Still in Gibraltar!  Sam And Alissa flew back to UK on Saturday.  Meanwhile, in the week and half since we have been here we have been doing a lot of boat maintenance (yes, it still goes on!) and the obligatory sightseeing.

 

On the boat maintenance front, the major success has been the rectification of the steering problem (with the assistance of Sheppard’s boatyard).  Well, we hope the problem has been solved.  Numerous other issues have been sorted, amongst which installation of AIS transceiver (so that other boats can see our position).

 

On the sightseeing front we have done all the things that tourists do here – apes, canons, duty-free shopping, views from the rock.  Gibraltar must have more canons and guns per square mile than anywhere else. It is a natural fortress,important because of its location, it’s defensive capacity aided by centuries of human endeavour.  There are relics from every European war from the middle ages onwards.  In the second world war the rock was literally hollowed out to make an underground city capable of housing 17,000 for a duration of 3 years, along with all the supplies and services that would be needed.

 

The apes are amazing!  They are semi-wild, but totally at home in human company, a great opportunity to observe the behaviour of another species of primate.

 

The views from the Rock are superb.  A lot of steep uphill walking involved, but worth the effort.

 

Liz is making a quick return to the UK tomorrow to see the new granddaughter, Phoebe.  When she returns on Saturday we hope to set off to Madeira.