Free Spirit - 26th October to 5th November

Day 10 Saturday 26^th October

Today was a man shopping day – hardware, chandlers and fishing tackle shops.  Then even more excitement to follow – watching football in a sports bar!

Day 11 Sunday 27^th October

We have hired a car today. We are going to Granada and to the Alhambra Palace, a place I have always wanted to see.  So out of misfortune comes opportunity!  Water is the essence of the Alhambra.  It gushes to greet you in channels either side of the steep shady path leading up to the citadel and when you reach the top you find it waiting there, resting peacefully in pools to reflect the surrounding facades, or dancing in fountains, or thundering deep through underground cisterns only to hide away again to secretly nourish the grass, the trees and gardens of flowers.  In stark contrast stand the mellow stone walls, honeycombed and golden, many intricately carved, some with turrets reaching high in to the blue sky and framed by the snowcapped mountains beyond.  This is truly a place of beauty and peace and now I have just a little more understanding of Islamic art and culture.  I would love to stay longer……but it is time to go back to the sea.

Day 12 Monday 28^th October

It’s Free Spirit’s turn for a day out today – a day out of the water.  It’s all go to repair the prop shaft – job done but then what about the propeller?  All is not well for the special feathering prop with all its gears.  It is not possible to service it, it is too worn out (I know the feeling!)  But we have a spare – Yes!

But where are the nuts and bolts for it?  Empty the lazarette, search all the boxes and…voila!  We now have a boat with a new propeller.  Anything else we can replace?......

Day 13 Tuesday 28^th October

The wind blew hard today, so hard it was impossible to get Free Spirit back in to the water as scheduled.  We just had to wait for the wind to subside sufficiently to allow us to leave the loading bay at the dock safely.  So it was at three in the morning, after six days on land, that we finally said farewell to Benalmadina.

Day 14 Wednesday 30^th October

Now we are heading for Gibraltar, the Strait and the Atlantic sea.  The sun is shining, the sea is calm so we can all enjoy bacon and eggs for breakfast.  We pass by The Rock about lunchtime.  We are joined by a pied wagtail (sweet) and then we see a big shark fin……..oooooh!  No swimming today!  By evening we are sailing past Tangiers heading out in to the Atlantic.  It is very busy with ships coming in all directions and then the wind comes behind us and then on the beam and we start rocking and rolling in the Atlantic swell…..all night long……not much sleep all round!

Day 15 Thursday 31^st October.  Halloween!

The sun is shining, not a cloud in the sky but the sea is troubled and so we continue rocking and rolling through the morning. After lunch the Captain says it’s time to get the Parasailor out and so for a few hours we glide over the waves at a rapid rate of 8 knots.  This is sailing!  We put on our sailing music.  We are smiling!  As night time approaches the wind speed starts increasing.  It’s time to take down the Parasailor.  The sea becomes more turbulent.  More tossing and turning, fasten on and hold on tight!  There are lots of stars in the sky.  As we look up they whirl and dance around us but no witches on broomsticks to be seen tonight.  Thank goodness!

Day 16 Friday 1^st November

This is a parasailing and fishing day, but not necessarily at the same time, in future, I think!  There was some drama as the lines became tangled round the water generator in the tossing sea……but this is the difference…….boys love all this stuff……whilst girls?........are you with me?

We had Moroccan chickpea and vegetable soup with couscous for dinner, which seemed to fit, our nearest land being Morocco.

On the night watch, Peter and I listened to more of Allan Quatermain. This CD is read by our dear friend Bill Homewood.  There is something very reassuring about hearing a voice you know and love in the middle of a lonely night at sea, even though it is a bit gory in the telling!  Can we have a love story next please?

Day 17 Saturday 2^nd November

One of my dreads has been a big fish and men slithering about on a rolling deck. This may seem like a typical sailing scenario to many.  There we were, calmly sailing along, after another rocky rolly night, when suddenly both fishing reels started whirring together.  We must have a fish!  Quick stop the boat!  Bring in the sails!  One rod is hanging precariously over the side of the boat, all tangled.  Is it wrapped round the hydrogenerator?  Bring it in – hold on to the rod!  Alex says “Christine could you get me the drill – I need to finish making my landing net!  Finally, she is there on the deck, the most beautiful fish I have ever seen!  It is a mahi mahi, so beautiful to look at with its iridescent colours of blue and green and such a pretty face with those doleful, big eyes.  Quick get the gin!  This is for the fish – a shot in the gills – and there she is – dead!  So today we have the most delicious dinner of freshly caught mahi mahi.  As if this is not enough, we are entertained for several hours by dolphins all around us.  There are so many of them – large ones which torpedo beneath the waves, jumping out, then diving under the bow, mothers with babies and even a chorus line of six jumping out in unison together!  And so another day is ending. As the sun goes down, the wind gets up.  Prepare for another rocky rolly night at sea.

Day 18 Sunday 3^rd November

What a grey day, cloudy, windy and wet.  At home this would be a day for gathering round the table for a Sunday Roast.  I wonder if this is what our family is doing, for it’s Robert’s Birthday today.  Later we try to call him on the satellite phone but the connection is bad and we don’t seem to get further than “Happy Birthday!”  “Can you hear me?”  It is very fragmented but I gather they have all been together, as Rob is just taking Rich to the station to catch the train back up to Liverpool.  This pleases me as I miss being with them all.  We had vegetarian stew with herb dumplings for dinner…very yummy on a day like today.

The night was busy with all hands on deck for a time when the sheets got entangled in the rigging.  It was a case of doing what was necessary on the foredeck to make everything safe, but struggling in the dead of night against the elements is stressful.  Everyone is tired through lack of sleep.

Day 19 Monday 4^th November

The boat is lurching badly this morning.  Not all the time, so if you are below and not seeing the waves coming, it can come as a bit of a shock!  Molly-May, age 2, knows how something can be “a bit of a shock!”  To be flung suddenly and without warning can be quite dangerous.  I decide to stay sitting down.  The wind gets stronger in the afternoon and we sail at a good rate of knots through the afternoon and well through the night getting closer and closer to our destination.

Day 20 Tuesday 5^th November

Land ahoy!  We see the sun rise over the island of Fuerteventura.  Gran Canaria here we come.  We hoist our Canary Islands flag.  And so midafternoon we moor up in the marina at Las Palmas.  It is a sight to behold with all the yachts flying the ARC flag.  For some reason we have been put among the big boats.  The one next to us is an Oyster with a red hull and everything to match.  It even has red aprons under the fenders.  Everything is colour coordinated, even down to the German owner’s red shorts!  The first people we see are the American guys we met in Benalmadina.  They are leaving on Sunday with the ARC+.  We have now got time to make our final preparations in readiness for our departure on 24^th November.