Archiv

CW36 2001

02.09.2001 - 08.09.2001

Today is Sunday, September 2 and we're lying in the Bay Ensenada de Mazarron, close to the small town La Subida. And, as is said: on the seventh day man shall rest! Well, if that's the way it is then we'll just do it. Especially since today is a Formel Eins (car racing) day.
It can't really become very spectacular, since Schumi (Michael Schumacher) already fetched the title in the last race. But we'll still watch this race.
In the mean time one dive-boat after the other drives past us, to the other side of the bay. Seems like there's a much liked dive-spot there.
In the inland of the Costa del Sol most of the winter vegetables, sold in Europe during the cold season, are cultivated. Therefore huge areas here are covered with plastic planes and greenhouses - as far as the eye can see, even as far as binoculars can see, and here can be seen from close by.
The weather today can't really make up its mind on what it wants - there are constantly a few drops of rain, but only for a short time and only few.
Towards the evening it clears so we can go do something after all. Just to feel solid ground under our feet again we get the dinghy into the water and Thomas rows us ashore. Directly at the landing stage we see an incredible sight: about 30 huge old traditional anchor lie there next to each other.
From the jetty we walk through the streets of La Subida and up a mountain. There's an old tower there, Torres de la Azohia, which we want to climb up.
Climbing up two extremely narrow winding stairs, arriving at the top, there is only one thing to do: admire the magnificent view.
So that you can also enjoy this we've took a picture of the view over the bay and our ship, as seen through a kind of tower window.

Since we had the Sunday to relax we might as well take of a little earlier today. Monday morning and at 8 am the anchor is weighed. We want to accomplish a slightly longer leg today. We haven't been on the go for even 2 hours when we have to drop that plan, since the weather and the sea aren't doing me good. We have relatively little wind, but a strong and high swell (up to 3 m high), very unpleasant and it really takes me down. Since an end of the high seas isn't to be expected, our journey ends after only 24 nm and we drop anchor by Aguilas. There, close to the harbour we find a relatively secure place, but not completely without swell. Looking at the weather and especially the sea and the way they changed during the day, it was definitely a wise decision to stay here. Out there it would definitely have been more than just a little unpleasant. Over the roofs of Aguilas we spot our first windmill still in use. Actually it's about time, considering that we are in the home of Don Quichote. This windmill and a castle on the cliffs in front of Aguilas are beautifully light at night. Just the appropriate surrounding for our delicious dinner and a nice glass of wine.

Today, on Tuesday, the sea is still pretty rough. Well, we'll have to get through that - and without it knocking me out - and we make it.
We've been trying it now and again, the angling. And it seems we have a fat fish hooked. Pulling in the line, we get long faces: a big woollen blanket is hanging on the hook. Incredible, what people through away!
But just one hour later, Anglers luck!
A tuna fish. And that decides what we're having for dinner tonight.
Since we're talking about eating again, here comes the culinary tip:

Zucchini - cheese - soufflé (serves 4)
(with Salami)

750g Zucchini
2-3 medium sized potatoes
1 bunch spring onions or 1 large onion
170g "strong" cheese
150g Salami
1 bunch parsley
3 eggs
1 small cup Crème Fraiche
100g flour
nutmeg, salt, pepper
butter and bread crumbs for the pan

Wash and clean the zucchini, rasp them and also rasp the cheese. Wash and clean the onions and cut them into fine rings (or small dice).
Chop the parsley and set some aside as decoration.
Peel the potatoes and cut or rasp them into thin slices.
Dice the Salami or cut it into stripes.
Put the zucchini, the cheese, the Salami, the onions and herbs into a bowl and mix lightly. Add nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
Carefully add the flour to it and mix. Add Crème Fraiche and mix again. Beat the eggs with a fork, than also add them and mix .

Butter the soufflé pan and sprinkle breadcrumbs over. Line the pan (and the sides) with the potato slices. Fill in the rest, and, if you like it crisp sprinkle with bread crumbs again, and bake for 40 minutes at 180°C. To make the bread crumbs really crisp grill for the last 5 minutes or only use top heat. Decorate the soufflé with the rest of the parsley and that's it. Made without the Salami you can serve this soufflé as a side dish.
Enjoy!


Ok, we're still on our way from Aguilas to Almeria.
Finally we can see, why this area is called the Costa Blanca. Cliffs of a bright, almost white stone and along the coast these beautiful, whitewashed houses.
We're not going all the way to Almeria. A few miles before Almeria lies the Bay San Pedro which is our destination for today.
On first sight a nice place with unspoiled nature and the remainders of old houses and a fortress in the hills. But there are also a few dwellings on the beach and those are inhabited. Overhanging cliffs are covered with palm leaves and reed to make roofs. We haven't been here for half an hour before the first of those settlers swims to us and asks for a cigarette. We can't help him with that though since we're both (luckily) non-smokers. Well, if we don't have a smoke, maybe we have a beer? Sure! Whoops, and he's already aboard. And he's sitting there, just as god made him: naked!
And then the 2 men realise that they're both German, so we don't have to speak English any more. Our visitor's name is Alex, and where does he come from: from Stuttgart! What a surprise! Apparently he's been living in this bay for the last 7 years. Well, it's hard to imagine how someone could live here!
After downing a few beers he jumps from board and swims straight to the next boat. Hardly 5 minutes later he sits on that deck and drinks beer again. So that's how you live here!
If that's how it works we'll take a closer look.
And we get into the water, swim to the shore and walk along the beach.
What they have here: a "restaurant", an open-air fitness-corner with weights and a few of the before mentioned dwellings. Oh, and plenty of stone figures, that is, piles of stones! That's how one lives here!
Clothes aren't used here a lot, most of them are naked!
Some of those, that only stay for a few days, brought tents, others simply tied a few pieces of cloth to sticks and live under there.
We've seen enough and go, or rather swim, back and make ourselves comfortable on board.


It's the middle of the week, Wednesday, and around noon we leave the Bay of San Pedro.
We'll turn our backs on the Costa Blanca today.
Todays route takes us to Cabo de Gata and the Costa Blanca ends there and the Costa del Sol begins.
On the way there I finally also want to try. After all, I've never angled before. But today I want to find our about it. To the rod, get set, go!
Well. It's not that easy and not that quick. But how does that saying go? Luck is with the persistent. So keep going. But I am deeply disappointed, when I find a piece of plastic hanging from my hook instead of a nice fish. But, never give up. And I got my reward. I saw a Dorade! Trying to bring it in, it got of the hook though. Frustrating! Very! In the mean time we've almost reached our destination, Cabo de Gata, and we could sail almost the whole time. Great!

We drop anchor in a wide bay, just below the lighthouse and there's no one else here . Again, we have a bay to ourselves. There's really something to it, when it gets dark, and by now it also gets dark here pretty early, and the lights from the lighthouse illuminate the bay. Thursday, and about time we got to a harbour again. So after almost 20 nm we enter the harbour of Aguadulce and aim straight at the gas station, since we need some diesel again and some petrol for the outboard motor. While Thomas fills the tanks and canisters I take of to check on our chances for a place for one night. No chance! They're full.

The only chance is to stay at the waiting wharf. And of course we gladly accept this offer. Apparently it's generally very difficult to get a place here, since most of the moorings are booked for one year in advance and that doesn't leave much hope for sailors in transit.
We only want to fill our water tanks, clean the ship and do a little shopping and the waiting wharf is totally sufficient for that.
I must really say, the staff at Aguadulce is very helpful and caring. But the equipment of the marina is a lot less adequate, at least as far as the sanitary facilities are concerned. Quite a pity actually, because otherwise it is rather nice here.
We take the bus to Almeria, which is 10 km away. We need a special cable that we can't get in Aguadulce. So we spend the evening in Almeria, where we did get our cable, and stroll through town a little. Since we're here we make our way to a fortress and castle. Alcazaba is the name of this huge Arabic fortress, covering an area of more than 4 ha and surrounded by 3 sets of walls. We don't make it all the way to Alcazaba, after all, it's already a little late, but we do find a place with a good view of these grounds and this impressive building. On the way back we stop at the Plaza de Literta and wait there until 9pm, because that's when they play a beautiful peal of bells. They sound over the beautifully designed and illuminated square with an impressive column of white marble in its middle.
We return to the harbour of Aguadulce in a taxi. Arriving there we have to choose: do we want to got to the American Bar, the traditional Australian Bar Kangaroo or to an Irish Pub? They really offer everything here. First we take a snack, then a Guinness at the Irish Pub and after a walk along the beach promenade we finally return to our bunks.


Friday, and we go to town again to get some fresh fruit, vegetables and bread, then we leave the marina.
Somehow the wind doesn't look to good lately, not enough wind to sail for a little longer. But then, just after we leave the harbour it looks as if something could happen, so we set sail. We set the main sail and the Genua and off we go. But it doesn't last for long, hardly an hour and the sails have to come down again. What a pity!
So we use the engine for the last 30 miles to La Rabita.

Over a distance of now almost 150 nm those huge areas covered with plastic tarpaulins are constantly to be seen. Greenhouses everywhere, partly more like plantations. One can't really imagine, and it's difficult to show these dimensions in a picture, but maybe you can see or get a clue of the size of these areas One of those sites reaches up to the little town La Rabita, which is actually pretty busy. It seems as if they had something to celebrate. A kind of fair is being set up, a stage is already standing and the streets are decorated with garlands and flags. Definitely, there is something to be celebrated, and we're curios, what's awaiting us. The first thing we notice is the more than loud test of the music system of a beach discotheque on our left. Oh well.

Shortly after 8pm there's a bang - and what a bang! Sounds like a cannon shot. Then salvos are fired, one shot after the other. The shots stop and music is to be heard, like a flourish of trumpets. Now we really have to take a closer look and we see that a procession started to move through the streets of La Rabita. A procession of decorated, cars, lead by the trumpet players, is making its way through the streets. By now the streets are light by light garlands, which looks beautiful. To us it seems to be a kind of saying thank you to the ocean, since the first car is decorated with a patron like figure and a huge anchor, followed by a car with open shells surrounded by strings of lights, in which someone is sitting. And on the third car are white horses made of paperboard, and a carriage. Then there are more shots and bangs and the party really gets going. Music from huge speakers covers the whole area. And to add some variety the small discos on the beach also add some music. So we get covered from both sides and that until late at night. Sometimes it makes you think they're having a competition on "who can play the loudest music".
It is 4.30 as they turn it of and we (finally) get some peace.


It is Saturday, September 8, and no one ought to think, that they would sleep in after such a night. 8.30 am and we're sitting upright in bed. The first shot was fired. Right after that the band begins to play and marches (while playing) down the road towards the beach.
We're relaxing on board, having breakfast, when a small wooden boat coming from the left drives, or rather gets rowed towards the beach. The little boat is decorated with blue and white flags and reed. On board are a few young men who happily wave and shout at us. As the boat comes closer we see that it is full of different vegetables and fruit. Suddenly something comes flying towards us. One of the men threw an aubergine at us, says something and seems to be having major fun.

On the right side of the bay another little boat appears, also decorated with colourful flags and reed. Both boats are heading for the beach and towards one another. In the meantime quite a crowd has gathered on the beach and the band is also there. And then it gets hectic. The boats are only a few meters apart as the attack signal sounds and the crew of each boat starts throwing fruit and vegetables at the other boat. It's too funny, what's happening there. Really big melons are flying by. The bombardment lasts for a few minutes, then all the men jump into the water and swim to the others boat. Now it's all about who can board and capsize whos' boat first. The young men who came directly past us win, swim to the beach, everybody gets lots of applause and the party goes on. Spectacular! Cool!

After this magnificent performance we weigh anchor and get going again. Actually we wanted to stop for a while in the bay Cala Honda today. It's supposed to be very nice there. But arriving there we realise, that it's a rather uncomfortable place and that we'd only get badly shaken there. So we go directly to our destination for today, to La Herradura, a bay lying between Cerro Gordo and de la Mona. A beautiful sand beach surrounds the bay, and is well visited. And there also seems to be an interesting dive spot, so we're at the right place. So we anchor in front of this beach and say bye for today and this week.

To see what the next week has brought us...... see us here next week, same place same wave!

So long