36:18.520N 05:15.298W Puerto De La Duquesta

Ariel of Hamble
Jim and Valerie SHURVELL
Mon 31 Aug 2009 20:40

36:18.520N     05:15.298W         Puerto De La Duquesta

 

Thursday 20th August, 2009.

 

After a lovely breakfast of kippers we left the pontoon for refuelling and Jim was very pleased to pay only 47p per litre – Gibraltar prices.  It is no wonder the Spanish travel from the local marinas to fill their tanks.

 

It was a warm sunny afternoon with a little sea haze over North Africa as we travelled round the Rock and into Spanish waters again.  We were now officially in the Mediterranean.  We had made it at last!!!

 

As we made our way 19 miles along the coast we decided to drop anchor off of Puerto De la Duqesta for a swim. As the water was a beautiful colour blue and so clear you could see the anchor we swam for half an hour to cool down.  The sun stayed with us until 9 pm and people were still swimming off the beach as we ate our dinner on Ariel.

 

We decided it was a good place to stay the night.  Wrong, the movement in the bay from miles away caused Ariel to bounce around and I spent my first night sleeping in the cockpit under the stars.