Friday 17^th  June, 2016

The Mediterranean Sea 36 49.9N  1 53.4W

Today's Blog by David  (Time zone: BST+1; UTC +2)

Last time Peter and I were in Gibraltar we stayed there rather longer than we wanted to while various bits of the boat were smoothed, stroked, tended or otherwise put back together.  While we were wating, we saw most of what Gibraltar has to offer as well as a goodly bit of La Linea in Spain.  So this time, as we put in for an overnight refuelling stop, we were on familiar territory.

It had been a long night, with quite a bit of traffic around (which requires the watch to be awake and alert) and we had rounded Tarifa just before dawn to be greeted by a familiar sight: at day break:

We moored in the same marina (perhaps not our wisest choice given the 25+kt breeze fetched up a short chop on the marina making life less than comfortable – and handy for the airport runway 200 metres away) but at least it was cheap ………… well it was until they presented us a separate bill for power and water (everywhere we have stopped on this journey hitherto, these were both included in the berthing fee) for an addtional 70%  of the berth fee.  Chiz.  

Some things had changed though.  The berths we had used last time had been removed to allow this floating hotel & casino to be moved into position:  

There was something of a shuck of Oysters alteady there: Oyster 72 ‘Solitaire’ is moored just in front of the hotel ship above: in the left forground is Oyster 82 ‘Pandemonium’ an Oyster World Rally participant whom we last saw in Antigua in April 2014.  Skipper Murray was on board.

Ted has already reported that our parking experience was a joy but once we were safely tied up, (a process that must have taken over an hour), Ted and and Doug did the tourist bits:

Meanwhile,  Peter and I caught up with some much needed shut eye before we set off for a trip down memory lane - we found the Main Street shopping easily enough and the chandlery too. 

Last night we visited La Linea, the nearest town in Spain, which is within walking distance across the main airport runwayand through passport control.  We had many meals there in 2011 and we returned to our favourite Tapas bar for some excellent food.  I also spotted some excellent wine: “¿Cuànto cuesta” I enquired so exhausting the full extent of my Spanish. The answer turned out to be €15 (the barman having enquired in the kitchen and then then wrote it down on paper) and when I tell you this was a ‘La Rijoa Alta’ 2007 Reserva you might imagine that we enthusiastically embraced it (a ‘brace’ here being the operative word) particularly because we had already purchased some of this in a restaurent earlier in the trip at €23.

We were billed €37.50.  Our entire Spanish lexicon already exhausted, we were lost for (Spanish)  words!!  The enterprising bar staff found an English speaking customer who interceded with the staff and broadcast events to a gathering crowd of interested onlookers. We established that the facts stated above were agreed by the bar staff, that the new charge was “because the Boss say so” and that “the Boss” was not available for comment.  I made what some of my crew thought an oever- generous offer of cash settlement at €23 per bottle. That this was thought acceptablewas evidenced by the crowd returning to their own drinks and conversations and so we hi-tailed it before the Boss bacame available for comment.

So having been stitched up on the berthing and then on the wine, it was good to find that fuel here really was 30 pence per litre -  the saving over the 300 litres we needed to puchase more than covering our disappointmnents.

So yesterday we left as soon as the marina staff arrived at work, refuelled and then set out in to the Mediterranean – into the unknown as far as we are concerned.  A gentle motor was followed by flying the Frog for a few hours before we needed to gybe so we took it down while we had lunch. By the time we had cleared things away the wind had strengthened and by 16.00 we had 25-35kts from behind.  The sea continued to build and it became something fo a rollercoaster with us surfing from time to time. 

By 01.00 it had died, as suddenly as it had arrived since when we have been motoring – now in a flat calm!  We are now broadly at the same Longitude as Poole…..!