What Do You Do About a Problem Like Almeria

2011 10 14
Almeriamar Marina just outside Almeria Spain

From our Anchorage Last Night
at Castell del Ferro

After three weeks the Levant winds out of the east have died down.  Finding a five day windless window we took off from Alcaidesa Marina in La Linea.  For reasons given below we do not recommend ever taking your boat to this marina.  Next time, if there is one, we will go to Gibraltar.

The south coast of Spain becomes quite mountainous and provides a fabulous daytime viewing opportunity and equally fabulous anchorages at night.  Leaving La Linea several hours late on the 12th we were hard pressed to make our planned destination in available daylight. Late in the day however we received an unexpected boost from some errant current and all lost time was made up and then some.  We continued past our planned anchorage and dropped hook off the beach at Fuengirola about ten minutes before sundown.

This anchorage was unprotected from all directions but the ocean was flat, winds were calm and the forecast called for more of the same.  It was a marvellous night.

When we get to Almeria we want to rent a car
and drive the road you just see here

Next day we were underway at sunrise,  eight o'clock en punta.  This was another great day with mountains for view and dead calm seas.  Only two hours produced wind worth motor sailing in but we motorsailed them both.  Since leaving the Bay of Cadiz we have travelled with only the fifty gallon tank of water, leaving the one hundred gallon forward tank empty.  Our fuel economy is way up as a result.

The Craggy Face of Our Protector from the Sea
Castell del Ferro as we enter the space

Intending on anchoring at Motril, just outside the marina last night we again were visited with a strange boost of speed as the sun settled low in the sky.  We happily passed by Motril which looked sort of grungy and then gave a pass to Cabo Sacratif, pictured above, and Calahonda which was occupied by another boat.  Just as sun was touching horizon we made it to Castell del Ferro and anchored in a charming cutout from the rocks with no other boats.  We slept like babies just 200 metres off the beach and 200 metres off the rock cliff.

Exploring Along the South Coast of Spain

Almerimar is where we tie up for our return to Canada for Christmas and reunion with family and friends.  There will not be a lot of posts until our return at the end of January.

From here we explore inland Spain with a list of places we want to see that we know we cannot fulfill.  Willing to die trying however.