36:36N 002:23W

Days Run   179 miles

Distance to Alcudia Mallorca    312 miles

 

Hi Folks

I’m sure you thought we were lost but I didn’t hear anyone looking for us. We were so busy what with cleaning the boat cleaning ourselves washing clothes scrubbing the decks and running the ship, life was all too busy.

I hope all who are away on their summer cruise are having a fabulous time and great weather.

 

Yesterday was a special sailing day . You know the ones you get about once every 10 years. Yes ours came yesterday.

 

We had to hit the tidal gate at the straits of Gibraltar bang on or else, and thanks Charlie for all the good info on HW times at Gibraltar. After a hard days struggle of trimming sails we hit it dead on. We picked up the last half hour of the ebb flowing west which soon turned into a 3.5 knot tide flowing east.As we approached Tarifa the wind increased from behind and we had boomed out genoa and main and mizzen. The wind increased further as we got into the Straits proper and blew at 25 knots with gusts to 30 knots. We had up the boomed out genoa main and mizzen.We whistled through at over 11 knots and when we got out the other side( the Straits are 30 miles long) the wind blew at 30 knots with gusts up to  36.

The Skipper hand steered and you could hear the whoops for miles. We reefed but not a lot and carried the wind for 12 hours.

The strange thing about the Straits is the number of big ships waiting at anchor presumably to get a place at the docks. Not only this but the number at especially the Med end showing not under command signals just drifting at up to 4 knots in the tide and wind . We must have counted 8 all told some 20 miles on the Med side.

We had an exciting night dodging all sorts of traffic in those sort of winds.

 

Saw 2 turtles in a near gale just plodding along going to God knows where. Dolphins were also around the boat for the first time in several days.

Bird life is scarce.

 

In 10 miles we will turn north east leaving the Costas behind with about

300 miles to Alcudia.Should arrive late Friday.

 

 

Breakfast

   Porridge with banana raisins and honey.

Lunch

   Choice of Chicken or tomato soup(we had only one tin of each left) cheese serano ham cooked ham James’s bread

Dinner

Prepared By Russell

Steak with onions potatoes and sweet corn

Sweet

Custard and pears (prepared by Simon)

Tea and chocalate biscuits

 

James is baking again this afteroon.

 

 

 

 

 

All crew are fine doing watches reading making food.