August 2019 - Karrie and Connor's adventure
High days and holidays
There is always a festival happening somewhere in Spain and on the day that Karrie and Connor arrived it was the start of the Festival of the Fish. Funfairs and food for the next week.
We stayed in Aguadulce until the 13/08, planning to go to Geneose cove 11Nm away for the night. However we ended up with a prop wrap from the slime line and 80 Euro's later we were free to leave. We won't make that mistake again hopefully.
The coastline is stunning and we settle in to a short passage to the cove, Karrie was suffering with a bit of sea sickness which was not getting any better as we entered the cove. After a swim and some food, karrie wasn't feeling great and It was a bit sloppy so we decided that the marina at Garouche would be a better option. It was now 3pm and Garouche was about 20NM away.
I secured a berth for the night and we raised the anchor, the run to Garouche was uneventful but we were about 30 minutes from the marina when we lost day light. Not usually a problem but the entrance to Garouche was tricky and you had to follow the lights to avoid a rocky head near the entrance.
Not a problem usually but this was obscured by the large funfair and its lights flashing red and green and blue and pink. Very stressful hour for all of us.
We made it to the berth, tied up, had a cup of tea and headed out to enjoy the funfair and a drink or two.
Garouche to Juan Montiel Aquilas
Although we wanted to leave fairly early on the 15/08 it was not possible, it is still festival of the fish and everyone is on holiday so we wait for the marina staff to arrive. We were able to depart at 1pm in the end.
Due to karrie's sea sickness anchoring overnight was discussed and it was agreed that for everyone's comfort we would stay in Marina's for the rest of the holiday.
Juan Montiel was our next port of call and located next to a beautiful beach with good facilities. We enjoyed some down time on the beach and kayaking around the marina.
Whilst at Juan Montiel we explored our options and Cartegena was on my bucket list. We had planned to spend three nights there giving us plenty of time to explore this ancient city stacked with naval history.
Cartagena
We departed Aguillias around 11.00 and had 18Nm to run on motor as yet again very little wind. Connor took the opportunity to fish for Tuna, unfortunately he only caught a small mackerel so no fish for tea tonight.
Arriving at Cartagena was special the bay is impressive with the backdrop of the city skyline. I had read up about the city and we were eager to explore.
We had booked a berth on the quay side, just a stone throw away from the towns centre. Although the promenade was busy we felt secure, the added bonus was the swimming pool and yacht club facilities that came with the birth. Connor met some children from a nearby boat and it was not long before we were having evening get together's with the other boat owners and sharing stories and plans for winter.
Exploring the city, the amphitheatre, the bunkers, the naval museums including the creator of the very first submarine was pure joy. There wasn't anything that we said was boring or not worth the money we paid. For more info on our time in Cartagena please see the write up in my favourite places.
We decided to stay in Cartagena until Karrie and Connor flew home, It was close to Alicante airport and it gave us the chance to hire a car and explore the wider area and out of the way beaches.
Summer 2019 - Tasha and Callum's holiday
Family
We couldn't wait to share Ocean Waves with our family. Tasha and Callum joined us in Benalmedina in July 2019 for two weeks. The plan was to sail to Aguadulce and have some fun along the way.
Tasha and Callum had not been sailing much so we weren't sure how they would take to it, we needn't have worried they really enjoyed it. After a couple of days settling in and enjoying the beach at Benalmedina we headed of to an anchorage in Malaga so celebrate my birthday.
Fog and other adventures
After motoring for about an hour out of Benalmedina a dense fog came in, and visibility was down to 1.5 miles. Loud fog horns could be heard in the distance as we approached Malaga, a major port.
Things were a little tense as we neared the entrance to Malaga anchorage, as a huge cruise ship was heading in the same direction. The relief was palpable as we entered the anchorage just as the fog lifted to reveal a protected bay with a sailing school for company. Once the anchor was set it was time for some water fun.
I love kayaking and the anchorage in Malaga was a perfect spot to teach Callum. After a couple of tandem trips round the bay Callum took off on his own. A natural, surprising as he is often scared of his own shadow. A real highlight of my birthday.
Malaga to Puerto Caleta
After spending my birthday in Malaga we headed off to Puerto Caleta, to see the magnificent caves at Nerja. Another hot day with no wind, and with only 19Nm to run under motor. Callum was very excited to see a large pod of dolphins playing with our wake.
Puerto Caleta is a small marina and we were fortunate enough to get the last berth. The caves at Nerja are only a short bus ride from the marina and were found by local explorers in 1959 and they are stunning.
They have three main cathedrals, each one more impressive than the last, it was a shame that we were unable to attend the evening concert as we were told that the acoustics are like nowhere else on earth. We all enjoyed the visit and a real highlight of their holiday.
Puerto Caleta to Mortil
Before Tasha joined us we had planned to hire a car and explore Granada and decided to use Mortil as the base for a few days. Other than the marina, yacht club and ferry port there is not much else to enjoy there..
The motor to Motril was broken up by a lunch time swim, it was at this point that OW decided to have an electrical failure. After exploration and testing found nothing wrong we switched her on again to find her working well enough to make our way to the our berth in Motril.
To our surprise the yacht club had really good facilities and the swimming pool was perfect, so perfect that we decided to stay put and visit Granada another day.
Alan had another look at the electrics and the engineer from Raymarine suggested we change the Ariel unit.
Mortil to Aguadulce and Almeria
We departed Mortil on another hot and windless day, having decided to spend the night in the anchorage at Adra.
The anchorage was pretty, with a sweeping bay and beautiful clear waters again. However it had a little swell but the forecast overnight was good. Plenty of time for a swim, food and hopefully a pleasant nights sleep.
The wind stated to kick in at about 6pm, the bay became a bit unpleasant and both Tasha and Alan started to feel a bit sick so we decided to go into the marina a short hop across the bay.
They had room but that one night was more expensive than any other marina we had used since Gibraltar. We left early the next day bound for Aguadulce our home for the next week.
Tasha and Callum had a couple of days before their flight home and Aguadule is a good base to explore the nearby town of Almeria. The marina also has a good hotel and pool that visiting yachts can use for a small fee.
It was a great place to end their holiday with us, lots of laughter, adventures and we were happy that they had enjoyed it so much that they wanted to come back.