More miles – more marinas and a trip to Marbella ….. June 2011

01 – 06 June 2011

Summer has officially arrived, but it seems someone has forgotten to tell the weather gods.   The temperature has cooled a little and there has been thunder and lightening around, oh well, not much we can do about it.  

The days are passing but nothing much seems to be changing.  We have moved along the coast, first of all to Fuengirola and then onto Estepona where we currently are.  Both trips were around 30 miles, pretty uneventful with light easterlies that teased us into taking the time to set the sails, only to have the wind drop out after a couple of hours.  Our trip here to Estepona was somewhat rolly, and we had stayed in Fuengirola an extra day to give the swell time to settle. 

We caught the bus from Fuengirola to Marbella, Spain’s  waterfront “Golden Mile” destination of choice for the rich and famous.  There is a lovely old town area, compact but cute, full of some upmarket shops and plenty of restaurants.  We didn’t take the bus the additional 6 kilometres out to Puerto Banus, we hear it is Spains most expensive marina and full of some very big “gin palaces”, with some rather glitzy waterfront cafes.  But we have certainly seen enough marinas in the last month so instead explored all the small alleyways and plazas in the old town which didn’t take long, so there was nothing for it but to find a spot for some early afternoon tapas before our bus back again.      

Fuengirola’s waterfront is lined with high-rise apartment blocks and hotels, it is the busiest spot we have seen so far but we still thought it was pretty quiet, considering it is the beginning of June the tourists are few and far between.   

So now we are in Estepona, we can see the “Rock of Gibraltar” just down the road, and this morning it was clear enough to see Morocco too.  Tomorrow we have a nor’wester of 15-20 knots forecast so we shall head down the coast, our final part of the Mediterranean coastline.  If the Straits look a little too lively we might stop in Gib, if we are up to a sporty sail across the straits then it will be onto Morocco – we are ready for a change of scenery and culture.  

Cruising info for Fuengirola and Estepona – June 2011

Fuengirola Marina – 36 32.50N   04 36.97W  Entrance straightforward but totally exposed to the east and quite a swell rolling in with easterly winds, not too much movement within the marina.  Depth at entrance around 4m, 3.5 at berth.  Visitors/waiting dock on right after the fuel dock, reasonable room to manoeuvre.  Not much room in fairways between docks though.  Plenty of bars and restaurants around marina area, (with English, Dutch and German menus!).  Closet ATM opposite Club Nautica restaurant in Marina complex.  Clean showers and toilets, self service laundry.   Free WIFI, average signal.  Good Mercadona Supermarket, head east along waterfront just a few minutes, it is one block back and you will see the sign and the carpark signs from waterfront road.  Bus to Marbella from bus station (about 3 blocks inland and slightly to the west of the marina) leaves 1/2 hourly on the hour abut €3 pp one way.  Marina €35 per night all incl.

Estepona Marina – 36 24.91N   05 09 .45W   Entrance all ok we did briefly see 3m at end of wall but maybe cut the corner a little closely.  Entrance exposed to southwest.  Visitors/waiting dock on right with little white office on it.  Good area in manoeuvre and plenty of room in fairways for a change.  Clean showers and toilets.  Laundry (not self service) on alley behind marina.  Free WIFI, good signal.  ATM by Marina office (max €300).  OpenCor Supermarket just across the road, reasonable selection but most expensive we have seen in Spain.  Estepona town quite a walk along the front to the North, not much there (found a Vodafone shop)  Marina €40 per night, think power and water will be extra, too expensive for what is here really.

Day out to Málaga ..... May 2011

31 May 2011

We decided to do a daytrip into Málaga while we were in Caleta de Velez, and even had enough sense not to go on Monday when the main sites would be closed!

The bus trip took about an hour and a quarter along the coast road - through all the towns, villages and resorts along the way, somewhat slow with all the stops but interesting to see the coastline from land for a change.  It is not all tourist developments, their are many local homes painted white and decorated with local tiles to remind you that you are certainly in Spain.

Málaga is another port city with a very long history, nearly every civilisation that invaded and occupied all the other Mediterranean ports had their turn is Málaga too.  It has quite a Moorish flavour to it, the well preserved Alcazaba  dating from 1057 is perched on the highest point.  We enjoyed walking through the well shaded gardens,  and exploring the chambers and rooms.  There are ongoing restorations and it is all in very good order.   

Set into the hillside below the Alcazaba  is a small Roman theatre, guess the Romans were here too!!   Some of the pavement around this area is made of thickened glass, there are obviously many ruins underneath and the glass enables an insight into what lies below.

It was one of the warmest days we have had this season and all this sightseeing takes its toll.  We headed for a cute little outdoor cafe adjacent to the Alcazaba and topped up our fuel tanks with a couple of cool drinks and a tapas tasting menu, excellent.

Time out for tapas

Next up was the Picasso Museum, located in the ancient juderia sector of the old town, sited in the 16th century Palacio de Buenavista, a beautiful building but it should be, it has recently undergone a €66 million restoration!  Pablo Picasso was born in Málaga, although he moved to Northern Spain with his family at a young age.  His family have donated over 200 of his works, spanning his career.  There were two or three that actually looked quite “normal” looking paintings, the rest - well they were definitely what you expect a Picasso to look like.  

The other main attraction was the Cathedral, built during the 16th and 17th centuries it displays mixtures of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles, guess that happens when somewhere takes two hundred years to complete, and then they never completed the southern tower.  It is an enormous building and dominates much of the old town.

The bus back to Caleta de Velez went on the motorway, for a while we were worried we were actually on the wrong bus but it was an express and got us back in 45 minutes, it had been an enjoyable day out.  We had seen everything in the area now, it was time to move on – next stop Fuengirola.

Entrance Fees:  Picasso Museum €6     Alcazaba €2.10    Cathedral €6    Buses:  €2.56 pp each way

Back in working order ….. May 2011

24 May – 29 May 2011
Our unplanned stop in Marina del Este was only for 3 nights.  The mechanics were fast and efficient and did an excellent job of removing the injectors and injector pump, sending the pump away for servicing, cleaned the injectors, put it all back together and had Olive our Volvo running smoothly in record time.  They were even kind enough to let us use their pool car to drive over the hill to Herradura to make daily raids on the Cash Machine so we could pay them! 

We left Marina del Este early afternoon and headed another 17 miles west, we were expecting to motor as there was no wind forecast, and thought it would be good to give the engine a good run.  However we couldn’t resist sailing when a light easterly filled in, we just poled out both the headsails and had a lovely slow but comfortable trip along to our next marina stop at Caleta de Velez.    

We were pleased to be able to make it here by Saturday as Mark’s cousin Sally and her husband Graham were holidaying from England were and staying with their friends John and Barbara inland from Caleta de Velez and we had planned to rendezvous with them.

It was great to see Sally and Graham and to meet John and Barbara.  John has built and owned wooden boats so he was very interested in looking through Balvenie, and we are always happy to show her off!  We found a great restaurant on the waterfront, jam packed with locals enjoying a long Saturday afternoon lunch.  We joined in for an excellent “Menu del dia”, sat down in the shade - the Mediterranean just metres away and whiled away the afternoon eating, drinking and talking, very Spanish indeed!

Our visitors headed back to the hills early evening, it had been great to catch up.  After a quick well earned siesta we hit the bars looking for a big screen to watch the final of the European Football Cup.  Barcelona were playing Manchester United and we were absolutely amazed to find that every local was supporting Man U and not Barcelona.  A couple of the locals that could speak some English explained that if we looked at the Barcelona supporters in the stand at Wembley you would be hard pushed to see a Spanish flag anywhere.  They all either flew the Barcelona Club flag or the regional Catalonian flag, they did not see themselves as Spanish.  We found this very interesting, we all have fierce rivalry within regions of our countries, but generally if we are playing away we will support the Kiwi team, from whatever region.

Cruising info for Marina del Este and Caleta de Velez – May 2011
Marina del Este – 36 43.67N  03 43.57W 
(We only came in here to undergo engine repairs)  Approach to entrance totally exposed to the East, there is some surge inside as swells reflects off rocks, even in light easterlies and we met a boat that had left the marina after spending 2 nights in there with 30 knot easterlies as the surge was so bad (they went to windward in 30knots to get out!!)  It is a small marina, we ended up paying up for a longer berth just so we could manoeuvre into it.  The 2 mooring lines that were pulled up were not attached to the bottom, the chain had worn through!!  They did replace them first thing the following morning but this is a very expensive marina and should be maintained accordingly.  The staff, however, were excellent, spoke good English, answered channel 09 on VHF and were ready to assist us when we were towed in.  There is a fuel berth and waiting berth on the right on entering and room there for turning.  Least depth seen 3.5m (on fuel berth).  Clean showers and toilets, free wifi, small minimarket, laundry (not self service), a few restaurants, and a couple of shops.  Mechanical repairs onsite, reasonable English spoken, €40 per hour.  Hard stand with large travel lift, .  Very steep walk over hill to Herradura town.  Cost €55 per night plus power and water

Caleta de Velez – 36 44.85N  04 04.03W
Huge breakwater, entrance exposed to south.  Very big fishing port with a lot of fishing boat traffic but marina is at far end so little noise or wash from the boats, does smell somewhat fishy.  The waiting dock is on the left past the fuel dock, it has a huge sign on it, it is only about 15 metres long and is covered in seagull droppings – wear shoes!!!  There was no one to take lines.  Plenty of turning room, depth around 5 metres from memory.  Clean showers and toilets, self service laundry €3, free wifi but weak signal.  Cost €19 per night all included still low season until 31 May.  Main road just behind marina has good bakery, not so good butcher and a couple of supermarkets (more minimarkets) within a couple of minutes walk.  there is also a Saturday morning market on this road, mainly clothes but some produce.  Lidls Supermarket is about 10 minutes away, head right (east) on the walkway along the beach until you get to a pedestrian roundabout (cobbled pavement), there is a road roundabout with a boat on it and you can see Lidls just behind it.  Buses to/from Malaga leave from main road just by the hotel with the big green hotel sign on top.  We caught one to Malaga at 12.35pm and back at 6.50pm €2.56 each one way about 1 1/4 hours there along the coast, 45 minutes back along the motorway.

Oh no – we need a tow!!!! ….. May 2011

  23 – 25 May 2011
We finally departed Almerimar Marina around 11am once a light easterly breeze had filled in, we raised the main, poled out the headsail and even rolled out the staysail too, just to make sure we caught all of the breeze that was coming our way.  It was a beautiful day, this is how it is supposed to be, blue skies, almost flat seas, light winds, snow capped mountains in the distance and even the occasional dolphin.  But of course good things never last, the wind either dies or you get beaten up, at least today we weren’t due for a beating!  We sailed for as long as we could, but the wind just died away and with over 40 miles to cover to our anchorage we had to eventually give in and we ended up motoring for 5 hours.  

We were headed for Herradura , one of the few bays on the coast and we hoped we would be able to tuck into the corner away from the ever present south easterly swell.  Just after 8pm we passed the nearby Marina del Este, rounded the next headland and pulled into the bay.  With the engine in very low revs we slowly nudged our way in towards shore looking for the best spot to anchor the night, and then the unthinkable happened, Olive our trusty Volvo engine just stopped without even a hiccup of a warning.  So without any further debate we decided that where we were was by far the best spot to anchor, and over it went!!

Now attached to the bottom, it was time for skipper, Mark the Mechanic, to get the engine going again.  After owning Balvenie 8 years now and undergoing most of the maintenance and repairs ourselves, there is really not much that Mark does not know about Olive (his other woman!), but this time she had us totally stumped, the engine would turn and turn, but just would not fire.  So after checking everything at 11pm we admitted defeat and headed for a much needed sleep.

We awoke the earliest we have in ages, even managed to check into our morning Cruisers Net for a change and say hi to a few friends dotted across the Med.  Then with crossed fingers toes and everything else and hoped for an overnight miracle.  But it was not to be our lucky day, still plenty of rrrrrrrrr’s but the ole girl just would not start.  More checks were done, fuel filters changed, engine bled, air filters changed, then tried with no air filter, lift pump checked (for the technical amongst you) engine bled again and again….. but no joy.  Nigel Calder's “Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual “ (otherwise known as “what does Nigel say??) was consulted yet again, and still we came up with no answer.  

Plan B was to wait for the wind or afternoon sea breeze to arrive then hoist some sail and sail the 2 miles into the marina. Skipper was itching to give it a go…after all… he’d done it before… yeah right, but that was a 34 foot race boat with half a rig and 6 blokes on board (you know who you are).  I was not quite so enthusiastic. My built in alarm system, honed over the past 7 years, was ringing in my ears. Skipper is the first to admit that he has a propensity to turn a bad situation into a very bad and expensive situation if given too much scope to act unsupervised.  However, as the morning progressed the wind just would not fill in.

Plan C was to call the nearby marina to see if we could arrange a tow, they were extremely helpful  but unfortunately their own tender is only for use within the marina complex and they were not able to find anyone else that could help us.  Coastguard could come and get us, but for the 2 miles it would be €300 – we would save that as a last resort.  Our dinghy with its small outboard just wasn’t up to the job of towing nearly 20 tons so we decided to sit and wait, hoping for the wind to finally fill in so we could sail around to the marina entrance then be assisted in by the marina tender.

While we waited skipper kept trying.  We phoned Volspec in the UK, we have purchased several spares and our new turbo through them so thought they may have a technical side that could help us.  They were excellent, and spent nearly an hour on the phone with Mark, talking him through several options, most of which he had already tried.  Although they could not shed any light on our problem either, we found them extremely helpful and appreciated the time and advice they gave us.

And so we waited, but the wind didn’t blow – so the boat wouldn’t go – we definitely needed a tow.  Just before 3pm a large local inflatable came into the bay and we managed to wave it over.  With a little persuasion and enough euro's to fill his petrol tank a couple of times, it was anchor up and off we went.  We called the marina and they were ready for us when we were towed in, our little towboat did a great job and we got tied up on to the fuel dock without incident, phew.  

Within minutes the marina had organised mechanics and they arrived within an hour.  And so the tests started over again, but still Olive refused to start.  With all options exhausted, the air filter was removed and a can of miracle spray produced, one squirt straight into the turbo fan was all it took and we were back in working order, absolutely amazing – we want some of this stuff!!!!  It creates a mini explosion in the engine and fires the pistons … so I’m told. They tell us it should only be used when everything else has been eliminated, for obvious reasons.

We moved over into a berth for the night, Olive was starting well but she wasn’t running smoothly, the cavitating revs we had experienced before arriving in Cartagena in October had returned.  We had hoped the new Turbo and cleaned injectors had solved the problem, but clearly it hadn’t.  It was time for the fuel injector pump to be removed and serviced, it was last done over 4 years ago in Singapore after our engine problems in Indonesia, but that was many miles and engine hours ago.  We will stay a few days and get it sorted here. 

Cruising info on Herradura - May 2011
Herradura  36 43.56N   03 44.26W  
8.5m sand  One of the few anchorages with some coverage along this coast.  We were able to escape most of the easterly swell and if wind/swell was from the west you could tuck in over the other side of the bay.  Totally exposed to south.  Long sandy beach, ATM's on foreshore road , some restaurants.  A couple of supermarkets a block inland, closed at siesta time.  No free wifi, used dongle

Waiting for the weather in Almerimar ….. May 2011

15 – 23 May 2011
The days just seem to pass by as we stayed tied up in the marina at Almerimar.  For the first few days the wind just kept howling out of the north east, bringing with it cloudy skies and even some rain.  The Costa del Sol (Coast of Sun) was certainly not living up to its name. 

After working every day on boat jobs in Cartagena we now felt somewhat idle, but that feeling doesn’t last too long until you kick back and enjoy the leisure time.  Almerimar is situated on a long pebbly beach, going for miles and miles, the shoreline has been developed over the years with a huge range of accommodation for the Northern European sun seekers.  There are some  upmarket apartment complexes with manicured grounds, swimming pools and tennis courts,  then there are blocks that have certainly seen better days with most of the paint flaking off and the buildings crumbling at the corners.  In addition there are developments that have clearly run out of money and stand unfinished, scaring the landscape, and amazingly even more developments still with building underway – just who they are expecting to sell these to when there are so many empty properties on the Spanish coastline is beyond us. 

We got plenty of exercise and walked everyday, covering a fair few miles in all directions.  One afternoon we explored the neighbouring Puntas Entinas Nature Reserve in search of the pink flamingos and white headed ducks that have found that these wetlands are one of the few places where they can reproduce successfully, thereby avoiding extinction.  It was an interesting walk through the sand dunes and into the wetlands, but maybe we shouldn’t have gone at siesta time as not a feather was spotted!! 

At last the strong winds eased, but of course then there was no wind.  The weekend was coming so we decided to stay put for a couple more days so Mark could catch up with all the sport including the Spanish F1 Grand Prix and I could join the local walking group and hike off into the mountains.  Sunday morning dawned clear and warm so off I went. 

There was a small group of 7 of us, we drove off inland and upwards into the Sierra Nevada foothills for about an hour then embarked on a 13 kilometre walk.  Part of the walk was following an ancient water canal system first built by Moorish settlers hundreds of years ago.  It was used until quite recent times when the steep heavily terraced land was still planted but now lies overgrown and decaying, most the land is no longer used.   
However there were still a few pockets of farmed land, some small vineyards, horses grazing, wild flowers waving in the gentle breeze, streams cutting through the rocks and even some waterfalls.  It was an enjoyable walk, great to get back inland and up into the hills, everywhere was still green after winter but I suspect the hot sun will having it all looking rather dry in no time at all.

Meanwhile Skipper had enjoyed his sports fix, having had the added bonus of English commentaries on television.  Due to the large expat community living both in and around the marina there is a selection of English/Irish establishments to while away a few hours with a pint, and perhaps even some fish n chips!!

We enjoyed our time in Almerimar, even throughout the period of strong winds there were boats coming and going all the time so always new neighbours to talk to.  All of them were heading east, into the Med and into the headwinds and big seas.  None of them were enjoying it much, but the ones that kept going were all crewed boats and the owners wanted the boat in a particular place, by a specific time – and it was the crews job to get it there.  We value having the time and flexibility that our cruising life allows us so we can minimize the unpleasant passages we have. 

Monday was forecast to be 10 – 15 knots from the east, clear skies and slight seas.  It was time to say goodbye to all our new friends and move forever westward.   

Cruising info for Almerimar Marina is on the previous posting.

Marina hopping on the Costa del Sol ….. May 2011

07 – 15 May 2011

The wind eased at Cabo de Gata with the setting of the sun, the anchorage even turned to glass for a while as we enjoyed our dinner after a tough day.  Skipper checked the weather and saw that we were to get a westerly change through early afternoon the following day, so we decided to leave early and get across the Bay of Almeria before it changed.  Just after dark our tranquil anchorage returned to its former self, with wind gusts up to 30 knots again, but somehow now we had wavelets coming in from the southwest, slapping us on the stern, while the wind blew from the north east.  Quite clearly it was going to be “one of those nights”.   

After finally getting to sleep at 1am Skipper awoke at 4am, things felt a little different.  The north easterly had been replaced by a westerly, about 8 hours early!!  Although the wind wasn’t yet too strong the sea state was already chopping up, and as we quickly prepared for a “dark o’clock” departure the wind strength steadily increased.  Great to get some practice in so early in the season at lifting anchor in the dark, lets hope we don’t have to do it too often!!  Across the Bay of Almeria we motored in the dark, the occasional ferry bound for Morocco or Algeria crossing our path. 

Daylight broke as we closed on the west coast of the bay and the town of Aguadulce,   the winds eased closer to shore and the seas flattened yet again.  We weren’t to be fooled in a false sense of security though, this whole coastline is void of good sheltered anchorages but full of marinas.  It was time to change our cruising mindset, the marinas are there for a very good reason, and we shall be using them until we find safe all round anchorages again.   We pulled into the marina and tied to the fuel dock to await being allocated a berth.  We moved across to our berth on the breakwater, tied up and relaxed, and it was only just gone 8am, way too much excitement to start the day!!!  By mid morning we had thunder storms rolling through, we were very happy we had moved when we did.

We slipped back into marina life quite happily as the winds howled through,  first from the west and then from the east.  There are miles and miles of golden sandy beaches to walk along, big screen TV’s to watch Football and the Grand Prix, a visitors dock with a good mix of cruisers passing through, even some other New Zealanders and Australians to share happy hours with.


One day we caught the bus the short distance to Almeria.  The morning we went the local  road was closed so we ended up having quite a tour as we headed miles out of the way to join up with the motorway instead.  Almeria is a pleasant town, as with so many of the towns along this southern coastline it has been rejuvenated in recent years both by tourism and agriculture.  The coastline is covered in millions of shade houses that grow a huge proportion of Europe’s vegetables. 

The big attraction in Almeria is the spectacular Alcazaba Fortress, dating from 955 it still dominates the skyline behind the town centre. The Alcazaba was originally built as a military camp in times of siege.  It’s mosque was converted to a chapel when overrun by the Catholic Monarchs in 1489.  There are also remains of the Muslim palace, but earthquakes and natural decay have certainly taken their toll over the years.  The views from up here were stunning.  Back down at sea level the Cathedral  is yet another impressive building, its almost new compared to the Alcazaba, built in the 1520’s.  It has 6 prominent watch towers, to keep an eye on those Northern African raiders.    

We found a small local tapas bar and enjoyed a great late lunch in the shade, the first time this season we have sought the shade, summer must finally be coming.   Finding the bus stop back to Aguadulce was a bit of a challenge so we headed out to the bus terminal and eventually got a bus, it was a quick scenic trip back along the local coast road.

We stayed while the wind blew too hard, then we stayed because there was no wind!  A couple of days ago we had perfect downwind conditions of 15knots and nearly flat seas so we have moved on another 20 miles and are tucked up again in the huge marina complex at Almerimar,  an easterly wind is whipping through  - at times over 30 knots, with no signs of easing soon.  We are tied up all snug, I’m getting to like these marinas!!! 

Cruising info from Aguadulce and Almerimar – May 2011 

Aguadulce Marina:  36 48.87N   02 33.71W  least depth seen 4.5m  Totally exposed to any winds with East in them.  Marina entrance is only 50metres off the beach.  No swell in marina.  Huge breakwater where most visiting yachts were stern or bow to.  Upon entry tie to Fuel dock/Control Tower dock for berth allocation.  Not much English spoken.  Wifi available but not free, didn’t check rates.  Marina berth around €16 a night all inclusive, we are still on low season rates.   Supermarket –  go out of Marina entrance by the beach and take the first or second road on the right they both go uphill, its just up on the left.  Not great but ok.  Bus stop – carry on past the supermarket under the flyover and up the other side, bus stops on both sides of the road depending on what direction you want.  Cost was €1.20 each, each way, to Almeria.  Sightseeing – Alcazaba closed on Mondays, Cathedral closed from 2pm – 4pm but last entry is 1.15pm.

Almerimar Marina:  36 41.78N   02 47.42W  least depth seen 5m.  Entrance is much more sheltered than it looks but totally exposed to the south.  Well marked with red and green markers for the channel (no yellow buoys as noted in Cruising Guide)  Tie up at Control Tower/Fuel dock for berth allocation.  Marina berth around €12 a  night but we are in an 18m berth.  It doesn’t get much cheaper than this, but again we are still on winter rates until the end of May.  English spoken in office.  This is an enormous marina and apartment complex, lots of bars/cafes, but no town as such.  Couple of laundries, chandleries and excellent Mercadona Supermarket.  Marina gives out good map, all nearby.  Wifi is €3.50 a day then gets cheaper the more days you buy.

Champagne Sailing to start the Season – then the bubbles burst! ….. May 2011

05 – 06 May 2011

At last it was time to leave our winter home in Cartagena, Southern Spain.  All the jobs on the “to do” list had actually been completed, there were really no more excuses to stay.  We had a weather forecast of 10 knots from the east for our first day, and then 15-20 knots from the east to get us on past Cabo de Gata the following day.  I am always filled with great trepidation when untying after months safely spent in a marina, but in order to sail around the world, one must keep heading ever westward!

So this was it, water tanks filled, power disconnected, mooring lines released, hooters rang out in farewell from the live-aboard community and we were on our way.  The 2011 Cruising Season had officially started.  This season would be a long one, the broad plan is to cruise westward along the Spanish/Portuguese southern coastline with maybe a month in Morocco, then jump off from the European mainland to Madeira before sailing south to the Canaries in the Autumn then onward via a pit stop in maybe the Cape Verde islands before crossing the Atlantic (gulp) in December.  The start of 2012 will hopefully see us kicking back cruising the Caribbean until around this time next year when we will probably head up the Eastern Seaboard of the USA for the summer of 2012, then who knows?  So we will be on the road, so to speak, for at least a year now, and will cover many many miles.

With this in mind, a gentle downwind sail in flat water the 30 miles to Aguillas was just what the Admiral had ordered to ease back into cruising mode.    We arrived into the small port of Aguillas early evening, set the anchor off the sandy beach, opened the bar and sat back to enjoy sundowners watching the sun dip over the fort on the headland.  As with nearly every natural indentation on the coast in Europe, if there is relatively easy access and shelter from the elements then over the centuries it has been used as a port, whether it be tiny or huge.  Aguillas is quite small but had enough room for a few boats to anchor to the east of the inner harbour entrance.   The water was flat except for the wakes of returning fishing boats, the wind just a gentle zephyr, the new moon not much more than a sliver above the setting sun.  Day One of Season 7 had been a success.

Sadly the bubble burst and Day Two decided to remind us just who is in charge.  We had set the alarm for 7am.  We were looking at making Aguadulce over 80 miles away, so with over 14 hours of daylight now, and 15-20knots forecast we were expecting a long day of good down wind sailing.  As Skipper was lifting anchor, I looked outside the harbour and saw a rather large fishing boat crashing into waves like a bucking bronco, instantly my positive outlook somewhat diminished!!   Just what on earth had happened to our flat water???  I consoled myself by accepting that he was going to windward and we would be off in the other direction, but I knew I wasn’t kidding anyone. 

And so the day began, with 2 reefs in the main and the headsail poled out we pointed the bow south, running slightly higher than our course to try and keep the boat reasonably comfortable.  The wind wasn’t more than 25 knots but the seas had stirred up completely and made for a very lively run down to Cabo de Gata, the hours ticked away as did the miles.  The further south we got the more the swell came in from behind so we took up surfing instead of rolling, neither of them being my favourite pastimes.  Just as I was getting used to surfing it was time to gybe to go around the Cape.  Gybing is always a serious manoeuvre on Balvenie, even with the main double reefed it was still powered up and we have a very long heavy boom.  So we rolled in the headsail, gybed the main and flew off around the Cape with gusts of 35 knots apparent speeding us on our way, phew!! 

Thankfully as we moved further west around the Cape the water started to flatten, but the wind kept whipping through, accelerated now by the gusts off the land.  We decided that our intended destination of Aguadulce may be too difficult for us to get in to with the onshore wind so made our way around and up the west side of the Cape into some flat water.  We anchored just off a long sandy beach, over 60 miles in well under 12 hours.  What a day – certainly good practice for getting back in the swing of things, but just how much practice do we really need???

Cruising info for Aguillas and Cabo de Gata, Southern Spain – May 2011
Aguillas:  37 24.31N  01 34.17E  6m sand.  Able to tuck in quite well, flat water.  Busy with fishing boats entering/leaving harbour and some wash from them.  Didn’t go ashore.  No free wifi signals, used Vodafone dongle.
Cabo Gato:  36 44.54N  02 12.98E  6m sand.  Considering the sea state less than a mile away this was flat as a pancake.  Quite scenic ashore but didn’t get there (see next posting to find out why!!!)  When wind eased we were lying to current or tide, something weird going on.  would be a nice spot to stop in good conditions, walking ashore looked good.  No free wifi signals, used Vodafone dongle.

Wintering in Cartagena ….. Oct 2010 – May 2011

When we decided to stay another winter in Europe we looked at several options of where to spend it.  We had heard positive reports about Cartagena on the south east corner of Spain.  It is just out of the firing line of the westerly storms that can shoot through the Straits of Gibraltar heading east, tucked in enough to miss the autumn and spring north easterlies, has around 300 days of sunshine a year and a reasonably mild winter climate and an airport serviced by all the cheapie airlines close by at Murcia/San Javier.  It sounded perfect.  This blog update is mainly for those that may wish to stop by or winter over.

About the Marina ….

There are two marinas there, adjoining each other both right on the town quay and only a few minutes walk into the centre of town.  We stayed at Yacht Port Cartagena, it is the newer of the two and is home to mainly foreign flagged boats.  The older more established marina seems to be filled mainly with local craft and had few vacant slips.  They do, however, offer short stay berths on the town wall - everyone promenades past there and there is no security.

YPC is the one on the right as you enter, it is away from the waterfront cafes and set further back from the promenading locals (and behind a very long glass fence). There is excellent 24 hour security and access is gained only by key card, it also has a much more substantial solid concrete breakwater which also serves as the Cruise Ship dock.  However some berths do not lie behind this breakwater but are still reasonably protected, and there are enough empty berths that you can have your choice of position.  There is also a choice of med mooring with laid lines, side tying and finger pontoons – something for everyone.

The marina staff are an absolute delight to deal with, both the office staff and the marineras are extremely helpful, all speak English, assist with berthing, they even deliver any mail or packages right to the boat.  They put in the extra effort to make your stay as enjoyable as possible!!  We emailed them at marina@yachtportcartagena.com  to make our winter booking, they did not require a deposit and were very flexible with our arrival date.  On arrival call them on VHF 09, as you make your final approach - ensure you call Yacht Port Cartagena to get the right one! (tel +34 968 12 12 13).  Cartagena is a large harbour and has a huge area of sheltered water to sort yourselves out before entering the marina.  This is a commercial  and naval port but the Navy yards and Commercial docks are far enough away to not be of any bother.  There is no anchoring allowed anywhere within the harbour.   

The facilities are good, there is a laundry with two large washing machines and one dryer all taking tokens valued at €4,  there are just 3 showers and toilets in 2 blocks but we only had 7 live aboard boats that were onboard all winter so this was enough.  There is the “internet shed” home to one computer with free internet access, a vending machine and book swap.  There is also a bar-b-que which we made use of on some warm sunny days during winter.  There is wifi access included in the long term rates for one computer per boat.  The signal is not great but ok.  Short term rates do not include wifi it is €5 a day.  Our winter rate also included water and power.  Catamarans currently get the same berthing rate as monohulls but pay for water and power.   

There is a fuel dock with 24 hour easy sheltered access and payment is made by card into a machine.  To access it enter YPC and keep the Cruise Ship Dock/breakwater on your left, carry on till the Yacht Club Building (large wooden modern building) is in front of you, turn sharp right and tie up just after the dinghy/laser launching slipway.  There is no fuel sign/logo but the pumps are in a small white shed.  There is good turning space to get back out and depths well over 5 metres.  Diesel was around €1.33 p/l in April 2011.

Facilities in town …

Well you will not go hungry.  There is an excellent selection of supermarkets – they are all closed Sunday.  The office will give you a map and mark all of these, but just in case - The closest one is a small Spar, come out the entrance by the laundry, cross the road, up the big steps, go left and follow the road around till it comes to a T, the Spar is just over on the right.  They don’t have fresh milk but have most other things. 5 minute walk, open 0930 – 2100 I think)  My favourite was Mercadona, there are several but the closest is about 10-12 minute walk, open 0915 – 2115.  Go out the vehicle entrance, cross the road, head up Calle Gisbet, past the glass elevator, just keep on till the road veers to the right at the Artillery Museum.  Turn left and Mercadona is just on the other side of the road next to a play area.  Carry on along here for the Fresh Produce Market just another couple of minutes at the end of the street and over to the right on the other corner.  Still not found everything you need? well next is Lidls.  Out the vehicle exit again but turn right past the new mutli coloured building to the roundabout then head up the hill (slight incline) along the cycle path through the grassed area.  At top is the bus station on  the right and the little local train station.  After these cross the road and go right (main part of road goes onto the motorway, stay on the slip road on its left), this will put you in Lidls Car park.  About 12 minutes walk, open 0930 – 2130 I think.  From Lidls you can see Carrefour, go out the other gate from Lidls, the main train station is on your right.  Walk inland (north)  Carrefour Hypermarket is right in front of you.  About 15 minutes walk, open 0930 – 2200 I think.  Carrefour deliver free if you spend over €200

Local bus No 4 (every 20 minutes or so) leaves opposite Carrefour for the Parque Mediterranean Shopping Centre, its a short ride by bus but too far to walk, maybe 30 minutes by bike.  There is a huge Leroy Merlin Hardware/DIY store, a couple of electrical appliance stores, Decathlon, another Carrefour, and plenty plenty shoe and clothes shops.   In the area on Avienda Luxembourgo (Parque Med end with 5 flags flying outside) is an Accastillage Diffusion Chandlery, they are a French Chain and although the outlet is small they can order anything in and it arrives within a couple of days (some English spoken),    There are a couple of chandleries by the marina, one is in the haul out facility (English spoken), the other is further on the same road along the port about 3 minutes further on the left hand side (some English spoken).  Both are helpful and have an adequate range.  Just before the 2nd chandlery go up the steps and turn left, on the right hand side the is a plumbing supplies store with all sorts of bits and pieces(No English spoken) .  We bought several things locally but generally found it cheaper to order online from England, shipping was about 5 – 10 days.

There are a couple of options for hauling out.  We didn’t use either but some of the boats that wintered with us did.  There is a small crane lift that hauls up to 15T located next to the Fuel Pumps.  The other is located just to the east of the marina and has a very big travelift (approx 70T), they haul all the fishing fleet, but do deal with private boats also.  There yard is well organised and tidy but small.  There are no facilities for leaving yachts on the hard for any length of time.

Entertainment …

We organised a weekly get together at a local tapas bar El Barrill on Wednesday nights, and had the odd bar-b-que when the weather was warm enough.  Other than that it was a quiet social scene.  There were a reasonable amount of goings on in town, and we enjoyed free concerts and cultural events throughout the winter.  There is an English web site that does it’s best to collate all the information and sends out a weekly email newsletter, www.simplynetworking.es but even they miss things from time to time and you really need to check at the Tourist Info as well.   Cartagena is full of history, there are many museums, the Roman Theatre, Augusteum, Decumanus and  many many more ruins.  The main plaza and Calle Mayor have some lovely Modernista buildings, they there is a huge amount of restoration work underway around the town.  We spent nearly 7 months here and enjoyed it immensely.

Semana Santa in Cartagena ..... April 2011

Locals in folk costume on Patron Saints Day

15 - 25 April 2011

The yearly Easter celebrations in Cartagena start with Viernes de Dolores, Day of the Patrona, on the Friday before Palm Sunday. 

At 5pm, thousands of locals gather in the main Plaza to take part in the Ofrenda floral, a colourful procession in which families dress in folk costume, carrying bouquets of flowers, and walk through the streets then give their floral offerings to the towns patron saint.

From then on the parades/processions were a daily occurence, right through until Easter Sunday. 

More colourful local costumes on
 Cartagena Patron Saint Day

The first night for us was the most powerful, as hundreds of townspeople marched the narrow streets, some wearing plush red velvet cloaks, many with the hoods up.  They were interspersed by equally as many processioners in blood red long satin robes, rustling as they went by, their heads and faces covered by what I could only describe as a Klu Klux Klan hood, with the tall pointy top and slits for their eyes.  Not a word was spoken, and sitting there watching this solemn mass of people slowly walk by, the scent of inscense in the air, the drums pounding in the distant, it was a powerful - almost scary scene.

The first had the most impact on us

On each night leading up to Easter Sunday the processions would generally start at 9pm (it's still light here now until around 9.20pm) and most of the time they would last at least 2 hours, some longer.  One evening all the town lights were extinguished and the processions were by candlelit, affording an even more sombre  mood. 

Of course, as with most things, once you have seen a couple of 2 or 3 hour processions, they do start to look rather the same.  There were certainly many different costumes, and each night there would also be a parade of floats, often carried by over a hundred men or women.  They depicted the different stages leading up to resurrection of Christ.

It was great to be here and experience this week of celebrations.  We also had some "down under" company during this time.  Phil and Margaret off the Australian trawler Argos were in port, after wintering in Barcelona.  We wintered in Marmaris with them in 2008, and first saw them way back in 2005.  It was great to have some friends in town, even for just a few days.


Evening processions took place every night for a week

Today is Easter Monday, it is not a holiday here which we find rather strange, but after so many days of a festive atmosphere maybe they are all worn out and eager to get back to their normal lives again.  We are still at a loss as to when the Spaniards actually sleep, after being in Spain now for 7 months we still can't get used to the times things happen.  Restaurants not opening until 9pm - then not getting busy till around 10.30pm is still so foreign to us.  The opening hours for businesses and retail is an ongoing mystery, with many, but not all, observing a daily siesta.  Sundays are still a day of rest, cafes and bars are open but nothing else here is.  But on a fine Sunday, after church, the squares and waterfront are crowded with families and friends out strolling, promenading, chatting, children playing - enjoying their leisure time without any outside distractions.

There were many hundreds dressed like this

The "to do" list is all done, sure there are still more jobs that would be good to do (have to save something for next year) but Balvenie is now looking the best she has since we bought her.  We have endless new systems installed and it is nearly time to untie the docklines, get out there and test all our work and set sail for another season,

We have loved our time in the Med and very much enjoyed Europe but Balvenie is straining at her lines as once again the western horizon calls her....best we go along for the ride !!

(for more photos of the parades click here )

Still in Spain, Still working on Balvenie ….. Apr 2011



Filling up the gas is not so straight
forward round these parts.  
 We bought a special adaptor and
purchased a local  camping gaz bottle,
 then Skipper ties it upside down to the
anchor and it drains into our NZ bottle,
 gets there - eventually!!!

 01 – 08 April 2011

April has arrived, it has brought with it “European Summer Time”, warmer weather, the return of the Cruise ships, transient yachts going east, a steady trickle of sailors returning to their yachts that have been unattended over winter, and even a few unwelcome mosquitoes.

The days are getting warmer, April 1st being a real scorcher – a taste of things to come.  The evenings are certainly drawing out with darkness falling after 9pm but the mornings are dark till around 7.45am, great excuse to stay tucked up in bed. 

The ever present list of boat jobs jumps out at us each morning, demanding our ongoing attention but finally we are down to the "nice to haves" rather than the "must do".  So most of our jobs now are cosmetic, all the varnishing is finished, both bathrooms totally refurbished and looking so good, new mosquito nets made to keep out all the irritating buzzies during the long hot days of summer, endless small sewing repairs completed, we are looking good.

Now that there is seldom any morning dew, the painting has begun. We first started painting Balvenie in Turkey, repainting the top of the cabin top. Then last winter in Malta we continued and did the sides of the cabin top (with their countless portholes), all the hard dodger and the aft cabin top. This year we will complete all the outside areas, with the stern/sugar scoop area of the boat being the first to attract our attention.

The sugar scoop with the first coat of primer on,
 looking much better already

It's a big job, we remove (unscrew) everything we can, sand it all back, fill any holes, sand again, refill, and keep sanding until we are happy with the finish,  then mask everything up - ready to paint.  First day we put on the 1st coat of primer, next day it's the 2nd primer coat, then daily it is followed by 2 coats of the 3 part epoxy finishing coat.  The finishing coat gets rolled on with a tiny roller and then tipped with a brush to remove any bubbles, it creates an excellent finish.   If it needs non skid, well that's another day, then another finishing coat on top of that.  We need good weather, any rain at all ruins it and dust kicked up by wind is definitely not welcome.  We need to finish the painting by 1pm to give it all time to harden, just in case a dew settles overnight, because if a dew comes down is ruins the finish of that coat - this is not a good thing!!   Wish us luck ...............

Where did March go? ...... Mar 2011

Mark takes to the old peeling varnish on the hatches
 with the hot gun
 while I do some upholstery repairs

01 - 25 March 2011

We are still in the marina in Cartagena and another month has just slipped on by.  There is little to report on, the days are getting longer and warmer, but the clear calm days of winter have ended and we have been having unsettled spring weather since the beginning of March.  There has been some rain, whether it be a short shower or a heavy downpour it deposits liquid mud all over the boat each time, It seems such a waste of water to hose the boat down after it rains, but if we don't then we are covered in a mud pack!!  The day when we receive clean rain will be one to celebrate.


Next up was the stairs,
the hot gun sure is the way to go 

The "To do list" is actually shrinking - day after day we have been tackling a myriad of jobs, many small ones but a few biggies too.  Skipper has been wearing many hats and honed his electrical and plumbing skills even more.   We decided it was time to take back some of the woodwork down below where the varnish was looking a little tired. Our inventory of power tools is growing by the week it seems. Armed with our new heat gun and mouse sander we turned the inside of the boat into a dust storm in no time at all. Much easier when you have the right tools. The good thing about doing cosmetic jobs is that it is instant gratification, and with each coat of varnish it all just looked better and better.

Our mini refurbishment has included spending plenty of time and money updating our bathrooms (or in nautical speak "heads" - how on earth did bathrooms on boats ever get called heads??)  So we are now the proud owners of a complete new toilet with electric pump, chrome shower attachment, chrome taps and lots of sparkly shiny accessories in our  aft bathroom . 

The old toilet refuses to go,
so out came the angle grinder to help it on its way

Then in the forward "guest" bathroom there is a new electric toilet pump, shower, tap and accessories too - gosh it is all looking very flash after our rather 80's look.  Sourcing, ordering, waiting for, removing the old and installing the new has provided many many hours of entertainment.  Of course NOTHING is quite the same size, they don't fit in the same holes, won't connect to the existing piping, nothing is straight forward, and it is all in such a tight little space, but Mark has persevered - day after day - and besides not being able to source a couple of fittings we still want, it's all done and looks just great, yippee!!!

The "done" list does not stop there, but the blog needed an update so that will do for now, more exciting maintenance job updates still to come soon - bet you can't wait.

Christmas in Cartagena ..... Dec 2010

Christmas 2010 in Cartagena

15 - 28 December 2010

When we arrived back from our week long Spanish excursion we were delighted to see another New Zealand yacht in port.   Although New Zealand is a strong sailing nation there is only a small percentage of us that have stepped out and decided to circumnavigate, therefore when we see another kiwi flagged yacht it's like seeing a little piece of home.

Werner and Lucia off Kleiner Bar with their children Nina and Lucas were passing by late in the season.  They had come all the way through from Asia this season and were continuing on to Brazil, their original home.  So many miles to pack into a season but with Nina nearing high school age they were on a tight timetable to "get around" and back to New Zealand to resume a "normal" family life!!

It was great to have a family in port, especially for Christmas, livened us oldies up to see them enjoying themselves, keeping a watchful eye on Santa's red sack hoisted high up the mast!

Skipper with watchful eyes on his prawns

The build up to Christmas had various activities going on in Cartagena.  While all of Northern Europe was suffering one of its worst pre -christmas arctic blasts with record snowfalls Cartagena was going ahead with outdoor activities.  (plenty of those arctic blasts made it this far south!!!)

The Mid Winter harbour swim took place on a bitterly cold Sunday afternoon with about 30 crazy contestants, rather them than me.  Then there were two consecutive evenings with outdoor concerts, they would have been wonderful in summer but with the temperature at a steady 6c with wind chill dropping it further I am amazed the beautifully attired "black tie" orchestra didn't all suffer from hypothermia.

The local Belen "large outdoor (of course!!) nativity scenes" were actually very good, all set up in one of the plazas it must have taken days and days to piece all the settings together.  Some even had real tiny vegetable plants in the gardens.  It was an enjoyable stroll around it, the photos just didn't do it justice but we have the memories.

Lucia, Werner and  Mark at the Nativity 'Belen'

Christmas day dawned somewhat gloomy but it perked up in time for a late bar-b-que, a somewhat foreign idea for our small   European live-aboard community but they all partook in tapas and drinks as we soaked up the weak winter sun.
 
Kleiner Bar got a good weather window on Boxing Day and sadly we said our farewells.  They enjoyed a light downwind sail through to Gibraltar and onto the Canary Islands - and warmth at last!

We were happy to have a quiet Christmas as we had big plans for New Year.  We closed up Balvenie for the second time in a month on the 27th and caught the bus to Alicante.  It's 100 km's north along the coast and we took the slow local bus, over 3 hours via all the coastal so called "resorts".  What an absolute eye opener.  Thousands upon thousands of homes built mainly as holiday/second homes for Northern Europeans, all the way up the coast.  Many areas in a state of decline, weeds coming up through the roads, houses crumbling, hundreds of for sale signs - thousands of peoples dreams shattered as they struggle to maintain or sell these properties.  The recession has hit this area very very hard.

Christmas Tree in Alicante

To arrive in the old quarter of Alicante was a delight, beautiful old buildings, constructed solidly, pleasing to the eye and with thought given to the layout and environs.  Open plazas, age old trees, a palm tree lined boulevard along the foreshore.  Rather lovely really.  We found a great small hotel whose name we have forgotten.  I did the unthinkable for me a book-lover, I tore the Alicante page out of the Lonely Planet to take with us, and have now lost it.  But if you have the Lonely Planet it was the one with the small original Dali in reception and the hotel was beautiful, and we had a four poster bed!  Winter rate at just €45 was a great deal.  We also found a great tapas bar - details written on same lost piece of Lonely Planet - all tapas had toothpicks or skewers in them, keep eating and drinking and they just add up the skewers up at the end, great service, cheap and fun and was on the main road inland just past Burger King, opposite a square with a  beautiful huge old tree.

Next morning we were up early - it was still dark!!!! - walked a block and caught the airport bus.  Our Easyjet flight left on time and by 1pm we were in Geneva, Switzerland ........ It had been 20 years since either of us had been on the piste and we were heading for the Alpine slopes and a weeks skiing.