Then, while Elaine prepared breakfast and tidied up, Roy gave the deck a cursory rinse before we set off on foot to cross the border into Gibraltar. Our singular mission was to post our Yellowbrick Tracker to England to have the battery replaced, using the Royal Mail service in the hopes of avoiding any complications or delays.
What we weren’t expecting were the long queues at the border crossing, but, thankfully these moved quickly and before we knew it, we were standing in mini-Britain.
Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, whose history spans over 2,900 years. The peninsula has been one of the most fought-over places in Europe, given that its position, guarding the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, is unrivalled, and it seems the “fight” continues today after complications caused by Brexit, which remain unresolved. Although the Gibraltarians voted unanimously to remain in the European Union, they exited by defaulted when the United Kingdom did. An agreement to remain part of Schengen was reached in principle, but procedures around the latter have not be formalised and negotiations have basically stalled. Unfortunately, though, Gibraltar has no direct say in the negotiations between the UK and the European Union, since the duty and responsibility of dealing with foreign affairs rests with the UK, as do the duties of defence and internal security in Gibraltar.
Gibraltar and its people have witnessed many sieges and battles over the centuries, with recorded history beginning around 950 BC with the Phoenicians, who were amongst the first to recognise and worship the genius locality of the place, followed by the ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Carthaginians and Romans.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, Gibraltar became part of the Visigothic Kingdom of Hispania and then came under muslim Moorish rule in 711 AD and renamed to “Jebel Tariq” (Mount of Tariq) after the muslim commander Ṭāriq ibn Ziyād, who led the capture of the territory. The muslim occupation was permanently ended by the Spanish in 1462. Isabella I annexed Gibraltar to Spain in 1501, following which the territory became part of the unified Kingdom of Spain and remained under Spanish rule until 1704. However, it was eventually ceded to Britain under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713 after Spain lost the War of Spanish Succession against an Anglo-Dutch fleet.
This treaty stated that: “The town, castle and fortifications were to be held and enjoyed for ever without any exception or impediment whatsoever.” This treaty was renewed again in 1763 by the Treaty of Paris, and in 1783 by the Treaty of Versailles.
There is an old superstition that if the Apes leave the Rock; the British will go as well. Sir Winston Churchill made sure during World War II that the number of Apes was kept up. He even had some Apes, so it is rumoured, brought in from Africa to maintain their numbers.
In 1968 a Referendum was held on whether the people of Gibraltar wanted to remain with Britain or with Spain. 12,762 voted to stay with Britain and only 44 voted for Spanish sovereignty. In the more recent referendum of November 2002, the people of Gibraltar again showed their desire to remain British by an overwhelming majority.
The Chief Minister of Gibraltar at the time, Peter Caruana, eloquently summed up the feeling of the people when he commented that: “There is more chance of hell freezing over than the people of Gibraltar accepting Spanish sovereignty in any shape or form.”
In 2000, a political declaration of unity was signed by the members of the Gibraltar Parliament stating, in essence, that: "The people of Gibraltar will never compromise, give up or trade their sovereignty or their right to self-determination; that Gibraltar wants good, neighbourly, European relations with Spain; and that Gibraltar belongs to the people of Gibraltar and is neither Spain's to claim nor Britain's to give away."
Our bus trip into the town centre took us back in time, where paper tickets were issued in lieu of a card swipe, but we paid in Euros. When we disembarked it was uncanny to see the similarities to the UK, including the roads, the signage, the telephone boxes, the traffic jams around roadwork’s everywhere, the pedestrian crossings with the button and buzzer, the paving with round bumps at each end of a road crossing, etc.
After finding our way through the Commonwealth Park, the steps and airlift needed to access the main shopping area was cordoned off. After directions from some local ladies we found the King’s Bation Leisure Centre, but couldn’t find our way out of the complex. Eventually, after receiving further directions, we exited the maze.
Finding the high street and the Post Office was relatively simple from there, after passing the Town Hall, but we couldn’t believe the crowds in mainstreet; it was like the Chester high street in the middle of summer; thousands of people everywhere. By the time we finished our business at the Post Office, our anxiety and stress levels were almost maxed out. Besides the crowds and the noise levels, the process at the Post Offices was beyond frustrating, with only one counter open and a queue a mile long. Fortunately we spotted a second counter, labelled “Parcel Post”, but no one in attendance. When Elaine stood at the counter, while Roy remained in the long queue, miraculously, someone appeared to serve her. After purchasing a box and bubble wrap, the latter required because the only available box they had was oversized, we were instructed to complete the Customs Declaration online using one of two computers in the reception area and return with the Customs Number and our parcel for processing.
By the time we got out of there, we both needed an alcoholic beverage, but settled for coffee and a bite to eat at the Gibraltar Tea Company down one of the quieter lanes off the high street; a scone with jam and clotted cream for Elaine and a bacon croissant for Roy.
Deciding to return to the seclusion of the marina, rather than linger, we stopped to buy a bottle of whiskey for Roy and got the bus back to the border crossing. It was rather disconcerting to realise just how overwhelmed we both were with the crowds, the noise and the close quarters and wondered how on earth we were going to assimilate back on land.
A quiet afternoon followed by dinner onboard and a movie helped bring the stress levels back to normal, although the experience certainly gave us food for thought.
It didn’t help matters that, by 0930, we’d passed two of the nine locations, where orca attacks had occurred in the Mediterranean Sea in July. Leaving these spots well to port, as we hugged the coastline in 14 metres / 45 Ft, tensions definitely increased somewhat when we had no choice but to go into deeper water to avoid various obstructions like ship wrecks, rocks, fishing nets, etc, including a kayak with a fisherman onboard, who emerged from the fog, but seeing dolphins helped take our minds off the potential danger.
At 1015 we were both completely flabbergasted when we realised the dark band in the sky amongst the clouds was actually the Rock of Gibraltar, sticking out through the fog. We had absolutely no idea it was that high!
Through all the anxiety and emotions onboard, however, Roy still remembered to run the watermaker to fill the jerry cans that will allow him to backwash it while we sit in La Línea de la Concepción for the rest of August and in Gibraltar for the month of September, rather than pickle it.
After arriving at Alcaidesa Marina, completing the paperwork and being allocated our berth, we ended up in the wrong one; clearly our minds were elsewhere. Fortunately it didn’t present too much of an administrative fuss and we were allowed to stay where we’d ended up. By this stage neither of us felt like moving to the otherside of the finger dock.
A celebratory drink was then enjoyed at the Alcaidesa Lounge Bar, followed by dinner onboard and bed, although intermittently seeing the Rock of Gibraltar from the saloon and the cockpit kept startling us, a reminder of just how far we’d come. It was now, however, time to rest, recuperate and enjoy time with family!
As we exited the marina complex, we found the wooden walkway that took us to the beachfront promenade, passing the fish market along the way, where some fish was being dried in the sun on racks; been a while since we’d seen this practice, but it definitely brought back memories of distant lands.
It’s fair to say, we have been impressed with all the waterfront and beachfront promenades we’ve seen throughout Spain; each one different, but just as creative, enormous and spotlessly clean as the next. Estepona’s promenade was no exception with its wide golden sandy beach and beautiful gardens, interspersed with splash pads and fountains, separating the beachfront from the apartments and shopping area that lined the promenade on the one side.
During our walk we also happened to stumble upon a boulangerie, called Honoré, located slightly off the beaten track, where we stopped for a coffee and a custard slice, the latter something we haven’t had in ages. Delicious!
This was also our first time in a marina over a weekend, and as perceived, all the weekend revellers and speed merchants had left the marina to churn up the anchorages, while we sat in a near empty marina. Guess that’s life for those living on the coast and part of the pleasure of living near the water, but not very pleasant for transients passing through, especially when one has no choice but to anchor, given that the marinas don’t have very much space open for transients, particularly for catamarans and, of course, the more lucrative option is to accommodate the local boats instead.
After our walk, we spent a lazy afternoon onboard, trying to stay cool without the comfort of our air-conditioning and nowhere to go and sit that had air-conditioning. Unfortunately the plugs we had to connect to the shore power didn’t fit; one was too small and one too big. While the rate included electrical, water and wifi access, we actually couldn’t use the electricity, due to their custom size plugs and we weren’t given the wifi password with the rest of the Welcome Pack initially, nor could we ask the office staff for it, as the office was closed over the weekend. No such thing as a free lunch!
Dinner was enjoyed on the waterfront at the restaurant, Zoro Sushi, in the marina complex, surprised really at the extensive menu and how delicious the meal actually was, after spending years in SE Asia and enjoying top class Japanese restaurants.
Back onboard we watched the final episodes of “Derry Girls”, a series that has kept us entertained and has had us in stitches for weeks. Tuning back into the Northern Irish accent was a challenge initially, but we soon picked up the humour and the one liners. Great show; hilarious and so well written!
Our walk was followed by a light breakfast along the waterfront of the harbour, at Granier Café, before casting off the dock and setting sail to Estepona; our last stop in the Mediterranean Sea.
We hadn’t expected to sail this leg, given the light and variable winds forecast last night, but a perusal of the weather again this morning indicated we could have a light breeze out of the east of 10-15 Kts, which would allow us to motor-sail at least. What we got, however, was 25-30 Kts out of the southeast and quite a fetch and swell on the beam. Exasperated at the forecasting yet again, we double-reefed the headsail and meandered along the Costa de Sol, not wanting to arrive at the marina in howling winds.
As quickly as the blow started, it disappeared, forcing us to motor the last hour, but thankfully the wind was around 5 Kts when Elaine had to manoeuvre Paw Paw into the smallest gap she’s every been squeezed into. Regardless, we had a spot in the Estepona Marina and that’s all that mattered. After seeing other yachts at anchor along this coast, we were delighted to have secured our reservations in the various marinas along this coastline; yesterday looked exceptionally uncomfortable for those at anchor, mostly catamarans, if not all.
Our spot in the marina didn’t come without a problem, though. Apparently, although we had a reservation, a yacht hadn’t left. After few VHF radio calls to the marineros, voila, a spot was found, thankfully!
Sailing along this section of the coastline put us in “orca ally” as well. That meant we sailed with one foot in the sand, staying within the 20 metre / 60 Ft depth contour, per the recommendations of the Spanish government and the scientists involved in the research of the odd behaviour of orcas attacking yachts, putting us very close to the coast, a coastline that we could see today without the mist / fog. It was, however, very built-up, with one continuous line of multi-storey buildings the entire stretch.
Hearing yet another “pan pan” call and yet another “may day” call was disconcerting as always, but a second “may day” call, however, had us scratching our heads. Three people on a kayak were adrift 18 NM offshore from our position at the time, basically putting them amongst all the cargo ships, but in a very strong onshore wind; how was that even possible! By the time we were berthed we hadn’t heard if they had been rescued or not, but we did see a search and rescue helicopter heading to the area.
Other aspects we weren’t expecting on this leg of our passage to Gibraltar, besides the strong winds, was having to dodge numerous yellow buoys set about 1 NM off the shoreline and a navigational warning of fog in the Gibraltar Strait, in the middle of the afternoon and in the middle of summer, for crying out loud!
Two motoryachts following each other, however, confirmed our suspicion that certain actions on the water are done for badness. Both motoryachts were passing us to starboard, within about 100 metres, when the rear yacht crossed our bow, coming to our port side and making Paw Paw the “sandwich spread” as they bounced her around in their wakes, before the motoryacht to port returned to its previous configuration and the occupants looked back to see what they had achieved. It was so blatant and utterly disgraceful! As far as we’re concerned, they can keep the Mediterranean. Overall, we have not enjoyed “sailing” here at all!
After getting settled in Estepona Marina, we were snooping around the marina complex in search of an establishment serving cold beverages and happened to encounter a lovely couple, from whom Roy had asked directions. After an initial chat, we were invited to join them for a drink and an enjoyable evening ensued.
Afterwards we enjoyed a late dinner at the Mumbai Masala restaurant before retiring for the night, both delighted that the Atlantic Ocean was a mere 20 NM away after sailing 2627 NM since leave Finike, Türkiye, in April; we’ve almost connected the dots!
We had woken to another hazy, misty, foggy morning, though, with low cloud hanging over the coastline, all of which persisted for most of the day, reducing visibility significantly and preventing us from seeing much of the coastline as we meandered west.
We were, however, getting closer to the Gibraltar Strait, given the number of ships’ AISs (Automatic Identification Systems) we could see on the chartplotter and the number of VHF radio calls we could hear. It’s fair to say, some operators had the worst radio etiquette we’ve ever heard and it sounded completely disorderly, with ships passing each other in all directions; not particularly a strait we’re looking forward to crossing, but hopefully it’s not as intimidating as the Singapore Strait. We’ll know soon enough!
After our sunrise departure, Elaine needed a wee nap around noon. By the time she surfaced an hour later and had prepared lunch, we had just over an hour before reaching Málaga. It was lovely to have a shorter sail for a change.
Although we had to wait outside the harbour again, per Port Control instructions, for another cargo ship, this one departing and squeeze passed a departing ferry inside the harbour, we were, nonetheless, safely secured to the dock in the IGY Superyacht Málaga Marina by 1500, surprised to find we were the only yacht in the entire marina, besides the two or three tourist boats picking up their latest tour groups for an excursion.
After a very friendly welcome and completing all the paperwork at the marina office, we returned to Paw Paw to drop off all our officialdom documentation and headed for the old town, per the recommendation received from the marina staff.
What a lovely surprise awaited us once again. Besides the enormous waterfront area around the harbour and marina, lined with cafés, restaurants, bars and numerous high-end shops, there were beautiful tree-lined streets and malls to wander along and lush gardens to explore, as well as fabulous and well maintained old buildings, the ancient castle, Roman ruins, including an amphitheatre and the stunning cathedral. On this occasion, though, we definitely did not hike up to the castle, nor did we enter the cathedral, the latter due to the ridiculous price wanted at the entrance; since when did one ever have to pay a fee to enter a church and a very expensive one at that. We definitely don’t mind giving a donation when requested, but that’s where we draw the line. We were clearly back in the tourist trap!
Instead, we wondered the streets, enjoyed the atmosphere, found the Sherlock Holmes Pub for a cold beverage and then enjoyed a steak dinner at the Puerto Cristal restaurant; we were both somewhat over squid and octopus cooked numerous different ways by this point!
We had also learnt about “Feria de Málaga” from the marina staff, which commences tomorrow and runs for a week, but we were content to skip these festivities and press on to Gibraltar, especially given the difficulty in getting space that can accommodate a catamaran in the various marinas along this coast; we definitely didn’t want to be changing reservation dates at the last minute.
Content with our evening, after enjoying some live music at an outdoor pavilion, we returned to Paw Paw, where Elaine enjoyed a chat to her sister, Dianne, following which it was time for bed.
To stretch our legs, though, we decided to explore closer to home, in particular, the little town of Motril, finding another neat, tidy town with a lovely beach and waterfront area.
Unfortunately our choice of café on the beach, didn’t quite pan out as we’d hoped; the coffee was terrible and Elaine’s cappuccino that came heaped with long-life cream out of a can was more than she could stomach. Even after scooping it all aside, the coffee was putrid. Our second attempt at a morning coffee back at the marina wasn’t any better, with the cappuccino served the same way; very strange since yesterday’s coffee at the marina was perfect! We have to assume we encountered two baristas at two different locations, but trained at the same place and basically had no idea what a cappuccino actually was.
Before returning to the marina, though, our wander around the town in search of the local supermarket gave us a nice glimpse into local Spanish life, away from the touristy places we had visited to date. This included a very different architecture than what we’d seen before too.
Back onboard, while Elaine did as little as possible, other than sanitise and stow our purchases, Roy did a single diesel run and fixed the navigation light cover at the bow which, we discovered during our overnight from Cartagena, was close to ending up at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea. It still amazes us the things that suddenly break on a yacht at the most inconvenient times.
Fortunately Roy noticed it when re-positioning the spinnaker halyard after it had started to hit the headsail and strapped it on with clear tape, until he could secure it properly today.
Other than that, we both enjoyed a rest and a chat to our floating neighbours before dinner and bed wrapped up our day.
During our meander down the coast, Roy went for a nap around 0830 and, as soon as he surfaced, Elaine followed suit.
By noon we were still sailing on the genoa alone, although the winds has turned more northeast and strengthened to 14-18 Kts. After jibbing the sail, our SOG (Speed Over Ground) increased to 6-6.5 Kts.
By nightfall the winds had increased to 25 Kts, gusting to 30 Kts, as had the associated swell which had us scooting along at 9-9.5 Kts on a double reefed headsail.
As the night progressed, under a waning gibbous, the only excitement was reefing and unreefing the headsail as the winds fluctuated, at times dropping to below 10 Kts, which forced Roy to turn on the starboard engine for a very short spell during his watch. Then, at times, we enjoyed a SOG of 7.5 Kts. We basically had one extreme to the other!
Fortunately the only obstacles we had to contend with were the numerous fishing boats, the most we’ve seen in the Mediterranean thus far, and the only logistical matter we faced was moving our 3-hour watch schedule to start an hour later, since Tuesday is Elaine’s methotrexate day, which meant she needed to take her medication at the end of her midnight to 0300 watch and head straight to bed in order to avoid the nausea side effect that plagues her with this medication; something a rocking yacht was definitely going to exacerbate.
However, by the time Elaine completed her watch, the wind had completely died and the seas had flattened, so on went the starboard engine again, keeping our SOG at around 5Kts to coincide with a morning arrival.
Daylight revealed a rather misty, hazy morning, but what we could see ashore were numerous hothouses scattered between the little towns, nestled at the foothills of the surrounding mountains, together with some very impressive civil engineering undertakings.
By 0945 we were safely secured to the t-dock at Marina Motril, a family run establishment, after a warm welcome from Roberto, the owner, and his able helper, as well as receiving friendly and efficient service from the marina office staff, all of which definitely lived up to the marina’s reputation of being the friendliest marina in Spain; we would even go as far as saying the best marina in the Mediterranean, based on our experience thus far. It may not be pretty, but it’s reasonably priced, it’s out of the tourist trap, it’s conveniently located within walking distance of the little town and beach and the marina office will arrange bicycles, car hire and any touristy excursions one would like.
After completing all the necessary paperwork, we enjoyed a coffee and breakfast croissant at Captain Morgan’s Bar and Restaurant, before returning to Paw Paw for a nap, the latter eluding both of us regardless of the fact that we were exhausted; maybe the caffeine had something to do with that or indeed the excitement that we were in spitting distance of Gibraltar, after an arduous passage to windward for the majority of the time since leaving Finike, Türkiye, and given the fact that doing an overnight had essentially saved us three day stops.
A drink at the bar, followed by Elaine’s favourite dinner, bangers and mash, with a hearty helping of bacon, sealed the day.
