36:49.825N 02:27.576W Almeria

Ariel of Hamble
Jim and Valerie SHURVELL
Mon 31 Aug 2009 21:16

36:49.825N  02:27.576W  Almeria

 

Saturday 29.8.09   31 miles sailed in brisk windward conditions tacking along the coast.  When we reached the small marina in early afternoon we received the ‘non’ from Manuel the berthing guy, no space in the marina.  So it was out with the anchor again and try to gain some shelter from a bit of harbour wall.  A rock and roll afternoon, evening and night was had.  The only respite was to jump of the yacht and have a swim, sea 33.4º C. In the morning we moved into the harbour when a 46 foot yacht left that we had managed to ascertain was going to happen, by a dinghy ride into the harbour the evening before.  We grabbed the only available visitors space and declared squatter rights when Manuel came running along the jetty and in Spanish seemed a bit put out that we hadn’t called on the radio first.  What is the point I thought, he doesn’t speak English !

In the afternoon visitors came to see us, Alison, Colin and the triplets – Alec, Beverley and Zoe.  Friends from Burgh Heath near home in Surrey.  Alison and Valerie know each other through work in the NHS. After a Spanish Sunday lunch at the marina restaurant it was down to the beach to cool of in the sea.

On Monday we had a walk around the very acceptable city of America.  A walk up to the large castle way up the hill in 40º C proved a waste of time as it was closed on Mondays.  Jim visited Almeria in May 2000 when delivering a yacht across the Mediterranean.  Almeria is in parts an up market Spanish city with a posh and expensive shopping area, nice restaurants and cafes. Almeria also has a large commercial dock area in the large harbour and large ferry ships that come and go all day and night to the Balearics and Morocco. Also large area in the dock that they export chipped stone from local quarries.   




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