Gibraltar 2

We have explored Gibraltar from top to bottom on foot and on our bicycles – we took the cable car to the top of The Rock, with our bikes (folded as they do not allow bicycles normally) and had a great day out riding and walking around seeing all the sights.  For such a tiny piece of land, Gibraltar has had a fascinating history (the first Neanderthal skull was found in a cave here), and there are many little places to visit.  The local museum is well done and has a wonderful collection of items from ancient times to modern.  Most places and items of historical interest are well-labeled with placards containing explanations, and almost all are easily accessible.

                                                   A typical street sign in Gibraltar

                                         The "first" cannon in the Siege Tunnels of The Rock

                                     Europa Point Lighthouse at the southern tip of Gibraltar

The main street through the centre of town is closed to traffic which means that you cannot cycle through it – we walk our bikes, though, as it is the shortest way to get to either the other side of the peninsula or to the border.  As Gibraltar is a tax-free area the majority of the shops sell liquor, wine and tobacco, as well as watches and jewelry but there are also the usual British retailers like Marks and Spencers, Top Shop, Mango (and probably more but I am not a shopper and therefore didn’t spend a great deal of time investigating).  There is a huge supermarket called “Morrisons” which has everything British in the way of food items including meat imported from the UK.  What I found rather curious was why people would prefer frozen or imported meat to the delicious locally-grown meat from Spain? Still, it was nice to be able to stock up on things like brown sugar, baking powder, tortillas/flat bread and a few other things we hadn’t been able to find in France, Spain or Portugal.

On chatting with some of our fellow marina residents, we discovered the ease with which one can ‘duck into’ Spain across the border.  Somewhat nervous about our Schengen situation I was the first to venture across using my Canadian passport (in case they decided to stamp me into Spain or out of Gibraltar).  Interestingly, you walk/ride/drive across the airport runway (which is oriented east-west across the isthmus that joins Gibraltar to Spain) to the frontier.  Here, the cars/buses/motorcycles and bicycles are directed to a queue for inspection.  The pedestrians (the majority as it is much easier and faster) simply walk past a booth waving their id (passports or other identification) at the Spanish immigration person, and then go through a customs area where some people are questioned about their purchases in Gibraltar but most just walk through – a process which takes about 2 minutes – and then you are in Spain!  No stamps, no worries!  On the way back, the Spanish are nowhere to be seen and the Gibraltar immigration officer has a look at the main page of your passport and off you go!

The first impression of La Linea (the town that borders Gibraltar) is how rundown and shabby it appears.  The border area really is a no-man’s land of unfinished buildings, tenement apartment buildings housing the Spanish who work in Gibraltar, and a park which no one seems to go to.  A short walk later and you are in the town of La Linea which is rather cute with a pedestrian shopping street and what I like to call an ‘eat street’ – these are typical in the towns of Spain where the whole street is closed to traffic and there is one restaurant after the other with their tables set out on the pedestrian way.  Lunch time and evenings these are packed with families, friends and all ages and stages eating and drinking the local specialties and it’s a wonderful atmosphere.

My first mission to La Linea was to investigate the supermarket and see what I could find in the way of fresh produce and meat as well as other bits and pieces.  I was thrilled to find not only a well-stocked (and well-priced) supermarket, but also that there was a market every morning as well as a market day (with outdoor stalls selling clothing, footwear and much more) on Wednesdays.  Tad has accused me of single-handedly trying to boost the Spanish economy as I have gone to Spain almost every day since being in Gibraltar and never come back empty handed!  The thing is, the fresh produce is so nice and the prices are so reasonable – the same goes for the clothes, sandals, etc.  Gibraltar is lovely and has some nice shops but everything is priced in English/Gibraltar pounds!  So what you would spend in Europe in euros is priced the same but in pounds.  For example, a main course of food (a HUGE platter in Spain) might cost 7 or 8 euros in Spain, but costs 7 or 8 pounds in Gibraltar.  This can add up as it adds about 30% to your bill.  Once I realized how easy it was to cross the border, I became a regular visitor to Spain and Tad joined me on one occasion.

The hard-to-find Camping Gaz bottle!

One of the items that has proved a challenge to find is a supply of butane for our stove and BBQ – apparently Gibraltar is not licensed to sell gas canisters for some reason, so you have to go to Spain. Well, that’s all very well, but the type of canisters that they sell at the petrol stations are not what we have purchased for our trip. Let me explain: in France, we were advised to buy the blue steel ‘camping gaz’ brand of butane bottles for our cruise through Europe, for the simple reason that they can theoretically be either purchased or refilled pretty much everywhere.  The problem is that the largest ‘bottle’ or canister is only about 5kg. Now butane burns hotter than LPG so you use less, but as we cook our dinner either on the stove or the BBQ almost every night, even butane gets used up.  The French have a larger bottle made from fiberglass which they use, but we were told that we would not be able to get it filled so there wasn’t much point in buying them.  We decided to buy two blue camping gaz canisters in France, thinking that we should have no problem getting them filled or replaced.  Well, we haven’t needed to until now – and of course we now cannot get them in Gibraltar!  On my last foray to La Linea, I finally found a place    that sold them but was informed by the lady in the shop that they had sold out and wouldn’t have any more until tomorrow!  Not a problem normally, only that we were hoping to head to Morocco for a few days before venturing north into the Mediterranean!  No one else in the area supplied the camping gaz type of butane and as we already had the hoses and regulators for these, there was no point in trying to switch over.  The irony is that the same large canisters that we might have purchased in France are widely available at all petrol stations in Spain AND as they are so large, chances are that we wouldn’t have needed to refill them anyway if we had two!

Gibraltar 1

                                                                     Flag of Gibraltar

Apologies to everyone who has been holding out for the next instalment of my blog – we have now been in Gibraltar for 10 days (and counting) and have become far too relaxed and really rather lazy.  I do have to mention, however, that one of our fellow cruisers here in the marina, who has been sailing for some years now says that he does “one job per day” and once that is finished he feels that he has accomplished something!  We have been going to bed late, rising later and eating and drinking and socialising way too much (is there such thing?).

In the meantime, we have been using our bicycles almost every day, doing a huge amount of walking and of course exploring and sight-seeing.

We had a smooth ride into the Straits of Gibraltar with some fantastic coastal scenery on either side (although we were close to the Spanish side, we could see Morocco quite clearly).  As we had been warned, by late afternoon the wind picked up and soon we had only the genoa up and were making over 8 knots of speed!  Of course this whipped up the sea as well so that by the time we entered the Bay of Gibraltar, it was windy and wavy.  The area was littered with tankers, freighters, ferries coming and going and all sorts of pleasure boats.  It’s really not a place you want to be moving through at night or in a fog with a small (relatively speaking) pleasure boat such as Bisou.

We found the gap in the breakwater and then the entrance to the Queensway Quay Marina (very narrow and at a right angle so how the bigger boats get in and out is a mystery to me!) and were amazed at the complete lack of wind and wave action once inside.  To be fair, the marina is surrounded on all four sides by three or four-storey apartment buildings which contribute a great deal towards protecting the boats inside from wind and swell, but the feeling is open enough that you do not feel claustrophobic.  We proceeded to what we thought was the reception pontoon but were immediately directed towards the sea wall at the end of the marina which is lined with restaurants.  Thinking that this was where we would check-in, the attendant who assisted with our lines advised us that this was where they berthed catamarans of our size!  Fortunately we were able to lay alongside the sea wall, and so mooring was not a challenge (as it can be with ‘Mediterranean mooring’ using lazy lines elsewhere in the marina), but the disadvantages were that we had to use loose lines to compensate for the tides, and we were also completely exposed to passers-by as well as the diners at the restaurants a few metres away!  We do have sun shades which are semi-transparent from the inside out but completely opaque looking in, and we put these on our saloon windows as soon as we had Bisou secured.

It was my job to head over to the marina office and get us checked in (and thus ‘checked out’ of Schengen Europe – phew!).  To our utter embarrassment we realized only on approach to Gibraltar that we did not have either a UK nor a Gibraltar courtesy flag, but it seems that this must be a fairly regular occurrence as the marina office manager calmly handed me on when I mentioned this to her – of course it came with a fee, but at least we had one!  This was the first marina where we would be charged an additional cost for electricity and water but the marina fee was so reasonable we didn’t baulk.  In addition, we found that we really didn’t need to use the shore power at all as we have been able to charge our batteries sufficiently to meet our needs during the sun-filled days!  Tad was keen to give Bisou a good wash since we had not done so since A Coruna, so we agreed to pay for water (a penny a litre – it doesn’t sound much but it does add up!).

Our first meal ashore was in Gibraltar’s ‘oldest pub’ and sadly the food tasted like it!  We ate it anyway as we were tired and hungry and retreated to our bed for a good night’s sleep.

Over the next few days we assessed our situation, relieved to be somewhere that was not going to count down our Schengen clock, where they speak English (sort of) and in a reasonably priced marina.  Being against the seawall had its disadvantages (already mentioned) but in the scheme of things, it was easy to get on and off the boat, a conversation piece (lots of people have stopped by for a chat, taking photos, etc.), and of course great for people-watching!  We have had one or two evenings when the revelers at one or another of the nearby restaurants have had festivities that have continued into the wee hours but somehow we manage to fall asleep and not have too bad a time of it.

View of Gibraltar from the Top of The Rock

                   View of Bisou against the seawall in Queensway Quay Marina, Gibraltar

Goodbye Portugal and Hello Spain (again)!

The time is flying by and after just a week we said goodbye to Portugal about 10am this morning.  We crossed a large bay from the harbour entrance to Faro and Olhao to the Bay of Cadiz today.  The wind started gently which was perfect for our departure out of the harbour, and the tide was just starting to ebb – both of which contributed to a smooth exit.  The day was another sunny one (how lucky we are at the moment!) and we were able to motor-sail the whole way using the gennaker all day.

For the non-nautical, a gennaker is a cross between a genoa (foresail, jib) and a spinnaker.  It’s a very large sail that, when used correctly, can give the boat a good push forward. As it’s also a light sail, it can be used in fairly light winds up to about 25 knots.  Tad loves our gennaker as it’s very versatile and quite easy to set up and take down (actually we don’t take it down, just furl it).

No luck with the fishing again, and I just have to include a photo of my lure when I reeled it in at the end of the day – it’s no wonder I’m not catching anything, although there ARE teeth marks on the body of the lure!

                                          A very tangled lure!

A propos of fishing and fish, it’s probably time to talk about food on board.  With a well-equipped, although basic kitchen, it’s amazing what one can prepare.  We find that we are hungry throughout the day and so tend to graze rather than eat large meals.

Some of you will already know my passion for healthy eating and my wonderful business helping people achieve better health through nutrition (www.leanmeanandclean.isagenix.com).  What some of you may not know is that through careful planning and various means of transportation, we were able to bring 6 months’ supply of our Isagenix products to Bisou for our consumption while on this voyage!  Thus we have been able to enjoy our Isalean shakes every morning for breakfast – start our day with our Ionix Supreme shots, and also have our daily vitamin/mineral/antioxidant intake taken care of.

                                  Enjoying my Isalean shake for breakfast on the back of Bisou 

As I think I have mentioned before, we have a three-burner gas cooktop (stove), a gas BBQ and a gas oven, all of which work very efficiently.  Our fuel is butane which burns much hotter than LPG and so things heat up very quickly and also cook quickly.  Lunches tend to be simple affairs when at sea: some soup and crackers if we feel like it or I make a salad with fresh veggies and some tuna, olives or some cheese or hard boiled eggs.  Since leaving France we really haven’t eaten bread as it just isn’t the same quality, and we never eat bread at home anyway.  If we rise late, we often don’t eat lunch as our shakes tend to keep us satisfied, except for a snack of an ice cream (if ashore), or some peanuts/cashews/pretzels until dinner.  Tad discovered a ‘new’ kind of snack in A Coruña to which he has become addicted – it’s deep-fried corn kernels that are salted.  It doesn’t sound very tasty (I am not particularly partial to them) but he loves them!  We haven’t been able to find them since leaving Spain (not even here in Gibraltar!) and our supply is fast running out.  I think perhaps we will have to find an alternative.

Our evening meals are eaten at a restaurant ashore (if we feel like treating ourselves) or we BBQ some meat, have a salad and some starch like quinoa, sweet potato, pumpkin, etc.  I occasionally make a potato salad as Tad is not that keen on cooked potatoes otherwise.  We pretty much run a ‘dry’ boat when we are at sea – neither Tad nor I drink alcohol to any great extent at home and we find it makes us drowsy.  Not something you need when you are on watch!  We do celebrate with a drink or two when we are on land and not heading anywhere early the next day though.

We have not eaten as much fish as I had hoped – sardines are plentiful but become rather monotonous after awhile.  We had a good deal of calamari and cuttlefish while in Spain and Portugal, but didn’t see any paella or mussels!  I guess they are more popular on the Mediterranean side of Spain which we will not be visiting this time around sadly.

For a special treat, we do have a ‘big breakfast’ once in awhile – this consists of Tad’s “Swedish hotcakes” (crepe-like pancakes), bacon, fresh orange segments and cranberry juice (for me).  We have also indulged in French Toast made with the remains of baguettes in France and in Portugal.  I have stocked up on maple syrup so if we are careful we should have enough to last us for a few more breakfasts!

The last night in Spain was spent in a small town called Rota – just 5 km across the Bay of Cadiz from the city of Cadiz, we chose to stay here due to the ease with which we could leave the marina in the morning.  The wind was blowing 25-30 knots as we entered the marina and the attendant wanted us to ‘park’ the boat in a tiny berth in between several boats; we were tired and didn’t want the hassle of getting in that night and out the next morning (when the wind was STILL blowing) so we paid extra to be in a larger berth with an easy exit.  We went into town for dinner and were surprised by the tidiness and prettiness of the town.  As usual, for Spain, although it was about 9:30pm there were lots of people in the streets (including small children who seem to stay up until all hours), and we wandered a little until we found some place to eat.  Summer time means the evening stays light until at least 10pm, many of the shops are still open and the streets are buzzing with people eating at outdoor restaurants and cafes until quite late.

Due to another dawn departure the next day, we didn’t linger, and the strong winds were rather chilly, so we headed back to the boat and to bed.

Sines to the Algarve

Rounding Cabo Sao Vincente

The RRC Pilot book for Atlantic Spain and Portugal says “rounding the Cabo de São Vicente is a significant milestone on the voyage south”; it is here that one makes the left-hand turn towards the Straits of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean beyond.  We rounded the cape in fine weather with very little wind (our second significant cape with similar weather!) and pulled into a lovely little bay, Enseada de Sagres, our anchorage for the night.  We were able to anchor fairly close to the beach as we have such a small draught for a big boat (about 1.1m) and because the bottom is sand (so if we were to get grounded, it would not hurt Bisou).

We had had a spectacular day of sailing and motoring, together with a splendid dolphin show.  We were able to sit up on the bow seats and in the trampoline to observe and photograph these stunning animals.  They performed for us for quite some time before veering off to look for food.  They seem to love swimming alongside the bows of Bisou and manage to keep just abreast with so little effort.  They are ‘common dolphins’ or Delphinus delphis with white/yellow bellies and light grey backs.  Wonderfully playful they leap out of the water, swim along eyeballing us, and swoop and swerve through the water.  Such fun to watch!

The sun was still shining and although there was a stiff northerly blowing (the winds seem to strengthen about 4pm every afternoon around here), many people were at the beach watching our arrival as well as splashing about in the (frigid, in my opinion) water.  I decided to go ashore and post a post card as well as visit a supermarket and check out Sagres.

There are several hotels and holiday apartments in this tiny village, as well as bars and restaurants, but it is pretty bleak and other than the beautiful beach and spectacular cliff-top walks, not much to speak of.  Plenty of ‘poms’ about though so it is obviously a popular tourist destination for those seeking sunshine and warmer weather.

That evening we treated ourselves to take-away pizza; big deal, you might say, but we were able to call the restaurant on our phone, order the pizza, take the dinghy ashore and while I ran up to the restaurant, Tad drove the dinghy along the shore to wait.  We then made the return journey back to Bisou and had piping hot fresh pizza and a cold beer while we watched a couple of episodes of “Big Bang Theory” on our tv.  Not bad!

We decided on another early start this morning as we wanted to reach Faro before the predicted strong winds came up.  The entrance to the waterway that provides passage to both Faro and Olhao is fairly narrow and has a rather strong tidal current.  Together with a strong wind, it could be tricky and we wanted to give ourselves the best conditions possible.

One of the interesting things I have learned on this trip is about weather – we prepared ourselves with multiple apps and websites for maritime weather forecasting and in spite of checking and re-checking the weather (mostly looking at wind direction and speed), the results rarely compare with reality!  Over the course of the past 20 days that we have been at sea, the wind direction has varied from spot-on (rarely) up to 180 degrees in the opposite direction.  The speeds are usually at least 10 knots higher than predicted (which is considerable, and can make the difference between which sail to use and how much of it), and the timing is rarely correct.  So, we look at the weather, make a note of what is predicted and go on our way, hoping that we can sail as much of the way as possible.  Perhaps I am not looking at the weather files correctly, or perhaps there are some secret places one can look (other than watching local fishermen come and go), but the winds still mystify me!

Another interesting fact is about fishing – my fishing that is. Prior to our departure from La Rochelle, we went into the fishing shop in the marina to enquire about lures and other tackle needed to catch tuna, mahi mahi (dolphin fish), and other yummy large fish.  We were sold a couple of lures that were ‘guaranteed’ to catch any one of the above (as well as bonito) – Tad had also brought a couple of lures with him; one bought in Australia for the same type of fish and one brought from the Caribbean many years ago, again for mahi mahi and tuna.  We have had our rod out and a different lure every day since we left La Rochelle, and the only nibbles we have had, have been by large sea-going birds who have dived on the lures from time to time!  Either there are no fish out there or the lures do not interest them.  If anyone out there has any hints please feel free to comment! 

We have passed numerous fishing nets/pots along the way, particularly here in Portugal, so there must be fish out there!  We have also seen plenty of fishing boats around and there is fish in every restaurant (apparently Spain consumes more fish than all the other countries in Europe combined!), so there are fish….somewhere.  I haven’t given up.

We passed the mouth of the harbour to Faro and Olhao just after 3pm this afternoon.  The wind had just picked up and the flowing tide was creating cross-currents in the water.  Tad steered us true and we found a lovely anchorage (with LOTS of other boats) to the north of the Ilha da Culatra  ( 37° 00’.064N 07° 55’.561W), which is essentially a very large sandbank separating us from the ocean .  The winds are predicted to become strong overnight and stay that way tomorrow, so it’s a good place to stop and take a breather for a couple of nights.

The Ilha da Culatra is interesting in that it is essentially a large sandbar which has become home to a group of fishermen and their families, and who over the years were able to establish themselves as a recognised community.  They were able to petition the nearby cities of Olhao and Faro to gain autonomy as a village.  Ilha da Cultura has electricity, water, sewage (probably septic tanks), several restaurants/cafes/bars, a village store and some beautiful beaches.  The place is swamped with tourists in the summer, and locals on the weekends who come to the long, spectacular beaches by ferry and pleasure boats.  There is no marina, but a fishing harbour chock-a-block with boats of all sizes and when we visited we were barely able to find room to tie up our dinghy.  The houses are brightly coloured and the sand ‘streets’ neatly swept.  Many of the houses have bougainvillea and other colourful plants in their tiny front yards, which really gives the place a homely feel.  We did not spend a long time here as it was late in the day when we visited, but as we walked to the beach we spied a number of sailboat masts off to one side – they appeared as though they were on land, but on closer inspection revealed themselves to be tucked into a small lagoon.

Tad was curious to see what these boats were doing so we hopped back into the dinghy and went to look.  We had met a British couple in Baiona who had spent the winter (and in fact, a couple of winters) anchored here and this was one of the reasons we chose to stop here.  We didn’t know about the lagoon until we stumbled upon it accidentally  - when we reached it in our dinghy we were surprised at the number of sailboats (catamaran and monohulls) anchored/moored there.  It was a bit of a community of well-loved boats, which had obviously been there for some time (based on the growth on their hulls), and while most had no signs of life on them (human-wise), there were one or two that had occupants.  There was even a local ‘store’ with an outdoor bar for the community.  Due to the location and possibly the weather, it seems that a number of people choose to winter here, and in fact possibly spend longer.  I guess it’s cheaper than buying an apartment or villa in town!  I am not sure what they do for fresh water or electricity, but many of the boats had wind generators on board so I guess they manage!

We did a bit of a circuit around the lagoon and then headed back to Bisou for dinner and an early night.  We did go ashore at Olhao, but it was disappointing in terms of looks and facilities –basically a main street lined with restaurant and cheap souvenir shops.  We visited the market and topped up our fresh fruit and veggie supplies, had an ice cream and left.

                                       A view of our anchorage in Enseada de Sagres

                                             A view of Bisou in the Enseada de Sagres

                                      

                                                A 'street' on the Ilha da Culatra

                                           A fishing boat on the Ilha da Culatra

                                           The 'wintering' lagoon on the Ilha da Culatra