Tarifa, Spain

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Tue 15 Sep 2009 12:13
Position: 36 00.40 N 005 36.37 W
At anchor off Tarifa, Spain
Wind: South west, fresh breeze .
Weather: Overcast, mild, occasional showers


We sailed to anchor at 3.30 p.m. Once secure and dinghy launched I rowed over to visit a nearby catamaran to obtain some local knowledge. They were locals so were wealth of information: no formalities required; I was fine where I was anchored; watch the weather - wind blows in two directions, east or west, when it switches to east move; free wi-fi connections available ashore.

Since then have been ashore, a pleasant village, but a lot of tourists. Here is a poem I wrote yesterday of my first impressions:

TARIFA

Peering through open doorways,
Past ornate tiled hallways,
Tantalizing glimpses
Of open courtyards small within.

Billboards of toreadors
Walled city, archways galore
Old within, new without
Stone forts, turismo wander:

Young thonged feet,
Sandy, skimpy clothes,
Long shorts, T-shirts,
Dreadlocks, smoking, ragged airy looks;

Or older neatly trousered,
Polo shirted, money belted
Packs small upon backs.
Clean, shaven, crisp.

Winding narrow streets
No Hummers rumbling here
Rather the high pitch squeal
Of a scooter screaming up a hill

While in an open plaza,
Small children kick a football
- the round kind.

All is well

Bob Cat:

I heard the anchor chain rattle out the hawsepipe yesterday, and skipper Bob left the boat for awhile, so I assume we are at anchor. It still seems a bit rolly to me, less than ideal, still we make do . . . Zzzzzzz.