20) Almeria, Spain

Puerto de Almeria, Spain 36° 49’.6N 2° 27’.8W

We left Alicante at 8:40am 11/14 under gray skies with the intent of going to Gibraltar.  We had a couple bail out ports if needed but it appeared so calm and we kept our fingers crossed.  We did see a couple forecasts that said the wind and swells would be on the nose and we just hoped for the best.  It was a very quiet start and things got complacent on board.  The watch schedules seemed to not be adhered to and it was kind of whoever looked out the window was on watch.  John and I were in the cockpit reading and …

Alicante, Spain 38° 20’N 0° 29’W

               

I just happened to look up from my book in time to see this fishing boat in front of us.  If I hadn’t have been there and it was only John, well…. This was too close.

A little time goes by, some water under the hull and it gets rough.  I did not take many photos but managed to get some video clips again.  All day it was rough.  Up, down, left, right, so very fatiguing.  

Alan became sick again.  I was off watch at 9 and went to bed.  I woke up at 1:30am to a rough ride.  Water was dripping from the hatch over my head.  The boat was rockin’!  It was so very uncomfortable.  When I was lying there I could feel the hull vibrate and shake from the mainsail not being filled with wind.  This is a clue that some sailors learn to feel when in bed that helps determine sail plans and tacking, etc.  I thought to myself I hope he trims it soon.  I also felt the boat pounding.  This occurs when the boat launches off a wave and crashes in the trough or into the next wave.  I knew what needed to be done and hoped it would. 

I came on watch at 3am.  Alan staggered down to bed and I was handed off a boat that was badly out of trim.  I immediately fell off the wind to fill the main and stop it from flogging.  This also gave us a much smoother ride, which stopped the pounding.  This took about half an hour to get right.  Then, I was in the cockpit trying to get comfortable and the wind machine kicks on.  It gusted up to 31kts; rain off and on, the boat all over the place and freighters off to the left in the shipping lane.  This was another shitty ride.  Cold, miserable, sore ass from having to sit all the time, loud wind and wave noises, the boat creaking, things sliding around, etc.  OK, why am I smiling in most of the photos?

   

   

John came on watch at 6am and we planned our route again.  Freighters and a cruise ship were on the menu this morning.

 

Usually it calms down at night but last night it did not.  Today it was just more of the same bumpy, lumpy ride.  Alan was once again sleeping it off in the library area and not watching so John and I filled in.  I am still a little nervous about sleeping on watch and some of the guys that have been around the block are not.

  

At 9:30am the engine quit.  We were motoring since we left because the wind was on the nose and we wanted to get there.  It turns out that the day tank ran out of fuel.  On this boat there is the main 300-gallon tank and a small 19-gallon tank that you transfer fuel to and feed from.  We were very close to this point of land and once again had to get away from the hard stuff.  The canvas was put up and I took the helm.  They went below to the engine room and bled the injectors.  That took an hour and fifteen minutes.  This was a bummer and a simple oversight on all our part.  I will pay attention from now on.

When that was done a decision was made to head to a port due to the rough conditions and what we saw on the horizon.

 

Three hours later and a couple miles outside the marina they said that they could not handle a boat this big and referred us down the coast 6 miles.  That takes us an hour in these conditions.  When we got close they did say come on in.  When we got close to the entrance we both thought that there was no way we were going to do this.  The wind was blowing 20 right in the entrance and it just did not feel right.  We tried and we succeeded.  We parked right next to the tower on the left of the entrance.  John has a way of talking that gets him favors all the time and this time it was a good spot.  We planned to be here for 2 nights.  There is a system that is coming in that we need to wait out.  The locals say that after it passes we will have a tailwind all the way to Gibraltar.

Puerto de Aguadulce, Spain

         

Puerto de Aguadulce, Spain