Recently, the Alicante Civil Guard’s maritime department has increased its warning and monitoring operations for recreational vessels anchored in Torrevieja Bay. Bathing and vessel anchoring are prohibited in the port basin, which, despite the presence of three marinas on its sea surface, is one of the largest in the Valencian Community. In recent years, the practice of unregulated anchoring yachts and leisure vessels in the bay has become common.
Guardia Civil sources verified the surveillance attempts using a device that has been seen multiple times in the harbour. The M-61 “Río Oja” fast patrol boat, almost 20 metres long and attached to the Alicante Civil Guard’s marine service, is now performing warning tasks. Fines are only enforced in specific situations based on the nature of the infringement.
Two types of anchoring are very prominent. The first is a long-term anchorage near Marina Internacional on the Acequión beach, where some enormous, semi-abandoned yachts are visible. The other is the far larger number of recreational boats that moor daily between Marina Salinas’ breakwater and Torrevieja’s Levante breakwater.
The latter one mostly for recreational purposes, with peak anchoring occurring on weekends. Many people swim, fish (which is illegal), and have lunch together in one day.
This type of limited anchoring, which is common in the port of Torrevieja and practised by many city residents who own moorings in marinas, did not jeopardise marine traffic safety because it was kept away from transit areas. However, it has become more popular inrecentlyIt It became more popular during the epidemic as a convenient means to bypass mobility limitations, despite the increase in parties on leisure boats. It is maintained by boat rental companies, which are reasonably priced and, in certain cases, do not require training or a licence.
During holiday seasons, the number of ships anchored in the bay significantly increases, leading to greater strain on port space, especially during peak times.vercrowding reduces the amount of space available for anchoring, and vessels are siinore exposed regions to marine traffic.
Within a few metres, sailboats, leisure vessels, and jet skis can collide with recreational boat users bawho are bathing or with the outboard motors of smaller boats that areunning. The heightened inspection has been generally received with common sense by bay users, while others do not understand why they are being barred from doing something they have done their entire lives. What has changed, however, is the number of boats and their usage in a marine sector that has seen its vacant surface area shrink over the last three decades.
Torrevieja has the highest concentration of moorings for sports and leisure boats in the Valencian Community, exceeding 2,500. It also has certain distinguishing features, such as Acequión, an interior beach where swimming is illegal but thousands of people swim every day throughout the summer. In Additionally, a growing industry of nautical enterprises is offering boat rentals, along with an increase in sports like jet skiing and paddleboarding.
Everything converges at the same location, which is used for the historic salt trade, with approximately 100 merchant ships docking at the Poniente Dock each year. A pilot provides assistance in this situation.
Anchored leisure boats are blocking the passage of other vessels to Marina Salinas, the Royal Nautical Club, and Marina Internacional. This situation also applies to the purse seine fishing fleet in Torrevieja, which departs at 11 p.m. and returns around 8 a.m. They also obstruct access to approved watersports areas, which have been officially authorised by the Valencian Regional Government in response to marina requests for specialities such as rowing.
The Guardia Civil is keeping track of the use of jet skis, both private and rental, at these locations. Some projects are unregulated, a fact that has been frequently documented in marinas with jet ski regulations. Jet skis are causing several problems by straying too close to the coast, especially this season, when the City Council has yet to mark the beaches owing to a service issue.
Author: Derek Appleton
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