hey
is that Bev
Well, at least I was allowed to stay, and also David and Bev were waiting at the gate to see me. Basically they are friends of Jackie, and live in Lincoln, but have a house in MOJACAR, on the edge of Garrucha, so once tied up, we went and had a beer or two and arranged for them to pick me up later for some food and wine at their place. So it was back to the boat and tidy up, and with the southerly wind rising, I had to find a way of keeping the boat off the makeshift fuel jetty with the hard rubber tyres. I eventually got the big springs out, and rigged a lot of lines, paying particular attention to springing the stern away from the jetty. It seemed to work O.K., but the swell was worrying me, so I put down the protective sheets as well. They are just old sails, cut and hung over the side to prevent fender rub, it was actually 3 layers of sails, so quite good protection. I did a bit on the blog and in no time, it was time for Dave and Bev to pick me up. Funny thing was, I was supposed to catch up with these guys back in 2006, but because of a bit of bad weather, we missed out Garrucha and went straight to Cartagena. I think Dave was hoping for a bit of a sail, and I had originally planned to be here the week before, but just ran out of time, so now, there was no time for a bit of a sail. Never mind, maybe next time. We had a great evening, and I took our box of wine off the boat for them to try, after being told it was "undrinkable" back in Torreivieja by Carol. I had some too and Bev gave it the thumbs up, so the box is back on the boat ready for the next tasting session. By the time they dropped me back at the boat, the wind had died down, and I had a peaceful night.
The next day was nice and sunny, and the capitan came round and told me the wind would be back that afternoon and would I like to move to the other side of the jetty? YES! YES!, I said, and he helped me move without even starting the engine. I had a couple of boiled eggs and toast for breakfast and thought about my next move and when i should leave. If the weather was settled I could get down to Fuengirola in one hit. It's about 180 miles but not a lot of bolt holes. I checked the weather a few times, and it all looked pretty good if I left that night. The wind was going round to the north and then in the early hours of Friday, it was going to be easterly for a couple of days, sounded perfect. I spent the afternoon doing a few jobs and catching up with the blog in a local cafe that had wi-fi. Dave and Bev then arrived and we went for something to eat. I asked them to take me to a supermarket to get a few things and I was back on the boat by 7 pm.
That old nervy feeling came back, there seemed to be quite a bit of wind, and it was already out of the north. I delayed, and checked the weather again, still no change, so that was that, I was going, and would try to get out just before dusk. I got everything stowed and secure, made a flask of tea and slipped my lines. Whilst still in the harbour, I stowed the ropes and fenders and got the main up. The wind had dropped in the last half hour, and as I motored out, it all felt pretty good. Cuppa in hand, and not really enough wind to sail, I just chugged away south. There was quite a large sea running, which was making it just a tad uncomfortable, and I popped below to take a STUGERON, better safe than sorry is my motto. I dunno, it must have been just after midnight when I went round Cabo de Gata and started heading west. The seas were a lot worse, and because there was hardly any wind, I was not tired, and so it was a doddle going across the bay of Almeria, apart from the waves, and they were taking a hell of a long time to die down. I closed the coast on the other side long after daylight and had some coffee and breakfast. The beta just chugged on. I called Jackie on the mobile to tell her of my progress and for some strange reason, could not get the weather on the laptop with the vodaphone dongle, so I asked her to take a look at "Wind Guru", and let me know the forecast. After a few minutes, she got back to me and told me in no uncertain terms to get in somewhere, as tonight was going to be very strong winds from the east "It's all purple" she said "you must get in somewhere!" It put me a little on edge I suppose, but the wind was not due to come until 10 pm thatnight, so I had options, not many, but options. I suppose the one that stuok out a mile was a place called Motril. If I kept on at the present pace, I should get there for about 8pm, so I put in a couple of waypoints, and if I remember rightly, I had about 50 miles to go so must keep my average up to 5 knots. There was an adverse current going easterly that I could do nothing about, so I just had to keep plugging away.
I had a nice lunch, and it was a nice day with the sun out, so I just relaxed. I had enough diesel to get me there, so all in all, no worries. By mid afternoon the breeze started to fill in, and within an hour, I had enough to do 5 knots with the engine on very low revs, by five pm, the engine was off and the jib poled out. (Yes I know, people pay thousands for this!) by 6.30 pm, Motril was an hour away and with some white water now showing, harness on and get the jib off the pole. As the wind was dead aft I had to sheet the jib in, to stop it collapsing then filling with a bang. The seas started to build quickly, and I just had one more headland to get round, and I was home. Once off the headland, with the wind increasing and following me round, I knew I needed to get some main off and started the engine, just in case I needed to round up to get it down. For some reason, I just felt I was so close to the harbour entrance that I delayed it all just a little too long, and it seemed that in every minute the wind was increasing. (Anxious? You bet!) I disconnected the wind vane and put the autohelm on. Turning into these waves with the wind was not going to be nice, so I thought I would be able to drag the main down with brute force. Didn't work, and I also lost the halyard! Back to the cockpit, and the important thing now, was not to miss the entrance, which believe me, was hard to spot. Again, the plotter was fantastic, and guided me in. The wind and waves were now giving me a battering, but i had a plan. Once inside, I could go to starboard where there was a big area protected by a breakwater, so I could go in deep and round up to get the main down. Forgot to tell you, I had the jib off a while back, before it got tasty. So with main down, and some ties on it, I could chill a bit and find somewhere to tie up. I now had plenty of time to get the ropes and fenders sorted, and then move further down into the harbour, to be greeted by a man from the guardia, beckoning me to the humungous wall where big ships park. I went alongside and he didn't have a clue when i threw him my lines. Instead of putting them round a bollard, he thought he could just hold them!!! Crazy man!! We eventually got it sorted and I found out what he was good at. He mugged me for 15 euros and pissed off! No water, no electric and no way to get ashore, but what was nice was, he did it all with a smile. Welcome to Motril! I remembered three years ago being there, and it is the back end of . . . . . . . .! Be nice micky boy!
I used my dongle to check the weather, and whilst the pressure cooker was doing it's stuff, tidied up the boat. The weather looked fantastic for the next day, but I didn't make any rash decisions. All I wanted to do was eat and get in my nice warm bunk, since I didn't sleep the night before.
I slept like a baby, woke about 8 am, made a cuppa and had a look outside. The wind was gone, the sun was up! Hey man, this was a day for living, and to celebrate I had four boiled eggs and toast. I got the laptop out, attached the dongle and brought up the forecast. There were strong winds down Gibraltar way, but it looked fine for here and where I was headed. I cleaned up and made ready for departure, and finally got under way at 0930 on Saturday the 2nd. It was the day before I briefly planned to go to the Moto GP in JEREZ. I knew it wasn't going to happen, but never mind. Then, something remarkable happened, I had got full main up and was about 100 yards from the pier heads when I saw two dolphins. (Do you believe in fairy tales?) Well believe or not, these two came straight at me, and then with one each side, they turned round and seemed to be leading me out of the harbour. I shot below to get the camera, but every time I tried to get a piccy they dived. Once outside they seemed to disappear, and I turned once more to the west, and motored on toward Fuengirola about 60 miles away. I have had a couple of run ins with dolphins on other occasions and both have been remarkable, but that another story.
The sail down to Fuengirola was largely uneventful, almost the same as the day before, with some strong winds at the end, but not half as bad as Motril. I got in just after dark, and moored on the fuel jetty till the morning. In the middle of the night, the guardia came in with their big motor boat and a few crew. There was a swell coming into the harbour, so it must have been getting a bit rough out there. Again slept like a baby, and when I awoke, there was a lot of movement. The waves were breaking over the breakwater, and we had gale force winds from the south east for a couple of days, so I got in just in time! Now all I wanted to do, was chill, chill, chill for a while, and maybe take a break from it all. I had arranged to meet up with some friends, Jane and Peter and also Peter and Val the golf fanatics from MIJAS, and not forgetting my very good friends at the Karma bar in the harbour who I met a couple of years ago whilst passing through.
It was time to chill out for a while as the trip so far had not been easy. I had some jobs to do, and some damage to repair, and I needed to give the old girl a coat of varnish. This is less than a days' work, and it is the prep that takes the time. I always leave one handrail as it was when we brought Simo, and that always serves to remind me what she would look like should I get lazy! When the job was done, she looked fantastic. I cleaned the toilet seat that was going a bit yellow and generally, in between pints of John Smith's at the Karma Bar, got a fair bit of work done.
I decided to have a break and get the night train back to France. Ten days should recharge the batteries, and when I return, I can concentrate on getting out of the straits and into Portugal, then make some decisions. The week in Fuengirola was hot, not really what I had been used to, but of course, it's now May and we should expect it to be warmer. I had a great time, shopping, eating, etc. etc. Jane found me a new pole for the boat hook because I lost the original in the storm a few weeks ago. Funny, that now seems a world away, but gotta be honest, I don't fancy it again.
I decided to get myself an old persons' railcard and get the night train back to France for 116 euros, and am now back at home. The trip so far has been fab, and I will probably get the train back to Fuengirola on the 21st May, so I hope you are enjoying it so far. Don't forget to take a look at my "JUST GIVING" link, and if you can afford it, give a few bob, you know it makes sense. Even though we feel at times that life is tough, there is always someone who is much worse off than you are.
When I get back I will try to get the video act together so you can see a day in the life. Hey, be good you guys!
micky boy
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