Inland Spanish jaunt.

Jane has come over bringing some windlass parts which was a  great help and heavy package! That’s all reconfigured and yet to be tested properly though it does work. Now with a car we have gone in land in the Valencia/ Aragon area. What a stunning place. Loads of fruit growers , olives and vinyards. Amazing windy roads , great for bikes and very little traffic!

Iron ore mine. Very impressive little tour where the miners were paid 16 cents per day ! Closed in 62

Eagle flying just above our heads.

Visited a bull farm, unofficial. Most of the villages around here have bull runs but not fights. Don’t know why but very impressive animals.

Fresh water , thermal pool not very warm but not mountain cold and so clear with loads of fishes.

Goats or deer not sure?!

One of many mountain village’s above lovely back streets no one around and mostly  renovated . All thriving on fruit growing and olives.

Below Teruel, biggest local town with Muslim influences .

Morivet castle and surrounds. Amazing building from 11 century built over many times partly by the Templars! Have to look up about them, assume they were spreading the Christian way while raping and pillaging . Nothing much changed in 700 yrs then.😳

Mora d’Ebra. Site of fierce battles in the civil war. The river flowing through is massive but water level about 15 ft down from 10 yrs ago and the dam we passed was almost empty. Some serious problems ahead me thinks.

Our Parador in Tortosa. Amazing views and 5* type of building at 3 * prices.

Monument to Franco , still causing a lot of controversy!

Peniscola last visit before heading back to boat.

Not quite Bayesian !

But she was prominent in my thoughts!

So had a great sail from València to where I am in Oropesa. 10 hrs sailing with the last two at night and 7 kts all good . Decided to anchor outside rather than enter small strange marina at 23.30 with building winds. Limited anchorage’s around here but this was a bay  with sand below . 3-4 m depth so all good . A bit rolley to start off but nothing to concern then the wind picked up as well. Lots of noise and banging around but had new nylon snubbing line to two cleats so happy and went to bed. Not very productive bearing in mind the noise and motion but at 1.30 there was a new noise . Had the boom fallen ? No the anchor chain was paying out on its own. 

Rolling sea- under statement . I’ve never seen breaking waves move past me at such speed . I was side to swell on occasion and these were hitting from the side . The cockpit was awash but not drowned. The wind was over 20 knots and I was wondering what to do. I’ve 70 meters of heavy chain but half of that would take me aground . Last sight of the depth gauge showed 2.1 m , I use 1.8m. I was lying on the fore deck tying ropes around the chain to stop it paying out , while it was paying out. Next best option ditch the whole length of chain and anchor go out to sea . Head to marina next day then recover anchor! My tie jobs seem to be holding as was my trusty anchor so although my depth gauge was flashing inaccurate crazy figures now due to excessive rocking and data burp. I wasn’t aground and wasn’t getting any closer to the beach. I decided to monitor the situation. Stayed up top as static motion was making me feel a bit queasy . Wouldn’t say I slept, but cat napped while holding on and waiting for sunrise at about 7. 

It arrived and I was still in one piece, as was the kat . Time to start fannying about As the anchor would not haul in under strain . I tried winching and pulling by hand but trying to lock off each foot pulled in wasn’t working. Time to call for assistance or cut the anchor away. 

Then a small boat with two blokes on board asked if I needed help and one spoke good English. Some might not understand but sometimes help though well intended isn’t help it’s hinderence! Any how seemed worth a try. Bingo. The guy swam across , got him on board. He understood the issue. I used the engine to position us, he hauled in the chain and I locked what he’d taken in with a carabiner. Running back and forth to position and secure . Very successful. Couldn’t have had a better bloke to help. 25 yr old, just passed his police exams and entering the academy next month. Looked like he worked out . 

Anchor stored he swam back ,bear in wind the wind was brisk and the boat rocking around , not as bad as previous night but difficult . I entered the marina completely shag mc knackered! Did the paperwork then saw the two lads in the cafe. They were supposed to be fishing but Adrian was feeling a bit sick and his mate decided to call it off. I did offer the guy some money when he was on the boat but he declined so I bought them their breakfast. The second bloke was an ambulance driver . Really nice of them to assist!

So windlass is knackered. The anchor plate bent . My snubbing hook is lost but I’ve arranged for the spare parts and done what I can to prepare but curtailing plans as with out anchor some of the marinas are really too expensive . This one isn’t and is really nice so am staying here for a week or so. Things to do.😄

In mooch mode.

                                         Calpè where you had to book to climb the rock and produce passport. I’m anchored outside the sea wall in that boat cluster.

                                       Local fauna.

Valencia!

Whilst waiting for my holiday to Uk to drive a friends car down to Murcia I’m shooting the breeze! How is this different from the norm you ask? It’s not. Do I need a holiday you ask ? I don't, but a free flight and luxury ferry cruise from Pompey to Bilbao with 4 dogs and a cat in a little convertible through Spain with an overnight stop, makes a change!😀

Anyhow was heading up to Tarragona with diversion to Mallorca staying on anchor for the month to save marina charges but forecast thunderstorms led me to this very cheap large and pleasant marina to take refuge in and I’ve been here for four days! Waiting for the storms which have been bad elsewhere but not here!

Felt a bit lazy not to investigate the locality, so took a bus on the first day which was tiresome and got off at a shopping centre which had a Carrefore , then next day hired an e-bike to go into València. 

Nice ultra modern city in parts with great old buildings scattered about and affable ambiance. Didn’t have a paella though there were hundreds about. 

Pretty large even for two and I thought a prawn or mussel stuck on top of a load of rice was a bit of a tourist activity. 

 Remember I’m a resident now not a trog. Or at least technically am though I still haven’t had my fingerprints taken and therefore don’t have an ID card yet but hopefully that is in hand!

So this episode is just a few city scapes!

                                 Central market.

Town hall

Lonja ( trading palace)

                                           Cathedral, missed out climbing to the top because they only took cash!

Time to deal with the immigration wallahs!

Seems like a while since the last post. I arrived in Ibiza and anchored in the same bay as I did last year. A lot more people now and no great interest in mixing with them so stayed a couple of days to rest . Rowed a shore a few times and admired the big boys toys all over the marina.

Lamborghini!

Moved round the island to another quieter anchorage and walked through bushes and goat tracks. I think the spot is where the clubland acid heads come to to ponder life and the funny colours of our world as there were a few unlikely walkers in a very desolate place subsequent to an arduous walk from the top. Also there was a big magic mushroom painted on the rock!!

 

This spot is less than 5 miles from formentera, where two days later the first big storm hit. Not sure how I would have faired at anchor. Waited for winds then headed for mainland . Still checked out of Schengen so my little Brexit clock isn’t ticking . Hopefully I won’t be bothered by that soon. Stopped in another anchorage just south of Denia. 

Some lovely caves but too many day boats! Carried on south towards Torrevieja of all places.

Once there , time to get visa sorted . Much buggering about. Instruction from UK was go to local police and get ID card then you have a year in Spain extendable to two more at end of period. There are about 5 police forces , multiple offices and different rules in each state not apparently known to anyone I spoke to. Went to Alicante ,4 hrs walking around . Finally in the commercial container port in the Algerian ferry terminal on the second floor a very amenable police man and woman stamped my passport to enter Schengen. Unfortunately they didn’t want to stamp the one with visa in it, and I was later to find out this would be a big problem necessitating another visit to same office. Fortuitously on that occasion there were different officers and I didn’t even need to tell them I had come from Tunisia.

Still no way of finding which office to go to next and not wanting to stay in Torrevieja ( part of the process in Valencia envolves registering with town hall, using an annual berth contract. ) I know now that is in Valencia not Murcia. L.S.S. With Ali’s assistance I’m using a solicitor in La manga who absolutely knows the process but cannot book my finger print visit to police because the online booking system turns on between 1-3 but best to do it on Monday. FFS 🙄. I’m in the system and hopefully not time constrained. Chaos.

Had a holiday last week 😃 met up with Chip and Ali in Cartagena. Theo the man who got orcaerd when we met him in France. Quite nice to be back in Cartagena. I was there under duress before so had jaded views.

Then back to Torredump. Marina is good town is ugly and not interesting like La linea. 

Theo !

Presently at anchor in Tabarca where I met up again with Theo after he left Torredump. He’s good company and good fun . Don’t know why the boat full of girls went over to his boat yesterday evening? Apparently one of them fancied him but he only has eyes for his candy floss ( Candice.) shame!

Tarbaca island, thousands turn up on weekends, deserted at night.

Torrevieja!

Anchorage outside Cartagena waiting for Theo from the south

Brilliant submarine in Torre’ Marina walk around inside  €2 including other stuff on dock.

Night time in ratsville!

Tarbaca. Bit different to earlier . Over night there were just three of us.

 Our two boats are down there in the middle some where. This doesn’t show all of them . Busiest anchorage I’ve been to but still managed to pull alongside Periwinkle.

Spain hopefully next!

After my short sojourn in Caloforte, a lovely little island where I decided to wait for favourable winds ,I’m on my way.I took a ferry to the other side to get a departure stamp from Italy. Had to tell them I was heading for Tunisia but objective achieved . Looked like the isle of White ferry but cost only €10 for two 40 minute journeys , not limited on return time just hop on !

Really friendly place with a lot of character.I departed on Saturday morning and am writing this off line on Monday evening 60 miles from Ibiza ,   

 Majorca visable to the north . Plan was to head west from Caloforte and make land in Menorca but my plans as ever are fluid and my persistent priority not to motor the whole way dictated that I used the available wind and am heading instead for Ibiza. A little further hence the four days it will take. Admittedly I was mooching today at two knots and stopped for a swim as the sea was like a millpond but I did have a great 24hr sail Saturday through Sunday. 24 knots of wind and big swell coming from the NW . This conspired against my stomach so I had to have a chunder over the side . Wrong side unfortunately 🙄. What is it about sea sickness? It wasn’t a long event but leaves you totally knackered! I spent a lot of Sunday horizontal and popping up frequently to keep watch. 24 hrs later all back to normal. I’d made a mince and veg stew which was lovely but not as eager to eat it as I should have been. Anyhow finished that to day and the fishes didn’t get any of it- not from the pot anyhow!

Saw two turtles on the surface , not far from where I was swimming, funny things about 50 cm diameter. Also I had another stow away dead but obviously landed on deck during the night. I’ve seen them often . Tiny flying fish!

That’s all for now hopefully be at anchor for a day or two off Ibiza some where for a rest then another day to mainland Spain hopefully by wind.

Arrived ; anchorage out side of Ibiza town. Bit jaded but despite using the engine it could  have been a lot worse. 4 days and 360 miles.