35:53.41N 05:18.82W

We ate (and drank) out on our last night in Estepona and for the second night were treated to a band that played right next to the marina until the early hours at 5,000 decibels and a night club that ran until morning (it was still going strong when I got up at 0530). So it was a bleary start to the day as we left Estepona soon after 0700 in the dark, we had a quick refuelling stop about 5 miles from Estepona as soon as they opened at 0800. Then we quickly motored towards the Straits of Gibraltar with no wind and a very flat sea.

Clouds on the horizon and a chill in the air cleared by the time we were entering the Straits. This is a very busy shipping area with a traffic separation zone similar to the Dover Straits – a bit like a motorway with a central barrier – and there is a lot of shipping moving from the Atlantic to the Med and vice versa. Crossing in a small, slow yacht can feel a bit like a slow walk across the M25. Also there are strong tides and currents so it is important to calculate the tides and compensate for them.

But in calm weather, with light traffic and the right tide (and, of course, good planning!) it was actually an uneventful crossing and we arrived a Ceuta marina by 1230. Ceuta is a small Spanish territory on mainland North Africa, surrounded by Morocco – a bit like Gibraltar is British and surrounded by Spain. The benefit is that there are no customs and immigration formalities as it is part of the EU.

So tomorrow we plan to leave early and exit the Straits bound for the Canary islands, but we will probably stop an the Moroccan coast in Rabat on the way in order to break up the journey – depending on weather and our inclinations once we get going.