When in Rome......British territory in this case

 Well despite having bacon proper for the first time in four and a half months a few days ago my hankering for a full English got the better of me. Very tasty it was too. Gibraltar at last ,not my favourite place but interesting and the start of the med.

 So the departure from Cadiz was fine .the gear box still won't go in to neutral but the guy is coming to look at it tomorrow to give me the bad news! Whilst in Cadiz Jane turned up on her cruise ship which was funny and I asked her to rob a bacon sandwich from her breakfast hence my first bacon foray mentioned above. Also she bought me a supply of baked beans which I'd been unable to get since leaving home .Shame Gib has a Morrisons supplying them but that's sods law at work again.

Cadiz cathedral and one of the many green parks with parakeets in residence

The trip over from Cadiz was interesting. People were talking about weather windows due to the Levante winds than funnel down the straits of Gibraltar at commonly 30 MPH. Our decision was to sail through the night and deal with what ever was there if anything. As it happened from about 11pm till anchoring at 4am the sea state was very rough with wave sets about 4 meters apart which is pretty close plus winds gusting at over  30 knots .Even with the the main having two reefs and the genoa half furled we were making absolutely no head way on tacking so again unfortunately desailed and put the engine on.The other issue is very busy major shipping lanes at the point of tack and some of the ships heading off to different directions .Tangier was visible clearly but conditions were bad and the hull was smashing against the waves. All pretty exiting .Will and I were doing 2 hours on 2 off but had to wake him after an hour as the auto helm had given up the ghost (not terminal I fixed it the next day). The lights of Tarifa were clear ahead but the port entry was round the other side up the straits so I decided that anchoring in the peninsular lee was most prudent. That went very well and we woke in the morning in this lovely bay no swell but as big winds as the night before! Always fun to see what you couldn't see the night before.

On the way to this place we went through or over the actual site of the battle of Trafalgar .Very poignant ,couldn't help thinking about what sailing in those ships at that time would have been like especially for the sailors.

That little white spire is Cabo de Trafalgar!! We're about 4 miles off shore. 

Arriving in Gib' the first marina only had stern to which I don't do and no one on phone or radio so having moored alongside apparently behind a locked gate we departed for La Linea marina over the other side of Gib' harbour but still in Spain. Nice place even with 4 young blokes trying to find passages as crew going any where .Not tempted certainly not by the dreadlocked tent dweller who reeked of B.O. There we are Will is staying for a couple of days then departs for UK and I need to make a decision as to where next and who with if the gear box is fixed.

T.N.T.