Mar Menor / Escuela de Vela
The Mar Menor, a vast warm lagoon behind the La Manga sandbar near Cartagena in southeast Spain, is one of Europe's friendliest places to learn and progress on flat water. With no tide and no real waves, the lagoon stays calm and shallow a long way out, so it's flat in light wind and only lightly choppy once the breeze tops about 15 knots, making it a paradise for beginners and freestylers alike. The reliable engine is the SW thermal, the Lebeche, gentle and steady in the mornings before strengthening through the afternoons, with the dependable season running spring to early autumn and best around May to July. The sandy launch areas around the sailing schools give easy, open room to set up, and clusters of schools and rental operations mean the water can get busy in peak months. The shallow bottom helps keep boards from colliding, but keep an eye out for fishing nets and the occasional rocky patch.