Santander ISAF World Championships

 Santander 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships

If you are planning a trip to mainland
Europe<http://www.porttackcharter.com/locations/>,
Santander is hard to beat as a destination. The city in northern Spain has it all; great beaches, a lively city centre, and more culture and history than most people could soak up in a lifetime.

It is impossible to list everything that Cantabriaâs main city has to offer, but here is an essential guide to the highlights to help you make the most of your stay.

Sailing Venue

The 2014 ISAF Sailing World Championships will be held in bay of Santander, the multi class worlds usually take place every 4 years the year preceding the Olympic Games however this year is a year earlier than normal. The last multi class worlds in Perth, where sailors of all classes battled it out for selection for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

As usual Port Tack Charter will be supporting the  ISAF  world championships  with its fleet of RIBs ideally suited to coaching Olympic class sailing.

Things to See and Do

Sardinero Beaches and the gardens of Piquio

There are actually several beaches at El Sardinero, with two being separated by the 19th century Jardins de Piquio, offering a view of the Palace of Magdalena. The beaches are popular with locals and visitors alike, but there are also several others in the area, including Peligros, Magdalena, and the beach of Bikinis. A little further away, there is the Matalenas and Molinucos.

Transport

Bus and coach travel is extremely popular in Spain<http://www.eurolines.co.uk/destinations/spain>,
largely because almost every destination and city is covered by the network. There are buses available to Bilbao, Barcelona, Leon, Burgos, Madrid, Oviedo, Salamanca, and Palencia. There are also municipal buses running through the city every quarter of an hour. Numbers 1, 4, 7, 9, 13, and 14, leave from the Ayuntamiento, or city hall<http://portal.ayto-santander.es/portal/page/portal/inet_santander>,
to the beaches at el Sardinero, stopping at the Plaza de Tralia and Jardines de Piquio. The number 15 also travels to the same beaches but leaves from the RENFE train station. The train service is more limited, both in terms of schedules and the destinations served. From Santander, there are RENFE trains to Valladolid and Madrid and regional lines linking the city with Oviedo and Bilbao.

There are taxis available 24-hours-a-day <http://www.radiotaxisantander.es/> in the city, with telephone and online booking available. There are also ranks outside the bus and train stations, close to city hall, and on Vargas Street. The tourist office has maps listing all of the taxi stops in Santander. If you are planning to travel around the area, there are plenty of car hire options available <http://drivesantander.com/>. Hiring a bike or scooter is another possibility, but you should check that your travel insurance will cover you if something should go wrong<http://www.quotezone.co.uk/travel-insurance.htm>.
This applies to both the rider and any passengers, as some policies will not pay out if you have an accident whilst riding a moped or a scooter.
You will be entitled to free health care in Spain, if you have remembered to pack your European Health Insurance Card<http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx>,
but this will not help you with the costs if you have to be flown home, for example.

Eating out

Santander offers eating options to suit all taste but visitors should try at least a few of the local specialities whilst in the city. The Cantabrian cuisine reflects Santander’s position between the mountains and the sea, with both beef and seafood being specialities. Try a stew made of cabbage, beans and meat known as cocido montanes or feast on fried squid
(rabas) or whitebait (bocartes rebozados). The city is also known for its traditional desserts including cheesecake (Quesada), puff pastries (corbatas), and sponge cakes (sobaos pasiegos). The young and the young-at-heart should head to the Cafà Pub La Rana Verde http://www.laranaverde.es/, which is a popular venue for those looking to line their stomachs before a night on the town and is situated right in the famous Canadio bar district.

Nightlife

There are plenty of students in this university city and so there is a party atmosphere on every night of the week. Head to the Calle Rio de la Pila or the Plaza de Canadio areas and be ready to stay there until at least the early hours. Be warned, however, that nights out do not begin until late in Spain so there is not much point in heading anywhere until after 11pm, and clubs do not start getting busy until after around two or three o’clock in the morning. Popular haunts include Disco Amarrashttp://www.discoamarras.es/,
Sala Buenas Noches Santander, Rocambole, and Loft.

Keeping fit

If you have tried a little too much of the local cuisine, you may want to head to the gym“ and Santander has plenty to offer. Try the Gimnasio Metropolitan Aqua on C/Cisneros, Camilo Saanches Olazaabal on Calle Vargas, the Basic Centre at Plkaza Juan Carlos I in Calle Burgos, or Efinetic Studios at C/Los Ciruelos.

Marina

The citys Puerto Deportivo Marina de Santander http://www.marinasantander.com/pagina-no-encontrada.php offersquayside refreshments and good mooring facilities. There is a boatyard and gas and fuel available, drinking water and electricity on all pontoons, showers and a laundrette.