America, Africa and Europe.  Its most famous visitor was one of its first, Christopher Columbus.  He stopped in the Canary Islands and in particular in this harbour before he set out on his journey to what is now called America.  While in Las Palmas he has the sails on La Niña changed and beached La Pinta to repair its rudder.  Even I n 1492 this marina was well known and important, and since then it has only grown in importance.  It is now a very modern port that serves the thousands of different ships that come to Las Palmas every year.  There are container ships, tankers, bulk carriers, passenger cruise lines, and fishing boats.  Commercial ships make up most of the harbours traffic, but there are many sailing yachts, too.  Muelle Deportivo is the home away from home for sailors on the over 1,000 yachts that come to Las Palmas Marina every year. 
Due to the excellent facilities in the Marina there are quite a few regattas there, best known being the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers, ARC.  There were 224 yachts that took off on the 20th of November for the island of St. Lucia in the Caribbean.  It was the twentieth ARC, so there were huge celebrations to mark the event.  The event is popular with the international guests as well as the local canarios.  The fact that the ARC has been growing so much since it has first started, which has been mirrored by the growth of the Marinas infrastructure.  This is a benefit to the ARC as well as to all the other yachts and sailors who come to Las Palmas.  The marina is on the southern end of the commercial harbour and is protected from waves by its location.  There are also plenty of spots in the marina for all the visitors, there is space for everyone.

On account of the growth of the marina there has also been significant increase in businesses related to the marina.  There is now a full service boatyard that has its own travelift, two chandleries, a sail maker, a market, a pharmacy, some bars and restaurants as well as a fuel station, showers and laundry business.  There is a newly opened commercial centre called Sotavento in the marina that has restaurants, bars, and shops for visiting sailors to enjoy.  There are many supermarkets that are very well stocked and cheap because the Canarias are duty free, so it is the perfect place to stock up on provisions.  There are other places for boat repair around the commercial centre if your boat requires more extensive work.  With all the services offered here, it is easy to see why Las Palmas is an ideal place to prepare for a long boat trip.  The excellent facilities of the Real Club Nautico are open to members of other reputable yacht club who are visiting Las Palmas.  It is one of the top yachting clubs in Spain and has one of the top racing records.  Several of its members are World, Olympic, and European champions.  In addition, the Vela Latina Canaria, a type of sailing boat, is regularly raced during the summer months in Las Palmas. 
Important as the port and its related facilities may be, Las Palmas is a lot more than just the port. Las Palmas is where the oldest golf course in Spain is located and football fans can see some famous Spanish football clubs because the local football team plays in the Primera Liga.  The town itself has a population of just over 500,000 and sits astride a peninsula with beautiful sandy beaches on either side. The most well known beach, Las Canteras, can be and is used all year round because it is protected by a reef that stretch parallel to the shore.  The Canaries current, a continuation of the Gulf Stream, ensures that the water never drops below 18°C.
There are two distinctive halves to Las Palmas, the commercial northern part and the older southern area.  The northern part is called El Puerto, while the southern part is made up of the old quarters called La Vegueta.  In La Vegueta there are many buildings that date back to the time of Columbus, including Casa de Colon, a museum that is an old house that Columbus is thought to have lived in during the time his ships were being fixed.  Las Palmas is connected to the airport, southern coast of Gran Canaria and the many tourist resorts by a very fast highway.  The tourist resorts are home to hundreds of thousands of visitors a year because of the sandy beaches and omnipresent sunshine.