Sailing at last!
We returned to Gibraltar over two weeks ago, expecting to stay in the marina there for just a few days whilst we re-provisioned and checked out the electrical work that had been done on Merryn. The reality was, of course, far different. The electricians were over-running, having found the installation much harder than anticipated, and we had not helped by adding additional items to the work list. In total a huge amount was done – a complete electrical refit, with a powerful array of lithium batteries giving us four times the battery capacity of the old system, a huge Victron inverter charger with the reserves to power our new air-conditioner (what bliss in this heat!), our new induction electric cooker, as well as all the other bits and pieces.
Inevitably, finishing and testing the new electrical systems took a further ten days, and we still have some smaller jobs to do, that will keep us occupied over the rest of the season – and no doubt into next season too. Dave and Steve, the two principal electricians, with their apprentices, have done a brilliant job, and Merryn now has state-of-the-art electrics. It is also good to get rid of the old gas system and the old methanol-powered fuel cell, for both safety and convenience reasons, with the added bonus of freeing up more storage space.
We have been kept busy, doing a lot of the finishing touches to the new system, clearing out redundant stuff, and reorganising the boat’s storage. Cate has spent hours at her sewing machine, producing new covers for the cockpit cushions and fixing canvas that was sun-damaged after two seasons in the Caribbean. Thankfully it has not been all work. We have explored more of Gibraltar (admittedly, mainly the hardware stores and chandleries!), and took time to see a local live band (SuriAnne) playing nearby. We managed a day trip to Tarifa, a beautiful and quirky coastal town that is Spain’s southernmost point, and just a few miles from North Africa. It was lovely to wander the streets of the old town, enjoy tapas, and cool off at the frog fountain!
It was a great relief to finally set sail, leaving Gibraltar on the 29th of July and motoring in calm seas round to Estepona on Spain’s mediterranean coast. Suddenly our trip started to feel more like a holiday, as we enjoyed a drink at a bar surrounded by tourists and ate at a lovely Greek restaurant on the seafront. We need to make headway as we are booked into the boatyard in Sardinia at the beginning of September, so we were off early the next day for a long trip to an anchorage just off a beach called Herradura, where we enjoyed a quiet night, before another long day to Almerimar, where we now find ourselves. Summer is properly here – the papers are full of news about the heatwave across Europe, with horrific wild fires in Spain and France. Here the temperature is roasting, and we are more than grateful for our new air-conditioning system that has turned the hot days into bliss!
Tomorrow we move on again, aiming to reach Cartagena in a couple of days. There should be time for a few rest days there, then off to the Balearics.
