Thursday 8^th May – Gibraltar - Ceuta (In search of Africa)

35:53.384N 5:18.792W

Today it was Mum’s birthday.  We had a leisurely breakfast on deck as Mum opened her birthday cards.  Then we showered and prepared Pyxis for departure.

The weather was forecast for fairly light winds and only 1m swell and so we thought it would be a pleasant short trip across to Africa this afternoon; so, we left the marina, fuelled up and set off to Ceuta which is a Spanish town on the north coast of Africa, just across from Gibraltar (Gibraltar and Ceuta make up what the Romans called the Pillars of Hercules).

As we left Gibraltar we passed the QE2 which was alongside, and then headed out through the large ships anchored in the bay.  Unfortunately the visibility in the Straits was poor and the swell was 3m and so we had a pretty lumpy and grey passage.  Gradually Africa appeared out of the gloom and we were pleased to arrive in the marina 3 hours later.  We are hoping for a clear day for the return passage so we can enjoy the views.

When we arrived, we sat on the pontoon with Moonshadow and had a couple of bottles of wine to relax.  This evening we went for a meal to a Chinese restaurant next to the marina to celebrate Mum’s birthday – we were able to sit outside and enjoy a lovely view over the water as we ate.