Sunday 08072012

 

37:24.63N 01:33.04W

 

Gibraltar to Palma, Balearics - Passage Eight

 

36:06.77N 05:18.69W Berth, Marina Bay Marina, Gibraltar

 

09:15 Moved Bootlegger over to fuel dock and bought 263 L of diesel to top our tank up to 600 L.from new CEPSA fuel dock..

 

Weather: Fine and sunny; Visibility: Poor with sea mist

 

Crew: Frank and Jackie ( from Gib ) joined by Tony Minta from Estepona

 

Fuel: 600 litres. Water 700 litres. Gas 1 and a bit Bottles

 

09:45 We depart from Marina Bay Marina for Palma calling in first at Estepona to pick up new crew member Tony.

 

13:30 36:24.65N 05:09.60W Arrive under sail and engine at the approach WP for Estepona. We enter harbour to be greeted at the marina office hammerhead by Tony our additional crew for the next leg to Palma, Majorca via Cartagena and Ibiza Town. We had called Tony ahead with a shopping list to save time and we were pleased to learn his car boot was full the list having been fully met.

 

 

 

 

14:00 Having loaded the new provisions onto the boat the engine is switched back on and we are once more on the move as we depart with our new crew member from Estepona marina.

 

This afternoon is spent motoring along the southern Spanish Costa Del Sol past those well known names of Puerto Banus, Marbella and Malaga on a flat blue sea under an azure blue cloudless sky. With the engine up to 2,200rpm we are doing just 6kts average as the boat pushes against current in light winds which are all over the place.

 

21:00 After a very tasty chicken casserole sunset dinner in the cockpit, Jackie takes watch whilst Frank and Tony wash the dishes. The temperature in the yacht has changed drastically ever since we reached the Mediterranean sea.

 

23:00 36:29.73N 03:55.50W :46.65W Course steered 89 degrees

 

Monday 090712

 

00:01 36:31.03N 03:46.12W Frank on watch, Motor sailing with all sails out and engine rpm Weak SSE, S.O.G. 8.4 kts; course steered 88 degrees, We are sailing parallel to and some 10 nm off, the southern Spanish coast with its continuous line of twinkling lights.

 

01:15 36:32.10N 03:34.29W SOG down to 6.9kts as we once more start to push current. Course steered: 88 degrees. Brought in genoa which was doing nothing.

 

03:00 36:33.46N 03:21.23W Tony briefed for Watch takeover from Frank. ( 03 – 06.00 Hrs ) SOG: 6kts ( pushing against 2 kts of current ) Wind: SSE 3kts No targets of interest on radar.

 

07:30 Tony did not wake Jackie for her 06:00 watch. She prepares breakfast whilst Tony does the 360 watch although there is nothing on radar or AIS. Bad visibility and high rate of humidity in air.

 

10:00 Jackie prepares beef bourguignon and leaves it to simmer for a few hours.

 

11:00 36:41.53N 02:11.65W Wind: Easterly 20 kn. Waiting to reach Cap de Gata to change course to 45 degrees for Cartagena. We hope to be able to sail the new course.

 

Noon 36:44.57N 02:04.31W Now that we’ve reached Cap de Gata the wind changes to NE and with a course of 48 degrees we have it on the nose again.

Brg 48, Wind NE 17 kts.

 

14:30 36:57.75N, 01:50.992\W A modern 45 ft yacht with two men aboard stops us to advise they have problem with engine and request a tow. We offer to tow them to Playa de los Murtos some 2.5 nm away. They claim that this is where they have come from and that they will not go back there. They say that the owner of the boat that was arranged to tow them from Playa de los Murtos had changed his mind once they had left the harbour.... very odd. They asked to be towed to the harbour of Gurrachos, 13 nm away and reiterated that they would not accept being towed back to Playa de los Murtos . We have already changed our plans in order to reach Aguilas rather than Cartegena as originally planned before nightfall. We have offered them a tow and they have refused it. They have sails and there is wind, be it light and the weather is fine. We leave sailing.

 

18:45 37:24.63N 01:33.04W Dropped anchor in Bay E of Aguilas.some 30nm SW of Cartegena rather than push on for Cartegena After a refreshing swim in the warm welcoming water we have our aperitifs before a tasty prawn and egg salad prepared by Tony. A beautiful evening, we put the world to rights in the candlelit cockpit before hitting the sack.