OUR BLOG
"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
Arrived Rota in the Bay of Cadiz on Wednesday, having first set off on Tuesday. Being buffeted by quite big offshore waves on the starboard beam made the motion of the boat very uncomfortable. Returning to Chipiona was the sensible and safe thing to do. However, we're here now at what was supposed to be our final winter destination in October. Talk about being ahead of schedule!
And Rota so far has not disappointed. The old town is very Moorish in style; hardly a shock as those naughty little North Africans ruled this part of the world for quite some time. I've got the full history in my Andalusian guide book, but I'll spare you the detail. All the necessaries are here......great sandy beach, overflowing food market, fisherman's co-operative where you buy direct, a maze of streets and alleyways buzzing with tapas bars and restaurants, plus some great clothes shops (that bit is Nicki's comment). Trouble is the marina is full, which means we may need to move on after a week as our berth has been booked in advance by someone more organised than us. Not to worry, that gives us enough time to visit the great historic city of Cadiz. Having now found an internet hot spot near the marina, I'll be doing a picture feature in the near future. Later this evening, Emily-Jane arrives with her partner, flying into Jerez (pronounced HEREZZZ), which means the next week will be dominated by sightseeing, beach loafing and tapas. I've been steadily loosing weight over the past few weeks, but this could be a testing time for my waistline!!!
1 Comment
Comino arrived in Chipiona on Thursday after a five hour sail in light winds (on the nose) and a slight swell. I say sail....actually we motored all the way. My chart plotter has packed in, so navigation was done the old fashioned way with paper charts, dividers and plenty of maths. Seeing a shipwreck on the rocks as we approached Chipiona was a bit disconcerting, but we managed to negotiate the reefs successfully. This is a place with three distinct parts. Beach, seafront promenade and old Moorish town. The picture below shows just a bit of the beach and boy do the Spanish pack themselves in like Sardines. The old part of the town is quite spectacular. Pretty squares in amongst a network of small lanes, where you have many authentic tapas bars to choose from. In the morning it's very quiet. At lunchtime it's very busy. At night it goes nuts. Thousands of people mill around, enjoying the buzzing atmosphere. The bars and restaurants are packed to the rafters with Spanish diners enjoying food that is out of this world. Seafood of every type is favourite, which is hardly surprising given that the main industry here is fishing. Chipiona is world famous for it's light sherry called Moscatel. There are traditional Bodegas in the old town where you can drink many different types, from bone dry to sweet cream. I'm in the queue in the pic below and I have to admit, it wasn't my first time! The atmosphere is similar to wine tasting in French vineyards. They take this stuff very seriously and best of all, you can order small tapas delicacies to help wash it down. The Spanish are so civilised. Mind you, some of the locals did look like they'd been on the sherry for a very long time. The ancient fish traps here are really fascinating. Originally built by people back in the dark ages, they were further developed to perfection by the Romans. The principle is so simple. You build walls in the sea so that the fish swim above them whilst the tide is in, but when the tide goes out, they become stuck in giant rock pools created by a maze of inner walls. All my attempts at fishing from the boat have so far proved hopeless, so I might just go on an early morning raid on the beach tomorrow. That said, getting your grilled fish served up in a Spanish Bodega is a hec of a lot simpler. I mentioned a while back that we'd invested in a washing machine for Comino. Here you can see our marvellous device fully plumbed in and working brilliantly. People who know me well will see that my OCD side is fully exposed......the machine and the hose are colour coordinated !!!
We'll be staying here in Chipiona until Monday or Tuesday next week to sample more of it's delights. Then we need to round the peninsular into the Bay of Cadiz to find Rota marina. There are rocks and reefs everywhere which means a slightly stressful voyage is on the cards. As things stand the weather forecast for further down the Eastern coast suggests we can leave Mazagon in the morning. This is very much a transit type place from a yottie point of view so after five days here we'll be glad to get going. Don't get me wrong, it's more than OK in Mazagon, but the bar was set very high by the charms of Ayamonte. As I understand it, our next two destinations of Chipiona and Rota should be well up to the mark.
Lounging in the cockpit after sundown, we've been a bit nibbled by all manner of creepy crawly creatures with wings.......must be our sweet English blood which probably makes a refreshing change from the Spanish stuff. We are the only Brtis in the marina and there are no other native voices to be heard in town either. Due to the heat every day we've averaged six pontoon showers (standing under the hose pipe till you feel human again) which is more than necessary if you want to remain sane. Sadly, due to the economic climate here in Spain, the marina club, with very inviting swimming pool, has closed down.......real shame as it's brand new and rather swanky. So, next update will include some new pics from a new destination. However, I'd like to end with a memory of rather magical experiences in our toilet when we were anchored off Culatra Island. On a visit to the loo at four in the morning I "spent a penny" in pitch black so as not to wake the crew. As I flushed the bowl beneath me exploded with sparks and lightening flashes. It was the phosphorescence in the water doing it's mysterious thing. Needless to say, I made a point of drinking five pints of water before retiring every night so I could recreate the magic. I said yesterday that we were heading out of Mazagon........not so. When I double checked the forecast down in Chipiona it was very different to here. Easterly winds mean rough seas and that's precisely what was going on. Nicki and I don't do roller coaster rides on the ocean if we can help it. Today is much worse in Chipiona and it won't be till Thursday that we can contemplate moving on. And, just to make my start to today worse, I've lost all the wonderful photos of Culatra and Ayamonte. As I was about to download them onto the Mac to put on the blog, I discovered that the camera chip was empty. How irritating is that. Nicki called me something unpleasant and said I should read the manual before fiddling. There are ways of restoring them, so I shall search Google for some help.
Anyway, here's a quick catch-up. When we got to Ayamonte, we had no idea what a gem of a place it would be. The Moorish architecture, the spectacular palm tree framed squares and the cobbled lanes full of very authentic cafes and restaurants. It was all a delight. The icing on the cake was a large daily market where we bought fresh fish, fruit and veg, plus bread baked within the hour. The pictures I took of our time there were particularly interesting, so I'm doubly annoyed that I can't show them. Our seven hour sail to Mazagon on Saturday was OK, up to the last two hours, when the sea kicked up. We certainly had a bit of a rough ride into the harbour as the light faded fast. Nicki declared at one point that she was "not comfortable with this". My job was to make the best of it and steer us safely through the breaking waves. Once tucked up in the marina, we celebrated a tough journey with a hearty meal onboard with just enough wine to send us into a much needed deep sleep. We've been exploring this Spanish holiday resort for the past few days, enjoying a few good meals and long walks along the huge beach. Last night we watched a festival procession where a large statue of something or other was paraded down to the harbour, put on a boat and then taken out to sea. An armada of small boats following. Today, I need to find out what the hec that was all about. The weather here is really...really hot now. At one point our saloon topped 100 degrees, which means the only journeys I make down below during the day are to collect a cold beer from the fridge. Cheers! We've been in Mazagon for a couple of days and very shortly this morning we'll slip our lines again to head for Chipiona. It's a six hour sail, but the forecast is for light winds so we'll probably end up motoring. We're in a bit of a hurry to get to Rota, near Cadiz, because Em is flying out with her partner to spend a week with us. That's why we've been steaming down the Andalusian coast at a pace, but I'll do a proper catch up soon with lots of great pics and a few tales of fun times in interesting places. We've had the odd scare as well.
Our time anchored off Culatra Island was fantastic. I took some pictures that represent the very best of this really "off the beaten track" place. They need to be uploaded from the camera (and they will be shortly), but this is just a quick update to say we sailed for nearly seven hours on Wednesday to Ayamonte in Spain. Yes, we can't believe it but we're actually in another country with a very different atmosphere and style, despite the fact that we're only just across the border.
Ayamonte is for Spanish people only and there is absolutely no sign of anything created for British tourists......how wonderful and authentic. But, we had the shock of our lives this morning when we realised that the time zone is different. Spain is an hour ahead of Portugal and we hadn't realised (completely forgot more like it). It meant we got hear later than we thought Wed evening, which could have been disastrous from a tide point of view had it been the other way round. Unbeknown to us, we had lunch mid afternoon yesterday and dinner at 10 o'clock at night. And, after reading for a bit, lights out was at a rather late 1 am. We both feel complete numpties, but at least we came to our senses before we set sail again tomorrow for Mazagon.....another big sail. Before we go, I'll come back to this cafe with Wifi and do the pictures. Adios for now ! Today we set sail for Culatra Island to spend a few days at anchor, which means no water (other than what's in our own tank), electricity (other than our own batteries) or WiFi. Going proper native so to speak. We took a long stroll to the supermarket yesterday so the larder is well stocked should we decide to stay for a while. A short dinghy ride away is a small fishing community and there are a couple of taverna type places where you can sit down to a fresh fish supper. I haven't been to this spot for several years but hopefully it will be as tranquil as I remember it. The camera is fully charged so next time we reach civilisation proper I will upload some pics. The plan is that our route from Culatra Island will take us to Ayamonte in Spain.
Ferragudo is a spectacular traditional fishing village, with tiny cobbled lanes and gorgeous little houses painted in a variety of bright colours. As you wander up the hill you arrive at a church perched on the top with amazing views to the massive manor house on the beach. It's occupied by some very lucky person indeed. The following pics speak for themselves.
After the wind reduced on Sunday morning, we slipped our lines at 13:00, with Portimao as our first destination. This was the beginning of our journey to Greece. How long will it take....don't know? What's our route....don't know? We're not in a hurry and the only real plan at the moment is to make this the journey of our lifetime.
Up went all the canvas in anticipation of a great sail, but unfortunately the wind dropped even further and we had to motor-sail half the journey. We had two nights in Portimao giving us time to dinghy across to the wonderful beach and village of Ferragudo. Pics will follow - it's a stunning place in every way. Then we sailed to Albufeira to do a little repair job and pick up a fresh gas tank. On the way we decided to catch a tuna for supper. Alas, our first attempt at fishing from the boat ended in the loss of my tackle, as I snagged the bottom. Oh well! better luck next time. Instead I opened a tin of Tuna for a salad as a nod to the one that got away. Next stop is the anchorage at Culatra Island near Faro. It's Sunday morning and we're due to head off shortly for Portimao. The forecast for very strong winds overnight didn't materialise. instead it looks like they've been delayed until now. It's blowing 25 knts from the North, which is fine providing it does't get any stronger. Being the cautious skipper that I am, I've delayed departure from 10:00 until 13:00 hours. In truth, I'm not sure at the moment whether we'll be slipping our lines at all. Also, Nicki has yet to surface from the aft cabin and I'll explain why. We invited the neighbours over for drinks to toast our last night in Lagos, but one glass led to another. We were all getting on so well that we ended up ordering an Indian takeaway. Before we knew it, midnight had come and gone - so much for an early night before a sailing day. However, John and Sheenagh were a blast and such great company. Hopefully, we'll see them again somewhere, someday. That's the thing about this sailing lifestyle, you're constantly making new friends and then having to say goodbye. Here's a few pics from our time in Lagos. |
A FEW PICS OF COMINO Click 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.
OUR ADVENTURES FROM THE BEGINNING CATAGORIES
All
THE ARCHIVE
April 2024
SEND A MESSAGE |