With its favourable climate and sparkling cobalt waters, the Costa Blanca has a great deal to offer the boating enthusiast. Whether you’re a complete novice looking to learn the skills required or a salty old seadog yearning to relax and explore the peaceful waters of the Mediterranean, Spain’s famed ‘White Coast’ has endless possibilities for both motor-boating and sailing.

With its favourable climate and sparkling cobalt waters, the Costa Blanca has a great deal to offer the boating enthusiast. Whether you’re a complete novice looking to learn the skills required or a salty old seadog yearning to relax and explore the peaceful waters of the Mediterranean, Spain’s famed ‘White Coast’ has endless possibilities for both motor-boating and sailing.

At the Northern end of the Costa Blanca, Javea provides an excellent base to enjoy and explore the unique boating experiences of the area. Its active fishing port, near Cape San Antonio, has moorings for 352 craft and offers exceptional facilities for seafarers, and the Club Nautico de Javea provides rooms for hire and a sailing school. The port itself has been in operation since the 15th century and was a significant player in the region’s raisin trade until the 19th century. The nearby port of Denia has the capacity for 400 moorings.

If you don’t own your own boat, a number of charter companies in the area offer a wide range of boats for hire. Vessels are available for hire at Javea port, and Aventura Valencia, based in Denia, provide Yacht charters to enthusiasts of all levels and offer both skippered and unskippered boats for as little as £325 a week. Windward Islands offer a selection of mono-hull boats and motor-yachts and catamarans, and there are many other companies offering charters at fair prices. If your budget stretches a little further you can even hire luxury models, complete with crew, enabling you to just lay back and relax as the refreshing sea air washes over you.

Whether you’re looking for a relaxed family cruise along pristine coasts or an adventurous sojourn further afield, chartering a boat is an easy and comfortable option, and a lot cheaper than you might think.

The Northern coast of the Costa Blanca presents a diverse array of boating opportunities. Sail along the coast and you will discover the magnificent capes of San Antonio and San Martin. Numerous coves in the area are accessible only by boat and promise idyllic tree-lined golden beaches secluded from the busier tourist areas, such as the postcard-like Granadella cove. Many hidden caves along the coast also wait to be explored by the adventurous nautical soul.

Once you’re done exploring the coast, why not sail on to the outlying islands. The tiny island of Portichol is a short distance from the mainland and further offshore you will find the ever-popular Balearic Islands, including Ibiza (just under 50 nautical miles from Javea), Mallorca and Menorca.

The area is also a draw for those keen on open-sea scuba diving and there are numerous underground caves and shipwrecks for experienced divers to delve into. There is a nature reserve just off San Antonio Cape, where octopuses, moray eels and other marine life are in abundance. Diving lessons and courses are available for the uninitiated, where you can gain the necessary certificates to become a qualified diver.

If you’re just trying on your sea legs and need to learn the tricks and nuances of the boating game, you can visit one of Javea’s sailing schools. Club Nautico de Javea has a school for light sailing vessels that operates throughout the summer months and on weekends. The calm waters, favourable winds and predictable climate make the northern stretch of the Costa Blanca an ideal place for beginners.

The Costa Blanca has a thriving boating culture and there are many clubs and associations where boaters can socialise, swap tales and network. The Costa Blanca yachting association, based in Teulada, welcomes boaters of any calibre and organises regular sailing events in the summer, as well as weekly meetings.

Sailing for pleasure may be popular, but the area has its competitive side too. Each year, participants take part in a gruelling three hundred mile open-sea yacht race, starting in Moraira and heading to the Balearic Islands before returning to the mainland. In 2007 the America’s cup was held in Valencia, and the competition in which teams from around the world challenge each other to be the best looks set to return there in 2009.

Javea and its surrounding areas on the Northern Costa Blanca are perfect for boating holidays of any type, and offer a great many options for all aspects of the nautical life. If you long to escape the hectic daily grind of modern life, if only for a little while, a voyage on the high seas along the warm and beautiful Mediterranean coast could be just what the doctor ordered.