Casablanca

About This Anchorage

Casablanca is Morocco's economic capital and largest city — a sprawling modern metropolis of 4 million people built around what was a small fishing village until the French developed it as the country's main commercial port in the 1900s. For sailors, Casablanca means the Club Nautique de Casablanca (CNC) — one of North Africa's most established yacht clubs, located in the old inner harbour with its French Protectorate architecture. The CNC has berths for visiting yachts, a clubhouse, and provides access to the city's extraordinary mix of Art Deco architecture (250+ buildings from the 1930s–1950s — the largest concentration outside Miami), the Hassan II Mosque (the third largest in the world, built on the sea), and the vibrant twin markets of the old medina. Provisioning and fuel are excellent.

Hazards

• !Massive commercial port — strict VHF communication required; follow port authority instructions
• !Swell can wrap around harbour entrance in SW conditions — CNC inner harbour sheltered
• !Tidal range 3m — adequate scope essential; check low-water depth under keel
• !Urban environment — dinghy security; lock outboard motor
• !Ferry traffic from Casablanca to Canary Islands — monitor shipping movements on AIS

Skipper's Tips

• →Contact CNC (Club Nautique de Casablanca) 48 hours ahead — they are welcoming to visiting yachts
• →Hassan II Mosque sea tour by boat is possible — extraordinary scale (210m minaret); enquire at CNC
• →Art Deco walking tour of central Casablanca is exceptional — 1930s French Protectorate architecture unlike anywhere in Africa
• →Marché Central (5 minutes by taxi) has the best fresh fish in Morocco — buy directly from the stalls at the harbour
• →Casablanca airport (CMN) is 30 minutes by train — useful crew change point for a transatlantic circuit

Nearby Anchorages