36:08.97N 05:21.22W

5 Nov 2011

Got some fuel at marina before we left at 13:10 on 30 Oct.  Some roll left out at sea from the prior days of high winds but nothing bad.  No wind to work with so engine on.  Long trip and the forecast was for fog in Gibraltar so we planned an arrival after dawn.

Along the way the dolphins in this part of the Med are very playful.  I expect that for at least half the trip we had dolphins swimming at the bow.  At night without a moon the dolphins gave off a slight iridescence from contact with the bioluminensing algae they swam through.  We also had to drive around all the cargo ships and tankers that just sit floating in the water waiting for orders for their next port.  East of Gibraltar seems to be a nice place to hang out for them, easy access to the Atlantic or Med ports.

We arrived at the port of Gibraltar just before dawn so we slowed down and crept into the harbor.  When full light arrived we then proceeded to the marina.  Gibraltar is just full of ships, small fishing boats and pleasure boats that a night arrival is tough.  Trip was 133 nautical miles and it took 20 hours including the slowdown to wait for dawn.

Once into the Marina Bay the staff gave us a slip that turned out to be too shallow.  We slightly touched bottom during low tide, Gibraltar has about 1 meter of tide, much more than the rest of the Med.  We got moved to a deeper spot later in the day.  Easy access to small store and restaurants here.  A large supermarket called Morrison’s is not far away and carries most everything.  We made two shopping trips.  The second one was a full supply effort that required us to hire a taxi to bring it all back to the boat.

Eric flew in from the USA to meet us and become the third crew member.  Had not met him before but it is working out fine.  Of course British Air lost his luggage in Heathrow but delivered it the next day.

The airport in Gibraltar crosses the width of the peninsula.  As a result in order to get to Spain the road and walking paths cross the runway.  When a plane comes they close both sided of the road, do a quick sweep on the runway in case anything was dropped and the plan lands.  The road is re-opened and life goes on.  Like a drawbridge opening in the USA with all the associated backed-up traffic.

We have done very little sightseeing in Gibraltar since the weather has been so miserable.  High winds, rain and cold is the day weather.  Looks like a break today is coming that will allow us to leave for the Canaries.  Not the best time to leave with higher waves from the prior day storm but the wind has dropped and the sun is out.  I expect the waves will be large but without the strong winds they should not be an issue.  We need some wind to push us south and Sunday’s forecast is almost no wind.  So we will take what we can get.