Joaquín Sorolla visited Jávea for the first time in 1896. His surprise at its beauty and the difference of its coastline compared with that of Valencia are evident in a telegram he sent to his wife on his arrival and in a subsequent letter: "Sublime Jávea, immense, the best I know for painting ... I shall be here a few days. If you were here, two months." And: "This, Xábia, has all that I could wish for and more, and if you could see what I have in front of my cottage, you’d be lost for words to praise it; I fall silent from the emotion that still grips me; imagine, my house is on Monte Carlo itself; this is all a mad dream, just like living on the sea, aboard a great ship. You made such a mistake in not coming!! You'd be so happy... You'd enjoy yourself so much! [...] this is the place I've always dreamt about, Sea and Mountains, but what a sea!" He returned there to paint in 1898, 1900 and 1905.

This beautiful picture, Rocks at Jávea. The White Boat, comes from the last year of painting in Jávea. It was a summer he would remember fondly for the rest of his life, often referring to it in letters to his wife, for they were happy days full of great artistic achievement.