At Sea - Thursday 8th September

Tashi Delek
Mike & Carol Kefford
Thu 8 Sep 2011 10:17

35:32.488N 007:30.910W

 

We left Gibraltar yesterday as planned at 1300 but had to make an unscheduled visit to a different marina in order to fill up with water.  The supply in our marina had been cut off, we suspect by some workmen damaging pipes.  As we motored across the bay the dolphins came to see us off.

 

Meryon, Kit, Moyra, Mike and Carol on board along with full fuel and water tanks ready to take on the Straits of Gibraltar.  It was a lively passage and a lively night with winds gusting 45 knots and quite a lot of rolling.  Carol and Moyra bravely volunteered for the first watch based on the fact that we would get a full nights sleep from 2300 onwards.  In the end it was the worst of the watches as both the gusts and sea were at their worst.  We were also in the most crowded of the shipping lanes so had to do quite a lot of freighter dodging along the way.  The best news was that the engine went off very early on and we have been sailing ever since with the Hydrovane self steering gear working a treat.

 

The insurance companies view the Hydrovane as an extra crew member so most people give it a name.  Ours is called Barratt after the Coxswain in the Master and Commander series of books.