Ashore
Tonight, for your boat.
Where to anchor or moor tonight, what it really costs for your length and beam, and the local rules that apply. Every rule and price shows its source and the date we checked it.
Every stop is homework.
Cruisers piece each stop together from pilot books, forum threads, marina tariff PDFs and group chats. Then the surprises arrive: a catamaran surcharge, a protected seagrass bed, a permit nobody mentioned.
Rules change often and they're enforced. Prices depend on your length, your beam and the season. The knowledge exists, scattered across a hundred places, and it's rarely dated. The question sailors ask most is the simplest one: can we legally anchor here tonight?
Some Portuguese marinas charge catamarans 50% or 100% more than monohulls of the same length.
boats anchored on protected seagrass or in risk areas were moved on by patrol boats in the Balearic Islands in 2025.
Since April, anchoring on seagrass meadows has been banned along Spain's entire Mediterranean coast.
Local knowledge you can check.
Where to stay tonight.
Anchorages and marinas ranked for tonight's wind and swell, your draft and your arrival time, with the reasons a seasoned skipper would give you.
Everything about the stop.
Shelter tonight in one word and one line of why. Bottom, depth, landing and what's ashore. Local rules and permits in plain language, each with its official source and the date we checked it.
The true price, before you call.
Marina costs worked out for your length and beam, multihull rates included, next to the free alternative. Plus the paperwork for your crew and your boat, and what's on in town.
Answers you can act on before dark.
We studied more than ninety sailors' accounts, reviews and official notices about anchoring, marinas and paperwork in Spain and Portugal. Three lessons shaped Ashore.
Legal tonight, first
Seagrass bans, buoy fields, park permits and bathing zones change by place and by date. Every stop answers "can we stay here tonight?" before anything else, with the official source.
Getting a yes
Marinas that don't answer, berths that fill by phone, staff who speak only Spanish or Galician. Ashore gives you the right number, channel and hours, and drafts your request in the local language.
Fair to wide boats
Catamaran crews pay up to double and are sometimes turned away. Ashore knows which harbours take your beam, what they'll charge you, and the cheaper option a short dinghy or bus ride away.
Sized for your boat.
One boat profile, entered once. Every answer fits your length, beam, draft and plans.
| Covers | Anchorages, marinas, true costs, local rules and permits, dinghy landings, shops, laundry and transport, services, repairs, restaurants and events |
|---|---|
| Tailored to | Length, beam, draft and air draft, crew, pets and plans |
| Sources | Official rules, published marina tariffs and leading forecasts, each with the date we checked it |
| Paperwork | Crew days in the Schengen area and your boat's paperwork deadlines, counted for you |
| Offline | Your next few stops travel with you, signal or not |
| Where | Atlantic Spain and Portugal first, then the Western Mediterranean |
| Navigation | Not a navigation app: use official charts and notices to navigate |
A source and a date on every rule and fee.
Local knowledge is only useful if you can trust it. Ashore shows where each rule and price comes from and when we last checked it, and it reminds you to confirm with the harbour master before you rely on it.
How we think about safetyCoast by coast.
Prototype
A working planner, tested across 90 days and 40+ ports and anchorages, from Biscay to the Balearics.
Pilot season
Verified port guides from Galicia to Lisbon for our founding crews.
Launch
The Western Mediterranean and the islands.
More coasts
Northern Europe, the Caribbean and the US East Coast.
Good questions, straight answers.
What is Sailwatch Ashore?
Is it a navigation app?
Where does the information come from?
Does it handle catamarans?
Will it track my crew's Schengen days?
Can it book marinas?
Do I need the other apps?
Be one of the first boats to sail with Sailwatch.
We're inviting a small number of cruising boats to sail with our apps in summer 2027 and shape what we build.
Apply for early access