Cassini blog#147 Monday in Aguadulce
Cassini's blog
Simon and Sally, Nigel and Catherine
Mon 26 Aug 2024 15:01
| Monday in Aguadulce Sunday morning in Aguadulce, we went for a wander to the other side of the marina, which is numerous side by side bars and restaurants; I'm pleased we are at this side as I think it would be quite noisy in the evenings. We stopped at the Moon Hotel since Nigel and Simon had spotted a "full English breakfast” on the menu. It was Sunday after all. They enjoyed sausages, egg, tomatoes, mushrooms beans and "bacon" - not quite the same as smoked Danish rashers but still tasty. Due to the heat which reached 37C yesterday, we all had a lazy day with nothing more energetic than moving the sunshades from one side of the boat to the other as the sun moved round. Too hot to cook so salad again with fat juicy prawns supplemented with salmon and sardines from our tin supply. Simon and Sally retired to bed at just before 10; I wandered along to the bathroom facilities. Shock horror, as I walked back, I saw the marina gate, some 8 feet high, had been closed and locked for the night and I was on the wrong side. Panic. I shouted, rattled the keys on the bars like some mad woman trying to escape jail for what seemed like an age. I couldn't see how I was going to get back to the boat so just kept shouting for help. After several minutes, Nigel realised I had been longer than expected, walked off the boat and heard my cry. Was I pleased to see him run down the road towards me. One foot on a small ledge, the other on Nigel's hands, a heave up and I managed to get myself on top of the gate. I needed a few minutes to stop the hysteria. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Then with Nigel ready to grab my legs I slowly slid down the other side to ’safety'. Lesson learnt - always take my phone! Needless to say it took me quite a while to get to sleep after all the excitement, not helped by the very sticky heat. Sally slept in the cockpit; wish I had joined her. Today, my last day, we walked over to the marina office to book a taxi for me to go to the airport tomorrow morning. Another taxi was called to take us to the supermarket to stock up, as guess what, the weather has meant a change of plan. High winds are forecast, but Navs Nigel and Simon reckon if they sail Tuesday evening, rather than Wednesday, they can reach the anchorage near Cartegena before the worst of some gale force winds arriving later. It does mean an overnight sail of about 90 miles. The alternative would be to stay here for another week which no-one wants to do. It is an adequate marina, but not a place to stay for long. Our berth is at the far end of the marina with the town a good 30 minute uphill walk away. It is not one of the pretty Spanish villages, so not the sort of place for wandering or sightseeing, especially not with the temperature we have had. HoweverJessica in the marina office speaks excellent English and has been very helpful. We have water, electricity and good showers ashore. For some reason, it is a [furry] cat friendly marina; several cats sitting in the shade along the road, with one or two living on boats. So the end of my four week Med trip. It has been different from the journey last year and our Caribbean adventure. We have had few time constraints; long light evenings and access to a good variety of fresh food at reasonable prices has made the trip easier. The only down side has been the lack of wind, but at least we managed to sail on Saturday. One of the high points was visiting Granada and the Alhambra. So I fly home tomorrow to await the birth of our fourth grandchild and a chance to see family and friends. Sally follows in10 days time, then Simon and Nigel will be home early October once the boat has been lifted out for the winter near Marseille. Catherine  The fence that’s supposed to keep trespassers out!  But could not keep Catherine out (with a little help from Nigel)!  |
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