SERENITY NOW

  I’m writing this 4 metres above the ground, on the hard, in a dry and dusty boatyard in Almerimar.. but I’m getting ahead of myself, the trip to get down here being noteworthy. We had some long day sails, sun up to sundown that were genuinely lovely. O ccasionally having the engine on to help us along here and there we mainly glided under the force of the wind down the South Eastern coast of Spain. Bit of swell in the evenings, but not too bad that you couldn’t sleep, you’d just be woken now and again if the roll got out of hand for a moment or two. We met our first Spanish dolphins, they seem as delightfully playful as their Greek counterparts We’re also seeing an increased number of flying fish, somewhere between the size of your finger and a sausage - with a silvery flash they zip across the surface seemingly defying gravity for long distances - up to 10 metres or so. ...but the fish news doesn’t end there! Having purchased a shiny new rod and lure in Cartagena, I tried it out...

  The well defended port of Cartagena has been our home for the last two nights. It’s a mixed port: tourist cruisers, warships, container ships and marinas all enclosed by a large harbour. The outer harbour is full with pill boxes dotted on the surrounding cliffs to deter any unwanted guests. We’d booked to come here 2 years ago.. but with one thing and another it never quite happened. We used our long deposited €100 deposit to take a couple of nights out of the swell with the added luxuries of electricity, hot showers and washing machines. It’s strange being back in a marina; the liveaboard locals greeting us with either cautious glances or beaming grins. Anyway, not a bad spot. There’s a touch of bygone Empire about the harbourfront - with well spaced palm tree promenades and tall regal facades looking out onto the bay. This was all sadly obscured by ‘Aida’ a tower block of a cruise liner who’d all but covered the town on our arrival - we were glad when she tooted a deep bass f...

8 Sept 2021 Well, we’ve made it to the Spanish mainland! The touristy town of Calpe is our first stop. If someone had asked me 4 years ago what the first thing a sailor would think of when they touch land.. I may have mentioned wenches, rum, singing a cheery shanty or perhaps even tying some knots. What I wouldn’t have guessed, but now know, is that the activity which fills the sailors heart more than any other is the promise of a trip to Lidl (coming a close second would be emptying the bins and getting rid of the recycling). So anchored safely in the bay overlooked by the Gibraltaresque rock that dominates the town we did indeed head off to Lidl. The town of Calpe is an elongated strip of high rise hotels that line the shore, behind these lies a disused salt flat lake, now home to a flock of flamingos. There’s lots of holidaymakers here, and unlike other places we’ve stopped off, there’s a good proportion of English accents in the mix. Once fully provisioned, we spent a few days ther...