Got a wifi here now

The Levanter is still howling away but all the weather sources are confidently predicting it will drop for tomorrow though not go into the west. Too many highs out in the Atlantic I suppose. I don't think that this connection is strong enough to upload photos but here is the text of the last few days anyway. Here, also is the current weather forecast for those of you who can speak Spanish :-) http://www.aemet.es/es/eltiempo/prediccion/maritima?opc1=0&opc2=1&zona=and1 08/10 Well, we are in Barbate now and gearing up for the final leg of them all. We are about 40 miles short of Gibraltar though when people get to read this we will be there as there is no wifi in this marina. The chief benefit of Barbate is that it is a convenient break in the journey from Cadiz to Gibraltar. The trip here was not the nicest one unfortunately. We had a bit of wind out of Cadiz and managed a broad reach for an hour or so until the wind went light. Then, just as we approached Cabo Trafalgar (no pigeons or Nelsons column) it blew up from the east with a proper levanter and we were pushing into a force 7 on the nose with a nasty steep chop to go with it. By contrast, we had a very nice visit to Jerez de La Frontera yesterday with a cheap and reliable train and a good tour of the Gonzales Byass Bodega though I succumbed to buying one of their best sherrys which we will open at Christmas. 09/10 The weather continues frustrating with very strong easterlies. The forecast for today was for a force 7 off Tarifa which I interpreted as being closer to 40 knots and a no go for us. Accordingly, Andy made a very sensible suggestion to get the bus to La Linea and so that they get a chance to visit Gibraltar – henceforward to be referred to as “The Rock” on this blog. Very naff and it will probably not last. We walked into Barbate and found the bus station where there was even a helpful person who sold us tickets to La Barca de Vejer where he assured us we could get a bus onto La Linea. Amazingly, they also meshed quite well in timings but the bus to La Linea took a long time and we only had two hours there. Nearly four hours on the bus for two hours visiting. The bus ride was an enjoyable affair as it passed through some very scenic but windswept valleys full of wind generators before following the coast near Tarifa confirming my interpretation of the weather. Lots of board sailors and kite boarders. The views from the N340 over Algeciras towards The Rock were spectacular and there were also very good views of Africa along with lots of ships in the straits. The two hours on The Rock were chiefly enjoyable for the walk, first through customs and then across the airport runway. We just had time for lunch and then had to rush back to catch the bus for 1600. I will spend some more time there when we eventually get the boat there. Current forecast is for the wind to drop on Tuesday but to stay in the east. I am rapidly warming to the idea of sailing in tradewind areas where you can count on the wind to at least blow from a consistent direction and plan accordingly.