42:45.824N 008:56.799W
SV Eleonora
Michael A. Andronov
Mon 30 Jul 2018 10:08
Local time — 1133
We are in the marina at the moment. Marina insisted that I have to move to the dock in order they can serve me — meaning to process my paper work, etc, etc…
The marina is so tiny… I’ve been a bit nervous even to think to move close… ( It has been 16 kts of wind, some tide current… and the marina was so small… ).
But post-factum — I’m happy they convinced me to come in… ( I should say — they were extremely cooperative, harbourmaster listened to all my arguments, and come with the solution to put me on the visitor dock, and to keep me there… )
So, we are fine, along the dock, now really and officially in Portosin Marina.
The guide says — ‘ It is the least developed bay…’ Well, that is may be quite true… Not much on the surface — a small marina, no chandlery, not clear how to get the parts for the boat if you need ones… Which makes a strange feeling since the marina is around the Nautical Club, and there is no shortage of the local sailing boats… And they are equipped…
It is a small city, on the mainland, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean of Spain … Yes, you have everything like — hardware store, supermarket, pharmacy… bank, lawyer offices, real estate offices… bar & restaurants…. But it is a small city, on the ocean coast, on the mainland of Spain… so downscale the sizes of all above when you are trying to imagine the place, and then — downscale them again…
But what makes this place so well known by sailors passing by — local people, who are so nice, so welcoming, so friendly! ( Do exact opposite — upscale, upscale, upscale !)
Immediate goal — to rest and to get some strength back. It is only now, touching a bit of ’normal life’ when I’ve realised how tired the boat and myself are…
About the boat — nothing major… Mostly consequences and aftermath of the latest lessons:
— chafe… On everything — lines, sails cover, aluminium tubes…. For me it has been quite a discovery to find how quickly the damage propagation is happening. One thing — to understand the process, even to experience it by observing and fixing the consequences… Another part — to watch and to prevent, to find the places where it is going / may get going next, and to prevent it… And as the boat moving, 24/7… sometimes it is not easy… A bit of the wind change… especially at late evening… and in the morning… Here you go… You have to pay for experience and education — as I’m treating it at the moment, there is no free lunch… ;-)
— salt water… It is getting in… and it is getting to the parts…. The old saying states that the salt water is where the life started… Quite possible it is a true statement — since all kind of growing is starting very quickly, indeed!
At the same time, my observation is that the salt water is a killer for everything what the human builds… Starting from the Okley glasses frame — the tiny screws have not gone undone, but rather were broken in the middle… And finishing with all kind of joints… If there is electricity around — in any form, even inside the box, electric greese, etc. — the same…
So, there are a few fixes to apply, but they are not showstoppers, or critical… may be done ‘under go’…
And that is why the major goal now — rest, clean the boat, walk around and see the place, some work on the boat, rest… and start to plan next move!
I’ll continue to update the blog, even if I’m in the marina.
But at this point — I’m not expecting too much events… So, I would probably do it once a day…
Talk to you soon,
M.