Visit to Sarah G

It felt like a very frustrating visit at the time. I was not able to get on with installing the windmill (generador de viento and not molino a viento as I said in an email to the Marina). The mounting pole did not arrive.

I also did not feel sufficiently confident to cross the straits on my own in poor visibility. It is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and carries something like 25% of the worlds shipping through it every year so dodging supertankers on my own did not appeal. Then, when the sun did come out, the wind got up as well.

Still, it was relaxing and I was able to give some thought to where we might go. Go we must as it has become clear to me that the Gibraltar area is a bit of a graveyard of blue water dreams. There are places like this all over the world. One of the worst is Glasson Dock in Lancashire where loads of people build their ocean cruiser and never get out of the lock basin! I think that the year round sun and easy communications mean that Gib can be a bit of trap. Also, it is very non trivial to get west through the straits which could also make for a blockage. I am very anxious that we don't fall into the same trap!

Here are a couple of pictures - nothing original mind.

And a closeup of "The Rock" as I played with the extreme zoom on my new lens.

The most positive thing was that I had a chance to give thought to where we will go though o2 benefitted from the long calls while I discussed it with Audrey as well. We are now quite keen on the idea of going to the Mediterannean side of Morocco for a while, perhaps working out way along to Melilla before heading back north to Spain. We will most likely then make our way back through the Straits and slowly make our way to Faro where there is a good sounding boatyard. It has been three years since Sarah G has been out of the water and it would be a good idea to do this before heading south properly and across the Atlantic - probably.

Slowly visiting SW Andalucia will give us the chance to get to know Cadiz properly as well as going up the Rios Guadalquivir and Guadiana.

Faro has a lot to recommend it as a place for wintering having plenty of flights into it's airport.

What we do next spring is very much up for debate at the moment.