🇬🇮️ Gibraltar

Do we stay or do we go?

Still very happy on the boat in Tanja marina but now considering going back to Gibraltar for the repair. The work on the boom has ground to a halt as the man from Rif Mountains was too busy. So work was not going forward.

Everything is prepared. All paperwork is done but the prediction does not seem favourable. Still I decide to leave Gibraltar now: my eldest son gets married and the flight to the wedding is booked from Tunisia.So far so good. Our first passage on the Mediterranean sea starts with a little breeze from the East so the course past Europa point is set in the direction of Malaga. Then a tack in the direction of Marocco to cross the busy shipping lane.

It is hard to believe…back in Gibraltar -where I did my yachtmaster fast track at Allabroad- after sailing more than 12.000 miles around Africa. Clare, Dave and Lee of the sailing school are still there and nice to talk again with sailing instructor Martin and “STCW” James Holman. Now is a good time to do repairs and to buy essential marine parts: spare waterpump, hull cleaner, a new pully to hoist the dinghy, the list is long but there is not enough time.

The challenge to go to Europe: sailing at least 21 days close haul for more than 2000 nautical miles against the tradewind from Mindelo on Sao Vincente, one of the Cape Verde islands, to Gibraltar at the entrance of the Mediterranian sea. The weather on route to Gibraltar can be unstable this time of year and the wind not favourable. It is not possible to get an accurate weather prediction for the next 21 days so it is a bit of a gamble too….