Feels like home😳

Back in Torrevieja again! At anchor at the moment for a few days , then in to marina to leave Kat and join another boat I’m taking to Minorca with its new owner. 

A salt freighter manoeuvring in our anchorage! The regular spot on the other side- closer to the shore; has been raided by the Guardia Civil. They kicked people off. No one really knows why!

Been pretty busy. Dismantled the toilet pump and waiting for parts . Very basic facilities here at anchor now! 

Changed engine oil and filter. Re wired and replaced nav lights at front. Took ages to complete due to awkward position of deck hole and position. Changed generator oil and replaced impeller. Serviced one of the winches at the last anchorage! Repaired dingy, serviced carb on the outboard, which stopped working this morning. Ah the joys of the beach commute.

Not all work though. Met up with drunk fin again , not so drunk these days, as with job. Paddle boarding round the anchorage and to nearest shore for exercise, plus been swimming most days. Bit chilly but warmer than British waters, obs! Oh and one Sunday roast in the paddy pub!

From Aguadulce I had a great sail round to Cabo de Palos. 

That’s where the boat got damaged two years ago. Didn’t fancy a repeat so went to the other side of the lighthouse and a moored on a buoy for two days. So nice and had Spanish airforce trainers overhead and second sunset , two firebomber planes - or one twice came round to scoop up unfortunately they scooped on the town side.

Crystal sea, fish everywhere

( escapees from the fish farm) Honed my paddle boarding sea legs which went ok.

That brings me up to date here. Trip from the buoys was about 6 hours sailing . You forget how it was sailing in the summer, just beginning to get hints of it now. The weather has been so unsettled and unreliable, the locals are almost in shock but they’re not Brits! We know weather!

This lovely hound lived on the boat two down at Aguadulce, with a slightly strange but sound ex bullfighter. We did have to cut off a lock and release her when Pepe ( the owner) didn’t come back for two days. Coco was fine loads of food and water,at 17, I reckon she was savouring the peace.

Some interesting chats were had in Sweet Water.

One English neighbour had been in prison for drugs on his boat(75 yr old now) He had a lovely twin masted gaff rigged something or other. Spent some time with him and a younger Dutch bloke with a lovely 55 ft’er. First boat, only had it for a year and came down from Holland. Amazing! An 86 yr old German who lived in china for 30yrs and married a Chinese. Moved to Australia almost killed one of his daughters because of a fault in his Chinese apartment. Above his factory. Went to have a look round his boat which had been fire damaged recently and he came out with all this and tears and should he refurbish this boat or take the insurance and buy another.Bloody hell. With the intention of soloing to Oz or US. At this point sensible Bob appeared and extolled the virtues of dying on one’s 500 hectare farm on the Gold Coast rather than halfway across the pacific with your hand trapped in a winch with no knife handy ! I think he is a bit addled!

Forgot I saw this massive goat in Aguadulce up in the hills. Zoom in to midddle left! Amazing horns.