FW: Puerto Sherry to Gibraltar
PAMARZI
Thu 11 Jul 2013 17:07
been a day of nostalgic moments.
We left Puerto Sherry, with all its graceful, flitting swallows, for
Gibraltar at 08.45 in much calmer seas than those in which we had arrived,
much to my relief. Shortly out of the marina we passed a fishing boat
returning to harbour being bombarded by thousands of noisy, squawking gulls
intent on their fishy breakfast - quite a sight.
The sail between Puerto Sherry and Gibraltar took us along a coastline parts
of which are familiar to us both from many decades ago. In 1958 I met Linda
on our first day at senior school and we have remained firm friends ever
since. In the late 60s she departed the UK shores for the warmer climes of
Andalucia and over the subsequent decades I have visited her on the glorious
Costa de la Luz, firstly in 1967 at the vaguely remembered tender age of 19.
I fell in love with this glorious, sun baked, unspoilt by tourism part of
Spain there and then and so the following summer when Roger and I were an
established 'item' we drove down here in his treasured Cortina 1600E with a
couple of friends to a house we had rented through Linda. Little could we
have dreamt then that forty five years later we would be sailing past the
beach at Fuente del Gallo, where we ate sardines caught and cooked by a
local fisherman with the entire beach to ourselves, on our own ocean going
yacht. It was a very nostalgic and absolutely 'can this be real' moment.
Before Fuente we had passed Playa de Barrossa , the beach closest to Linda's
home, where Linda and I used to come with the children in the 80s and 90s
and where we celebrated at least two,of Georgia's birthdays, certainly her
6th and her 11th. Oh what treasured memories.
Then on to Cabo de Trafalgar where we duly acknowledged the great Admiral
Lord Nelson by Roger gently and respectfully dipping the ensign above the
once bloodied waters of these famous shores.
I love sailing. I hate sailing. This morning it was champagne sailing -
force 3/4, a gentle breeze on our faces, mainsail. genoa and staysail all
set. All's good in my world. This afternoon - oh, how quickly things at sea
can change - we're in a force 8, not forecast, crashing and beating to
windward in a horrid, choppy, lumpy sea - these are the infamous Straits of
Gibraltar! Champagne madam? Er - no thanks!!
Who was it who said 'Life begins at the end of your comfort zone'?
However, it's also true that nothing lasts forever and as we approached La
Linea the winds fell and the waves subsided and very soon the sea resembled
a paddling pool. We entered Puerto Deportivo Alcaidesa in La Linea with the
sun setting on our browning backs some twelve hours after leaving Puerto
Sherry and settled ourselves on a pontoon in the lee of the famous Rock of
Gibraltar.
Tomorrow we may go say hello to the Barbary Apes.
From Lynn Roger & Rob
The Crew of Pamarzi