Hazard spot
Strait of Gibraltar
Inflowing Atlantic water meets easterly or westerly wind and builds a steep cross sea within a mile. Against the current some motorboats barely make headway.
- Cause
- Strong current and cross seas
- Main season
- all year
- Position
- 35° 54,0' N 005° 36,0' W
On the map
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How the place works
A permanent surface inflow runs east through the narrows, with an outflow beneath it running west. When an easterly stands against the current, a steep cross sea builds within a short time that has little to do with the actual wind strength. Add the ferry traffic between Europe and Africa and the commercial shipping running east and west.
What breaks there
The passage is short, and that is exactly why it gets underestimated. What breaks here breaks from slamming: fittings, steering gear, the contents of the fridge, electronics. Collisions mostly happen while crossing the separation schemes under time pressure.
What this means for your policy
For many policies Gibraltar is the boundary between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, that is, between two cruising range steps. Passing through can mean leaving the insured area in the middle of the passage. Settle that beforehand, not afterwards.
Read this in fullCruising range
This spot lies in the cruising range the calculator lists under this step: + Mediterranean
Calculate a premium for this cruising range
