Cruising the Costa del Sol in the winter

Well it's not exactly cold here compared to the UK. I just need to wear long trousers and it gets dark earlier. 

We left Alicante after the new year with the intention of meeting some old friends, Christine and Nick, in Mallorca. They were only there for a week and the weather was not on our side so we had to abandon our meeting until next time. Sorry guys.

So we tootled past metropolis Benidorm, quite a sight from the sea with it's skyscrapers and mountains in the background.

And we found some free mooring balls off a small holiday town called L'Albir where we stayed for 3 days while Mandy worked. It looked like it was off the beaten track but there was a path onshore that went up to the Albir lighthouse which we discovered later.

After 3 days another storm rolled in and we had to go and shelter in a marina in the close-by town of Altea, 1 mile from our mooring buoys. Saw another Nauticat 42, Salino. They only made about 80 of these boats so it is a rare sight to bump into one. Unfortunately the owner was not around so we couldn't play "I'll show you mine if you show me yours"

What a great discovery this place was. A grand church on the hill only accessible via small, beautifully kept streets. 

Even the bins looked good.

Still christmas in Altea, they like these giant borbols here.

The next day we walked along the promenade from Altea to L'Albir about 2 miles and then on the path up to the Albir lighthouse passed where we tied up to the mooring balls. It was a lovely sunny, windy day.

We left the mooring balls with the intention of heading to Cartagena for a few days but decided to stop off at our favourite very sheltered anchorage in Torrevieja, again while Mandy worked. Torrevieja has absolutely everything you need. We bought shoes, an induction hob, a new end for our boat hook, filters for the water maker, a new fridge hinge and the bar is rowing distance from the boat.

So after Mandy finished work we wandered back up to Alicante to meet Nick and Jen, and of course Carmen, for another wild weekend in this great city. We spent 1 night at anchor on the beach by the castle which was very rolly and were glad to get back into marina Real Club de Regatas de Alicante.

Lots of lovely walks, tapas and bars.

Had a bit of wind late one night and all the boat masts were getting alarmingly close together.

Up to the castle.

Went out for a sail. Carmen and Jenny were competent crew.

Mandy drove. I was not worried.

Saw a leftover of the massive nativity scene from Christmas, a very spooky, faceless angel Gabriel.

We also managed to catch up with Stuey and Sandra. Stuey entertained us with his new hobby, which he learned during covid, of doing card tricks. Truly magical, got me every time. Very entertaining.

And then it was time to move on again. Heading back to Gibraltar so Mandy can fly home for work, we can fill up with very cheap diesel and pick up some solar panels I ordered. Looking forward to some nice stops on the way though.