Wednesday, 8 February 2017 1030 Hrs
36 09 N, 05 21.3 W, Tied up at Ocean Village Marina, Gibraltar! Phew that was a long 160Nm. Managed to stay in close to shore for the secound 24 Hrs and out of the choppy seas and current. Will update soon but for now its chasing up work people and getting some sort of reliable internet. Why do the marinas claim this service but just cant deliver.
Tuesday, 7 February 2017, 1230 Hrs.
36 52 N, 04 00 W Just a few mile South of Malaga. The sea and wind doesn’t want Wind Sprite to leaves the Med. Have come in closer to shore this morning seeking some slightly more moderate sea conditions. Slow going as we are sailing twice as far at a slow pace. Short choppy speed humps limiting us somewhat. Looks like a Wednesday morning arrival now.
Monday, 6 February 2017 0400 Hrs
Leaving AquaDolce Marina. The wind has calmed about as much as we can expect so hopefully will be in Gibraltar in a little over 24 Hrs. Have managed to load lots of supplies for the next month or so just needing a top up of fresh foods along the way.
Friday, 3 February 2017, 1300 Hrs
Certainly has been a big shake down cruise since leaving Greece. A temporary fix on the sail drive seals has worked fine, will be getting the experts in Gibraltar to check and make the repair more permanent. While they are at it they can also take a look at some electrical / charging issues. A few other minor repairs are underway and will be taking advantage of this short (hopefully) stop over to commence provisioning for the long haul across the Atlantic. Provisioning here in Spain will be easier and cheaper than in Gibraltar. The westerlies should start to die off on Sunday evening so hope to get away then for an arrival in Gib on Monday. Will update once underway again.
Thursday, 2 February 2017 2000 Hrs
36 48 N, 02 34 W, Puerto Deportivo Aquadolce Marina. Update tomorrow, all well.
1230 Hrs
36 44 N, 02 14 W, Currently SE of Almeria, Spain. The wind is currently blowing at 25 + Kts from the West unfortunately with the seas building. There is only 180 Nm to Gibraltar which would be just a day sail in good conditions but the weather is not looking like playing ball with us. I am hoping that close into the coast the sea and wind will be more favourable but if there is no improvement in the next few hours its looking like a stop until this blows through will be prudent. All well on board
Wednesday, 1 February 2017, 1230 Hrs
37 12 N, 00 42 W, On the wrong side of the world again, passed the Greenwich Meridian. Currently sailing near Cartagena, Spain. Just turned off the engines after around 24 hrs. motoring again. We had issues with a warning light going off on one of the engines but seem to have solved the problem for now. The forecast winds look like hanging around for a bit longer than first thought. Only around 260 Nm to Gibraltar but could be slowed by the forecast conditions. Should be able to update most days from now.
Tuesday, 31 January 2017, 1230 Hrs
N, E, Around 18 Nm South of Ibiza, Light Southerly winds 10 Kts with full sail up, have been taking the opportunity to attend to a few household duties and maintenance whilst everything is calm and flat. A little over 400 Nm to Gibraltar now however on forecasts downloaded last time in range we will probably need to anchor on Thursday evening whilst a bit of a gale blows through. Heading to the Spanish coast to update our forecast and find a suitable anchorage whilst the storm blows through.
Monday, January 30th, 1200 Hrs
38 21 N, 04 23 E, Approximately half way from Sicily to Gibraltar now, currently the wind is from the SSE at 15 Kts and making reasonable speed as its close hauled and the waves (speed humps) are limiting us a little. Forecasts show similar conditions with perhaps a more favourable wind swing to the south which should assist us. Have done a reasonable amount of motoring on one engine as conditions till now have been quite light. Looking forward to some consistent trade winds and warmer temperatures after the Canaries.
Sunday, January 29, All day
Happy Birthday Dinah and Jane Eagle!
Saturday, 28 January 2017, 1200 Hrs
38 49 N, 09 03 E Near the Southern tip of Sardinia. Made good progress overnight with the wind off the Port Quarter at 25-30 Kts. Expecting the wind to drop off and head us through the day before turning to the North. A few issues with charging currently but working through the solutions currently. Close enough again for telephone internet so making the most of a quick update.
Friday, 27th January 2017, 0600 Hrs
37 30 N, 12 28 E, At the Western tip of Sicily about to head towards Sardinia. Just picking up the last of phone reception for a few days. The wind is now building after a light Australia Day under engine. Expecting to be sailing fully within a few hours and keep it up for several days. All is going well.
Thursday, 26th January 2017 AUSTRALIA DAY, 1230 hrs.
36 56 N, 13 51 E, Not sure what happened to the original post I put up here it seemed to have disappeared. Anyway followed the coast of Sicily in light conditions and celebrated Australia Day at happy hour. Bit colder than I’m used to, there were no prawns this year so the best we could do was lamb mince in our spaghetti Bolognese
Wednesday, 25 January 2017, 1100 Hrs
Ready to leave Siracusa, Just waiting on Fuel which we have had ordered for days and the “Frontier” Police to clear us out. Went to visit their office this morning as booked but was told they would come to us. Hopefully we will be underway in an hour or so.