Tuesday 10th August
Still troubled by itchy mosquito bites, I was up early this morning
putting cream on and watching the birds on the island when it began to rain –
only a small shower but very refreshing to sit and let it fall on me. Paul took advantage of the cool morning
and calm conditions to varnish the teak in the cockpit and polish the stainless
steel. When it got hot and sunny
again we risked the jellyfish to cool off in the sea but it was too deep, and
hard work to swim against the current so I didn’t stay in long. We had Bizet’s Carmen on while I made
lunch – stirring, brilliant music.
After checking the forecast Paul decided we’d leave at 5 30 to get the
7 pm bridge lift. It was overcast and muggy when we left
for the 18 hour passage to Denia and we were 30 minutes early for the opening so
we just drifted, watching jet skiers and para gliders. Near 7 we headed a procession of boats
waiting for the lift but there was a problem with one of the gates stopping
traffic which meant that the man in the control tower had to come all the way
down, run across the road, fix the mechanism, run back and up to the tower while
we all slowed right down in the canal.
There was an anxious wait when we wondered about the logistics of us all
turning round again if it wasn’t going to open but thankfully the road began to
separate and we moved slowly through to more waving – this time from people on
the long line of boats coming in
from the other side. Out in the
open sea Paul noticed a black fin flapping in the water near to the boat and we
spotted another one a few minutes later and wondered if they might be sharks.
The sea was calm and there was a refreshing breeze but while Paul was below
sleeping, lightning began to flash on the horizon. Over the next two hours it lit up the
sky all around us. It was a
spectacular sight from the boat – red and white forked spears hit the ground
both on the shore and out at sea in front of us. We could hear no thunder and there was
no rain so it was a bit like watching a light show. I wasn’t too concerned until Paul dug
out a spare GPS which he wrapped in layers of foil and placed in the oven as a
precaution against the storm ruining the magnetism on the boat’s navigational
equipment! It had just started to rain when I went to bed at midnight.
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