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"There's always a plan, but unexpected things happen and we just go with the flow. Though I do believe that fate and destiny often play their part"
sailing blog
It's been a while since we had access to decent wifi hence the lack of recent updates. So, where have we been ? We arrived in Puerto de Motril on 5th June and what a jolly nice place it was I must say. On entering the large commercial port the industrial landscape looked extremely uninviting but right in the top right hand corner was a little oasis called The Club Nautico Marina. With it's manicured gardens, swaying palm trees and stewards in white coats tendering to your every need, what more could you ask for. This was a posh private members club but they made us so very welcome, even though we wore shorts and flip flops in the rather austere dinning room (for a glass of wine and some free tapas - not a gourmet meal I hasten to add). Everyone else was in "proper" attire but unfortunately I didn't pack a shirt and tie!. Next morning we set off for Almerimar. What a shock we had when we saw snow on the mountains en-route. A bit bizarre really to be sailing along in scorching heat, on a deep blue Mediterranean sea, with snow in the background. Rather awesome though don't you think? Almerimar proved to be a great stopover for five days, especially as we hooked up with Mark and Angie again. They introduced us to whole new circle of people making the stay even more social. For the record, Almerimar is a large man made town centred around a huge marina complex full of livaboards from every country you can think of. It's a sort of staging post for yachts bound for the four corners of the globe but many just tie up and never leave. On 11th June we did manage to pull ourselves away and in convoy with Mark and Angie we slipped our lines for the seven hour sail to an anchorage around the other side of Cabo de Gato. This cape divides the Costa del Sol from the Costa Blanca We arrived at the anchorage, a small sandy bay in the middle of nowhere, early evening feeling tired and hungry. Just as I was about to drop the hook a speedboat raced up to us. The guy said they were making part of an action movie overnight with helicopters, searchlights and fast powerboats. Very apologetically he advised us to move on because the chances of getting a wink of sleep were nil. So, we dutifully secured the anchor again and headed on into the sunset. Another two hours later we dropped anchor in another bay in front of a small village called Las Negras. Exhausted, we had a quick bite and retired to our cabin. Sadly, the swell persisted all night making it difficult to sleep with the constant rolling action of the boat. One good thing about being kept awake is you get to take a half decent picture of sunrise. Next morning we set sail again on the eight hour journey to Aguilas. Here we stayed overnight in a very pleasant little marina so it was refreshing to get a hot shower and some extra supplies from the local shops. On the 13th June we got underway again for another seven hour sail to Cartagena. All the way we had more spectacular mountains to gaze at - plus a bit of snow here and there.
Today is the 14th June and, after a peaceful night, I've already set about exploring this ancient city. The marina is situated right in the heart of the place, which makes it feel a bit like being in Amsterdam. More news and pics to follow shortly. Meanwhile, we're temporary members of another posh sailing club with excellent wifi, a swimming pool and sun terraces overlooking the harbour. We both feel a few days of relaxation will be most welcome after munching so many miles over the past couple of weeks.
1 Comment
Jackie Harvey
19/6/2013 06:05:22 am
Wow you have done some miles. As always blog and photos brilliant. Especially the one of the snowy mountains, really beautiful.
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A FEW PICS OF COMINOClick a photo to enlarge and use side arrows to scroll through.
COMINO IS CURRENTLY HEREDID SOMEONE SAY SEAFOODOn our journey from Portugal to Greece we enjoyed amazing seafood almost everywhere we stopped. Finding the local fish market was always a priority because seafood was so plentiful and so reasonably priced. And, the displays were a feast for your eyes.
Locating a market sometimes meant pounding the pavements in searing heat, but if you kept your eyes peeled, you often came across a little clue. The pic below was a rather less than subtle advert for a fish market - it was eight feet tall.
Freshly cooked onboard, a plateful of giant prawns, baked in wine and garlic, washed down with a few glasses of local vino, was like heaven. Watching the sunset on the boat eating a meal like that was the epitome of "living the dream".
Now we're in Greece we've another favourite to savour. I'm talking about fried Calamari. It's usually good, but every now and then it's off-the-scale fantastic. At Natalie's Taverna on Kontokali Beach in Corfu, it was nothing short of epic.
We're based in Lefkas now and It's been a bit of a mission to find somewhere just as good. And we have. Rakias is a mere ten minute walk from the marina and this little fish market, with its very own taverna attached, is quite sensational.
Oh...and it's also worth mentioning that, on occasions, a bit of barbequed Octopus is on the menu at some of the tavernas we frequent. Can I resist....no. SUNSETS AND DRAMATIC SKIESNo filters, or any other monkey business, have been used to enhance these images.
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