Gibraltar

Amazing Grace
John and Julie
Mon 8 Jun 2009 11:45
We ariived in Gib on Monday morning a couple of hours earlier than we expected due to a stallar run from Albufeira.  For the 1st couple of hours we dithered about at 4 kts which was fine since we had not really decided where to go.  However, about lunch time a nice 110-15kt breeze set in from the beam and we set 'Bertha' the genoa and off we went.

Towards evening the wind backed and I really wanted to use our Parasailor but I was not brave enough to leave it up overnight since it would have got us to Tarifa (Europe's windiest place) before light and I didn't fancy wrestling the Parasailor to the deck in what might have been a 30kt wind.

In the end we dribbled out way towards Tarifa all night with the wind just off the stern - squeezed between Cape Trafalgar and the shipping lanes.  We were due into Gib at noon.  Come first light we hoisted the Parasailor and off we went.  The max wind past Tarifa turned out to be 20kts and we screamed down the straits of Gibraltar and between the Pillars of Helcules at up to 9,7 kts finally arriving at 10am. A 24 hr run exactly of 169 miles.