Spain and Portugal south coast

Spain and Portugal's south coast

5 May 2011

N 36 36.925 W 06 21.157

Puerto de Rota, Spain

Weather: Sunny, warm, 25C, very little wind Beaufort 0-1 SW-W

Total Distance: 76.7 NM

Total Time at Sea: 17 hrs

Sailed: 0 hrs Motored: 17 hrs

Gibraltar was a really lovely place to spend a few days. We took a very long hike up the Rock to the Moorish Tower, the Monkeys' den, the tunnel system and then walked on a tiny trail right up to the tippy top of the rock. It was totally sheer on the east side and the view was stupendous. Back down in the town we enjoyed the fact that everything is in English, fish and chips are the standard restaurant/pub fare and everything is tax-free. We spent a long time at the Gibraltar bookstore and managed to buy an Imray pilot book for only 5 GBP. They normally cost about 50 Euro so you can imagine our excitement when we saw the "special offer" sign on the book!

The weather turned beautifully sunny on Wednesday and we decided to leave right after our duty-free stuff arrived at 10.00. While we were waiting, I went on internet to check weather and email and saw a message on Facebook from our friends, Ann-Sofie and Jonas Svanberg that they had just arrived in Bay Marina, Gibraltar on their Amel 54, Lady Annila. I took a walk around the docks till I found them. Lovely to see them again and after a morning coffee chat we decided to spend another night in Gibraltar so we could get together in the evening and go out to dinner along with 2 Dutch couples that are friends of Ann-Sofie and Jonas. We went to the Casino because they had a 2 for 1 night. Had a really nice time and got lots of information about Atlantic Spain and Portugal. Ann-Sofie and Jonas are headed eastwards into the Med. We exchanged some Pilot books; the English Channel Pilot for us and our Turkish Pilot for them.

We poured over the tide charts and pilot books for Gibraltar straits passage ad nauseum all afternoon on Wednesday and then spent a lot of time talking with Ann-Sofie and Jonas, just so we would be sure and get the timing right as apparently the straits can be pretty hideous if currents, wind and tide are not aligned. We said good-bye to Ann-Sofie and Jonas and went back to the boat to get some sleep before waking early next morning. Gibraltar has been a lovely place to visit and we look forward to going back one day.

As it turned out, next day we were treated to a very benign passage and introduction to the Atlantic Ocean as we passed through the Gibraltar Straits with narry a ruffle. There was no wind and we left the dock at 05.10, at high tide. It was still pitch dark out with all kinds of lights everywhere, the city lights, refinery lights, boat lights; most anchored but a few were moving stealthily through the dark with their running lights on. We picked our way through them and out of the bay and into the straits. The current slowed us down a bit, at our slowest we were doing about 2.5 knots, but once we got spit out of the straits and into the Atlantic, our speed picked up to 5-6 knots. Guess that was compliments of the tide going out. It took a total of 4 hours from the marina in Gibraltar to Tarifa which is the southern-most tip of Spain and Europes's closest point to Africa. We looked over at Africa and marvelled that it could be so close to Spain.

The sea was very calm, not a ripple on the water so we had to motor the whole way. We spent the time navigating, standing watch, reading and sunning on the deck. While I was sunning on the deck I casually looked up to see how we were doing and saw white water about 500 meters ahead of us. I called back to Dan asking if we were on the right course as it looked like shallows up ahead. He slipped down to look at the computer charts and while he was doing that I saw the white water again, but this time there was something black and moving in it..... Hmmmm Dan came back up and said, we were on the right course and there were no shallows anywhere near us. I told him it looked like a fish of some sort. It was coming closer so Dan could see it now too. It would surface and cause a big splash which is the white water we were seeing "Must be a dolphin" he said. "Hmmmmm, It's too big to be a dolphin and it's black" I answered. I picked up the binoculars and waited for it to surface again and when it did I saw the telltale black and white markings. "It's an Orca!! and there comes another one!" I shouted. A-Mazing! I ran to get the camera while Dan threw off the autopilot and started steering away from it. He didn't like the idea of becoming a killer whale's play toy....

The Orca swam past us, no closer than about 50 meters so didn't get a good photo of him, but soon another one followed on port, then a baby, and then another great big one followed on starboard. So we felt rather surrounded and outnumbered. But they did not seem to be interested in us and just kept swimming towards Gibraltar. It was really incredible to see them. So big and so beautiful. Scary though too

Sometime in the afternoon a light wind came up, not enough to sail on but by rolling out the genoa and keeping the motor on we gained a knot or so. We had a long way to go and didn't want to get in after dark. Later in the afternoon a coast guard boat came roaring up and looking at us through binoculars. We looked at them questioningly, but they just stared for a couple seconds and then waved and wished us a good journey. They swerved away and dashed over to another sailboat that was behind us and stopped them. Apparently there is a lot of drug running on this coast. We were probably too small to bother about.

Despite all our best efforts we didn't manage to get in to Rota before dark. A current slowed us down for the last few hours so we had to rely on our electronic charts and GPS puck which places our position on the charts. It worked perfectly, we were able to make the harbor entrance spot-on in the dark and were tied up by 23.00. Rota is right near Cadiz. We had planned on stopping in Cadiz but Rota's harbor is much more straight forward to enter at night. There's a ferry that goes to Cadiz so will check that out tomorrow.

7 May 2011

Puerto de Rota, Spain

Weather: Showers, some sun, Wind Beaufort 4-5 WNW, Temperature during the day 24C

We spent yesterday in Cadiz, having taken the ferry at 10.00 from the marina here at Rota. Our original plan was to go to Seville by train but when we got to the train station we found that it was several hours to get there by train, which we found too long for just one day. The ferry ride took about 20 minutes and put us in the harbor near the center of town. It started out as a nice day, warm though hazy but deteriorated as the day progressed. We have talked about the sense of taking one of those tourist hop-on/hop-off buses ever since we started on this journey but never gotten around to doing it. So we did it this time. For 15 Euros each, the bus took us all over the city of Cadiz pointing out the main sights: The Playa Victoria, Shipping district, the New and Old Cathedral, old town and the harbor area. Cadiz has a long history; not only for being the place from which the Spanish Armada departed to engage Nelson's fleet at Trafalgar for one of the most significant naval battles ever fought. It was founded by the Phoenicians over 3000 years ago and has long been a major port with a good defensive position and for many years handled trade with the New World. Great wealth was amassed by its inhabitants and this can still be seen in the opulent houses

and palaces behind the Catalina fortress. A beautiful Botanical Garden runs along the eastern wall of the city and made for a very nice walk. Once finished with the bus ride, we walked into the center of the old town and rather quickly found the Market, a lovely stone pavilion with Greek columns, selling all kinds of fresh fish and fruits and vegetables. Meats, Serrano, bread and cheeses were sold from small shops along the outside. We bought fresh fish (Limpio filets) and some fruits and vegetables.

We walked through the Botanical Gardens and looked at the Catalina Fortress before catching a bus that took us back to the harbor and our ferry to Rota. By the time we got back to the marina, the skies had clouded over completely and the wind had come up to about Beaufort 5 from WNW.

This morning, it was raining and blowing from the NW which is, of course, the direction we need to go, so opted to stay at Rota for another day. Our neighbors, a Dutch couple, chatted with Dan topsides and gave us a tip about a festival happening in Rota this weekend. It's a very well-known and popular festival called Feria de Primavera. A Spring festival held every year all over Spain at this time. It dates way back to the cattle trading days when all the farmers would collect in the nearest big town to show off/buy/sell cattle and show off their horsemanship. Now in modern day, it still focuses on horses and music and dancing, as in Flamenco dancing. We waited until the weather cleared and then took a long walk along Rota's amazing stretch of beach which runs for miles to its west and then cut in to walk in a protected nature zone that was absolutely gorgeous. Flowers that we normally only see in Florist shops in Sweden, of all colors, Pine trees, rhododendron bushes with all colored flowers coming out and honeysuckle everywhere. When we came to the end we had to go out onto the streets which were well-maintained, orderly and very pretty with bike paths and ceramic flower pots hanging from wherever a hook could be placed. The festival was beyond anything we had imagined in our wildest dreams. There was Spanish music playing from everywhere, tents were erected and decorated and inside flamenco performances were going on. Outside along the main boulevard, horses and riders and horses with carriages and the most beautiful equipages you ever saw were moving languidly up and down the avenue. The riders wore the traditional Spanish outfits of wide brimmed hats and 3/4 length breeches, short bolero jackets and gorgeous saddles. Everywhere we saw women wearing the most beautiful Spanish dresses; very form-fitted up top, curving down over their hips and

then flaring out in multicolored flounces. Their hair was done up in huge buns with flowers and haircombs sticking out of the top. We were spellbound. We wandered along the main thoroughfare marveling at the women, riders and carriages and then heard live music so went inside and watched several flamenco dancers performing with live music. Food was served in all these tents and they were packed with spectators eating drinking and clapping their hands to the music. Dan disappeared and showed up 15 minutes later carrying 2 beers and a platter of serrano and little bread sticks. We found a table, sat down and enjoyed ourselves. After several hours of pleasure, we took a bus back to the marina, feeling very enriched and in awe of the Spanish culture. We realised how little we know about Spain and decided it's time to educate ourselves. I don't know if Rota is a typical tourist town but it is really lovely and definately a place to spend a vacation when looking to get away from cold Scandinavia.

Back on Roam we started looking at tide tables and charts to see where we will sail tomorrow. The barometer is up and the sun is back. The winds are forecast to be from the north tomorrow so should be good sailing for us. The tides are a bit of a challenge. One has to make sure that one leaves and arrives with the right tidal flow which seems complicated for us right now, but we guess we will get a handle on that eventually.

12 May 2011

Lagos, Portugal

Weather: Sunny, warm 25C in the morning (yayyy!) no wind

Finally, we are enjoying the kind of weather we imagined we would have for this whole trip but that has been so elusive over the last 2 months. Lagos Marina is really nice but you have to wait for a bridge to lift in order to proceed to the berths. The facilities are almost as nice as Marmaris Netsel Marina. We are very close to the town, just a footbridge away. There's a fresh fish market about 200 m away that opens at 7 oclock in the morning.... and a well-stocked supermarket about 400 m away. The marina has lots of stores and restaurants and there is 24-hour security. Prices aren't too bad either. For being a country in economic crisis, we find things much nicer and more orderly here than, Greece, for example.

The day we arrived, 9th, we walked around the town center which is truly adorable. Narrow stone-tiled streets lined by white stucco buildings some of which have facades of shiny colored tiles. Lots of shops and restaurants and of course, lots of tourists, almost all of which are English. Everyone speaks English here. It was so hot that we looked longingly at the beach and decided to go take a dip. The beach here is several kilometers long and all soft lovely yellow sand. The water was about 20C which we find very refreshing. We body-surfed on the oncoming waves and sat and sunned on the beach.

We have spent the last 2 days in the marina as there has been a lot of wind blowing right into the channel and with the swells coming in and the tide going out, it has been nearly impossible to leave the marina. We walked down to the channel entrance to see the waves crashing against the breakwall. There is no way that our engine would ever have gotten us out of here so we were happy to stay put, do odd jobs around the boat, go running and make forays to the local fish market. We have gotten very adventurous. One day we bought sardines (3 EUR /kg) and the fishwife told us how to prepare them (on recipe page). We did exactly as she instructed and they were delicious. Next we tried mini-mackerals which were also really good. Today we bought red mullet at 30 EUR a kilo (filet that is) which we will try tonight.

Carol and Gus on Indigo, our friends from Marmaris, wrote and told us that if we go to Lagos we should look up some friends of theirs who are here having work done on their boat, Alchemy. So the morning after we arrived I went to the harbor office and asked about Alchemy. They told me that they had left a month ago and were up on the hard in the boat yard. So Dan and I went over there and asked where they were and they looked in their computer and said that they had left a day or two ago and gone back to the marina. Hmmmm?

We went back to the marina and walked up and down the pontoons but didn't find them so I wrote to Carol and Gus Hancock and said, unfortunately, we hadn't been able to find them so figured they must have left. Carol then wrote an email to Alchemy who wrote to us and in this way we finally met Dick and Ginger on Alchemy. They are Americans from New York State and have been sailing on their 42 foot Valiant since 2003. We had them over for drinks and had such a nice time together that we talked them into staying on for dinner. They are going back in the water shortly and then will head up the coast of Portugal and Spain and then over to France's west coast and eventually to the Baltic. We will no doubt see them again which is great. We exchanged contact info so we can keep track of each other.

We have done a lot of thinking and planning about what to do about getting back to Sweden for the wedding, leaving the boat, etc. We looked at flight tickets and found that the best deals were from Lisbon to Copenhagen so yesterday we bought 2 tickets home in June. We have sent out several emails to marinas in the Lisbon area to get prices and availability for the 2 weeks that we will be away. Feels very nice to have made a decision now and since we're leaving the boat in Lisbon, we have plenty of time to experience the Portuguese coast before we have to berth the boat. Given the unstable weather it is nice not to have a long distance to go to get to Lisbon.

This morning we left Lagos at high tide, which was at about 11.00. The harbor office has to lift a footbridge that goes over the channel in order to let us out. We were with one other sailboat. A call on the VHF radio telling them that we are ready is all that is required. Within a couple minutes the bridge went up and we went through. Once out of the channel we headed out by motor towards a place called Portimeó which is just a few NM east of Lagos. There are anchorages there with clean water to swim in. The weather is still warm and mostly sunny. During the day it gets up to about 28C so you can imagine that we are looking forward to swimming. When we had gotten about half a mile from the channel, a Coast Guard RIB came up to us and asked us for our boat papers, passports and fire extinguisher and flares. Uh-oh, we thought. We knew that our flares were seriously outdated. But our extinguisher is new so that should not be a problem. They took a heck of time checking our papers and filling in some forms, then checked our flares and extinguisher very carefully. Once they were finished (20 minutes) they came along side and said that we have to have an expiry date on our extinguisher. We only have the purchase date and that doesn't count here in Portugal. So we told them we would contact the supplier in Sweden and ask for an expiry date. We also had to replace our flares right away or we would be fined. They expired in the last century. We said of course we would comply asap. They let us go and moved off and we continued towards Portimeó where there is a ships' chandlery. When we got there, we tied up and Dan went in and was told that one can't just buy flares in Portugal. You have to first go to the Capitania de Porto with your boat papers and passport and get a permit to have the flares. So we had to move off and go around to the other side of the channel, dock at the fuel dock, and wait till the Capitania came off siesta. (groan) At 14.00 Dan went in with his papers, had to stand in line and once it was his turn, had to pay 17 Euros just to get a piece of paper giving us permission to buy 2 flares and 1 parachute flare which is required by law. Then he got his running gear on and stuffed the papers and our ships' papers in a back pack and ran back around the bay to the ships chandlery to buy the flares. What a run-around! Thankfully, the flares only cost 38 Euros. A fine would have cost us 250 Euros for each infraction, so we figure we got off pretty lightly despite all the trouble of replacing the flares. We are now, 2 hours later, anchored in a lovely bay just inside the breakwall of Portimeó with a big long beach in front of us.