Kicking back in Torreveija and on to Alicante

April 11 - 18, 2013

 Torreveija is a bit of an enigma for us. It is without question the very best anchorage on this whole section of the Spanish coast. The marinas are quite good but not needed at all if you’re prepared to anchor off the beach inside the protection of the harbour as we did. From that point of view Torrie is great. However the aging apartment blocks lining the beach are about as ugly as it gets. The area has a huge British expat population which many businesses obviously cater for making authentic Spanish cuisine the exception rather than the rule.

 Despite the town’s aesthetic and cultural challenges, we seem to have a good time whenever we come here. Treading water until Marc was to fly home to the UK for ten days, we had a six night stay this time and really enjoyed ourselves. We set up the Nautic Café/Bar right on the marina waterfront near our anchorage as our local and base due to our previous experience of their friendly service and excellent WiFi. The food was excellent as always and even if we sat for hours on a single coffee with our devices out using their internet, the staff were always happy. They even reserved a table for us to have breakfast in front of the TV watching the Chinese F1 Grand Prix and we also scored an impressive, free Flamenco show one lunchtime.

 

 While in Torrie our house auction at home came and went without a result so we were starting to despair ever selling the place. Our finances were in such a perilous state that we were seriously looking down the barrel of having to pack it all in for a while and return to Australia and the workforce.  Good or bad, we received a low but very solid offer following the auction. The savy couple were looking for a good investment and, providing everything goes through, are buying our rental property for a steal, well more than $100k under our most recent valuation. It was that or we give up and we’re not planning on being quitters anytime soon.



Lurking there in the grey are huge fish farms we needed to dodge.

 On Thursday morning, April 18, we upped anchor and motored through a grey, fog filled morning across glassy seas to the marina at Allicante. It’s from here that Marc was flying back to the UK to fulfil a very important role as the Godfather of his close friends’ son. We reached Allicante in the early afternoon and filled up with diesel at the fuel dock before getting secured for the night. The boat was shouted a thorough, fresh water wash down and then so was her crew as we made the most of the nice hot showers available.



Marc and Karen enjoying sundowners in Alicante Marina with the castle in the background

Then it was sundowners time with a nice wine in the cockpit and Alicante’s amazing castle as a backdrop. We followed that with a lash out dinner at one of the marina front restaurants to celebrate Rob’s upcoming birthday while we could do it together before Marc left and backed up with after dinner drinks at the Coyote bar.

We will be spending the next 12 days while Marc’s away moving along up the Spanish coast with the plan being that we’ll be in Barcelona by the end of the month when he flies back to rejoin us before we head to Menorca and on to Corsica.  Life is good on Alcheringa.

 



Torreveija to Alicanti 26.7 Nautical Miles (All under engine - Bugger)
Average Speed 5.8 Knots Max 7.4 Knots

 

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Sailing the inland sea of Mar Menor, Spain

 

April 10, 2013

The two nights we spent in beautiful Cartagena were just as enjoyable as our first and second visits to the delightful port last year but we were still keen to be moving on. Our next destination was the inland sea of Mar Menor, just 24 miles north-east around Cabo de Palos. We’d tried to sail this unique body of water on our way to Gibraltar in October but when we lined up for the transit through the canal into the sea we were radioed by the operator of the lifting bridge with, ‘English sailboat, bridge broken. Don’t know open today, maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow.’ As a result we backtracked and headed on, disappointed that we hadn’t been able to enter.

We were hopeful the Spanish had managed to fix their bridge by now and we would be able to go inside and explore the 12 miles long and 6 miles wide, (about 20 by 10 kilometres) inland sea. We left Cartagena around 9.00am and motored along the coast in just three knots of breeze. About an hour after rounding Cabo de Palos the afternoon wind sprang up over our stern. We didn’t bother the sails though as we were arriving off the entrance to the canal in Mar Menor at Purto de Tomas Mastrae.

It was 1.40pm. We planned to anchor and wait until the scheduled opening time of 5.00pm, however, we radioed the port to make sure the bridge was operational before we wasted our time again. We were pleasantly surprised to hear the bridge was not only working but would be opening at 2.00pm, leaving us just a short wait circling offshore outside the entrance.



Entering Mar Menor, Spain's inland sea.

The canal is one and a half nautical miles long (2.8 kilometres) with a very narrow, extremely shallow channel. We elected to play it safe and let a ketch, which we were confident had a deeper keel than ours, enter first and play trailblazer while we followed. As the clock ticked down towards 2.00pm we proceeded through the channel very slowly with an eye glued to the depth readings on the echo sounder. We thought we had our timing just right as we made the turn a few hundred metres short of the bridge right on 2.00pm.

Nope! This is Spain and all things happen in slow motion if at all. ‘Manyana’ they call it. We, and the ketch in front, were now committed in the narrowest part of the channel, trying to hold station in 15 to 20 knots of cross wind and hoping the bridge operator would finish his coffee and raise the bridge before we were both blown onto the mud. We had all of 90 centimetres of water showing under our keel in the middle of the channel and could clearly see how quickly it shallowed towards the rock walls lining the edge of the canal.

Thankfully we finally saw the barriers drop to stop the traffic over the bridge and a couple of nerve wracking minutes later we could discern the bridge ever so slowly beginning to open. We stuck in the middle of the ketch’s wake like glue as it eased down through between the raised sides of the bridge.

After passing by through we heard a British yacht on the radio call up the marina seeking urgent assistance. They’d anchored outside the entrance to wait for the opening but when the afternoon wind sprang up they’d swung and dragged and were now aground on the beach with a rising wind and swell blowing them further in. The marina simply advised them to call a private contractor and offered no further help. We couldn’t get back out as the bridge was closing behind us and were not sure what help we could have provided in their circumstances anyway. We could only hope they could get off without damage on the high tide a couple of hours later.

We all breathed sighs of relief when we cleared the channel and exchanged friendly waves with the crew of the ketch before unfurling the genoa, turning the engine off and sailing into the wide expanse of Mar Menor itself.

Once away from the shoreline the entire inland sea has a depth of only five to six metres and with virtually flat water despite the 15 to 20 knots of wind it was very pleasant sailing. The boat was getting along very comfortably with just the headsail so we didn’t even bother raising the mainsail.  With its universally shallow water you can virtually drop anchor anywhere but we chose to put in a couple of long tacks to spend the night off Isla de Mayor in the southern part of the sea. It was a very strange feeling cruising along totally surrounded by land. We could imagine this would be a fun place for windsurfers and dingy sailors. Good wind and small waves, what a perfect scenario.



Our peaceful anchorage of Isla de Mayor in Mar Menor

We arrived in plenty of time to enjoy a chill out afternoon with a couple of after passage beers.  Overhead we were entertained by seven jet fighters from the naval airbase on the northern shore practicing formation flying overhead. We followed that with a great meal of Karen’s lamb shanks in the cockpit bathed in the light of an awesome sunset.

The free airshow we enjoyed in Mar Menor

 



Cartagena to Isla de Mayor, Mar Menor 32.4 Nautical Miles - 6 Hours 58 Minutes - Average speed 4.7 knots - 6.3 knots

 

We sat at anchor the following day simply relaxing on the boat, devouring books and enjoying our surroundings. What’s the rush?  Life is good on Alcheringa.

Unfortunately the contract for the sale of our rental property back in Australia had fallen through so the house was now going to auction on Saturday morning (3.00AM Spanish time) so we had to get to somewhere with good phone service so we could direct our agent at the auction. The solution would be a short cruise up the coast to anchor inside the big breakwaters at Torreveija for a few days. There are three marinas available but there’s plenty of room inside the harbour. We wouldn’t need to use one unless we wanted to fill with water or such. Torreveija is just about the most secure anchorage on this whole section of the coast and the town offers all the services we could want.  

Our pilot guide book listed opening times for Mar Menor’s lifting bridge as 11.00am and 5.00pm so we planned to negotiate our way back out the narrow channel at Friday morning’s opening. We were up reasonably early and had the boat ready to go in plenty of time. Too much time actually, so rather than sit and wait we thought we’d do a lazy circuit of our little Isla de Mayor to see what was on the other side and then make our way across Mar Menor to arrive at the canal entrance at the appropriate time.

 



We were enjoying our sightseeing around Isla de Mayor until .........

 

We were moseying along nicely at a leisurely three to four knots past a very impressive stately mansion on the island while keeping a close eye on our Navionics chart on the I-Pad which indicated an ample three to four metres of water ahead of us. Suddenly the depth gauge showed the bottom shallowing extremely quickly, at the same time Karen calling shallow water ahead. Rob pulled the boat straight into neutral but, even before he could engage reverse gear,  the keel hit an uncharted shallow spot and the boat stopped dead in the water.

Karen was thrown forward in the cockpit spilling her I-Pad across the deck. Fortunately we had been going quite slowly so we were able to reverse straight back off into deeper water. Our investment in an expensive, water proof, shock resistant case for the I-Pad also paid dividends as it survived the impact unharmed. Karen however was definitely going to be sporting a good sort of bruise on her knee where she banged it into the deck.

We were all a bit shaken as Rob very slowly helmed the boat well clear of the island and, hopefully, any further surprises while Karen and Marc checked all areas below for any indication of water in the bilges or other damage. It was a relief to find no sign of trouble so we resumed normal speed and headed for the canal entrance. The problem was we were now touch and go to make it in time.

Rob radioed the port office to confirm the bridge would be opening at 11.00AM with the thought that if they knew we were coming through it might buy us another few minutes. That’s when we found out the schedule had changed and the bridge now opened every two hours during the day from 10.00AM onwards. We went from having no time to an hour to wait.

We made the most of it. After anchoring just outside the canal entrance, Rob donned the snorkelling gear for the first time since the Balearics last summer. We wanted to check there was no damage below and the only sure way is to dive under and have a look. As Rob stepped off the swim platform and was engulfed by the icy water the scream he emitted through the snorkel echoed across the calm anchorage. He charged down the side of the boat thrashing the water like an Olympic 50 metre freestyle contestant before disappearing from view.

A check of the keel to hull joint showed no sign of any cracks or movement and the only visible evidence of our grounding anywhere to be found was the loss of a half metre by ten centimetre strip of our nice new anti-fouling paint from the bottom of keel bulb. Rob was back to the stern, up the ladder, through the cockpit and heading below for a hot shower in one continuous, high speed blur, mumbling repeatedly ‘Shit that’s cold’ all the way. It may be spring but it looks like the snorkelling gear will be stowed away again for some time yet.

After our not so fun and games, we exited through the open bridge at noon, VERY carefully navigated our way out the narrow channel and rejoiced at being back in the nice deep Mediterranean. A pleasant 9 – 10 knot breeze had filled in nicely giving us a very enjoyable three and half hour run to Torreveija on a broad reach across almost flat seas under clear skies and warm sunshine. Now that’s more like it.

 



Near perfect downwind sailing conditions along the Spanish coast. Nice change.

The Spanish Naval Aviators even took to the sky again to provide us with an even more impressive aerobatics show than the one they turned on for our arrival. Muchas Gracias Chicos! (Thanks very much guys!)

 

 

 



What a farewell from Mar Menor.

 



Isla de Mayor, Mar Menor to Torreveija 21.6 Nautical Miles - 4 Hours 56 Minutes (Including time at anchor)
Average speed 4.1 knots Max 7.1 knots

We’re now anchored up in Torreveija with our fingers crossed that our auction goes well to top up our seriously depleted cruising fund. Wish us luck.

 

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Weather gurus - Hmphhh!!! Almerimar to Cartagena, Spain

 April 6-8, 2013

 Our two days spent in Almerimar Marina while the bad weather passed weren’t wasted. There is an excellent, and very well priced supermarket adjacent to the marina where we did our major, beginning of the season, provisioning of the boat. It’s very conveniently located as we were able to make a series of trips wheeling the trolley all the way to the stern of the boat. The check-out lady got to know us well as we progressively went through with five over-laden trolley loads stocking up on everything from toothpaste to toilet paper along with fifty odd bottles of Spanish wine.  Then came the little task of finding places to securely store it all on the boat. Surprisingly it all found homes with a bit of space to spare.

We also took advantage of the non-metered water to give the boat a thorough clean making use of a small pressure washer we’d picked up in Ceuta. It certainly does a good job on the non-slip fibreglass decks and blows any grime out of hard to get at corners etc. Karen managed to get a long overdue hairdressing appointment and disappeared into the salon for three hours while Rob and Marc got the washing done. The fact that the laundrette was beside Mario’s bar of great free tapas with every drink fame may have been a factor in their volunteering for the job.

Friday night, our last evening in port, was date night for us and we chose a nice looking bar for a pre-dinner drink. While most bars and restaurants around the marina seem to cater for the expat British market with menus proudly boasting of ‘Genuine British Fish and Chips’ it turned out we’d selected one of the few that was very Spanish and well patronised by the locals. We were the only English speakers in the place which taxed our very limited Spanish skills when ordering but proved well worthwhile. On ordering a glass of wine each, a large bowl of olives appeared on the table closely followed by a tapas each of very thinly sliced jambon (cured leg ham) and fresh bread. It was superb, as was the wine so we ordered a second glass.



Legs of fantastic cured ham hanging over the bar of our 'Date Night' restaurant.

 

More tapas arrived with the vino. This time large jacket potatoes with lashing of very tasty handmade aioli. A third glass of fine red accompanied by pork fillet baguette tapas followed. We never did get around to ‘dinner’ as such. No need after that lot. And we were keen on a relatively early night as we were on our way in the morning.

OK so we check five, yes five different weather forecasts before heading off for a 35 mile passage to an anchorage behind the point at Puerto Genovis. The consensus of the various weather gurus was that we would begin motoring in 5 to 10 knots through the morning, followed by 0 to 5 then 10 to 15 in the afternoon should give us a gentle sail before the wind dropped out to nothing for the night in our selected anchorage.



Clear skies but cold winds for our departure from Almerimar

 



Marc's smoking spot got splashed a few times but as a dedicated nicotine fan he was undaunted.



Close hauled into the wind heading for Cabo de Gata. It's amazing how much flatter the sea always looks in photographs or video. 

So in reality we round the breakwater and find a cold 10 to 15 knots blowing from our backs and a very lumpy, confused swell.  After clearing the point and striking out across the wide bay the wind swung and strengthened to 20 - 25 knots from entirely the opposite direction to the forecast giving us a close hauled, upwind slog to the opposite cape, Cabo de Gata, with the mainsail well reefed down for the conditions.  As we approached the lighthouse and rocky cliffs of the cape, the wind eased right down so we shook out the reefs and raised the full mainsail to sail around into the bay at Puerto Genovis.

Reduced sail for the conditions with the main reefed right down

True to form as we entered the bay the wind began to build again and after a couple of circuits of the anchorage we decided there was too much swell rolling around the point for comfort. We dropped the sails and motored around into the next bay where Plan B, the small marina at San Jose was awaiting. By the time we entered the tiny marina we had 25+ knots blowing straight off the dock just to make life interesting. So much for the forecast 0 to 5.

 

On our first two attempts to tie up the wind beat us with Alcheringa’s bow being blown away from the dock before we could get the lines on. A high speed approach by Rob on the helm to maintain steerage and some impressive, over the rails acrobatics by Marc saw our third try successful. Weather gurus - Hmphhh!!!

 



Finally secured in San Jose marina.

 



Our Spot tracker's view of our location in San Jose marina.



Almerimar to San Jose - 40 nautical miles - 7 hours 1 minute Average speed 5.7 knots Max 8.3knots

The wind did die out later in the night and after a thankfully restful sleep we said adios to San Jose and headed further east. Our plan had been to do a short 12 nautical mile run to an anchorage in a Cala San Pedro and spend a lazy afternoon and night before heading 20 miles to the marina at Garrucha the next day.  

We’d heard it was a very picturesque spot to spend some time if the weather was OK. This time the weather gurus told us we’d have a very calm morning before a 10 to 15 knot southerly which unfortunately would blow straight into San Pedro. We were naturally skeptical of the forecasts after our previous day’s experience but decided to err on the side of safety and just have a quick look before continuing to the security of the marina.

 



Calm conditions for our early morning departure

We spied this "renovator's special" with awesome views out in the middle of nowhere.

 

 



We're not sure if anyone has counted the number of castles in Spain but it would number in the thousands.

Motoring is not our thing. We prefer to sail whenever possible but if you have to motor gliding past steep rock cliffs and breathtaking scenery in glassy seas is about as good as it gets. With its clear waters, long beach and steep cliffs, San Pedro did prove every bit as beautiful as we’d heard. There’s a small ‘alternative’ community resident in the bay. It was a little surreal to see solar panels erected on the ramparts of the castle ruins that squatters have made home. We were sorely tempted to drop anchor and at least spend a couple of hours there in the still conditions.  The thought of breaking out the BBQ for a nice lunch was very appealing.

 



Approaching the head of the bay at San Pedro

 





The locals braved the very cool water. We wouldn't.



The San Pedro squaters have gone high tech with solar power

Reluctantly we resisted the urge and motored on our way. Early afternoon the southerly did arrive just as forecast and the weather gurus began reclaiming some credibility. We elected to run before it with just our asymmetric spinnaker flying. It produced a nice seven plus knots in the 10 to 15 knot breeze and we had a very enjoyable sail right to the approaches of the marina at Garrucha. That’s when the gurus lost any browny points they gained earlier in a big way.

We had a great downwind sail using the asymetric spinnaker through the afternoon

 

As we furled the spinnaker away, the wind began to build very quickly. By the time we’d entered the marina we had 25+ knots again but this time it and a big swell were sweeping straight through the harbor entrance between the breakwaters making inside the marina very nasty. Rob was certainly asking why the hell it has to blow up just as we want to dock and why don’t we have a bow thruster.

With the high wind lessons learned from San Jose fresh in our minds, the process of getting secured alongside actually went very smoothly and drama free this time but unfortunately it was only the start of the fun and games. As the wind strength jumped into the 25 to 30 range and the swell continued to grow, Alcheringa was in for a very rough time. We had five lines securing her to the marina and two ground lines holding her away from the pontoon to avoid having her smashing into the dock as the swells lifted, twisted and dropped her as the dramatic video clip at the link below shows. None of us have had any sea sickness at any stage since we’ve had the boat but we all agreed, in these conditions it was time to get off.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO OF GARRUCHA MARINA

We had a bite to eat in a marina front bar and watched as two other yachts entered the harbour and despite numerous attempts failed to get into marina berths. One tied up to the fuel dock where it was systematically bounced off rough tyre bundles for the next few hours while the other sought refuge amongst the fishing fleet. No doubt if we’d dallied for our lunch BBQ back in San Pedro we would have also been caught out in the worst of the short but nasty blow as well.

By nine o’clock it was all over and we were back on board for a totally calm night’s sleep. Who’d have thought. However, Garrucha is definitely off our recommended marinas list.



San Jose to Garrucha - 32.8 nautical miles - 5 hours 38 minutes - Average speed 5.8 knots Max 7.9 knots

We did receive some very good news though in the form of an email from our real estate agent with contract for the sale of our rental property back in Australia. It had been on the market for quite a while and we needed it sold to top up our cruising kitty. All we had to do now was get to somewhere we could print the document out, sign it, scan it and email back to Australia pronto.

The weather gurus were on their game again next day which was good news bad news. The good being the conditions were exactly as predicted. The bad was that with under ten knots from directly astern we had an extremely boring passage for the near fifty miles to Cartagena where we could achieve all our admin jobs and enjoy one of our favorite spots in Spain.

Check out more about this delightful harbour from the blog of our previous visit. Cartagena - Sailing the Costa Blanco of Spain



Garrucha to Catagena - 47.6 nautical miles 7 hours 48 minutes - Average speed 6.1 knots Max 6.8 knots
About as boring a track as you can get, motoring and way off the coast.

 

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A hop and a skip before hiding from big winds in Almerimar - Spain

April 2 - 5, 2013

 

 We are sailing earlier in the year than most people do in the Mediterranean so as we make our way East along the Spanish coast we’re doing short stages in whatever breaks the weather provides. Our goal is to be in Barcelona by the end of the month so we have a reasonable amount of flexibility and can shelter when the wind blows up.

 

The anchor was up before the sun at Fuengirola

After sitting things out for a while tucked up in a delightful anchorage inside the harbour walls at Fuengirola, we got up before dawn for an early start to make our way across the big, wide bay at Malaga. The good news was the big winds we’d been sheltering from had gone away but the bad news was we now had almost no breeze at all. As a result we kept the sails furled and the engine on making our way over the glassy water.

 



Clear skies, no wind but still a bit on the cool side.

We were joined by small pods of very large dolphins at different stages which is always a lot of fun. They love to play around the bow and when we go up there for a close look they will roll side on to check us out too. We find ourselves staring into each other’s eyes. It’s an awe inspiring experience for us that we hope they enjoy as much as we do. One show off provided extra entertainment by  repeatedly leaping high out of the water doing some very impressive body slams as he/she splashed back down.   



Dolphins are always welcome visitors

 

We motored until early afternoon when a stronger than expected 15 to 20 knot breeze from the stern quarter sprang up very quickly. By this stage we were only about two and a half hours from our planned anchorage and  elected to run before the wind with just the genoa rather than bother coming about to raise the mainsail. It proved a very worthwhile experiment as we were soon getting along very nicely at near seven knots with the boat riding the building swells very comfortably.

 



The wind came in the afternoon giving us a couple of hours under sail along the impressive Spanish coastline.

The wind turned out to be more from the south-west than the predicted westerly so the bay at La Hurradura that we planned to spend the night in wouldn’t provide enough shelter. We sailed on by to our Plan B at a smaller but more protected bay at de Berengueles. We’d selected it because it also provided an inbuilt Plan C in that a small but extremely well protected marina was located behind its Western point. If the conditions proved too rough to anchor out we would be able to duck in there and take a berth for the night.

 

We arrived in the bay around 3.30pm and anchored in 9 metres of water close to the beach under high cliffs dotted with some very impressive houses. The headland blocked most of the wind reasonably effectively so our intention was to sit for a while and see how much swell was finding its way into the bay. If we decided things were too uncomfortable we’d move over to the marina. While we like to avoid marina fees where possible, we actually prefer being at anchor anyway. It’s much nicer sitting in the cockpit looking at the sea and coastline than being jammed in between other boats tied to a pontoon.





Fuengirola to de Brengueles - 45.6 Nautical Miles - 8 Hours 7 Minutes
Max Speed 6.8 knots - Average 5.6 knots

 

 

When Alcheringa had her bows facing the small swells we were more than comfortable but as the wind dropped the boat tended to swing beam on and roll enough to be a problem. We dug our spare anchor and chain out of the lazerette and into the dingy. We then paddled in towards the beach at the appropriate angle and deployed it as a stern anchor to keep the boat pointing in the right direction. Problem solved. We were now held into the swells nicely and settled in to reward ourselves with a post passage beer and enjoy our surroundings.

 


Our SPOT Tracker shows how close to the beach we anchored at Cala de Beregueles and shows the marina on the Western headland

The beach we anchored off is well away from the developed area of the bay and only accessible by foot or boat. In Spain that naturally means it is a beach for naturists. Although we’re not so sure what’s so natural about laying on a beach naked at this time of year with a chilly breeze blowing and water temperature that’s breathtakingly frigid. Karen was particularly bemused by the rather confused gent spread eagled on the sand wearing a long sleeved sweater but naked from the waist down. She was more than a little amazed at the dedication of some people to having a well tanned Willy.

 

Despite the odd nature of some of our neighbours, with high cliffs behind us, a castle and medieval fortifications  on the point to our East, it was a very pleasant spot to spend the afternoon and night. In stable weather we may have stayed another day and explored a little but we had another front moving in from the Atlantic so we did need to hot foot it into shelter. We spent a week in Almerimar Marina in October on our way to Gibraltar and knew we’d be nice and cosy tucked in between its apartment buildings so it was the perfect bolt hole for the coming blow.

 



The contrasts of Spain, medeivel castles and endless appartment buildings

 

The bonus of another early start was getting to witness a very impressive sunrise as we headed out of the bay next morning. We were in the calm before the storm and never looked like getting a sail out all day as we motored our way towards safe haven at Almerimar Marina. If it wasn’t for dodging local fishing boats who appear to take great delight in changing course just to cut in front of yachts, the trip would have been totally boring.  However it was pretty cool looking up at the snow covered mountains of the Sierra Nevada mountains as we cruised by.

 

Marc's turn on watch to stress playing chicken with the fishing boats



The snow capped Sierra Nevadas remind us why we're still cold sailing.

Karen hard at work as we outrun a weather front chasing us from the west.

Cala de Brengueles to Almerima - 44.8 Nautical Miles - 7 Hours 4 Minutes
Max speed 7.8 knots - Average 6.3 knots

 

With a very strong easterly current helping us along we arrived at Almerimar around 3.00pm, a little earlier than expected, and of course the marina was closed for siesta until four. We tied up at the reception dock, sat, waited and watched the weather come our way. By the time we finally got checked in and headed to our very skinny, stern to berth between two other yachts, the leading edge of the front had arrived and the wind was strong enough to make things interesting to say the least. The cross wind carried the bow away on our first, ‘slow is pro’ attempt so we aborted and got set up for another go.

 

This time Rob reversed quickly down the marina and flicked hard on the wheel to spin the boat into the skinny gap with plenty of way on to overcome the force of the wind. We went straight in but it is a bit hard on the nerves watching our fibreglass stern speeding at 90 degrees towards a solid stone wall while our fenders squeeze the boats each side apart to make room for us. A timely blast of full ahead prevented catastrophe and, once all lines were on and secured, we all agreed it was time to head straight to Mario’s, our favourite Almerimar haunt, for tapas and a calming ale – or four. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.



SPOT shows how deep in the marina Alcheringa is berthed well protected from the blow by the appartments each side of us.

 

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