leaving Gibraltar

After a bit of tidal stream study we set off at an appropriate time to have a fair tide around Europa point, not too difficult it’s usually going west that can be a headache. There is an almost constant easterly current due to the Med evaporating quickly, there is almost a metre difference in sea level between Gibraltar and Tarifa. 

It’s not in this picture but there is a prominent bungalow with a flagpole flying a large Union Jack Just in case you were unsure what part of Spain you were looking at.

The winds were light but in our favour and we made good progress through the many anchored ships on the east of the Rock. We saw a lot of dolphins but they were proving to be elusive when I attempted to photograph them. But I got a nice shot of Lynne watching for them to breach.

The sea was as flat as a stamp and the winds light, we ghosted along at a modest 3-4 knots towards Malaga and the Costa del Crime....

Soon we were well offshore and the distinct profile of Gibraltar melted into the Spanish mainland.

The light winds eventually died away and we were forced to resort to our engine and the words of our friends who had sailed here before us returned, " there is either too much wind , or not enough in the Med" we would discover how true this was. Slowly we approached our first port of call a short way past Marbella and our first Mediterranean mooring of the season. Normal practise in the Med is to moor "stern too" that is, attached by your stern to a wall or pontoon and  after retrieving a sunken line pull the boat out from this to allow for a small tidal rise and fall. Essentially tied to a wall and an anchor with no finger or alongside pontoon.

It makes getting on and off the boat a little harder and as we have a wind and self steering gear hanging off our stern , more so for us so we tend to moor "bows on" In other words bows towards the wall or pontoon. This accomplished we settled down to pass the night in a very busy and a bit tatty fishing harbour, not really what we expected from the rich mans playground of Marbella! We left early next morning finding no temptation to explore further and a pleasant day sail of 40 miles or so saw us approaching the busy but quite pleasant port of  Caleta de Velez, about 5 miles past Malaga. Most of the afternoon had been spent watching aircraft take off from the busy airport as we crossed the wide bay known as the Ensenada de Malaga. The town of Caleta was low key touristy being mainly concerned with fishing, however it was obvious that the Brit’s has discovered it and property and gated communities were in evidence, the cheaper end of Malaga for the ex-pat community. Nonetheless it was a pleasant town with friendly people and we enjoyed our stay for a few days. The marina is however subject to surge and in future I would use shock absorbing springs on the bow lines, as it was we got very bad abrasion on ours due to the violent motion. I had wanted to visit the caves of Nerja a little way up the coast so Lynne had looked up the bus times and we had great help from the ladies in the marina office. We duly availed ourselves of the excellent local transport and hopped on a bus to Nerja.

A very pretty and seemingly popular destination for the package holiday tourists from Malaga. It’s a bit of a walk from the bus terminal to the town centre but once you arrive at the plazas near to the Balcon de Europa.

The church of ElSalvador is in a commanding position looking towards the Balco ( balcony) de Europa, from which you can get lovely views of the coastline and beaches around the town.

However we had come for the fantastic Cuevas de Nerja, the caves outside of town and we had decided to use the wee train that leaves from the town square regularly to get there. We bought our tickets and boarded the train, and waited, and waited......it seemed a builders lorry was blocking a vital street in the town centre and a land train with a half dozen carriages is almost impossible to reverse.

 We were offered a refund or return trip , being in no particular hurry we decided to return on the morrow.

As we had already dined we decided to walk around and look at the town a bit more closely, starting with the church which is very beautiful but somewhat plain for a aspanish church, however it does have some great art.

The interior is rather understated but the richness of the alter and side chapels are typical. It also has serviced in English and Spanish which was another reminder we were in the Costas.

Back on the Balcon de Europa we walked along the town beaches, this one adjacent to the Balcon had a rather interesting "Cave house " it can be seen in the cliff at the end of the beach,

The Balco de Europa was opened by the King of Spain , Juan Carlos, and here he is with Lynne.

I am more of a canon man myself.

The palms above were, to our surprise alive with Parakeets which are native to Andalucía. I didn’t manage to photograph one but they are a vivid green colour and very noisy!

Nerja has some fabulous coves and beaches and in my opinion is the prettiest place to visit on the Costa del Sol. It also has some spectacular caves which we planned to visit the day after..........to be continued.