|
What
a difference two days makes. We left Teulada in relatively calm
seas, again setting out for our destination of Gibralter. This segment
of the voyage has been blessedly uneventful. The weather has been
mild and the stress level is low. Charlie has gotten the little
water maker working beautifully at 7-8 gallons per hour, and we
are full of good reverse osmosis water.
On the
afternoon of
July 22 I was napping. I kept hearing a whirring noise and in my dream
state thought it was Charlie shaving with his electric razor. The
noise went on and on and I finally roused myself and realized the
man just doesn't take that long to shave. The repetitive noise was
fishing line running off the reel. Practically the whole spool was
out. I yelled, "Fish on." Charlie rallied to the call and
the fight began. We cut the engine back and he set out to land what
proved to be a fantastic "big-eyed tuna." Ironically I had
taken the last package of frozen tuna out that morning to fix for
dinner. He fought the fish for some time and we finally boated her,
using some of the Ouzo, given to us in Greece, which he poured into
her gills to anesthesize her quickly and humanely. It also keeps a
fish from splattering blood from stem to stern. Charlie cleaned the
fish and ever since we have been eating the best tuna I think I have
ever tasted. How do you want your tuna today?
We continue
west toward Gibralter and for the first time since June of 1999
in the South Pacific, Sea Gem is again in the Western Hemisphere.
Counting down the seconds and minutes on the chart, as we log in,
just reconfirms the fact that with each mile we are indeed headed
home.
We have a
little leeway in our timing to reach Lanzarote but we want plenty
of time there to get things put away on board and insure that Sea
Gem has a safe and secure resting place while we are gone. Whether
she will go "up on the hard" or remain in the water is
still to be decided. Both have their advantages and disadvantages.
July 25,
2001. We have decided to stop at an anchorage on the coast of Spain
to get a good nights sleep and leave so that we will enter Gibralter
during daylight hours. As we move toward Gibralter there is more
and more traffic. We especially want to be arrive in that congested
place with daylight. We will leave the anchorage early. It will
be a better than twenty-four hour run from where we anchor.
The anchorage
was very roily and we were more than glad to be up and away to tick
off the last twenty-four hours to Gibralter. The trip was in good
weather. What wind we had was enough
at times to give a boost to one engine. As we approached "The
Rock" the traffic was really heavy. At one time I counted fourteen
ships on the radar screen with only a twelve-mile radius. During
Charlie's time, which is most of the time at night, he was plowing
into a thirty-knot wind head on with both engines and making little
progress.
During my watch
I could smell the desert, or something that smells like the desert
to me. I conjured up visions of camel caravans, nomads wrapped in
native dress and cities dripping intrigue and magic. Daylight brought
visions of ferries, tankers and container ships. Towering four hundred
and thirty meters above the water is "The Rock"which has
been a navigational landmark since man first ventured forth upon the
sea. As one of the Pillars of Hercules, the Rock of Gibralter used
to mark the end of the civilized world in ancient
times.
Before entering any new port, regulations dictate the yellow Q flag
(quarantine) must be raised. Our entry into Gibralter and the clearance
of customs was the easiest we have had in going around the world.
We docked at a fuel dock, next to the customs office, Charlie went
in to clear, I chatted with the fuel attendant. After clearance we
fueled, took our garbage in and the customs agent used his influence
to get us a berth at one of the three marinas. All are full due to
a regatta and we are thankful to have this space so that we can get
a few provisions, check our e-mail and wash the salt off the boat.
If we are lucky we will be able to sell or trade our
"made for
the Med." gangplank for something we can use, like a new spinnaker
pole, to replace the one lost in the storm.
Closing for
now so we can do a little exploration of one of the interesting
ports of the world, Gibralter. From Sea Gem until later. . . .
|
