August 28 - September 7, Cartagena, Alicante and Lorca, Spain

Thanks to an introductory letter from our home club, Lakewood Yacht Club, we were able to secure a berth at the RCNC, arriving around 5:30 PM. Real Club Nautico Cartagena sits at the main port terminal, and right downtown. It boasts a nice pool, great restaurant and bar and offers a variety of water sports. We were happy to get a side-tie berth, and although there were security cameras and a marinerio who patrolled here, we were not secure. Pedestrians could stroll by and with a fair leap could be down on our wharf. I did inquire about the security of our berth but was assured that there would be no problem. Passersby from a large British cruise ship did stop by to snap a photo of our old gal and to ask about our travels and marveled that we had actually sailed here from the west coast of the US. 

 

Cartagena Civic Bldg

view of Yacht Port form the castle in Cartagena

the promenade paved in marble

On Wednesday, we set off exploring this really interesting town. The ancient history is profound, and in your face. It is one of the oldest towns in Europe with a tri-millennial history, dating back to centuries before Christ. We would see very modern buildings next to completely dilapidated ones. If we strolled one street off the main drag we felt as though we had entered a deserted set being prepared for a horror movie. We couldn’t tell if there had been an earthquake, or war, or some other natural disaster that had semi demolished parts of the town. It’s very random. Eventually Frank found a waiter who spoke fair enough English to explain to us that after a building reaches the age of 100 years old it can be sold and demolished in order to rebuild new. However, if ancient ruins are discovered underneath during demolition then all work must cease and the land or property reverts back to the government. The owner completely loses out. Eminent domain to the extreme! This is so widespread in this town that there seem to be more semi demolished, unfinished areas than completed ones.

Our second night here brought us misfortune. An entire bag of scuba equipment was stolen from our boat while we were sleeping. We had both heard a loud noise that shook the boat and thought we heard footsteps on the deck around 3:00 AM. Frank got up to investigate but saw nothing amiss. The next day our neighbors reported their bike stolen, and when we checked around our boat we noted that our big Nautica bag with 4 sets of scuba gear (half of it brand new just brought back from home) was missing. Frank spent 5 hours that day at the police station filing the report, and I spent hours dealing with the marina and talking to local shops to see if anyone had tried to sell us our equipment. We have been assured nothing will come of it, that our items are long gone. We now have locks and chains on the dinghy motor, all lazarette lockers and the gas tank. 

We moved over to Yacht Port Cartagena where the security is much better. RCNC felt so badly about the theft they at least refunded our first two nights. Trying not to let this ruin our visit we explored the town and visited some of the museums and ancient sites. 

We rented a car for a few days, and on Saturday, drove back to Alicante to visit the Volvo Ocean Race Museum, which we had missed in our haste to flee the pricey marina. This museum is free and although small, packs a lot of history and information into the exhibits. Very impressive! Very informative. Very enlightening. We were able to tour Brazil 1, a former finisher. 

sleeping berths inside Brazil 1

Brazil 1

the galley

the head

Thanks to a referral from our friends Laura and Mark Pitt, s/v Sabbatical III, we drove inland up to a little town called Lorca, staying two 

nights in a wonderful spa hotel called Parador de Lorca at the top of the highest hill encased within the grounds of an ancient castle and built atop an ancient Jewish Synagogue that was discovered during the building of the hotel. It is apparently the oldest mediaeval synagogue in the Murcia region. Here is a link to the fascinating information: https://murciatoday.com/the-mediaeval-jewish-quarter-and-synagogue-in-lorca_14877-a.html

During our two days we spent a day in the town, and became enthralled at the Paso Blanca. It s a museum of the White Brotherhood of the Virgin Mary and Christ - NOT RACIAL - rather very religious. They are one of the largest participants of Semana Santa, and their group is focused on preserving the traditions of and depicting the Passion of Christ. Lorca’s holy week celebration is one of the most special in all of Spain, competing with the Blue Brotherhood (Paso Azul). Their capes and special horses are the big draw during Holy Week. The capes are all hand made of silk and velvet with each depicting a Biblical story or character going back to the Old Testament. IT is all played out and performed in a parade on horseback. It is very difficult to describe, and something that should be seen in person to appreciate and understand. The capes take from 1 – 10 years to made and are so detailed that you can see facial expressions of the characters. Frank and I were so impressed we have decided to put Easter in Lorca on our future travel plans. Here is a link to the Semana Santa in Lorca.

http://www.lorcaturismo.es/itinerarios-Semana-Santa/viernes-dolores.asp?id=8&lang=en

We returned to Cartagena in time to receive a shipment of parts for the boat and to await good weather for moving on. IT changes every day around here and generally not for the best. Today is Sept. 7^th, and we are ready to go, but can find no good anchorage or marina along the coast for landfall, so it looks like we are in for at least an overnight to either Almerimar or Marina del Este. 

August 25 – 27, 2018 – Denia and Alicante, Spain

Port Denia is a very popular ferry port and private yacht departure port for visitors to Ibiza and Formentera in the Balearic Islands. This port is absolutely bustling with wealthy holiday travelers and yachtsmen. The marina is beautiful, and although we expected it to be very expensive it was only moderately so. There is a stunningly built raised promenade along the high breakwater, lined with little shops, cafés, bars, restaurants, and large areas where families come to stroll and to picnic with a lovely view of the bay. We immediately felt a wonderful energy as we secured Destiny‘s dock lines and stepped ashore. We freshened up and walked to dinner at one of the attractive restaurants on the promenade. We ordered the mixed seafood grill platter for two and thoroughly enjoyed the extensive variety of local fresh food while gazing at the full moon rising across the bay. What a dreamy evening! Afterward, we strolled the entire waterfront past massive haciendas perched high over the bay. On Sunday, we rode our bikes all over town and down the beach area until we found a cozy café along the pedestrian mall. We literally parked ourselves there for hours watching the passers by.

We departed early Monday morning for Alicante, and of course had a little bit of sailing, and a fair bit of “motor bobbing”. The coastline was so dramatic and interesting that we got over the discomfort and enjoyed watching the cliffs and villages pass by.

Arrival at Alicante was a real eye-opener. We had originally prebooked two nights here, but then at check-in were shocked to hear the price which was equal to 6 nights in Valencia. We thought it must be one heck of a marina, but not so! The berth we squeezed into was tiny with no laid mooring lines and only a small finger pier that came about 15 feet alongside Destiny. We used s combination 5 dock & spring lines trying to secure the boat. If any weather at all came then we would be in big trouble. The amenities block was too far away, as was the pedestrian exit. As soon as we got Destiny tied up Frank walked back to the office to request a refund for our second night. Weather for the following day was not good for moving on but this would not do at all. We did enjoy a superb dinner at El Portal, a very trendy and popular venue for the IN CROWD. How we got seated is a mystery. Perhaps they thought we were celebrities traveling incognito. The food was divine. The clientele were absolutely snobbish. We finished dinner after 10 PM, but the city as most in Spain, was still going strong until 3 or 4 AM. 

The laughable berth we were assigned in Alicante

Lovely sunrise on our departure from Alicante

Early up and out - we motored to Cartagena on Tuesday, August 28th. No wind at all, and very lumpy seas nearly all day.

Spain 2018 - 1st Blog

August 2018

As I write this first blog of the season we are departing port Valencia, Spain. What an incredibly lovely city, a far cry from frantic theft-ridden Barcelona. Although we flew into Barcelona on our return from Texas this year, our visit to that city occurred in October 2017, on our way home from last year’s cruising season. But I’m getting way ahead of myself (or should I say behind?). Let’s begin with our return to Destiny and the little seaside town of Sant Carles de la Rapita, Spain. After this post I’ll do a catch-up on last year. After all, I’m only three or four years behind on this blog.

Our return to Destiny was met with a few surprises, not that we don’t expect that by now when leaving the boat for a season, much less on dry dock for 10 months. The first thing we noticed was the filth. The topsides and hatches were covered with red sand and what appeared to be splattered white dust or powder. The Med is known for its “red rain”, but not “white powder” rain. We presumed this might be wax residue. Apparently the wax guy got busy flinging wax everywhere but never came back to buff. What a mess! The British expat we had hired to do that work months ago (and some other repairs to our teak, canvas and Captain chair), had dropped dead last October, two weeks after we arrived back in Texas. His son was purportedly overseeing completion but we had no way to reach the guy. The only method of communication we had was through the email of Harry, the deceased contractor. 

Nest that blew out of our engine exhaust

Aside from that little hiccup, a fellow cruiser informed us that he had observed Starlings building nests up in our exhaust tubes and inside any little opening they could find. When we blew out the engine exhaust, a two-foot-long nest shot out like a torpedo, eggs and all. After rinsing the red and white dust, cleaning broken eggs, nests and feathers from the boat, cleaning lockers and surfaces inside and out, we set about testing all systems; replacing seized pumps, lubricating what needed lubricated and then worked on the to-do list from the surveyor. Our insurance company required a marine survey before we could launch the boat and begin our cruising season.

Nest in a rope bag

Frank up the mast before a storm arrived

During this time we had been anxiously, irritatingly and exhaustingly trying to connect with the deceased contractor’s son to hunt down our missing chair, dodger and bimini AND to get him to finish the work on our boat. He would occasionally answer us via his father’s email address, yet no matter how many times we asked, he would not give us his own phone number or email. He was nearly unresponsive. When he did respond it was with utterly unrelated excuses for not getting back to us letting us know that he was busy sailing with his son who was visiting from England, and that he was very sorry... We had to tread gingerly because we did not know where he had sent our canvas and our chair to be repaired, if we upset him we may never see those items again. Our thin thread of contact with him was precarious at best. I neglected to mention that we had pre-paid half the work before we left last October, so this guy had no incentive whatsoever to work with us. I eventually made contact with the widow, his mother, begging her to intervene on our behalf. At this, she apologized and then completely shut down. Although our hearts went out to her and to the son over their loss, we were beginning to feel real desperation and powerlessness. We eventually learned the first name of the upholstery/canvas maker, Gerardo. Progress - now we just needed to get in touch with him. At this point we were more than willing to finish the polishing and contracted work ourselves and just get our upholstery parts back. Frank finally received an email from the contractor’s son informing us he was leaving for England and was sorry but he couldn’t help us - BUT - he did give the phone number for Gerardo. We promptly contacted Gerardo to find that he had our goods but that they had been sitting in his shop for 10 months, since Harry had dropped them off but then Harry died leaving him no idea to whom they belonged. Hmmm...interesting. Our prayers answered.

Nasty storm suddenly caught us by surprise

As much as it could, everything came together. Destiny looks good and we feel ready to embark on this ambitious season ahead. Our plan is to cross the Atlantic Ocean at the end of  hurricane season 2018.

19 days after arriving back at Sant Carles de la Rapita, the date of our 17th wedding anniversary, we cast the lines and pointed the bow toward Puerto de Castellón de la Plana. 

Waterfront area of Castello

We enjoyed a blissful 3½ hours of perfect sailing during the 8-hour trip. This port, known simply as Castelló, was vibrant and full of holiday-makers. We took a rest to clean up and recharge  our personal batteries. I researched the restaurant scene and decided upon C53 la Vermuteria del Grau for our anniversary dinner. Wow and double Wow! We were not disappointed in the fantabulously tastaliciousness this little gourmet bistro had to offer. We started with an  amuse-bouche of House gazpacho topped with crunchy prosciutto, then came the beautifully fresh Normandie oysters. These were so plump and delicious we ordered more. Then came the grilled Sepia...so tender! 









                   
Then followed a melt-in-your-mouth pork skirt steak, grilled to medium-rare perfection. Dessert was a combination of housemade delicacies. I managed to snap some photos of three of these but the pork and dessert went down too quickly, and I was too distracted eating to bother with the iPhone at that point. We nearly cried at the thought that we were only in Castelló for one night because we would loved to have returned to C53, but Valencia was calling us onward.

Grilled Sepia

 August 19th, we motor-sailed to Valencia. Typically for these waters, we started out with wind on the nose, then it tracked around abeam for about 4 hours before clocking back to a very close reach and then died. We take the bliss when we can get it. Arriving into Valencia was a thrill.  

The marina is adjacent to a massive and gorgeous beach. Interestingly, the only time we walked to the beach was for dinner that first night. Much like Italy, nothing happens in Spain before 8:00 PM. Most restaurants don’t even open before then. Even at that hour we are first in and by the time we are leaving, around 10:00 PM, the families are sitting down to dinner. So after the first night we did our dead level best to eat a large, late lunch between 2 - 4:00 in the afternoon and then snack lightly on board at night.  What did we do in Valencia? We toured!

 

Valencia Opera House

      

We shopped! We walked! We oohed and awed at the architecture and the incredible parks and botanicals. We originally booked three nights at the marina and extended to six. We shopped at Lladro for all 5 of our girls’ Christmas presents (God-daughter included). We purchased folding bicycles and rode all over the city. 

Unusual looking trees with thorny bark  and pretty flowers

   

  

We didn’t want to leave but we go when and where weather permits, so this morning we departed for Port Denia. Can you guess how our travel day went? 

Back in The USA - Nov 5th, 2013 – Feb 28th, 2014

We flew back to Texas and hit the ground running. Main objectives: Knee surgery for Frank and to finish clearing out Mom and Dad’s house so that it could be sold. I had begun this process in June and had only managed to clear out part of the house. There was much left to be done and it turned out to be a nightmare of epic proportion. At least I had help now with Frank there.

When we arrived at my parents’ home we were met with a grisly sight.  My mother’s pride and joy was her yard and her flower gardens.  These lovelies now resembled the gnarly grounds from the set of a horror film. Tall weeds covered everything. The lawn guy was taking monthly payments from my parents’ estate and probably pocketing the $ since he knew the home was unoccupied. On entering the house we were assaulted by a rank musty smell, and of course after a 23-hour international trip we were exhausted and just wanted to crash but we knew that wasn’t happening. Further into the house we saw that the entire ceiling of the formal living room had collapsed dumping wet sheetrock, rotten boards and insulation onto the piles of Nice Things I had previously sorted and laid out on the carpet there to either be donated or distributed to family members. There were leaks in the walls and ceiling of my parents’ bedroom, leaks in the kitchen ceiling and around the fireplace. What the heck had happened here?

From November 5^th to December 31, 2013, Frank and I literally spent nearly every day from sunup to sundown working on Mom and Dad’s house while roofing repairs, plumbing, painting, carpeting and sheetrock work was happening all around us. We did manage a visit to Dallas for my Mom and Dad’s anniversary.

In the middle of this mess Frank was recovering from knee surgery that had been performed the day before Thanksgiving.

No one else in my family was available to help us out so I took it on. We were on our own for Thanksgiving so I dragged Frank on crutches along with my friend, with my friend Marianne Bullock to Luby’s for Thanksgiving lunch. Other than treating my daughter and grandson to Christmas brunch at the Galvez on Christmas Day, no one was available to spend any of the holidays with us. Therefore, our holidays were a bit depressing to say the least. Everyone is so busy these days. It’s tough when you are retired but everyone else is still working and has no spare time. I felt like this was probably a good thing because I felt relief at having the opportunity to devote myself to this task. It would have been too overwhelming for anyone else at the time. By the end of December, I wanted to stamp this project PAID and to move on. We couldn’t, but we did manage to break away for a while.

We drove to Denver for the month of January, to spend time with Frank’s kids and our Colorado friends. Patty and Tim Daly generously offered us the use of their downtown loft for the month. We enjoyed kicking up our heels and being away from boat work and the pressures the family home issues. Having had nearly every day and night booked with friends or Frank’s kids, our time there passed quickly. On the way back to Texas we stopped in to visit Sandy and Debra Sandoval at Pagosa Springs.  During the drive we felt a strong conviction to try to find a USA-based home so that when we say we are flying home, we will actually have a home rather than living like vagabonds. We planned to meet up with a group of our sailing/cruising friends to attend the Miami boat show in mid February, and thought perhaps we should spend a little extra time there to look for a possible future home where we could eventually sail into with Destiny.

Back at Mom and Dad’s house we once again felt the weight of the house problems pressing upon us. I took some time to be with my daughter and grandson in between trying to wrap things up there, and then we were off to Florida for 10 days. The Miami Boat Show was fabulous as always. Getting together with friends we hadn’t seen since the S. Pacific was a special treat. We reunited with Brian and Isabelle of “Wasabi”, Jim and Martha of “Special Blend”, Mark and Laura of “Sabbatical III”, Kim and Bob of “Northern Winds”, Suzie and Tom of “Priscilla”. When the show ended we followed Rick and Robin over to Tampa, staying as their guests for several days while they took us around to look at real estate areas of interest. They made great tour guides. While we were in the area I managed to get in touch with my buddy Ryan Parker, who was captain of a large local tour boat, M/V La Barge. He invited us along for a group tour. Everywhere we went was beautiful, exhilarating and fun. Real Estate prices on the other hand were a bit overwhelming to us. We left Florida thinking that it will probably get marked off the list of potential home destinations.

Returning to Texas one final time we had one week to wrap everything up, including final visit with family, doctors and last minute shopping for Destiny. The house was on the market and was now out of our hands. Thank God!

Next adventure – the very long trip back to Fethiye.

A Farewell to Remember for our Visitors & The end of a Season - Oct 1 – Nov 4, 2013

We have had terrible weather here, in Gocek.  We think a small cyclone came through Tuesday night; it was a nightmare. The lightening was like a fireworks show, the seas were very high and choppy - shooting up through the docks ten feet in the air. It had come on in the late afternoon and raged for a while. We were anchored and planning to go in to meet BeBe for dinner on shore. We had decided not to go, but then around 7:30, it becalmed so we went in. After getting seated and chatting for a while the rain and wind came back but we were indoors and couldn't hear the howling. Apparently what we thought was the end of the storm was only the eye. The winds were now fiercer than before and coming from the other direction. After dinner, we walked out to a horror show. Boats were violently pitching and slamming at the wharf. Locals told us they had never seen this before in Gocek. Our dinghy was gone from the cleat we had tied to! We found it half deflated, slamming up against and under the little footbridge to Skopea Marina. BeBe was tossing up and down so much; their passerelle was pitching about 4 feet up into the air. A catamaran moored next to them was full of drunken Russians who were partying and singing, the girls looked as though they were pole dancing on the shrouds without a care in the world as they came perilously close to slamming into Bebe. Frank and Jaime got on board to help Judy & Bill get BeBe secured, but some other boats didn't fare so well sustaining stern damage and damage to their passerelles.

We were now stranded on shore with no means to get back to Destiny. We couldn’t even see if she was still where we had left her. Eventually the captain of one of the mega yachts deployed his dinghy (looked like a Navy seal tender) and jetted us out to our boat. Sure enough she was there but pitching like a mad bull making it extremely difficult and more than a little scary trying to get on board. The captain was kind enough to return to shore for our crippled dinghy, towing it back to us. Frank raised the prune-shriveled tender on the davit, and we all hunkered down inside trying to ride the rest of the storm out. None of us had seen this on the weather forecasts.

The next morning of course the skies were clear and the day beautiful. The dinghy was taken to the hospital with a rip (above the waterline) and some cracks in the fiberglass bottom. Jaime and Christine left on the 3^rd. They certainly had some adventures to write home about.

After the dinghy repair we leisurely returned to Yacht Classic in Fethiye, via the lovely islands on the way, to get Destiny ready for her long Winter’s nap.

We had gotten so lucky with our summer cruising here because it was quite mild and then our trip back up from Kas was one of the best sails we had here, which is amazing since we've heard that it is a bash coming back up. So I guess the odds were heading us toward a really bad day, eventually. The cold has settled in here as well, which makes nice sleeping weather. Today the winds are unmerciful but skies are clear and the temp is cool. I guess when the season starts it comes in with a bang!