Cruising in the Canary Islands: season, routes and crew
A base for the Atlantic crossing and a place to wait for the right season. This page sets out what named sources say, and where to look for passages and crew.
Season
- Typical High season in the Canaries runs from about the end of October to March. The islands are a staging point for Atlantic rallies.Source: Noonsite (article or trade press), seen 1 October 2026. Check with Noonsite: Canary Islands, what to know before you go before you rely on it.
- Typical East to west crossings from the Canaries are usually made from late November to January, centred on December.Source: Privilege Marine (yacht delivery company) (commercial source), seen 1 October 2026.
Typical routes
- Typical Marinas often used as bases are Las Palmas on Gran Canaria, Rubicon on Lanzarote and Santa Cruz on Tenerife.Source: Noonsite (article or trade press), seen 1 October 2026. Check with Noonsite: Canary Islands, what to know before you go before you rely on it.
- Reported The ARC+ route runs from Las Palmas to Mindelo in Cape Verde, about 850 nautical miles.Source: Noonsite (article or trade press), seen 1 October 2026. Check with World Cruising Club: ARC+ 2026 event page before you rely on it.
Rallies
Each rally has a page with what we have checked, its organiser and the passages tagged for it.
Entry rules to check
- Reported The Canary Islands are part of Spain and of the Schengen area, so time spent there counts towards the 90 days. They lie outside the EU customs territory and VAT area.Source: Noonsite (article or trade press), seen 1 October 2026. Check with Noonsite: Canary Islands, what to know before you go before you rely on it.
- Visa-exempt non-EU nationals may stay in the Schengen area for at most 90 days in any rolling 180 days. Arrival and departure days count. A passport must also have been issued within the last ten years and be valid for three months after leaving.Source: European Commission (organiser or official source), seen 1 October 2026. Check with European Commission: Schengen area before you rely on it.
- Reported The EU Entry/Exit System began on 12 October 2025 and became fully operational on 10 April 2026. It replaces passport stamping with biometric registration (face and fingerprints) for non-EU short-stay visitors.Source: European Commission (organiser or official source), seen 1 October 2026. Check with European Commission: Entry/Exit System before you rely on it.
Check your own passport and your own days with the authority before you travel.
Organisers and authorities to check with:
Last checked 1 October 2026. The facts above come from the sources linked beside each one. We have not opened every source page ourselves; check with the organiser before you rely on it. Dates, fees, deadlines and entry rules change, and only the organiser or the authority can state them.
Open passages
No passage is open here right now. If you are a captain, you can be the first to post one.