18th July 2008 - Pensicola to Sitges (the motoring holiday continues at night)

Bali Hai
Neal Stow
Fri 18 Jul 2008 23:32
As we motored out of Pensicola the sun was setting and it was a very pleasant sight.  The first thing we encountered was a large fleet of fishing vessels heading out for the night, more boats than we had seen all week.  Working out the lights to avoid them made it an interesting experience, particularly for those who had not sailed at night before.
 
The 82 mile route to Pensicola was quite straightforward, with only one mid-way waypoint, the sea was dead calm and visibility perfect.  After the first fishing vessels we saw little else and at about 3 in the morning, with Steve on the helm and Jane on watch, I felt comfortable going for a sleep.  Leaving them with instructions to wake me if they saw anything they were not sure about I went down below.  When I awoke a couple of hours later I went on deck to find that we were passing close by something ablaze with lights.  "What do you think that is?" asked Steve "it has been with us for the past hour or so"  So much for waking with me if not sure about something!  Fortunately it was only an oil rig so and not actually moving.
 
We arrived at Sitges at 8:30 in the morning.   As we had arrived before the office opened, check-in took even longer and we did not actually get to our berth until close to 10:30.  But it was worth it as Sitges is a really pleasant marina and town.  The place is very trendy with its old town of narrow streets, attracting weekenders from Barcelona for the golden beaches, buzzing nightlife and gay scene. 
 
After lunch near the marina and a sleep we walked into town, passing by the beaches.  I was shocked, when I came to Spain as a child, it was fun taking surreptitious photos of the topless women sunbathers but now it seems that sunworshippers, both female and male, are going for the Full Monty - showing off all dangly bits.  It was not an attractive sight.  
 
We ate in a restaurant called Alfresco, very modern with some interesting dishes and the waiters recommendation of a local wine was superb and retired to the boat about midnight.