Enjoy affordable sailing on the Mar Menor with a boat share group

How to get involved and try out the sport of sailing without making a large financial outlay

Sailing is a sport that many in Murcia wish to try when they see the boats out on the waters of the Mar Menor, but sometimes the initial investment can put people off.

Thankfully, there is a solution that allows more people to try out this exciting sport.

The International Balaton Group in the Mar Menor is a sailing club that jointly owns, maintains and sails four 6-metre day sail boats. Such group ownership keeps the cost of sailing for the members very low, so you can try out this sport without having to purchase or rent a full boat.

It also provides members with a large group of friends with whom to sail, and the four boats belonging to the Balaton Group give unlimited sailing opportunities.

They have three Sailfish 18s which are kept on swinging moorings at Los Narejos and which are used for cruising and racing in the weekly races of the Sailing Association of the Mar Menor (SAMM).

The other boat they own is a Spanish Araez Arabel which is berthed in the marina at Los Urrutias.

The group has been successful in attracting a number of new members during the past year and membership now stands at 28, but more are always welcome.

It is a truly international group, with members and their partners hailing from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Columbia, Germany, Russia, Sweden and Ukraine. Most now call Spain their permanent home but a few are holiday home owners.

For information about the Balaton Group contact Julian via the Facebook page.

Image: Balaton Group

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