GIBRALTAR

Thursdays Child
Robin & Joanna Minchin
Sat 17 Jan 2015 09:25
36:08.152N
005:21.380W

Queensway Quay Marina, Gibraltar

Today has to be the best day imaginable ~ we made it to the Med and Gibraltar Rock is visible from the cockpit!
However it followed the most nerve racking night imaginable.

After writing last night's blog the wind grew and grew until it was howling through the Marina, then it poured, and we all lay in our bunks listening to the weather and had our own thoughts of what might lie ahead. Bol and I were both thinking the same ... no way were we leaving in the morning if this continued!

But much to our amazement when the alarm went at 7am the wind was down to 7 knots and unbelievably it was from a good direction. We crept out of the Marina very nervously soon after 8am to find very acceptable conditions, and by 9am we were literally flying along with two reefed sails ~ poled out jib and the main with its preventer on. Downwind sailing with a growing sea and increasing wind behind us, wonderful to see 9.3knots on the speedo. It was fun to call Caro and Tim via mobiles as we flew past their flat on the beach at Zahara de los Atunes.

Some rocky land appeared in the haze ahead and we realised it was Africa, that was a very good moment. As hoped, the seas calmed right down when we entered the Straits of Gibraltar. Shortly after that, Harry's lure caught a fabulous (and his 5th) 4.5lb 22 inch Atlantic Bonito and we realised that it was twice the weight of yesterday's so chuckled and agreed that if Lewis and Theresa were still in Gibraltar, we would invite them to share it with us.

By noon we past the southern most point of Europe on our left ~ Tarifa, and we continued to cruise along very gently until Gibraltar came into sight. The final hour was rather a culture shock with large ships in all directions, some anchored, some moving, some express ferries, and the beautiful NW tail wind was now a 30 knot headwind so we both needed to concentrate with 360 vision.

It was very exciting to see Gibraltar finally, and the children came on deck and both said "WOW". It was a very 'wow' moment. We came into Queensway Quay Marina and our lines we caught by one of the harbour chaps. We heard a friendly 'hello' from across the Marina and saw Lewis and Theresa waving from their yacht 'Spiral' (chess in Sines and then Portimao). Fortunately they were available to join us for supper and kindly arrived with some champagne and we all tucked into Harry's delicious tuna.

What a wonderful welcome to Gibraltar, what a relief to be here, what a roller coaster journey from Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight to get here, and what a happy conclusion to the end of our first six months at sea.

And the best thing is that the little chap gets to spend his tenth birthday in Gibraltar on Sunday :)





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