Heading west The clock is ticking

We approach the Atlantic along the Spanish coast. On the way we do some boat work and then wait in the Strait of Gibraltar for a good weather window for the crossing to the Canary Islands.

(Main)Land ho!!

We are on the mainland for the first time in Tunisia. That means a solid five months of island hopping are behind us. But what's next? It's now October and we're slowly heading towards the Canary Islands, because time is running out and it's just around the corner: the big Atlantic crossing ⛵ This thought is still somewhat surreal, but that's about to change very soon... 😉

Cartagena

After our crossing from Ibiza, we stop off in Cartagena. We stay here for a few days, relax and do things. Our crew shrinks to two again, and it will stay that way for a while. Instead, we have a new buddy boat next to us: James & Danielle from the Nayru. We met them back in Tunisia, but our paths have only just crossed again. We will probably be spending a lot more time with them, as their plans are the same as ours: Almerimar, Gibraltar, Canary Islands, Cape Verde, Caribbean! 🌴

Almerimar

The crossing to Almerimar is super smooth, so-called champagne sailing 😉 That means easy winds between 8kn and 20kn, and hardly any waves. We can sail the whole way, which is quite remarkable in the Mediterranean! Once we arrive in the harbour, we treat ourselves to a kebab 😂 We'll fill our time here with a few boat projects: The watermaker that we've been lugging around with us since Malta is finally to be installed. This will allow us to desalinate the seawater and finally have no more water worries, provided the sun is shining 😉 To make room for it, we have to throw out our hot water boiler, which is okay because it's far too big and leaky anyway 😂 After some head-scratching and searching for the best solution, everything is neatly installed and we are super happy with the result. Unfortunately, we can't test it for the time being because we don't want the nasty harbour water in our membrane...😉 Then we have a rig check done, replace some blocks for our lines at the foot of the mast and fit new fittings for them. The radar is also finally wired up, but it still doesn't display anything. Hmmm, we still need to get to the bottom of that. But more on that later, because we still have to catch the easterly wind before it switches off and we have to paddle to Gibraltar!

La Linea de la Concéption / Gibraltar

This crossing is also quite easy, but with slightly more engine hours. The counter-current is stronger than we expected. After our arrival, we drop anchor in the bay off La Linea and test our watermaker! The tension rises...... and it works!!! Woooho! 🥳 We are super happy.

The next day we quickly drive over to Gibraltar, fill up with duty-free diesel and pick up our new sails, which we had made in Tunisia and which were shipped here, also duty-free. Then it's back to La Linea, where we moor in the marina. We'll probably stay here for a while, as the wind doesn't look too good at the moment. Never mind, we do a few boat jobs and have a look at Gibraltar. We cross the border on the Skatie, see the monkey mountain and everything that goes with it, and eat fish & chips. In the meantime, our friends from the Nayru have joined us in the marina and we spend a few fun evenings with Indian food and beer.

The weather continues to deteriorate, one low-pressure system after another is blowing in and the wind is whistling around our ears with gusts of over 40 knots. Very uncool. We hire a car and explore a small part of Andalusia in the meantime.

Vejer de la Frontera / Tarifa

We cruise around a bit by car to fill our forced break here with other impressions. In Vejer de la Frontera, we happen to crash a village festival and eat a lot of lomo en mantequilla - the dish that is the reason for this festival. It feels like the whole village is here, eating, drinking and dancing. And on a Sunday afternoon, how wonderful! 😍💃 The next day we drive to Tarifa, where we want to stay and kite for a few days. Unfortunately, the wind isn't quite what we expected and so the session is cancelled. Nevertheless, we enjoy the change of scenery. Back in Ceuta, we have to admit that the weather is still not what we expected. A crossing would now be possible, but with a headwind and sometimes no wind. We don't really fancy that and therefore decide not to set off. To prevent the ceiling from falling on our heads, we cross over to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave on the Moroccan mainland.

Ceuta / Morocco

When we arrive in Ceuta, we ltie up in the harbour and explore the city a little. It's a mix of Muslim and Spanish culture, it seems. After a day of work and organising stuff, we rent a car again here, because we want to explore Morocco.

On the first day, we travelled to Tétouan and Chefchaouen. We liked both cities, with Chefchaouen being something very unique. Everything was just right here 😍 After a night in probably the sweetest hotel ever, we set off in the direction of Asilah. We look for a road that leads through the mountains and are amazed by the landscape that presents itself to us. In Asilah, we watch the sunset and enjoy a delicious meal. The next day we have breakfast in a café on the beach and have to talk to each other in plain language. A potential weather window opens up. The wind looks good, but the waves are rather high for my taste at 5m-6m. I don't feel comfortable at the thought of going out there and I'm worried. We postpone the decision for a while and visit Tangier, the largest town in the north of Morocco. Here we stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables at the market before driving back to Ceuta.

Back in Ceuta, we have to make an important decision. Should we stay or should we go? After this endless back and forth, we decide not to go. If we had been sure, it wouldn't have taken us so long to decide. And with a crossing like this, we both have to be convinced, otherwise it won't work. So we continue to wait, both get sick, and get some rest. And then it finally arrives: the PERFECT weather window!

The patient sailor always has good wind...

How true this statement is. But it's not easy either. You have to be able to accept the situation and find other ways to enjoy the time. We have now waited almost four weeks, which has been a long time and an important lesson. Our crew has now grown to four: the two of us, the Hitchhiker Dan and our Malta shipyard friend Bernie. We are all looking forward to finally getting underway and are ready to take on the first leg of the Atlantic.

Canary Islands, here we come!