Back to Spanish Waters

We spent the morning of 30 March stocking the fridge with a selection of cheeses and the rest of the day having one more clamber over The Rock. We climbed the top 2 sections of the King Charles V steps to get to the top to enjoy the view (Nicky counted 519 steps) and then zig-zagged our way down on the paths and roads to enjoy our last evening in Gibraltar.

During the previous few days we had noticed that the westerly wind had been quite blustery to the south of Europa Point but only from late morning after some heating from the sun. Even though we expected the wind to be light, and to have swung around to the east, we decided that we would leave relatively early to avoid having to motor into a headwind.

So directly after breakfast we paid the final marina bill and then motored up to the runway so that we could get to the refuel point in Marina Bay. They are worried about yacht masts getting in the way of aircraft so we dutifully called up port control for permission to go that close to the runway. They weren’t bothered so we were able to top up the tanks and then head south for Europa Point.

There was very little wind as we rounded Europa Point at 11 o’clock but, as Gibraltar slipped away behind us, we watched layers of cloud form in the up-drafting air and after barely an hour the peak was covered.

We had all afternoon to get just 15 miles north where we had arranged to meet Rob who is a marine engineer based at the marina in Duquesa so we had a slow, lazy motor for the first couple of hours and then a lovely gentle sail as the wind built.

We arrived exactly on time at 4 pm and saw Rob waiting on the quayside. He pointed us in the direction of the berth we had been allocated, met us to take our lines and then introduced us to the marina staff so that we could complete the formalities.

The stop off at Duquesa is so that Rob can help us by fitting a new generator. We have also booked the travel hoist here so that we can lift BV to clean her underside and replace the sacrificial anodes that protect the propeller and other metal fittings.

A plan was hatched, and tentatively agreed with the marina staff, that we would be lifted out the following day. Around that work and over the next 2-3 days Rob would look to get the old generator out and the new generator into position.

For us, therefore, it was time for a quick explore of Duquesa. Happy hour seems to stretch from 5 until 9 pm so the area around the marina was already quite lively. Thai, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Irish and Mexican restaurants filled the spaces between bars but, bizarrely, we couldn’t see a Spanish one. We scouted around for a supermarket and somewhere to get Camping Gaz bottles.

No joy on the gas but one peak into one of the supermarkets in the nearby town and we knew we were back in Spain. As well as the walls being hung with whole legs of ham drying, the fishmonger’s section was overflowing with all kinds of fish and seafood. Our plan for dinner instantly changed and we decided to celebrate our arrival in Spain by cooking a seafood paella which we enjoyed eating in the sunshine in the cockpit.

Duquesa, Spain