17th July 2007
Well, tonight sees me sipping a glass of red in lovely Cadiz. Like it here, cool place. Muy tranquilo as they say around these parts, very relaxed.
Just another street in Cadiz
A view from the city walls
So what’s been happening, well, I left Gaudiana and came here. How come that took over 2 weeks then I hear you ask. Well, just the way things are down here. I’ll have to work backwards and get the log out for details. Today signed up for some Spanish lessons at "Spanish In Cadiz". Must have took ages to think of that name but seem ok. Got so far with the language (done all right this far – oon a serr veessa por fa vor, works every time, try it) Need a bit of help I think to get any further so what the heck. What else, new Spanish sim card, yoigo, that’s the way to go. Internet access on board and even if you stay online all day most you pay a day is 1.3 euro. Handy. New weather software of choice is ugrib (www.ugrib.com) which downloads just a little file of whatever area you define and gives you 5 days of wind data. Bit unreliable along the coast as sea breezes set up after lunch but seems pretty good really. Hired a mountain bike so mobile again, just as well, marina is a good mile from town. Still trying to source rear wheel for my fold up bike after it got liberated one weekend in Lagos. Found some fine mesh material in town so mossie nets coming along for the hatches, at last can sleep with the hatches open again. Not many of the little blighters here but it only takes one…
Apart from that last few days spent with tiny bit boatwork, bit fishing and lots walking the streets of Cadiz. Flamenco last Friday night in one of the multitude of bars scattered around the narrow windey streets. “Ooooolllllleiiiooooaaaass, aaaa eeeeeiiionnn oeiiisss” Dunno what he was singing about everyone seemed to agree that he was a damn good egg, lots of shhhssing if anyone spoke too loud at the back of the bar, no amps here. Just old boy with guitar and even older boy singing as he had done since he was a young boy.
What else, fantastic market, possibly the best I’ve been in so far. Big fish section, plus all the usual veg, fruit, snails, what do you want? If it grows swims flies of even moves just a little chances are it’s here somewhere.
Sorry, what was you wanted again sonny
So since Gaudiana what have I been up to. River seems an age ago already. Went back down river and anchored up off Ayamonte then spent final couple of days in Portugal at marina in Santo Antonio. Friends Rory and Linda from Olhoa near Fara came to visit so very pleasant day spent sipping and eating sardines. Then uneventful trip round to El Rompido, long inlet with huge amount of moorings. Motored right up and anchored off a village. Then early start and sailed (uneventful again, motored most of the way, bit boring this sailing lark!) round to Mazagon. Nothing much there, nice enough marina but town touristy and bit of a walk away. So from there on to Chipiona, liked it there. Very touristy but Spanish touristy.
Chipiona beach (one of them) on a sunday afternoon. wonder what it's like when it's busy?
None of your full English breakfast and international daily mirror here, barely hear a word of English spoken. Consequently food much better and prices much lower. Just a few euros would see you right with a couple plates seafood tapas and a glass of red.
So I holed up there for a few days. Then on round the corner towards Cadiz bay.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&q=&ie=UTF8&ll=36.635917,-6.405029&spn=0.24409,0.559616&t=h&z=11&om=0
All started off nicely, little breeze onshore getting me out past the headland and reefs. Then it all but died away leaving me rolling about on a swell from the south, maybe from a gale in the straits of Gibraltar forecast around then. Engine on Conachair not the best thing to push 10 tonnes of boat against a swell but on it went for an hours slow progress. Every little while a couple of bigish swells will come in and stop her dead. Then the wind came back, about a 4 gusting 5 right on the nose. So engine off and beat we shall. After many more hours than had thought we got into Rota, about 8pm. Supposed to be pretty little place, looking forward to a beer and some tapas I was. “Ah, sorry senor, we only have berth available for 19 metre boat and will have to charge you that”. Don’t think so somehow, thanks anyway but I’ll try somewhere else. So quick pint of fruit juice and it’s back to sea, bit hungry, wind swept and sunburnt by now. DOH. Thought the wind would have died a bit by now but no, still gusting 5 maybe 6. (don’t have wind speed indicator so have to guess a bit!) . Right on the nose for Cadiz so I head south then tack across the middle of the bay and a few tacks later sees me anchored off Puerto Sherry. Phew, that was a bit more than was expected. Reefs in, out, in again as the wind varied. Little tense in Cadiz bay after the sun went down waiting for the bouys to start flashing.
Tacking across an unfamiliar bay in the dark with a fair bit of wind on the nose, all in all a fun end to a really good days sailing!!!
That was last Thursday, Friday I sailed off the anchor and across to Cadiz. Been here since. And shall be for another week and half at least trying to learn a few more words of Spanish. Then? Well, Atlantic beckons, Madeira possibly. Do I go over for a look at Morocco first? Hmm, deal with that closer to the time I think.
Adios Y Buenas Noches
