Sail Canary Islands.

At 6am in San Miguel the breeze comes off the land and the water is 20°C in February. That is the argument for the Canaries in one line: Atlantic sailing at 28°N that does not shut down for winter. We sail here in the months when Croatia and Greece are on the hard.

The trade wind does most of the work. Islands sit 10 to 30nm apart, so passages are half-days rather than deliveries. The scenery is volcanic instead of pine-fringed — black sand, lava coast, and a 3,718m peak visible from three islands away.

The archipelago splits into two practical charter areas. Pick one per week; trying to do both turns the holiday into a delivery.

Western group — Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, El Hierro. Deep water, tall cliffs, the strongest acceleration zones. Weeks usually start from San Miguel Marina or another south Tenerife harbour. San Miguel to San Sebastián de La Gomera is about 25nm.

Eastern group — Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Graciosa and Isla de Lobos, with Gran Canaria as a longer leg. Shorter hops, more sand, better anchorages. Playa Blanca to Corralejo across the Bocayna strait is roughly 12nm.

Crossing between the groups — Tenerife to Gran Canaria is around 55nm — is a full day, and the return is upwind. Most weeks stay put in one group.

Be clear about this before you book: the Canaries are a marina cruising ground. The coast is steep-to, depth drops past 100m within a mile, and Atlantic swell wraps the north-west corners. You will sleep on a pontoon most nights.

Harbours worth planning around: San Sebastián de La Gomera, Valle Gran Rey, Los Gigantes under 600m cliffs (small, book ahead), Santa Cruz de La Palma. In the east: Rubicón and Puerto Calero on Lanzarote, Arrecife, and Caleta del Sebo on La Graciosa — shallow, tight, worth the effort.

Anchorages that work in settled weather: Playa Francesa off La Graciosa, Papagayo on Lanzarote's south coast, Isla de Lobos as a day stop, and the bay at Los Cristianos. Treat them as lunch stops, and check the swell forecast rather than the wind forecast.

Sailing runs all twelve months here. What changes is the character, not the availability.

June to September. North-east trades at their most reliable, typically 15–25kn, gusting past 30kn in the acceleration zones off island corners and through the Bocayna strait. Hot, dry, and the busiest marinas of the year.

October to May. Lighter and more variable, often 8–18kn, with north-west Atlantic swell through the winter and the occasional southerly system. Sea temperature sits around 18–20°C at its coldest.

Calima. Saharan dust on an easterly wind, possible in any month. Visibility drops, the sky turns beige for a day or three. Not dangerous, but it flattens the view.

One local habit worth learning: Teide throws a long wind shadow over south Tenerife. You can motor out of a calm lee and meet 25kn two miles offshore. Reef before you leave the shelter, not after.

Bareboat monohull, 38–46ft. The standard Canaries week. Enough boat for the acceleration zones, small enough for Caleta del Sebo and Los Gigantes.

Bareboat catamaran, 40–46ft. Steadier for families and non-sailing crew, and easier alongside in the bigger marinas. Berth fees are higher, sometimes by half again.

Skippered. Your own boat with a local skipper aboard. The sensible choice for a first Atlantic week, and the fastest way to learn where the wind funnels.

Crewed. Skipper and hostess, catering aboard. Price on request.

Boats move between the eastern and western grounds through the year, so the list available for a Lanzarote week is not the same list as a Tenerife week. Send us the dates on WhatsApp and we will tell you what is actually there.

Ranges, not quotes. Season, boat age and berth choice move the number more than anything else.

Bareboat monohull 38–46ft: roughly €1,800–€4,200 per week

Bareboat catamaran 40–46ft: roughly €4,000–€9,000 per week

Skipper: about €200–€260 per day, plus their food

Crewed charter: price on request

Budget separately for end cleaning (€150–€300), a security deposit or insurance waiver (€1,500–€3,000), fuel (€80–€200 a week — you will motor more than you expect out of the lees), and marina berthing at roughly €35–€90 per night for a 45ft in season. Provisioning runs €120–€180 per person per week if you shop ashore and cook aboard.

One quirk: the Canaries sit outside the EU VAT area, so local IGIC appears on invoices instead of mainland Spanish IVA. The tax line looks different to a Balearics quote.

Day 1. Board late afternoon, briefing, short hop to Las Galletas or the bay at Los Cristianos. 6nm. Eat aboard.

Day 2. Cross to San Sebastián de La Gomera, 25nm. The middle third of the channel accelerates — expect more wind than the forecast. Whale and dolphin corridor: hold your distance and keep speed down.

Day 3. South coast of La Gomera to Playa de Santiago, 12nm, or press on to Valle Gran Rey, 22nm.

Day 4. Day off the boat. Hire a car for the laurel forest at Garajonay, or walk one of the barrancos down to the water.

Day 5. Back along the Gomera coast and north across to Tenerife, 30–35nm, aiming for Los Gigantes or an anchorage at El Puertito.

Day 6. Under the cliffs at first light, then down the west coast to Playa Paraíso or Puerto Colón, 15–20nm.

Day 7. Short leg back to San Miguel, 12nm, alongside by early afternoon for fuel and hand-back.

In the east, the same week runs Rubicón, Lobos, Corralejo, up to La Graciosa and back — fewer miles, more anchoring.