41:46.696N 3:02.051E Sun 10^th Apr 2016

At long last we are able to get underway again.  We were in Barcelona longer than planned; partly the weather (which became colder and wetter in March & April than it had the whole winter) but also skipper’s tooth (an ancient capped incisor broke and had to be replaced with an implant & crown, which takes ages).  We were also delayed by the work to the deck - you may remember the trouble we had with the caulking (the rubber seams between the teak deck planks) reverting to a sticky black goo.  We found a company to do the huge job at an affordable price, but instead of taking “4-5 weeks”, it actually took them 9 weeks and even then we weren’t entirely happy and I finished off various details just so we could get going. Still, it does now look great and it is a joy to be able to walk anywhere on deck without treading tar everywhere.

Our first jaunt was back up the coast (6 miles) to Badalona where we knew we could refill the fuel tank which had been depleted by the winter heating.  Plus there is a great supermarket right next door to the cheap and pleasant marina, so we could do a final stock up with Spanish essentials.  Yesterday we headed out into the Costa Brava, taking advantage of winds behind us for a gentle first day after 6 months of sailing inactivity.  All went well, no mishaps, we remembered how to work the boat and the only negative was the log impellor (which measures boat speed) read zero despite having been cleaned before departure.  I guessed it was some fouling on the surround which I’ve just snorkelled down to scrub off.  Tomorrow will tell if I was right.  I was unsurprised to find the prop and bow thrusters were really fouled as well, although the boat seemed to go well enough anyway.

After inspecting Tossa del Mar as a potential anchorage we decided to move on.  There was not really enough shelter from a lumpy sea and with the beach shelving so steeply we couldn’t tuck ourselves enough out of the swell for a bearable night’s sleep.  Even in the relative shelter of Sant Feliu’s new marina, the boat is rolling enough to interrupt my sleep, so we made the right call in Tossa.

The castle overlooking Tossa Del Mar:

Sant Feliu de Gruixols is a lovely little place for a first proper stop; an especially welcome change from the hectic tourist crowds we grew to loath in Barcelona.  It’s quiet, pretty and clean enough to snorkel in.  There is also a lovely coastal walk through some pretty rugged countryside.  We move on tomorrow.

Views of Sant Feliu monastery:

The coastal walk: