Essaouira

About This Anchorage

Essaouira is Morocco's most extraordinary sailing destination — a UNESCO World Heritage 18th-century fortified medina where the battlements meet the Atlantic, built by French architect Théodore Cornut in 1765 for Sultan Mohammed III. The medina's blue-and-white fishing harbour, arcaded souks, and rampart cannons still pointing west make it unlike anywhere in North Africa. The city is also the world capital of the Alize wind: the Portuguese Trades blow NNE at 15–22kt almost every afternoon from May to October, driving the global kitesurfing scene that clusters on the beach south of town. Provisioning is excellent — fish market at the harbour gates sells the daily catch directly. The Gnawa music festival (June) fills the medina with extraordinary traditional music. The anchorage behind the island breakwater in 5–8m gets afternoon Alize and SW swell roll — bow anchored into the swell is most comfortable.

Hazards

• !Alize (NNE trade wind) 15–22kt every afternoon May–Oct — gusts to 28kt; set anchor firmly before midday
• !SW swell 1–2m typically wraps around island breakwater — continuous roll even in light wind
• !No fuel at Essaouira — plan Agadir (90nm S) or Safi (75nm N) for diesel
• !Ile de Mogador bird reserve — do not land; Eleonora's falcon nesting colony protected
• !Large fishing fleet operates dawn to dusk — time approach to harbour for daylight

Skipper's Tips

• →Anchor before midday — the Alize kicks in by 1300 LT and makes anchoring and dinghy work difficult
• →The Essaouira fish market at the harbour gate opens at 0800 — buy directly from fishermen for extraordinary freshness
• →Medina walk takes 2 hours minimum — Scala de la Ville ramparts at sunset is the highlight
• →Gnawa and World Music Festival (June) is extraordinary — the entire medina becomes an outdoor concert for 4 nights
• →Southbound departure: leave with the Alize at your back after 1000 for a fast broad reach to Agadir

Nearby Anchorages