After 5,500 miles of cruising, it was comforting to be safely tied up to a calm dock for the winter. Lagos Marina is on the east side of the Bensafrim River in southern Portugal. Surrounded by condos and restaurants, it reminded me of being in a yacht resort.
Lagos Marina
Directly across the river is old Lagos, a Portugese port since Roman times. It is the closest harbor to Cabo de Sao Vicente, which is at the tip of the SW corner of Portugal on the Iberian peninsula. From there, the Portugese coast turns due north up toward the Bay of Biscay.
Before Vasco da Gama, Columbus and the other brave seafaring explorers, this marked the land's end and the start of the endless Atlantic Ocean and the edge of the known world.
River entrance to Lagos
Every town needed an old fortress and wall
Tiled walks
And tiled buildings
An old fishing harbor
And storks
This part of Portugal is home to many storks. I counted over 25 nests on various roof tops and chimneys from the boat. Portugal is also famous for it's cork. A cork tree is not very tall, but the trunk is a foot or more in diameter. It is shaved every 12 years and the cork bark is used for clothes, flooring and wine bottles.
Holidays back in the US
Palm trees in Los Angeles, not cork trees!
With the boat secure in Portugal, I returned to Los Angeles and spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family. It was warm and fuzzy to be on holiday and to be with my friends and kin. I do miss you all when away on the boat!
For the 2 months I was in California, my friends Hans and Rosemarie from Goteborg, Sweden stayed on the boat... dodging the snow and cold of the Baltic winter. We swapped free rent and warm weather, for a wax and polish of No Regrets!
Golf on the Algarve?
In February, my son Drake brought his clubs to Lagos for 2 weeks of golf on the Algarve Coast. This part of the Portugal is known for it's warm dry weather and the many golf courses. But bad weather luck made this winter the worst in 20 years, with rain seemingly every day and cold temperatures.
After 2 days, Drake said, "Let's get out of here and go where the weather fits our clothes!"
So after researching the possible golfing alternatives, Jamaica looked to be the best solution. So we found air flights from Lisbon, Portugal to Montego Bay, Jamaica, and off we went!
From ski caps...
To golf hats!
From 55 degrees, to 85 degrees :))
What a fun time in Jamaica. Golf, swimming, naps on the beach, rum punches, red stripe beers, meat pies and warm sunny days. Thank you Drake for kidnapping me for such an unexpected and great holiday...
Ya Mon!!!
On to Gibraltar
Returning to Lagos, it was time to get the boat ready to move again.
Hauled to anti-foul the bottom
Here is what a stabilizer fin looks like... A great "bit o kit"
After waiting around for winter to pass, now I was itching to get moving again.
On April Fool's Day, David Wood joined me from Ramsgate, England, and we cast off east toward the Mediterranean Sea.
Care for a Cuppa?
Russian training ship outside the harbor of Rota, Spain
Getting ready to set sails on the yard arms
Street Music in Cadiz, Spain
Gibraltar
The Rock of Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a tiny self ruled British Colony and Sovereign territory with a population of some 30,000. It is not a part of the European Union, nor Schengen. Gibraltar has a large port, and is a great place to take on fuel, as there is no VAT Tax.
The distance across to Morocco, Africa is about 10 miles. This was geographically very important during the days of cannon warfare, because the Rock could defend itself and the Straight of Gibraltar against ships entering or leaving the Mediterranean Sea.
The British gained possession of the Rock from Spain 300 years ago with the Treaty of Utrecht. Although Spain still wants it back, Gibraltar will remain British as long as the residents want it to be. Their last vote was 98% to remain.
There is about a knot and a half of current in the Straight of Gibraltar flowing in from the west and the Atlantic Ocean. This new water is needed every day to replace that which evaporates from the enclosed Mediterranean Sea.
The upper Rock is home to monkeys - actually Barbary Macaques. They were made famous by Winston Churchill's remark that "Gibraltar would cease to be British if the monkeys ever disappeared".
2 Barbary apes
The monkey population is stable, and Gibraltar is British
Guarding the Straight of Gibraltar, with Morocco, Africa in the background
The entry road crosses the airport runway, which also separates Spain from Gibraltar
Gibraltar is in the foreground... Spain is just beyond
There are over 40 miles of tunnels inside the Rock of Gibraltar. These were hewn out by the military or existed as natural caves.
They now hold concerts inside the caves inside the Rock
Mooring in the Med
Most of the marina docks in Europe, outside of the Med, consist of side-to floats or stone cays. These are easy and straight-forward with bumpers and dock lines needed on one side only, with an side gate, step off access.
Inside the Mediterranean, a Med Moor is common. This allows for more boats in a harbor, and is made possible because there is less than a meter of tide throughout this inland Sea.
To Med Moor, one needs to back up to the dock to attach the stern lines, then an underwater line with one end attached to the dock and the other to an underwater concrete block is pulled up to the bow on each side. When pulled taunt, this mooring line will hold the bow and boat stationary. Since this line is underwater when not being used, it is slimy, often with barnacles and other growth attached to it. Gloves are recommended to handle this line, which is appropriately nicknamed the "Slime Line".
With the stern secured to the dock and the bow held away from it by the slime lines, this Med Moor is akin to a man being stretched spread eagle, tied in 4 directions from his hands and feet. The boat rides stable like this, and the mooring itself is actually fairly easy to do with a little experience and improved backing up skills.
Getting ready ready to dive to clear the slime line that I wrapped around a prop :((
Variations of this technique are in Greece, where a bow anchor is used forward instead of existing slime lines, or in Sweden, where the stern anchor is dropped while motoring forward to tie the bow to the rocks or cay. Swedish boats have a ladder on the bow pulpit for access.
By adjusting the tension on the stern lines, the transom is held steady about 4 feet from the dock. A Passarell, or gangplank, spans that distance for going ashore.
While some yachts have elaborite hydraulic systems,
On No Regrets, our Passarell attaches to the stern rail on a swivel
Costa del Sol & Costa Blanca
Leaving Gibraltar, we cruised east into the Med passing along the Costa del Sol. Towns included Marbella, Malaga and Almeria. We stayed in the harbors of Benalmadena and Almerimar.
I like Spain. It is very chill and the people here are relaxed, without aggressive or bad agendas. The weather is sunny and warm. The food and tapas are tasty, and the prices are inexpensive.
From there, the Spanish coast turns north east and becomes the Costa Blanca, or White Coast. Cartagena is located here, and is super little Spanish port and town. It is the winter home for many cruising boats.
Cartagena buildings with
Exuberant Architecture
A Defensive Fort in Alicante
With great views over the harbor
Calpe Harbor with the Pinon de Ifach beyond
The Ballerca Islands
From Calpe, we sailed 75 miles offshore to Formentera, a small hippie-like island and the beginning of the Ballerca Islands. These Spanish islands are in the middle of the Med and include Mallorca and Minorca.
Anchored out in Formentera
After several days, we cruised north to Ibiza, the next Island in this chain.
I liked Ibiza a lot more than I feared. It has a reputation for being expensive, loud and full of all night partying tourists. While that part was true, it also enjoyed charm, history and beauty not to be missed.
Ibiza Town Harbor
With Medieval fortifications
And homes without a view?
David and I sailed on to San Antonio, a mid-sized town on the west coast of Ibiza Island. We said our goodbyes, and No Regrets welcomed aboard her new crew, two rookie ladies from LA.
But that is a story for the next episode.
Life is good!
