Visit to Almerimar

It was a very windy day in April 2012 when I last saw my sister and Steve. They were waiting for the lock gates to open at Sovereign harbour, which would signal the start of their adventure of a lifetime as they set sail for Plymouth.

I had been sailing with them a couple of times before, but only for an hour or so. The first time we just had a gentle potter around Pevensey Bay, there was hardly any wind and I even enjoyed a spot of fishing. The second time was a different story. I got a much better appreciation as the boat heeled over and we raced though the water.

Sailing in the Bay

 We sailed to Sovereign light tower and I got some fantastic photos. 

Sovereign light tower

Although I thoroughly enjoyed the experience, I am definitely more of a fair-weather sailor and prefer it more when there's no wind.... or better still, sitting on the boat in the marina on a warm sunny day with a cold beer!

June saw the start of the Rally Portugal in Plymouth, and this meant that friends and family could track their yacht on a computer. I was glued to my screen as the progress across Biscay was updated every 4 hours, and I still recall the relief when they arrived safely in Bayona.
Sadly, 'work'  and other commitments got in the way of joining them on en-route, but I had some leave left to join them in Spain for Christmas.

The day I left to fly to Almeria, it was cold, wet and windy at Gatwick airport. This was a stark contrast to the clear blue skies and warm sun when I landed just a few hours later!

As soon as the taxi entered the marina complex, I could see Scarlet Lady clearly as Lynne and Steve had put up the code flags to dress the boat for the holiday period.
After an emotional reunion, a quick change into shorts and t-shirt, and some homemade tapas for lunch, Lynne gave me a guided tour of the marina. It is huge! It must have taken over an hour to walk around, but some of that was stopping to be introduced to the many friends Steve and Lynne have made since arriving in October.

Some of the many waterside bars and restaurants

Lynne was keen to point out the boules courts she uses every Tuesday, the bar that she goes to ladies coffee mornings, and the beach bar where she does Tai-Chi. I had arrived too late in the week for quiz night at Cafe Espigon, but Lynne tells me she and Steve have been on the winning team on four occasions!

When we arrived back at the boat, we noticed a heron on the mooring line looking for his dinner!

Waiting for dinner to swim along

A short walk from the boat is a large supermarket and every other building appeared to be a bar or restaurant. Lynne tells me she heard there were over 75 to choose from!

By the end of the second day I was well and truly relaxed, and just about coming to terms with the novelty of wearing shorts in December.
It was a great catch-up visit and we packed in a lot. One day, we took the bus to Roquetas de Mar along the coast, and visited a huge shopping mall to do some last minute Christmas shopping. It would have been good to spend a bit more time exploring the town, but the last bus leaves at 5.30pm.





We got back from Roquetas in time to watch the 'Yotties' carol singing concert.

A talented bunch

Christmas day lunch had been booked in the Stumble Inn, and it was the usual turkey with all the trimmings followed by a lie down to let all the food digest. Actually this turned out to be the only day of my visit that it rained, apparently for the first time in a month.
The wind really got up in the afternoon so Steve and I took down the code flags in case they blew away, and put an extra mooring line on. Watching the TV that night I could really feel the boat moving, and wasn't sure if I would be able to sleep that night. However, after a couple of sea-sickness tablets, I found I was rocked to sleep and slept like a baby.
By the morning it was calm as a mill pond and back to clear blue skies and sunshine, so we popped the code flags back up and headed off on the 'hogs' for a bike ride around the complex.

Fold up bikes come in handy

We stopped off near the Marina office to check on Marcos the orphaned dolphin, who is being cared for by Promar. He is a local celebrity and even has his own facebook page!

Marcos the rescued baby dolphin

Our regular haunt became Mario's bar as it had a pool table, and they served very good tapas with every drink. After an off day and losing to Steve a 'few' times, I soon regained my composure and remained unbeaten. Thanks to Chris and Peter for being such sporting opponents, and good losers!

On Boxing Day evening I got roped into a quiz night at Bar Ankara. This proved to be a really good fun night, and another prize chalked up for Lynne and Steve on the winning team. Sadly, I did not fare so well in the darts competition, but at least I hit the board Steve! Note from Steve:(Actually Phill, I got through to the semi-finals thank you very much)

It was hard to leave when the time came, but the first thing on my mind to do when I get back is to look for flights to meet up again when they get to Italy. Family, sun and free accommodation, can't say fairer than that.

Phill, editor-in-chief

Ciao Ciao

Phill

Almerimar Life

It is hard to believe that we have done so much since arriving on October 1st. December is just around the corner and we are seriously behind in our plans to have some of our outline passage planning done for next season.

Bedtime reading!

OK, a big factor has been the weather. The novelty of winter sun and daytime temperatures in the low twenties has made us a touch complacent. It is not like we had a lot of boat related jobs to do and of course the main one, anti-fouling the hull can wait until next season.

We have serviced the winches, removed the sails and taken them to the local sailmaker for a new leech line jamming cleat and a general once over. We have also removed the spray hood to have new securing straps fitted as the old ones are a little worn, through UV degradation. All the bilges are dry but did need a hoover, which meant removing all manner of things we stowed away before leaving the UK earlier this year.
We had both packed a 'winter' collection of warm clothes but so far shorts and t-shirts are still the norm. However, our little oil heater does go on at night as the temperature drops.
Last year, we took down the headlining and insulated with a sort of foil bubble wrap. It may have helped to keep the heat out during the summer but it still got to over 40C inside the boat. It will be interesting to see how we get on in the 'winter' months.

Lynne is chief engineer and will carry out the engine service before we leave. We have already checked the fuel pre-filter and it looked very clean, which was a surprise as we have done a lot more motoring than we anticipated this season.

Our whisker pole proved a pain to deploy but we are adding some extra rigging and blocks to help alleviate the problem. This will help with our downwind sailing in light airs. However, so many people have told us over the years that the Med is all or nothing when it comes to wind. The way we are going to rig the pole will still allow us to reef the genoa in a hurry if we need to. 

Scarlet in winter mode



The local supermarket is a Mercadona, really well stocked and only a five minute walk away, but we have also been into the nearby town of El Ejido to visit the local market. The market offers a wide variety of clothing and suchlike but also has a good selection of produce.

El Ejido market

Nibbles anyone?



Almerimar marina has a reputation for having a good liveaboard community and was one of the things that attracted us to come here.
Every day except Sunday, there is a 'yotties' radio net on VHF Channel 67 and you can take part in some sort of activity nearly every day if you want to. From Boules on the beach to weekly quiz nights, walks in the mountains and Tai Chi classes if you are feeling energetic, to name but a few.
It is always good to meet people and we love walking around the marina. It is like having a boat show on your doorstep!

Looking South down darsena 1. The building in the distance
is the marina office with the fuel dock and waiting pontoon    

We really like sailing boats but below was one of the mot spectacular sights we have seen this year.
The 'chameleon' paint job must have cost a fortune and changed colour from every angle. Perhaps some connection to 'James Bond' ? The boat was called Zero Zero Seven.

Martini, shaken or stirred?

Soon after we arrived in October we met up with Lynne's parents who kindly drove down to see us and then we hired a car to follow them back to their home in Murcia for a much anticipated soak in the bath. It's funny the things you miss!
Murcia is about a three hour drive away. We both enjoy visiting this part of Spain, especially our walks alongside the Mar Menor, the biggest inland sea in Europe and just a few minutes walk from the house.

Many thanks to Sheila and Graham for the loan of the bath for a few hours, it was truly bliss!

Los Alcazares on the Mar Menor (in October)

Soon after we returned back to Almerimar we found ourselves renting a car again, this time with Chris and Frances (Usquabae) and new Australian friend Vicky (Wraith) with the aim to go and visit the Alhambra in Granada.
The Nasrid Palace within the complex is restricted to a certain amount of visitors daily and you have to pre-book a visiting slot online. The only downside was that the slot we had was for 9.30am, which meant departing at 6am!
As it happened, it was definitely worth the early start. It was not the best of weather on this particular day but the Palace is jaw dropping and well worth the effort to get there.
It would take up too much room here to go into the history but you can see more about it by clicking this link Alhambra

Below are a few pictures to give you a taste.

Alhambra Palace taken from the gardens

Plunge pool?

Remains of barracks

Stunning ceilings

Palace grounds

Views of Granada

On the drive back to Almerimar we took the scenic route down through the Sierra Nevada mountain range. If you like challenging driving and changing from first to second gear and back again this is the road for you. Our rental car was a family saloon and a bit like a fish out of water but Wow!, what an experience.

Thankfully, the weather improved for a flying visit from Lynne's twin sister Louise, husband Tony and two nieces who popped over from Murcia whilst on a short vacation. We look forward to catching up with them again next year on our trip back to the UK.

Chillin' in the cockpit with friends and family

Almerimar marina has also provided us with some great entertainment. On Friday nights you can go to the yotties get together at Mario's and just around the corner, Leo's bar usually has a tribute act. So far we have seen Cher and Tina Turner!
We have been told that there are over seventy bars and restaurants on the complex as well as some nightclubs along the beach. Eating out is good value and just about every type of cuisine is catered for but we are missing an Indian curry, perhaps we have just not looked hard enough!

November sees the start of the annual World Cruising Club Atlantic yacht migration event otherwise know as the ARC. This is of particular interest to us as five of the boats that were on the Rally Portugal are taking part. Coral IV, Ravi, Murphy, Katerina and Ailsa. We will also be paying close attention to Jay Jay, Paul and Debra Witting's Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 42 DS.

The Rally website has a Fleet Tracker which allows those interested, to check the progress of the yachts taking part. Each yacht is fitted with a special tracking device called a YellowBrick and we had one for the duration of the Rally Portugal. The thought of 2500 miles across the Atlantic is frankly daunting but we wish all the participants the very best.

With the year drawing to a close we are looking forward to spending Christmas here with Lynne's brother Phill who is joining us soon. We should also mention that we have asked Phill to contribute a 'guest' entry in December. It will be interesting to get his perspective.


Steve and Lynne xx