We left Estepona for a windless passage towards Gibraltar, initially going to anchor in La Linea (Spain).

 

Bilge rats in blue.

 

At anchor in La Linea.

 

The weather in Gibraltar and La Linea is dominated by the cloud that gets stuck on the top of The Rock. If there is cloud, the humidity is high and conditions are hot and sticky. If not, then the weather tends to be fresher, sunny and clear. The temperature of the water in the anchorage at La Linea was definitely more Atlantic than Mediterranean, but we did see a wild seahorse there. Although we stayed in Gibraltar/La Linea for about 10 days, we didn’t actually make it up The Rock to see the view and the apes – the cost for all of us was going to be getting on for 100 Euros by the time that we had paid for all of us to get up and down and into the national park. We did consider doing the 4–5-hour round trip on foot to keep the cost down, but never managed to get up early enough to walk up while it was cool.

 

M&S and Morrisons

We went into one of the marinas in Gibraltar (with PAX and TENGY) to meet up with Matt (MOJOMO) and Mandy and Chris (ARCTIC FLAME). Being in the marina made it easier to get together for music and to get the shopping on board. There is a Morrisons and a Marks & Sparks in Gib, so we stocked up on all things British (bacon, Branston, baked beans, etc.). You will all be delighted to hear that I got three new bras in M&S, so photos of me in my underwear will be bearable for a while at least. We took the opportunity to get all our eyes tested by an English-speaking optician, and David and I had glasses with new prescriptions. Gibraltar is more British than Britain, and the fish and chips weren’t bad!

 

Music

We played lots of music, both on PAX, on MOJOMO, in The Tunnel (at their weekly open mic night), and outside The Quarterdeck (until the police came and asked us to be quiet). Matt plays fiddle, so that added an extra dimension to our sound. We also met Brian Howard who makes a variety of pipes, whistles and reeds. Brian showed us how to tune Beth’s penny whistles and he gave her a lesson and lots of advice.

 

Music on PAX.

 

We knew of Matt and MOJOMO (via James Perrin and via Mandie and Mike), so it was good to meet him at last. Matt is now in the Canaries waiting to set off on his n^th Atlantic Crossing with the ARC (Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) http://blog.mailasail.com/mojomo . He’s absolutely bonkers, wears great shirts and plays a mean fiddle.

 

Matt (MOJOMO).

 

Mandie and Mike (TENGY) – additions to the vocal section.

 

David and Paul in The Tunnel.

 

Beth and I in The Tunnel.

 

It was my birthday while we were in Gib, which provided another excuse to party, play music and have the odd glass of wine.

 

Leaving Gibraltar

We left the Bay of Gibraltar on 11^th September with a force 4 forecast for the Straits. We ended up rounding Tarifa Point (reputed to be the windiest place in Europe) in a force 7, doing 11 knots under a reefed Genoa. It was what you could call an ‘exciting’ sail and I was glad that we were going with the wind and current – going against it would probably have been impossible and a good reason for divorce. Still no whales, but we did spot a single, lonely flying fish and a large turtle.

 

The infamous Tarifa Point.

 

MOJOMO and TENGY in the Straits of Gibraltar.

 

Weather-bound in Barbate

The wind blew us past the beach where I wanted to anchor and explore the Roman ruins, and on towards Barbate. It continued to blow for the next few days, so we holed up in Barbate to wait for it to pass. There isn’t much in Barbate, especially mid-week and out of season. Luckily my birthday celebrations continued with squidgy chocolate cake to take everyone’s mind off the weather.

 

Squidgy chocolate birthday cake in Barbate – it doesn’t look like it from this photo, but it is blowing a hoolie outside the marina.

 

Sancti-Petri

The abandoned village at Sancti-Petri lies on the banks of a channel that dog-legs through shifting sandbanks with shoals and unmarked rocks – and that is the approach under ideal conditions. The pilot book speculates on the reasons why the village was abandoned (decline of the tuna fishing industry or requisitioned by Franco for military purposes), but I think that it is due to the pilot book’s warnings about the dangers of navigating the channel and nobody attempts to go in. Luckily, the buoys marking the channel have been upgraded recently to dirty great commercial-grade lateral marks on legs and there was no need to use the well-camouflaged (and now only partially accurate) leading marks or to resort to back bearings. Once through the entrance, the main channel winds past moorings and a small marina before opening out into a windswept anchorage and a maze of shallow channels in the salt marshes behind the Bay of Cadiz.

 

The anchorage at Sancti-Petri.

 

We took a small fleet of four dinghies (two from PAX, and one each from TENGY and CAPE) on the flood tide to explore the channels through the marshes up as far as San Fernando, finding a fisherman’s bar for refreshments before heading back to the anchorage on the ebb.

 

Hil and Paul taking it easy.

 

Sue and John (PAX NOSTRUM crew).

 

It was all too exciting for Mandie!

 

We wandered around the abandoned village, said hello to the numerous sleek and elegant cats that now live there, and watched the multicoloured crabs that lived in holes in the mud. Most of the bars and restaurants were closed, but we did stumble on the Fisherman’s Co-operative Restaurant which was buzzing with life and a great place for Bryn’s birthday meal.

 

Multicoloured crabs living in holes in the mud.

 

The birthday boy at the head of the table waiting for his birthday fish ‘n’ chips.

 

Mandie and Mike had a fish platter for two that would have fed all of us!

 

“Mummy can we have a kitten? Mummy can we have a kitten? Mummy can we have a kitten...”

 

The weather still wasn’t very settled and we had a stonking great thunderstorm in the early hours of one morning with buckets of rain and gust of wind up to 40 knots. Our dinghy got flipped over, dunking the outboard. Luckily we were on anchor watch in the cockpit, so were able to turn it back over straight away so that it wasn’t left marinating in the salt water. David managed to dry out the outboard, clean up its plugs and get it going again over the next few days. Our anemometer was also a casualty of the storm and refused to work afterwards.

 

Sancti-Petri: sea, sand and stormy sky.

 

Bay of Cadiz

Beth transferred to PAX and Bryn transferred to TENGY for the sail up to the Bay of Cadiz.

 

Bryn helping Mike on TENGY.

 

Beth on PAX.

 

The next time out Beth transferred to sail on Tengy.

 

Beth with Mike and Mandie on TENGY.

 

Puerto Sherry, Rota and Chipiona

We pushed on north, anchoring overnight in Puerto Sherry, and going into the marinas for a night in Rota and Chipiona as the weather wasn’t suitable for anchoring.

 

El Rompido

El Rompido is Sancti-Petri’s northern cousin; the shifting sandbars at its entrance are so changeable that the pilot book advises visiting yotties to contact the Marina manager for up-to-date information on how to get in. If enough notice is given of arrival, it says that it may even be possible to arrange to be ‘talked in’ by mobile phone (in English) by a marina assistant dispatched to the entrance by car! We sniffed our way over the bar using the echo-sounder at about 2 hours before high water. Once inside the bar, the channel runs alongside sand dunes backed by umbrella pines and partly hidden villas and holiday apartments. We anchored for just one night in the windswept lagoon before heading back out and over the bar the next morning.

 

El Rompido.

 

Rio Guadiana

From El Rompido we headed west into the mouth of the Rio Guadiana and anchored off Ayamonte overnight before heading under the bridge and up the river.

 

At anchor off Ayamonte.

 

CAPE about to squeeze under the bridge.

 

More blog to follow soon (yeah, yeah, heard that one before...)

 

Hilary and Paul are looking for crew to help sail PAX to the Canaries in December if anyone out there fancies a taste of ‘The PAX Experience’ http://paxnostrum.blogspot.com/ (you can contact Hilary and Paul on hppax1928 at yahoo dot co dot uk for further info).