Gibraltar to Almerimar

Actually, we have been in Almerimar marina for just over a month now but have had a steady stream of visitors and as a consequence, have not updated our blog sooner.
More on Almerimar shortly but firstly let us pick up on our journey here.
We left La Linea marina at the end of September and had more or less decided that we wanted to do a final 'long passage' at the end of the season. There are not many anchorages between Gibraltar and Almerimar and we would need a good weather window to make them tenable. As it happened the weather had taken a turn for the worse and was becoming much more unsettled. Our almost unbroken spell of not seeing rain since June came to an abrupt end one day with a huge storm and reports of severe flooding all along the Costa del Sol. The flash flooding was so severe that sadly, ten people lost their lives. It just goes to show the forces of Mother Nature which you can never take for granted.
We left the waypoints for various marinas in the chartplotter just in case we had to run for cover along the way but is it happened we covered the 135nm journey in about 26 hours in a mixture of conditions from almost no wind to a very pleasant force 4 to 5 at night. We had arrived in Gibraltar in fog so it was a welcome relief to leave in better conditions and after rounding Europa Point lighthouse we enjoyed a good period of downwind sailing under just the genoa.

Rounding Europa Point - Gibraltar

We had prepared a casserole the day before so heated this up for dinner and at about 8pm we rigged up the lee cloth on the port sofa and settled into our watch rota of three hours on and three off.

Sea berth - very comfy!

By now the wind had died so the engine had to go on but at about 2.00am it picked up enough to hoist the sails and turn off the engine for a good while. 
The wind was now coming from directly where we wanted to go so in order to make progress it was necessary to tack along our intended route. Fortunately, the genoa winches can be operated from the helm and the auto pilot has a self tacking function. This means that by pressing two buttons the pilot will tack the boat through 100 degrees. A nice touch if you are short-handed.

Night sails on longer passages are something we both really enjoy and may feature in our future longer term plans. This one was no exception as we soon found ourselves surrounded by a pod of dolphins and it was mesmerising to watch the trails of phosphorescence that they left behind as they swam along side and played at the bow. When dawn did break the wind had once again died down to almost nothing, so back on with the engine. Once the mist had burnt off, it was interesting to see the coastline with the snow capped Sierra Nevada mountain range as a spectacular backdrop.

Sierra Nevadas

As we got nearer to Almerimar the coastline takes on a rather bizarre appearance courtesy of the miles and miles of poly tunnels, we are now in the 'greenhouse' of Europe. Huge tracts of land devoted to growing vegetables which consumers can enjoy all year round.

Miles of poly tunnels

By now, the sea was almost flat calm and we began to notice large clumps of vegetation, presumably washed down from rivers following the recent flash floods.

Almerimar Marina entrance was straightforward enough and like many other marinas we have been to this year, you dock up at the waiting pontoon and check in before getting a berth allocated.
We had already been here by car last year and had read many other yacht blogs which described it as having a good liveaboard community, plus it is relatively inexpensive and worked out at about 1600 euros for six months. Of course, once again we are classed as a 15m boat so if you have one under 12 metres the price drops quite a bit. Electric and water are extra and cost a hefty 3 euros per day, worth factoring in when making comparisons.
Berthing is also med mooring which involves picking up a  'sinker' line from the dock and running up to the other end of the boat to pull the main line which is attached to a weight on the seabed and tie it off on a cleat.
Our first experience of this was at Bayona, our first landfall after crossing Biscay but all went well as the helpful marina staff were on hand to assist.

Winter berth - Almerimar marina

The marina is large and having the bikes helps us get around. Every morning there is an informative liveaboard radio net on channel 67 and we have already attended a few quiz nights and played boules on the beach. The local supermarket (Mercadona) is just a few minutes walk away and well stocked and we are informed the marina has over 70 bars/restaurants to choose from!

Well that is all for now. We have already driven to Murcia to visit Lynne's parents and have a hire car booked to go and visit Alhambra and Granada shortly but more on that and an update on life in Almerimar next time.

Steve and Lynne xx