Tuesday 25 September 2012

La Duquesa and Estepona




Enjoying life at La Duquesa

Sunday 9th September. We sailed to La Duquesa today. When we checked the weather this morning the forecast was for mild winds, which was great, as Mum sometimes suffers from motion sickness and we weren’t sure how she would cope in the boat. As we sailed out of the marina we had 8 knots of wind. Five minutes later, out in the bay, the wind had accelerated to 22 knots, head on, and the sea had a nasty chop that sent spray arching over the boat!  Forecasts are all very well, but they don’t allow for the ‘Gibraltar’ effect – the Rock produces its very own microclimate.

As I wrestled with the helm Cliff dashed below to find some waterproofs to give to Mum. I wondered whether we should turn back, but then I looked at Mum, and saw she was grinning from ear to ear -  she was clearly enjoying it! Once we had rounded the Rock the wind backed and dropped to around 12 knots, enough to give us a gentle downwind sail for the rest of our passage. The only disappointment was not seeing dolphins. Mum has never seen them in the wild and we were hopeful of a sighting as we had been told they are often seen in Gibraltar bay.
 
Mum at the helm
Monday 10th September. La Duquesa is a small, quiet marina built as part of a tourist development and named after the local castle. It’s a pleasant place to spend a couple of days; it’s architecture  blends well with the scenery and there are good sandy beaches on either side of it.


With Mum on the seafront
 
 It was good to see Maggie and Nigel again
Tuesday 11th September.  Our friends Maggie and Nigel (neighbours from home) drove up from their holiday villa near Cadiz to visit us today. It was great to see them again and catch up with their news. Cliff cooked a BBQ on the back of the boat then after lunch we walked down to visit Castillo de la Duquesa – a small castle built in 1767 that now houses a museum of fencing and the local archaeological museum.
 
Castille de La Duquesa
 
 
Maggie and Nigel at the castle
 
Wednesday 12th September. Mum said she would like another sail before she went home, so we decided to travel five miles up the coast to Estepona today. There was very little wind but we raised the sails anyway and drifted along at 2-3 knots, hoping that we might spot some dolphins. Then, as if to order, a large pod appeared and swam past the boat, gracefully jumping and diving through the water!
Thursday 13th September. Mum flew home today. We all took the bus back to Gibraltar to see her off.  I was sad to see her go. It’s been great having her over and we have been amazed by how easily she adapted to life on the boat.



Estepona seafront

 
The clock tower in the old town

 
Friday 14th September. Estepona is a town of two halves – the seafront is typical of many Spanish resorts, a long sandy beach backed by modern high rise hotels and apartments.  But behind this is an old town that has retained its character, with narrow cobbled streets, whitewashed houses and shaded paved squares. Today we walked to the old town and spent a lazy morning in a café in Plaza de las Flores, sipping coffee, admiring the houses with their ornate balconies and simply watching the world go by.
 
Plaza de las Flores
 
 


1 comment:

  1. Nita, you seem to be having a great time. Who is that tall, handsome bloke you have now - and what have you done with Cliff?

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