Tourist @ Gibraltar…

What do you do when you are in Gibraltar, it is a nice sunny November day and 22C? You go for a nice healthy walk on the cliff, of course. I went into town and took roads leading upwards, until I came across a footpath leding up onto the hill:

Soon the views started to appear:

The foot path ended on a small road that led to a battery from 1902:

I was now half way up to the top of the middle part of the rock. Climbing was a bit tough, so I took a more horisontal road to the nothern part. Along the road, there were houses with gardens full of flowers and birds.

Finally I arrived at a view point and the entrance to the caves of the “great seige”. I did not go in, but took some pictures.

You can see the spanyards building a new marina at La Linea. Planned to be ready by 2010. Boats are now anchored uoutside the port, rather than inside…

On the way down to town, I passed a moric castle:

Later in the afternoon I went for another walk, to Queensway marina.

I am glad I am not moored here. Nice, but no action…

I later found a botanic garden, but it was too late to go in.

In Gibraltar at last!

I went across to Gibraltar to fill up with tax free diesel and when asking the marina if they had available spaces, they said yes! I am moored to a pontoon that moves and makes me seasick, so there are certainly more protected places…. anyway, the wind is decreasing the next few days, so it should be OK.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.1477,-5.35423&ll=36.1477,-5.35423&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

(The top of the rock can be seen just to the right of the big building to the left)

The plan is now to stay here a few days and head west on Thursday, when the forcast says the wind will change to weak northerly. Friday and Saturday promises strong SW, so I need to stay and wait for better winds before heading out to Madeira.

Continuing down to Gibraltar

The family week in Jose Banus went well (we went to Gibraltar, Granada/Alhambra and some other places) and now I am alone again. Jose Banus was not a cheap harbour, so I wanted to leave as soon as possible.

As I was preparing the boat, the wind started to pick up – from SW, just the direction I wanted to go. When I came out of the harbour, I experienced the waves that a 10-12 m/s wind can kick up in no time in the med… The wind against the tide current did not help either… Anyway, it was rough going and I aimed for the nearest harbour, Estepona:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.41471,-5.15793&ll=36.41471,-5.15793&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Estepona is a nice little town (1 km or so from the harbour), but I wanted to continue, so I stayed 1 night only and went on. The wind was the same, but now I was prepared and kept close to the coast. This time I aimed for Sotogrande:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.2896,-5.27142&ll=36.2896,-5.27142&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Sotogrande is one of these ports that have a set of apartment buildings surrounding the harbour, so that that inhabitants can have their boat parked right outside the front door. It was very elegant, but unfortunately very deserted and there is basically nothing else in the vicinity. Like in america, it is assumed that you have a car and can go to the nearest town for shopping, etc… No Internet cafees…

The wind was still strong, now going to the west, and I was a bit concerned about how the Gibraltar strait mights look, with the wind/waves coming in from the Atlantic. I waited 3 days to see if the wind (Poniente is the local name for this wind..) would decrease.

OnFriday, Nov 6, the wind was more from NW, so I went for Gibraltar. I had a good reach down to the cliff doing 6+ knots and when I came around Europa point, I met the waves against the current, which created a jumpy ride…. However, soon I was past the point and the waves went to more “normal”.

The marinas in Gibraltar were full (people had reserved spaces…), so I decided to go to Algericas instead, across the bay. On the way over, the first dolphin came and swam alongside the boat for a while. I had been waiting for this! It was small, but I think I saw a shadow of a bigger dolphin too, so maybe it was a mother and child, practising…

Anyway, at the moment I am here:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.11838,-5.43926&ll=36.11838,-5.43926&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Looking at the forecast, the W wind will continue for some days….

The rock from the west…

…and Ceuta/Africa to the SE. From the windward side the sea always looks calm…

Jose Banus marina – a Monaco in miniature?

I am now in the Jose Banus marina:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.48771,-4.95121&ll=36.48771,-4.95121&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

http://www.puertojosebanus.es/inicial.htm

The luxuruy here is overwhelming…. big yachts (50m+), Rolls royces and Ferraris parked here and there. Luis Voitton shops…

Anyway, this is where I will be for the next two weeks. When the familiy comes, we will try to see some of the inner parts of Spain and the surroundings.

Malaga – preparing to recive the familiy visit…

Another night sail took me to Malaga. I did not go to Malaga port itself, but to Benlmadena, a big yacht port close to Torremolinos, a little south west of Malaga. I got a perfetcly sheltered place as far into the harbour as possible.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.59698,-4.51422&ll=36.59698,-4.51422&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

The problem is that I am only allowed to stay 2 nights, not the 2 weeks I had planned to be able to receive the family that flies into Malaga for a visit… I now have to find another harbour where I can stay longer….

On the night sail, this time I could sail almost all the way. We had plenty of wind – 10-12 m/s from the east. I did not trust the wind vane to steer flat downwind, so I set a course of some 260 degrees, a reach that worked well. The swell was about 1,5 to 2 meters so that conditions were similar to those that can be expected on the atlantic, with the trades. The course took me far out from the shore during the night. This was not an issue, since the coast is high and there were lights all the way. Later I did get into the shipping lane, so there were a number of ships to keep track off. At first light, I jibed and set course for Malaga. Coming closer to the coast, the Guardia Civil took an interest and came out to pay me a visit. For them it looked like I came from Africa….. However, they just asked some questions and I was allowed to go on. The last bit was a bit jumpy, since the wind diminished,but the swell remained – much to the joy of the surfers on the beach of  Benalmadena.

Costa del Sol…

I did another night sail to reach Costa del Sol. As on the last trip, I set out in a perfect summer day and sailed south. The wind died as usual, when the sun set and I used the engine during the night. The moon came up later this time, and the milky way was visible overhead…

I rounded cabo de gata and met a fleet of trawlers here too! I guess they are always out around 6 am close to the capes to get some fish…. This time there was no fog, but they are difficult with their blinding work lights and weak navigation lights. 

Almeria is a big city and the harbour is not recommended in the pilot, so I went to Aguadulce instead, a few miles south of Almeria. This is a sleepy hollyday resort, vitrually empty now when the season has ended.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.81502,-2.55896&ll=36.81502,-2.55896&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

To Cartagena

The sail from Alicante was good. I started after lunch in a perfect summer day with a weak breeze, more drifting than sailing south.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.105,-0.52511&ll=38.105,-0.52511&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

When the sun set, the wind died, and I started the engine. There were some ships, but I had the radar on and could get a lot of sleep. As we came closer to the cape, there was more traffic and I had to stay up.

After rounding there was some wind, and I set sail again and adjuster the wind vane. Then  I noticed that all the lights had gone, and it was strangely dark… Fog!

Then the radar started to beep. 7-8 trawlers were coming straight at me. Luckily, the fog lifted after an hour, so it was not too bad. I had to slow down and wait for the sun to come up before entering Cartagena harbour. There was some fog in the harbour, but vilibility was a few hundred meters.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37.53918,-0.89627&ll=37.53918,-0.89627&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Cartagena is a navy port and several destroyers and a submarine went out for practice runs almost every day. I had cought a cold and stayed 4 days to cure it. The marina was built using pontons, and the boats rolled with the surge from the commercial boats in the harbour.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37.59633,-0.98489&ll=37.59633,-0.98489&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

Moving south…

After 3 weeks on Majorca (I got some things fixed on the boat, but mostly I waited out thunderstorms and rain – thunderstorms in this area can produce lots of rain and wind…)

it was now time to move on.

I was lying in the harbour most of the time:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=39.90336,3.08473&ll=39.90336,3.08473&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

On the sail out from Pollensa I met swells 1,5m from the north and a wind from NE, so it should be a good sail to SW, I thought.  However, having rounded cape Fermentor, the swells stayed from N, but the wind was changing to SW! The wind was weak, but the resulting sea was like being in a washing machine… The best course I could do was due west.

I tried to stop and heave to for a few hours in the night, but the wind was so weak that the sails flapped and crashed violently. When I took the sails down, the boat rolled violently instead! Around 4am, the wind came back and I could set sail and get the vind vane to steer so I could get some sleep. Later in the morning, the wind died down, but also the waves, so I could motor and use the auto pilot. I spent most of the day asleep. By evening I was off Ibiza:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=39.31878,1.48444&ll=39.31878,1.48444&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

The second night I was feeling better, but slept much and used the radar to find the ships that came close. Next morning I was off cape de Nao:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.73043,0.33918&ll=38.73043,0.33918&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

There was no wind until lunch time and I spent all day following the coast down to Alicante, where I am now. It was a perfect summer day with 27 degrees late into the evening.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.34088,-0.48157&ll=38.34088,-0.48157&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

I have a calm spot in the middle of the marina (right in front of the city). I plan to stay 2 nights and then sail on south.

Ahhh – Majorca at last!

After a few days in Port Napoleon, France, I felt I had the boat in a condition, good enough to try some sailing. The weather prediction was for winds from the east, so I decided to go directly to Majorca. This would take 2 days, if the winds were good (and the engine would help me if they were not). I filled up with diesel in Port st Louise and left after lunch.

Getting to the sea means a long detour around some sand banks and it took two hours before I was off the mouth of the Rhone and could head for the destination. The winds were indeed weak, so I used the engine. The sea had some rollers and waves from SE, while the wind was from S., so I got a bumpy ride…

The first night, I had almost always at least one ships lights in sight. I took 20 minute naps and popped up to see where the ships were. I configured the autopilot and got it to successfully steer when motoring. Later I tried the radar and successfully set up a guardian zone. This made the watch easier. I did send a SPOT message after the first night, but this did not appear to have worked… Anyway, I was some 100 miles from France and 25 miles off the Spanish coast.

Nice sunrise…

During the second day, the wind was weak, but from NE, so I did a number of hours sailing. The wind vane steered the boat. Late afternoon, the wind died away, and I started the engine again. This night, I tried to sleep as much as possible, just popping up to check every half hour. Twice, the radar found real ships in my guardian zone (lots of false echoes too…). I sat up to make sure the two ships would not come to close to me (1/2 hour each time).

The second morning found me some 30 miles off Majorca:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=40.3463,3.331&ll=40.3463,3.331&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

I could see the mountains in the distance, but it took me another 6 hours to get close.

Cape de Fermentor

I sailed into Port de Pollensa and went to the tank station to fill up diesel. 70 liters used in 2 days…. There are free bouys further out and free anchoring close to the port, so I tried the latter. Anchored in 3m of clear water, outside a warm beach is like an instance of the paradise! I will stay here for a few days, to relax and fix some things.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=39.9067,3.0912&ll=39.9067,3.0912&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

(check out the fish!)

On site in Port Napoleon

I flew to Nice and took the train to Marseilles and on to Arles, where I had a taxi waiting to take me to Port Napoleon. The port have apartments, so I did have a place to sleep.

The next morning that truck had arrived and we pushed to get in line to get offloaded. 2 hours later we were…

I found an available space and started to mount the radar and other things.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=43.3757,4.8312&ll=43.3757,4.8312&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

The next day (Friday) I was scheduled to get the mast up. Somewhat delayed, it is now up. Now I lie and prepare to put on the sails. (and yes, I did wash clothes as well..)

Most of the boats in the harbour are big, my boat is one of the smallest!