On a Lagoon 40 S Katamaran
Saturday morning. On the 8.30 am to Basel the shaky newly built Bombardier train made its way along the tracks.
A tall young lady was standing for more than 5 minutes, 30 minutes, till I realised that she was looking in the driving direction, not to get more sick. In Sursee I changed my seat behind the staircase. Once in a while it made a strong thong under me. A broken suspension or wheel crack?The train stopped longer than usual in Olten and I thought this was it! Then it made a summing noise and the train continued its journey. A new passenger took a seat in the left seat compartment and then it thonged again, she quickly looked around, but then went back to her smartphone. It happened 3-4 times during the journey and when leaving the train the trains wheels where exactly under me.
The bus took me to Airport Basel to catch my EasyJet flight to Faro. Along the extreme long row of people standing to give up their luggage I headed directly to the boarding. There I was 2 hours later at the gate, with takeoff at 11.30 am. By taking my cabin bag out of the large waterproof rucksack, the max. dimensions for the overhead baggage was at its limit. No questions from the personell and a relief when I was I in the plane.
On Tuesday a few days ago I received an email from Findacrew with several listings matching my search profile. The first offer had a 99% matching! Whow never had that, so I opened up the message and read about the opportunity.
Crew wanted urgently for a sailing trip on a Katamaran, next Saturday from Lagos to Valencia and Markus with a German flag on his profile.
My wife came home and I thought about it while she told me about her day. I said there’s a very interesting sailing trip next Saturday and she answered, ok but you’ll miss the wine days from our son.
Markus reacted quite quickly to my ping and gave me his number. On the phone with the loudspeaker on, he informed me about the plan. Skipper Jürgen needs three crew members to get the 40 ft. catamaran to Valencia for a small damage repair in the bow and I would have to contact him for more details and his final approval. They are a association in Germany and have this catamaran for their members.
After a chat with my wife I text Jürgen with my Findacrew profile and inform him that I’ll call him shortly. We have each a cabin with own bathroom and if I can cook?
This is how the journey started …
Lagos
From the airport the only acceptable transfer to Lagos Marina was by pre booked taxi. The taxi driver suited like a retired business man, drove a new mercedes. In his good english he told me that he makes airport transfers for his clients and worked on a cruising ship. He also looks after a few properties when the owners are abroad.
I was the last to arrive on board. Jürgen (60) and his best mate Uli (74) arrived already on Thursday, the Italian Aris (34) a few hours earlier. We went first to buy some food & beverages for the next days. The heavy things, like beer and water was already on board they told me, but for Uli’s famous sundowner we ended up with 2 bottles of Bombay Gin and tonic water in the shopping cart.
At the port on board of the catamaran a nice rainbow occurred on the horizon.
In Lagos there was a mediaeval festival with hundreds of people in middle age costumes, weapons, fire places, acrobatics acts with fire circles, food stands, music drummers, camels, falcons and so on.
Jürgen informed us about his plan to sail through the night to gain sea miles, reaching Cadiz 140 sm away the next day.
Lagos – Cadiz / 139 sm
The coffee was smelling through my closed cabin door after 6 am. Uli made a delicious breakfast with Jürgens freshly baked bread. The table was fully covered with a bowl of freshly cut fruit, cheese, chorizo plates, cooked eggs and jam, a great start for the long journey. We where ready to depart at 8, but the bridge was closed and nobody answered by VHF radio at the marina.
After a VHF call to the marina at 9 am, the Lagos bridge finally opens up for us at 9.15 am.
The port exit of Lagos into the open Atlantic, heading to Cadiz.
Good west winds down the coastline. Mainly in 20 to 30 m water depth, because of the orcas. With an easy night sail with me and Aris doing our night watches from 9 to 11 pm, 1 to 3 am, 5 to 7 am we arrived just after lunchtime at the Puerto Americo marina in Cadiz.
After an 45 min. walk along the impressing Atlantic ocean breaker wall we arrived in the center of Cadiz, quite thirsty for a beer and also appetite for some famous tapas.
Plaza Mentidero, Cádiz
The first recommended tapas bar was closed, although open online. So we headed to a charming bar at a very nice Plaza Mentidero. After the first beer we found out that the restaurants open at 8 pm. After the second, Jürgen searched for a restaurant that opens earlier and he found a delicious one!
Salmorejo (thicker than Gazpacho) – excellent taste
Sunset on wave breaker
Cadiz – Gibraltar / 74 sm
On Tuesday 6 am it was dark when we moored off. Just out the harbour a Costa cruising ship came around the corner and we had to make space. Close to the steel planked harbour wall we waited for 10 min. till the huge kollos past us.
Tarifa, the most southwesterly point of Europe, where the Mediterranean sea begins. Strong currents in the straight, mainly caused by an exchange of water of different saltiness between the Atlantic ocean and Mediterranean sea.
Unbelievable and impressing. We are between Europe and Afrika.
Left Europe. Freight ships in the middle of the passage. Right Africa coastline. Tarifa rear.
The Strait of Gibraltar is the busiest shipping lane in the world. There is a traffic separation scheme here so that traffic can be organised. Sailing boats are not allowed to be in the red zone, so we had to stay close to the coastline.
Our Gibraltar arrival was late night and we provisionally moored on the marinas gas station, till they opened at 9 am.
Morning entry into the Alcaidesa Marina on the Spanish side of Gibraltar.
To enter Gibraltar we had to walk through customs, handing up our passports at the officers. Then a stroll over the airstrip to the city of Gibraltar.
Busy Gibraltar main street
With a short cable car ride we reached the top of the Gibraltar rock, 426 m above sea level. In the back the Gibraltar airport and our marina in Spain.
View down to the humbling city of Gibraltar.
Gibraltar – Almerimar / 151 sm
After the sightseeing day we moored off at when the office opened as we had to return the Marina card. The next stop just behind the corner was the fuel station to fill up the cheap diesel in Gibraltar for the generator. We had to wait a while, as all stations where occupied and by a large grey shining racing yacht under UK flag.
With perfect weather we sailed along the coastline and shortly got accompanied by a school of dolphins.
Approx. 50 dolphins where playing in the front of our bow.
Arriving the next day in Almerimar in the early afternoon for an overnight stop. After a warm shower at the huge marina with 1100 berths we strolled through the established town from the 1970‘s.
Almeria region with 200,000 hectares under plastic sheeting in the background’s. One of Spains major fruit and vegetables cultivation regions.
Almerimar – Cartagena / 128 sm
Sunset on our way to Cartagena
On our first nightshift from 9 to 12 pm we had perfect downwind conditions for butterfly sailing.
Cartagena – Valencia / 152 sm
We decided to sail through to Valencia as the wind would be against us the day after tomorrow.
Cabo de Palos
Along the Costa Blanca coast with Torrevieja, Alicante, Benidorm the tourism boom was clearly to see from the water, gladly not to be in that hustle.
Later in the night the wind picked up with gusts over 25 knots true wind. We had to furl the genoa in and set the first reef on the main sail. Jürgen decided heaving to the wind, to park the cat and I loosed the mainsheet all the way to leeward so we had not much pressure in the mainsail. and sheeted the mainsheet to reef 1. It was quite hard to keep the cat in best position as the electric motors where not powerful enough, while I was reefing the main. Back on course we still had 5-6 knots speed.
In the morning we where motoring at the Cap de la Nau. Deep blue water and the perfect spot for a breakfast and for me a swim into the Balearic sea with 19° water temperature. Ibiza wouldn’t be far away, we thought at breakfast.
Along the gulf of Valencia the coast skyline was showing bundles of sky scrapers till we could the port of Valencia in front of us. South of the port we dropped the anchor for the first time and had the obligatory anchor beer, followed by Uli’s gin tonic. Approx. 500 m from the beach the swelling was quite reasonable having a pleasant nights sleep,
Valencia
At 9 am we started motoring against wind & waves to marina berth in north Valencia. The best was 2 knots of speed, arriving at 12.30 at the marina reception.
Two marineros guided us up a long channel to the upper marina spot, where the big ships in the bay where moored. Our berth was next to a german family living on the sailing yacht in the marina port Valencia. The kids went to a private school in Valencia till summer. He was in charge to fix the technical issues on the cat, as the owner had decided to sell her. The news arrived to Jürgen a few days earlier from a friend who saw the catamaran advertised. What a surprise for all association members surely.
In the afternoon we headed town inwards to the Lapaca tapas bar, a 15 minutes stroll from the boat. It was quite in vintage style, beer from the tap and delicious tortillas with a beetroot hummus. A perfect place to stay and order more.
All in all we made 623 sm with four nights sailing through.
Thursday was city sightseeing day
Along the harbour westwards to the white single-pylon cable-stayed bridge in the City of Arts and Sciences designed by Valencian architect and civil engineer Santiago Calatrava, completed 2008 past the Oceanographic in the Garden of the Turia, a former riverbed of the Turia River. After a hour walk up the park that stretches up to 8.5 km, we turned off to reach the Central Market and paused outside at a nice coffee shop. Uli looked at his wrist watch displaying 7 km of footage. The beer went down like water and my espresso with a water also.
Our next stops:
After a beer stop near the cathedral we headed back to the marina and halted in the yesterday’s bar Lapaca. Back at the boat 18 km footage on Uli’s watch or 20’426 steps on my phone.
Friday
In the morning was cleaning on the program, cabin and deck, before catching the metro to the airport.
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