Our Winter Mooring

The weather was becoming more unsettled with further storms due in a few days, so we decided that it was time to head to our winter mooring before the strong winds arrived.

The first part of our journey was 26 nm, the wind was only force 2-3 and with a flat sea, we had a gentle sail down to Santa Pola.

With just one night here, we had a stroll along the promenade before sitting down for a sundowner.

With 50 nm left to go we set off at sunrise. There was only a light breeze from behind as we left Santa Pola, this soon picked up a little, so with just about enough wind to get us moving, the sails went up, but it was slow going.

As the days were now shorter and we wanted to arrive in daylight, Ziggy needed to keep up a good speed, so we had to put the engine on. The day passed with the sails up and down several times trying to make the most of the little wind we had. It was obviously the ‘calm before the storm’ which was due to arrive the following day.

Travelling south along the coastline of green hills and rocky cliffs, we eventually passed the Mar Menor and a tall lighthouse on the corner as we turned west for the last few miles.

After 10 hours, we arrived at the marina in Cartagena which would be Ziggy’s home for the winter, a deep natural harbour in the ancient city of Cartagena. It is also a popular cruise ship port.

Over the summer season we have travelled a total of 1700 nautical miles, with approximately 850 hours at sea. Starting from Malta, at a latitude of 35°N and longitude of 14°E, it was our most southerly and easterly point. La Spetzia was the most northerly point at 44°N latitude and Cartagena our most westerly, after passing over the Greenwich time line, at a longitude of 00°W.

With a few jobs to get Ziggy ready for the winter, including lots of cleaning, wash and remove the sails and ropes, service the engine and Ed, put away Ed & Fred, pickle the water maker and a few other immediate repairs. But before starting all this we met up with some of the other cruisers at the regular social events and also had a quick look around the town.

Cartagena is a fortified city in the Mercia region, famous for its Roman ruins and naval history, being Spain’s main naval base in the Mediterranean.

Founded by Carthaginians in 220 BC, it has many ancient sites including the remains of a Roman theatre, fortification walls, castle and villas. Alongside the ancient ruins, there are Art Nouveau architecture and museums it also hosts various festivals. All of this is within easy walking distance of the marina.

Just inside the city walls is a glass panoramic elevator which takes you quickly 45 metres up the hill, a walkway leads to the site of the Roman theatre, cathedral and castle.

The Teatro Romano de Cartagena dates back to the first century BC and once seated around 7000 spectators.

Next to the theatre are the ruins of the Cathedral of Santa María la Vieja. This was destroyed in 1939 when Cartagena was heavily shelled in the Spanish Civil War. Unfortunately, there isn’t much of the original cathedral left.

On top of the hill is the site of Castillo de la Concepción and the castle gardens, Parque Torres, a tranquil park with peacocks and views of the city and harbour. The medieval castle was built on the site of a Roman temple and then became a Moorish fortress.

Due to Cartagena’s military history, there are castles and fortresses on hills and rocky outcrops around the city.

Back down in the town it was all beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Calle Mayor is the busy main street, with elegant façades and architecture.

There always seems to be something happening in the town. We visited the jazz festival, and had to make a double take when we thought the keyboardist was one of our most regular commenters.

A medieval market was also a very popular event with stalls and performers filling the narrow streets.

Fortunately we had arrived in time to see the celebrations for switching on the Christmas lights. A huge stage was set up overlooking the port, it started with a concert, where a modern choir belted out some well known festive tunes to crowds of people.

This was followed by an amazing drone show with 220 drones forming different images in the sky. I’d never seen anything like this before and it was very impressive.

After a countdown, the lights were switched on and it all finished with fireworks.

The town now looks very festive.

Having prepared ZigZag for the winter, we are now back in the UK for Christmas and look forward to exploring Cartagena further when we return.

I would like to thank you all for following our journey and your lovely comments, I always look forward to hearing from you (special thanks to Dan (on keyboard) and Neil for your weekly input).

Wishing everyone a fantastic Christmas and best wishes for 2026.