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| 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.
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| 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.
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| With Mum on the seafront |
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| 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.
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| Castille de La Duquesa |
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| 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.
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| Estepona seafront |
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| 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.
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| Plaza de las Flores |
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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