Rota -> Barbate
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36:11.064N 5:55.981W Today we decided to move on from We set off about 11am. Our main reason for leaving was that
the winds were perfect for a trip to Barbate and then to The wind started of behaving as it should, easterly backing
northerly, less than 10kn. Perfect for a gentle sail down the coast. Then it
went haywire; as one point it was clear the wind at the bottom of the sail was
coming from a different direction than the wind at the top of the sail!
Eventually it settled down to be southerly ie on our nose. As we approached Cabo Trafalgar we hit some really rough
seas. This part of the sea is notoriously rough, hence we picked a perfect day
with not much wind, and a northerly wind going with the current. The good new
was the wind stayed below 10kn – a mere light breeze. However with the
wind against the current and other local conditions (overfalls and races) meant
we had seas crashing over the bow of the boat all the way back to the cockpit.
We were even careful to stay in the deep parts of the sea away from the banks
where condition would be worst. It really was amazing how rough the seas were
in such light winds. None of us enjoyed this bit, especially the cats. Luckily
the rough sea didn’t last for too long about ½ hour (at the time that was
far too long). We apologise for the lack of photos of the trip but it
really was very rough and taking photo’s was not top of our priorities. We then had the fun of the approach to Barbate. There are
several Tuna nets laid each year, one of then ends a few meters from the harbor
entrance which makes it a very narrow entrance. Avoiding lobster pots is
relatively easy – you avoid any pots in your path. Tuna nets are like
lobster pots except they are all joined together, hence you must avoid the
whole line of buoys – oh and the nets are about 2 miles long. All our books said the marina office closed at 17.30 and we
were still about 20 minutes away at this point hence we called them on the VHF.
We were told to go to the visitors pontoon and then go to the office; we
weren’t sure if they would stay open for us or what. When we arrived and
tied up on the visitors pontoon, Stephen rushed up to the office to find they
stay open to 20.00. We moored up, sorted ourselves out and prepared a meal. It
was an early night and a deep sleep after an exciting sail. |