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 Las Claras Community Centre, Urbanizaciones Oasis, Los Narejos, just north of Los Alcazares on the 2nd 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 then the next right (just after a speed bump) into Calle Irene, continue a short way until you see a grass and tree area to the left with a small road leading to the car park at the back of the Community Centre. Park, go round to the front of the building, enter and the cafeteria is to your left and the Ann Wolf Salon (meeting room) is to your right.
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. In 2009 we established a Sailability 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 and Fundación También, their Spanish equivalent, on this venture.
Motor boats are also represented within the membership. Motor Boat enthusiasts can become involved with our Club Safety Boat, a RIB with 45 HP outboard and provided you have a Spanish Titula qualification you can help with providing safety on our race days in Spring and Autumn.
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 John Down our Membership Secretary on johndown@live.com .
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 very few Clubs or Club Waters, fewer areas for dinghy storage (a project SAMM is currently working on), and if you do find a place to launch your boat, it may be illegal to use a beach or slipway without correct authorization. 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 six years the association has over 130 members, and contains a number of sub-groups within its structure.
One group sails, build and race remote controlled yachts up to two metres.
The Shoestring Group owns four dinghies in a blue and white livery based at C.A.R. Los Narejos.
The Balaton Group sail a Balaton day-sailer (7 metre long).
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 6 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 Las Claras Community Centre, Urbanizaciones Oasis, Los, Narejos, on the north side of Los Alcazares, which is just before Murcia San Javier airport, everybody is welcome. 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.
Finally, we try and encourage members not in any of our Groups to come and try our boats on the last Friday of each month known as SAMM day. This is an opportunity for you to sail in any of our boats. Meet in C.A.R. Los Narejos, Mar Menor at about 11.00am and come and join in the fun.
Terry Chapman (SAMM Race Group)
Note from our Secretary: If you are thinking of joining SAMM and cannot make the monthly meetings at Las Claras, then do come along on the last Friday in the month to CAR, and chat to us on the ‘SAMM Day’ – you might even get a sail!