Time For Another Sail

After checking out, we untied our lines and left Almerimar. Once clear of the marina’s protection, Ziggy began surfing the waves of a big swell. We were heading east and, with a Force 4 westerly behind us, we unfurled the genoa for another downwind sail. The wind was directly behind but kept shifting slightly, so we had to gybe several times to stay on course.

The forecast predicted that the wind would continue throughout the day before dying away in the evening, so our plan was to cover as much distance as possible while we could. Later, the wind shifted slightly to starboard, allowing us to hoist the mainsail as well, and we continued along at a comfortable 5–6 knots.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last. As we rounded Cabo de Gata, the wind dropped leaving just a light breeze. The sails came down and the engine was fired up for the final couple of hours before sunset. We dropped anchor in the bay at Carboneras just as the sun disappeared behind the hills.

Carboneras looked quite industrial, although there was a nice little town with white buildings alongside the working area. Typically, the wind picked up again just as we arrived, but with no other boats in the bay we had room to lay out plenty of chain. After a long day travelling 55 nautical miles while rocking and rolling in the swell, it was a relief to be anchored in the shelter of the hills and the long breakwater, where the sea was much calmer for a peaceful night.

The following morning, the sea was dead flat calm as Ziggy left the bay. The light wind had shifted to the northeast, exactly the direction we wanted to travel. A pod of very large dolphins swam serenely past. They weren’t interested in putting on a show, just occasionally surfacing as they glided through the water. They were swimming in pairs, and seemed to be all loved up. It almost looked as though they were holding hands.

Along the coast was an unusual structure on the side of the cliff. It was intended to be a luxury hotel, built during Spain’s mid 2000 property boom without the necessary planning permission in a protected national park. However, when the financial crisis struck in 2007–08, construction came to an abrupt halt and the unfinished building was abandoned.

After a couple of hours motoring, the wind strengthened enough for us to hoist the sails once more. We sailed close hauled, slightly off course, so rather than surfing the waves, today we were bashing into them, they were breaking over the bow as we sailed as close to the wind as possible. We were very much on the lean, luckily we had everything secured in place. Cooking is always a challenge in these conditions, but the gimballed oven makes it possible.

It was very sad to see the forest fires burning along the coastline, although with weeks of scorching temperatures reaching 40°C and no rainfall, it was hardly surprising. Firefighting helicopters and aircraft worked tirelessly throughout the day, flying back and forth from the sea, scooping up water before returning to drop it over the flames.

Continuing on this tack, meant that eventually we would be heading into the land. With only a few miles left to go, the sails came down once again and the engine took over to bring us back on course for the final approach.

After 50 nautical miles, we arrived at La Azohía, a large bay of crystal clear water near Mazarrón. It was the busiest anchorage we had seen so far this season, with plenty of boats already at anchor, beaches lining the shore, and a small town surrounded by hills.

Later that evening, we were treated to a firework display, obviously to celebrate our arrival!

This was to be our last stop before heading back to Cartagena, as our new sail was finally ready for collection. After a very rock and roll night at anchor, we left the bay and sailed the 12 nautical miles back towards Cartagena, passing the big guns on top of the cliff, lighthouse, and several large ships lying at anchor.

There are two marinas side by side in Cartagena, we decided to try the one next to where we had spent the winter. Within an hour of mooring, three sailmakers arrived with our new sail. They hoisted it in place (with a little help from Paul) to make sure that everything fitted perfectly, and thankfully it did. We now have a crisp, bright white, furling inner staysail, ready for the passages ahead.

The marina has a swimming pool, so we found time for a refreshing evening swim followed by a drink by the pool. Although we were only staying for one night, being back on familiar ground gave us the chance to stock up on provisions and top up our water and fuel tanks, leaving Ziggy fully prepared for our next journey.

With our battery upgrade complete and our new staysail fitted, it finally felt like it was time to begin our summer sailing as we left Cartagena behind again.