The Mediterranean

Wow!! I see why there are so many boats in the Mediterranean, the sailing is really great, no tides, flat seas, zillions of safe anchorages and the anchoring is much more relaxing as we don't have to worry about the tide turning every 6 hours and hoping the anchor resets itself.

Saying that we got a bit of a battering leaving on our overnighter from Gibraltar. Being used to 4 metre swells in Biscay and the Portuguese Atlantic coast I ignored the wave height of 1 metre, thinking it was insignificant. What I missed was the wavelength. The 4 metre swells have a wavelength in the order of 10 seconds. So the boat fits between the waves. The 1 metre waves had a wavelength in the order of 1 second, much shorter than the boat. With wind of 25 knots there was some banging on the hull I'd never heard before and so we had an uncomfortable and noisy night. I think I say this at least once a day. Every day is a school day when sailing.

 But the next day the sun came out and the sea flattened.

We got a welcome from some dolphins.

We planned to spend Christmas day in Torrevieja marina so were in no rush so we just bobbed along in the sunshine at 1 knot. I was determined to catch a fish for Christmas dinner but only managed to get my fishing line wrapped around the propeller. So I had my first swim in the Med, it was a wee bit chillier than the Atlantic but was easy enough to untangle.

The following night, around 3am, as we bobbed along at sub light velocity we got a visit from Spanish customs. Mandy was asleep and I got the shock of my life when the boat suddenly lit up with their spotlights. They came out of nowhere. It was some boat, sleak, fast, quiet and lots of customs guys on deck. They asked a few questions, where have you come from, where are you headed, are you the owner, are you alone. they seemed happy with my answers and said ok, goodnight and off into the night they went. Mandy slept through the whole thing.

The next night, around midnight, we got a call on the VHF from customs asking us if we'd seen any boats going past us. What we saw over the next hour was five green lights bobbing past us. They defo were not nav lights. They looked to me like someone swimming with a green head torch on. We shouted them, in case they were in difficulty, but got no answer. So we reported what we saw to the Customs. We heard no more and haven't got a clue what they were. The next night I saw two more of the strange green lights.

We arrived in Torrevieja marina International Christmas eve. The most expensive marina yet, €60 a night, but the best toilets and showers ever. The marina was pristine and the staff super helpful so I am not complaining. We went into town for something to eat and try and find some Torrevieja-ian turkey as I had failed to catch a fish. No turkey but we both bought a pair of shoes each. It was very lively and festive evening in Torrevieja.

Then back to the boat to wait for father christmas. Christmas day on the boat was ace. We didn't feel to isolated from our families as we did a few vid calls and Mandy made the most amazing Christmas lunch.

And then to top off a great day we had a surprise visit from our astronomy friends Rob and Antoinette who were staying down the road with Antoinette's parents. Great night, too much whisky but great to see them. Rob also tweaked my battery BMS's parameters which sorted out a slight charging issue I had. Many, many thanks Rob, you are now the other person on the planet who understands my electrics.

Boxing day was a washout but we managed to limp to an anchorage just outside the marina so Mandy could work for three days. And then onto Alicante to see Carmen for new years eve.

Cheers.

 Donde es la fiesta.