Into the med!! Gibraltar 36.09N 05.22W
Island Wanderer
Peter and Avril Brookes
Tue 10 Aug 2010 17:19
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Having dropped anchor in the dark last night we
were looking forward to seeing where we were this morning! Tarifa was the
southern most point of our journey and marked the beginning of the Gibraltar
Straits. The day light didn't disappoint us, with stunning views of Spain on our
left and Morocco to the right. Many ships passed throughout the morning as we
waited for a favorable tide to complete our journey to Gibraltar.
 Tarifa on the one
side...
........Morocco in the distance on the other!
The wind dropped from a force 7 (in which we
dropped anchor) to a more sedate 5, though unfortunately in completely the wrong
direction. Yesterday's steep seas and high winds had washed the cruising chute
right off the foredeck at one point during the journey, providing Peter and
Avril with some entertainment trying to haul it back on! We were keen to avoid
similar seas today.
  Planning the
route....
.....and sailing
it!
 (med style wet weather gear!)
In the end it turned out to be a gentle motor,
giving us time to admire the high rugged coasts of both continents before
entering the med and taking up our first "stern to" mooring in Queensway
Quay Marina. Pete as ever did a perfect job of this new manouvre. The
marina is like a oven, windless and baking hot. We plan to walk ashore to find
something to eat to avoid the necessity of having to turn the oven on which
would be unbearable. Plenty of salad from now on I think!
 Approaching
Gibraltar |