Sail Catalonia.

Two coastlines in one charter. North of the Golf de Roses the Costa Brava is rock — pine-topped headlands, water that turns from green to deep blue over 10m, coves you can only reach by boat. South of Blanes the land flattens into beach towns and then Barcelona, where you berth a ten-minute walk from the old city. Legs are short, mostly 10 to 25 nautical miles, so the pattern of the week is sail in the morning, anchor and swim after lunch, eat ashore. That suits crews who want the boat to be transport and shade rather than an endurance test. It suits distance sailors less: if you want 60-mile days you will spend the week going back and forth.

The headline ground is Cap de Creus, the rocky headland where the Pyrenees run into the sea. Round it in settled weather and you get Cadaqués, whitewashed and steep, with a bay that is open to the east and rolly when the llevant blows. North of the cape sit Port de la Selva and Llançà, quieter and closer to the French border. South, the Golf de Roses is a long sandy bay — easy, shallow, good for a first night. Below it the coast turns rock again at Begur: Aiguablava, Tamariu, Sa Tuna, Illa Roja. The Illes Medes off L'Estartit are a marine reserve with buoys instead of anchoring and the best snorkelling on this coast. From Barcelona southward you have Sitges, Vilanova and, further on, Tarragona.

We work from four bases. Marina d'Empuriabrava sits at the top of the Golf de Roses inside a canal network — the entrance is straightforward in anything but strong easterlies, and it puts Cap de Creus 12 miles from the berth. Port Olímpic de Barcelona and Real Club Nautico de Barcelona both put you in the city itself: Olímpic beside the beach at Barceloneta, the Reial Club Nàutic inside the commercial harbour behind the breakwater. Port Mataró is 30km up the coast from Barcelona, less busy on a Saturday, and often the easier turnaround if you would rather not start a charter in city traffic. Visitor berths along the Costa Brava fill from mid-July; call ahead on VHF or book the night before.

April to October is the practical sailing season, with May, June, September and early October the best of it — warm, quieter harbours, water at 20 to 24C by late summer. The wind to understand is the tramuntana, a hard, dry northerly that funnels off the Pyrenees into the Golf de Roses and around Cap de Creus. It is most frequent from autumn through spring, can reach 40 knots, and it flattens plans for a day or two at a time. In summer the working breeze is the garbí, a south-westerly sea breeze that fills in early afternoon at 10 to 15 knots and dies at dusk. The llevant, an easterly, brings swell straight into east-facing coves and most of the rain. August is hot, crowded and expensive; we will say so rather than sell you into it.

The fleet sailing from Catalan bases runs all year, and it is bareboat only — no crewed yachts on this coast. That means monohulls in the 35 to 50ft range, mostly production cruisers, plus catamarans in the same size band. Bareboat is the right fit here because the passages are short, the harbours are well marked and there is almost nowhere you have to be at a particular hour. If you want a skipper aboard for the first days, or for the whole week, message us on WhatsApp before you book and we will tell you what can be arranged from that base — we would rather set that up in advance than have you arrive hoping.

Ranges, not promises, and always confirm against a live quote. A 38 to 45ft monohull in the shoulder months — April, May, June, late September, October — typically runs €2,000 to €3,500 for the week. The same boat in mid-July and August moves to €3,500 to €7,000 depending on age and size. Catamarans and anything over 50ft: price on request. Budget separately for visitor berths at €50 to €150 a night on the Costa Brava in summer and more in Barcelona, fuel at €100 to €250 for a normal week of short hops, end cleaning of €150 to €350, and a security deposit of €2,000 to €5,000 held on a card unless you take a damage waiver.

Day 1 — Board late afternoon, provision, motor out and anchor off Cala Montjoi, 7nm. Short first leg on purpose.

Day 2 — Round Cap de Creus to Cadaqués, 12nm. Go early; the wind builds at the cape. Buoys and anchorage in the bay, dinner ashore.

Day 3 — North around the cape to Port de la Selva, 10nm, with a stop at Cala Tavallera. Quiet harbour, good bakery.

Day 4 — The long leg south to the Illes Medes and L'Estartit, about 25nm. Pick up a reserve mooring, snorkel the walls, berth in L'Estartit or anchor south of the islands.

Day 5 — Down to Aiguablava or Tamariu, 12nm of the best coast on the trip. Anchor on sand, not on seagrass.

Day 6 — Palamós or Sant Feliu de Guíxols, 8 to 15nm. Fish market at Palamós, fuel and water before the run home.

Day 7 — Back north to Empuriabrava, roughly 30nm. Leave at first light and take the wind on the nose early rather than late.

Barcelona El Prat is the arrival airport for everything on this coast. For the Barcelona and Mataró bases it is a 20 to 45 minute transfer. For Empuriabrava, allow around two hours by road, or take the train to Figueres and a taxi for the last 15km. Girona airport is closer to the Costa Brava bases and worth checking if you are flying from within Europe. Bring skipper certification and a VHF licence for every charter, plus passports for the crew list. Provision in Figueres or Roses before boarding at Empuriabrava — the marina shops are small and Sunday closing is real. Questions before you commit: WhatsApp is the fastest way to reach us.