About Us

The Sailing Association Mar Menor (SAMM) was formed in January 2006, and its purpose is to help solve problems experienced in keeping and sailing boats in the Mar Menor and Mediterranean.

The membership has now passed 135 and we meet once a month at the CISSMU Centre, Avenida del Ferrocarrill, Los Narejos, just north of Los Alcazares on the 2^nd Wednesday at 11am. Non members of all nationalities are welcome to attend to learn more about us and join if you wish. We normally have a guest speaker of the month on different topics of interest to sailors.

Here's the directions - leave the AP7 at Exit 786 and, at the roundabout, take the road under the arches and continue to the next roundabout with Las Velas shopping centre on the far left. Turn right and continue straight across the next roundabout until you reach a crossroads with traffic lights. The Hotel Costa Narejos is on the far left and a left turn here would take you past the sailing college (CAR) to the Mar Menor. Turn right and take the next right  - a short way down you will see CISSMU Community Centre and Biblioteca with its own car park on the left.

During 2007 we obtained formal registration as a Sports & Cultural Association with the Region of Murcia.

SAMM comprises a number of groups that cater for different classes of sailing boats. There are groups for larger cruising yachts, dinghy sailors, boat share groups, one metre remote control boats, catamarans and training groups for improving your sailing skills or learning from scratch and a boat repair group including canvas work, moorings and storage. Our aim for 2009 is to establish a Two Person sailing group equipped with special boats designed to take one disabled person accompanied by an able-bodied person. We are working with the UK Disabled Sailing Association to realise this aim.

Longer sailing trips are envisaged throughout the summer such as a flotilla cruise to the Balearics and weekend Boat Owners Group trips along the Mediterranean coast. Motor boats are also represented within the membership.

Social events are organised for members and partners and all are welcome. Trips are also available to local places of interest which are all advertised in the Events Calendar.

SAMM welcomes new members, both Spanish residents and local holiday home owners. If you are interested in Sailing or Motor boats in this area come to one of our monthly meetings and learn more. You will be made very welcome. Alternatively, if you want to join, contact us using the link at the left. Current annual, single membership is 30 euros and family membership 45 euros.

A Personal View by Terry Chapman

Sailing on the Costa Calida If, like me, you were a sailor in your home country you probably thought the sun, blue skies, warm sea, gentle winds and the facilities in Spain were going to be a sailor’s paradise. Like me you probably found the reality quite different.OK; the first three are true most of the time but the winds can be far from gentle and the facilities for dinghy sailors are almost non-existent. There are no clubs, club houses or club waters, nowhere to store a dinghy except your own garden and few places to launch. It is even illegal to launch a boat across the beach most of the time in most places.If you sail bigger, ocean going yachts marina berths are hard to obtain and, if you are lucky to get one, often quite expensive.

Hence, SAMM, “Sailing Association Mar Menor”, formed in January 2006, to help find a solution to these problems and which thinks of itself as a “dating agency for sailors”. Now, after nearly two years the association has over 130 members, is sponsored by a Spanish bank and contains a number of sub-groups within its structure.One group build and race 1 metre radio controlled yachts; a second owns three dinghies which can regularly be seen sailing on the Mar Menor.

The “Cruising Group” comprises a number of private yacht owners who offer crewing opportunities to other members and who, this year, have been involved in week long cruise, one to Denia, the other to Ibiza and back, with others being foreseen in the future.

The “Deltania Group” got together to purchase and sail two 7 metre day sailors of that name.

The BOG boys, “Boat Owners Group”, regularly enjoy weekend sailing trips up and down the coast in company.

A “Catamaran Group”, to sail an 8 metre catamaran on the Mar Menor, has recently formed and a Power Boat and Windsurfing Groups are likely to come into being soon.

Every member of SAMM can join one or more group, I am a member of three.The Association has members who offer professional sailing tuition that leads to RYA and ICC qualifications. You can also be helped to get the basic Spanish “Titular” qualification which makes it legal for you to skipper a boat under 5 metres, with an engine of less the 40 Watts up to one nautical mile from the shore.

The Association does not have its own premises but meets on the second Wednesday of every month at the Biblioteca, Los, Narejos, on the north side of Los Alcazares, which is just before Murcia, San Javier airport or you can find out more about it by logging on to the web site www.sailingmarmenor.com.Everybody is welcome but, at present all the membership can speak English and the meetings are only conducted in English. This could change if there was sufficient membership of other nationalities.

Terry Chapman