Culatra to Ayamonte
Ile Jeudi
Bob and Lin Griffiths
Tue 12 Jun 2012 17:16
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Tuesday 12 June 2012
37:12.65N 07:24.43W
We set off about 12.15pm and motored out of the
river entrance beside Culatra. Once outside we set sail in an
ideal northerly of about 12 knots. This ideal wind soon died and
moved around the compass and we started the 'iron sail' (the engine0 until a
southerly sea breeze set in about an hour later. Thereafter it was a
lovely sail across the bay passing low level land and long, relatively
deserted beaches.
We had decided not to use Carly today but use the
elctric autopilot instead. After a short time we heard and felt some
knocking from the rudder area which only occurred when the autopilot was
on. A quick inspection showed that the hydraulic ram which drives the
steering was catching on the steering quadrant. It seems that when
Sopromar in Lagos adjusted our quadrant to stop it catching something below it
reduced the gap to the ram, which is above it. This meant hand steering to
our destination which was about 28 nautical miles away because we had not fitted
the Hydrovane parts. Not a problem for a few hours but we could see how
tiring it would be on a long passage.
We arrived at the shallow bar at the entrance to
the Guadiana about one and a half hours after low water so we had enough depth
to get over. Tied up in the marina and checked in at the office about
7pm. The marina has expanded since we were last here 6 years ago but
was virtually empty. Apparently the Andalucian
authority (which owns this, Rota and other
marinas) decided that 6 month winter contracts were to be stopped as were the
normal 'discounts' for signing up for a year. This means that boats pay
something approaching the daily rate even on a long contract. Austerity
measures where somebody at a desk has decided this is a good way to raise
income, forgetting that boats will just 'vote with their keels' and bog off
somewhere else.
A picture of the rather basic lighthouse marking
the eastern entrance to Faro / Olhao approaches:-
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