Position: 36:32.503N 004:36.973W
– Fuengirola, Spain
At midnight there were the
annual fireworks for the Festival of San Juan. We're on the end
pontoon nearest the breakwater where the fireworks were placed so
DecaDance's beanbags had prime position for the display.
I phoned Aunty Christine at about
midday to let her know that we'd decided to move on tomorrow and
amongst other things she asked if it was misty where we were (only several miles
away), as they'd just watched fog roll down the mountains. I'd just
nearly blinded myself by not wearing my sunglasses to and from the shower
block, so I said no. No more than two minutes after getting off the phone,
Chris shouted down to me, "Cripes, you can't see a thing
up here."
The San Juan festival is so
important locally that many restaurants and bars close early for the one and
only night out of 365. Bonfires are lit along the beach and there's a
tradition for children to go paddling in the sea at
midnight. By then visibility had reduced to about
50-75m according to Chris (these mariner types know this sort of thing),
and according to me, pea soup.
I love fireworks and I know
that the longer the whizz... and pause, or the louder the bang, the more
spectacular the sparks. How disappointing not to see one single
spark. The longer the whizz or the louder the bang, the brighter
the white sky momentarily changed colour - and that was it. They
were the loudest fireworks I've ever heard; Perhaps they were
the best I might have seen, maybe it was local acoustics, or perhaps
my ears were making up for the lack of visuals.
I felt heartbroken for the local people and
their ruined festivities, not to mention all that wasted
money.
As I listened to the
deafening tirade, I glanced across at Chris on the starboard beanbag,
staring into the flashing sky . "Bloody Hell," he said, "It's like
being back in the Falklands."
To see photos of our journey
make friends with Deca Dance on Facebook
For details of how to
join us on our adventures please visit our website at www.DecaDanceYachtCharter.co.uk
