Dedicated in-house Yacht Crew Care Team
The team at Atollvic take great pride in providing the best possible care and support for visiting captains and crew and its in-house ‘Yacht Crew Care team’ work to ensure that the needs of visiting crew and captains are always exceeded. They provide visiting crew with a dedicated service – helping with all bookings and reservations that are required.
This can include everything from assisting crew with information regarding boat needs, legal requirements, health and medical, leisure, food and drink – offering recommendations of local hotels, restaurants and golf clubs – as well as transport and logistics.
Crew can also benefit from exclusive discounts which Atollvic has negotiated with such businesses. Captains can also take advantage of Atollvic’s support in relation to accounting, customs, and safe room storage.
Local attractions
Should crews find themselves staying in Vigo for prolonged periods, they’ll discover the area has much to offer. The historical quarter of Vigo is the first obvious draw. This includes the Cidade Vella, an area around the old maritime quarter of O Berbés near the port, as well as the O Pedra market, a hive of activity where you can buy and sample Galician oysters. There’s also the Monte do Castro mount, in the modern sector of the city, which offers stunning views over the Vigo estuary. Historical sites also include the ruins of the 10th-century O Penso Castle and the Galician Museum of the Sea.
Further afield, the coastline and countryside of Galicia offer a stark contrast to the more visited Mediterranean coastline of Spain. This part of the country is green and lush, characterized by meadows, woodland and valleys leading down to rias (fjords) and the sea.
This is an area where you’ll still be able to find deserted and unspoilt beaches. The coastline throughout Galicia is stunning but the crown probably belongs to the Cies Islands (named by The Guardian as one of the ‘Top 10 beaches in the world’). A 40-minute boat trip from pretty Baiona, Cies is an untouched and uninhabited national park which is only open to visitors in the summer. Known by locals as the ‘Caribbean beach’, the sand is white and the sea turquoise and crystal clear.
Activities
If crews are after something a little more energetic, the area is ideal for activities including surfing (care of Atlantic winds), diving and horse riding.
All this activity is bound to leave crew with a hearty appetite, and Galicia more than delivers on this front. In fact the region is now known as one of the gastronomic capitals of Spain, thanks in particular to its seafood, widely considered to be some of the finest in Europe. Crews can also sample empanades, olive oil pastry pies with a filling of sweet peppers and meat or tuna. Another speciality is pulpo a la gallega, octopus chunks sprinkled with coarse salt and pimento and drizzled with olive oil. The dish is generally served on a round wooden platter with cachelos (sliced boiled potatoes) and bread.
If culture is the order of the day, nearby Santiago de Compostela, the capital city of Galicia, is one of the most historic and beautiful in Spain. It’s most famous as the conclusion of the Camino de Santiago, or Way of St James, a pilgrimage route that has been walked for over 1,000 years. The cathedral allegedly houses the remains of St James, one of the Apostles, and still attracts hundreds of pilgrims every year who travel to the city via various routes across Europe.
Living in Vigo
Despite enjoying a distinctly Galician flavour, Vigo is a modern, outward-looking city and an excellent base for crew. There are a number of English-speaking schools as well as an English education centre, making it an attractive place to live for English-speaking crew and their families. In addition to the relaxed, Spanish way of life, visitors will enjoy a high standard of living and high-quality property of a comparatively low cost by European standards.
