29 January 2013
After
some pretty miserable weather last week here in Gibraltar the last couple of
days have been magnificent again. While still tied to the dock, we made the most of the sunshine and very
light winds yesterday getting our main up and genoa unfurled to make sure they dried out after the rain. We also took the
opportunity to mark our halyard and reefing lines to make it easier to set our
first and second reefs in future. Throw in a half a dozen other boat jobs and
it turned out a very productive day. Marc was particularly impressed as the AIS
system he ordered from a New Zealand company, Watchmate, turned up right on
time after its very express trip from downunder.
It's a long way to the top if you want to rock The Rock |
Using
the Universal Automatic Identification System (AIS) the AISWatchMate 850
Transponder will transmit our AIS data and display data from all AIS equipped
vessels in our vicinity. Audible warning alarms are sounded if a potentially
dangerous situation exists. The alarm sounds whenever a ship is detected that
will come dangerously close even though the ship may still be many miles away. We
will be alerted immediately with the closest point of approach (CPA) and the
time until CPA. It means not only will we have accurate information about how
close a big ship headed our way may get we’ll also show up on their AIS system so
they’ll be aware of our presence. It’s going to make things a lot simpler in
busy traffic areas, particularly at night. Now all we have to do is get it
fitted. That should be fun.
Today
Karen and Rob decided some exercise was in order and set out to climb to the
top of the Rock of Gibraltar via a trail known as the Mediterranean Stairs that
runs around the southern side and then up the east face of the rock. Rob had
done the climb a couple of weeks ago and after seeing his photos Karen wanted
to give it a go too.
We
left Marc giving his Kindle another vigorous workout on the lounge in the salon
and made our way about three kilometres up the hill to the start of the trail
at Jew’s Gate. The whole top of the rock is nature reserve and we had to buy a
fifty pence walking permit to tackle the climb. If you work it our as a per
hour cost for the four hours or so we spent up there it is certainly extremely cheap
entertainment.
The
trail ranges from rough track in places to very steep stairs cut into the side
of the rock. You make your way through moderately dense foliage in a couple of
spots but mostly have clear, uninterrupted views looking across the Straits of
Gibraltar to Morocco. It’s pretty cool to stand in Europe looking at Africa. As
the trail reaches the Eastern side of the rock, the Mediterranean Sea and
Spanish Coast come into view. Today we could see all the way to the snow capped
mountains of the Sierra Nevada Ranges near Grenada.
While
the path is fairly rough, the greatest danger is in fact the magnificent views.
It takes discipline to keep your eyes focused on where you are putting your
feet and not the incredible scenes that unfold at every turn. There’s even a
couple of caves along the way to explore. The sea was so calm today we could
see a distinct current line where the constant stream of water pouring into the
Med from the Atlantic Ocean met the counter current that runs westwards along
the Spanish Coast. Ships anchored on one side of the line hung off their chains
facing the Straits while a couple of hundred metres away others faced exactly
the other way towards the east. We will definitely be trying to make sure we
stay on the advantageous side and use the current when we head back into the
Med next month.
Ships anchored this side of the current line faced east while on the other they all faced west pointed into the water pouring in from the Atlantic |
It's a long, long way up. |
Awesome views unfolded at every turn |
There's even a couple of caves to explore along the way |
The
climb to the top is certainly a challenge. The temperature topped 23C today
which is the warmest it’s been since we arrived back in October and we were
very glad we took plenty of water with us. Our Aussie friends will be thinking
we’ve gone soft struggling in 23 degrees but when the average temperature range
has been Mins of 10C to Maxes of 17C or so, the extra few degrees were felt. It
would certainly be an arduous trek in the height of summer here. We were both a
little puffed when we crested the top of the trail. Our high fives were well
deserved but our jaunt was far from over.
We
parted with an extra Three Pound Fifty each and paid to wander through the
installations at O’Hara’s Battery. These massive gun emplacements were the Brit’s
sentinels guarding the Straits of Gibraltar and were capable of pitching a massive
explosive shell virtually all the way to Africa. The Battery is also located on
the very highest point of the Rock. Of course Rob climbed the ladder onto the
top of the turrets to make sure he got some photos from absolute highest
vantage point possible. We’re not sure whether your actually permitted to do
that but he does subscribe to the old theory, “Sometimes it’s better to ask for forgiveness rather than permission.”
The views from atop O'Hara's Battery were breathtaking |
The big guns could virtually reach all the way to Africa |
The Bay of Gibraltar from the very top of the rock |
We took our trusty Spot Tracker GPS with
us so if you’d like a look at the location of Gib’s highest spot, click the
link, http://www.findmespot.com/mylocation/?id=A_U20/36.12392N/5.34290W
Go to the satellite view for the best result.
From
O’Hara’s Battery we made our way north along the ridgeline of the rock
exploring other gun emplacements and sentry towers dating back centuries. Along
the way we took a break to devour a couple of healthy nut bars for sustenance.
The sound of plastic wrapper crinkling was all that was needed to attract one
of the locals so we shared our lunch with a very well behaved Barbary Ape. She
arrived out of the bushes, waited for food to be offered to her and then sat on
the wall posing for the obligatory photographs afterwoods. A very cool ambassador
for Gibraltan tourism.
Sentry Box on the ridge line in Gibraltar |
Excellent hearing and impeccable manners - what more could you ask for in an ape? |
By
the time we stepped back onto Alcheringa
in Queensway Quay Marina, Marc had defeated the battery of his kindle and moved
onto the I-Pad. We very quickly headed for hot showers to sooth our complaining
muscles.
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