Last minute happy times are enjoyed in Culatra with friends Clare and Tony and John and Janine. We have had many happy evenings on board Orca Joss (NZ) and Hai Mei Gui, playing guitars and singing along...sort of!
We all take a fast water taxi one evening ...to Faro.
Its a real thrill speeding across the flat waters of Culatra, hitting a sand bank on the way .... not planned - but after coming to a sudden stop we are soon on our way again.
Its the Faro Food and Music Festival is on and we are having a night out... yeah!
Tuesday 12 August
Culatra to Cadiz
82.6 NM
We are sad to leave but not too badly so, as the smell of
the bare mudflats or whatever it is on the outgoing tide is nothing to be happy
about and has wafted into our for’ard berth for some time through the partially
open hatch, particularly smelly. This
place is a place of teaming life – fish, shellfish, birds everywhere (plenty of
food for them), some of them quite rare.
I guess the smell is the price you pay for ‘life’ or is it what comes
out of the pipe by the ferry wharf at Olhao?
We will never know and it will not worry us either.
Never mind, the current seems to help us along rather well
and so does the engine, until with 30 miles still to go the wind comes in and
the sailing is just lovely – on the beam around 12-15 knots all afternoon until
our arrival Cadiz 1900H, dropping anchor at 1945H.
There is nothing quite like coming back into a familiar
anchorage of a town you have loved, in gorgeous weather, the noise of the wind,
then the engine and then …. silence… just the lapping of the water against the
hull, a cold beer and the distant sounds of the bridge construction which has
made considerable progress since we were last here – ages ago…no wait – two
months ago.
Our watches are put forward one hour and oh no – it is
already 2130H and we have not had dinner.
Back to the galley Pippy.
Wed 13 August
Cadiz to Gibraltar
82 NM
We depart our peaceful anchorage under the bridge
construction at 0700H on a strong ebb tide.
Not far around the corner we find ourselves in a 20 knot NW breeze and
strong short swell as the wind pushes against the outgoing tide. Conditions are challenging for the first hour
as we clear the harbour under engine and reefed genoa. Pippy is busy on the helm slightly anxious
that we got going so quickly she did not check the hatches properly….just a
niggling worry but Richard has a quick glance down below and sees no problem
there. Matelot buries her nose a few
times and we have waves over the bow – a nice clean-up for the muddy anchor and
chain.
Unfortunately some time later we discover that our for’ard
hatch is closed, but on the first setting – slightly cracked open. Our bedding - including mattresses - is saturated
in salt water. We get the watermaker
going and do the washing on the way, mattress covers as well and its soon all
dry and clean in the sunshine. We also
have a nice shower ourselves in the cockpit after clearing Trafalgar Reef.
The sea state from now on is confused to say the least by
the pressure of massive current from the Straights. To use Cap’n Buck’s words from the log: There are some pretty fearsome stand-ups near
the Trafalgar and Tarifa shoals and at times we are doing over 8 knots over the
ground feeling like we are sailing down rapids.
Our intended destination today is Barbate, but we are going
so well we forge on into the Straights of Gibraltar around 1830H, carried
onwards by a strong current under us and light breezes until we round the corner
into Gib Harbour and suddenly we are sailing in 40 Knots under reefed genoa
making 10 knots easily towards Ocean Village and our berth in Marina Bay. Unlike last November when we visited here,
the Cruise ship hotel is well in place now and the marina area is very
interesting as we berth right beside it, a day ahead of schedule.
Soon we are in full work mode as the parcelled up Hydrovane arrives and so doesTed to install it, - now christened HydroKeith by Greg Cook. The boat is a hive of activity - and mess for the next few days.
Then after a bit of a struggle getting it off
Spanish Customs, our new dinghy (Matelittle) arrives from the UK and Richard
writes up his list of about 30 jobs to be done (by him) before we depart here.
Matelot gets a new galley tap, the lights up the mast are rewired with the help
of our lovely neighbours on both sides, Arthur and Jackie and Jo and Stefan –
assisted of course by Bowline the Dog.
The new arrival is pumped up and tried out - bewdy - and the old Lodestar goes off to the trash, not without a thank you from us both as she has done us great service, apart from nearly tipping Emily and Faye into the sea.
Pippy volunteers to make dinghy chaps to keep our new ‘motor transport’ in good nick while we cross the Atlantic and Pacific in the year or so ahead. She wishes she hadn’t, but is deeply into it now with the sewing machine smokin’ in the cockpit.
The template is made - 2 days work, the cutting out is done - another 2 days and now the sewing has begun.
Gibraltar is in full party mode and we are treated to the sounds of the Gibraltar Music Festival http://gibraltarmusicfestival.eu/ with an unbelievable lineup of artists, playing right beside the marina last night 6 Sept.
Pippy is working on Matelittle and hears a ‘big voice’ coming from the ship hotel, glances up and sees the whole lineup of ‘Script’ on the balcony mucking around exercising their vocal chords and laughing.
That is a bit of a thrill - not to mention the atmosphere here last night. Pretty special with an almost full moon appearing over the Rock.
Now we are expecting Amanda Wilson, our additional crew
member to arrive on board on Wednesday and sail on down to Rabat with us. That will be fun – and we hope for a weather
window soon! Not looking great for a few
days yet.
Okay family and friends. That’s all from Matelot for
now. Sending you all hugs and kisses.
xxxCap’n Buck and Pippy
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