First night out of Gibraltar

Well, what an interesting day. Gilly's passage plan was spot on and timings perfect. We left La Linea at 9.00am and put up sails right away. Dilek in Symina followed us out on a murky morning with wind gradually picking up. By the time we got to Tarifa it was gusting 30 knots. We started with a reefed main but after a nasty crash gybe when the preventer broke we opted for a genoa, initially full but increasingly reefed as we moved westwards. I think we saw 40 knots just very brieflyplus the 7 knots behind us made for quite a sail!

Just west of Tarifa Dilek called to say she had problems with her autopilot. We couldn't decide whether to fight back up into the wind to see if she needed assistance or not. In the end we did turn, made no headway against the still freshening breeze and then heard her say she was continuing on. We snuck along the Spanish coast for some miles before diving across to the Moroccan coast. Unfortunately the wind is still strong now at 10.30pm and we are having to handsteer as the new Aries hinge still requires some mastering. Oh yes, and after giving it a good go Marcus has been sick again.

We haven't heard from Dilek now for a good few hours. This won't be much fun on her own. We are pushing on 270 southwest now before turning south in a couple of days.

Goodnight. All on Petronella

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Off Africa Tomorrow

In a just a few hours we leave Gibraltar for The Canaries. 600 miles of ocean sailing starting with the tricky passsage through the Straits of Gibraltar, past Tarifa, across the shipping lanes and then on towards the Moroccan coast. A 9.30am start tomorrow SHOULD give us favourable winds, currents and tides though we might be met with fog when  we wake up - just what we don't want.

We met Jen and Marcus last night at the airport and today has been a combination of jobs and tourism. This morning we climbed The Rock, watched the, really cute, little baby apes and caught up with news. But we also finished the netting around the bow to stop us falling overboard, filled the water tanks, found that the repaired toilet is leaking again, prepared the sails for off, returned our marina pass cards, stowed the last few things and said our goodbyes. Finally it was back to our favourite tapas bar for Iberian ham, eggs and chips as well as 7 other tasty dishes. Goodbye La Linea - we will miss you.

Tomorrow, we leave on the start of the adventure.

Here are some pictures symbolising preparations for departure. With luck the next blog update will come to you from somewhere in the east Atlantic.

Final touches to the safety netting

Last minute stowage problems

Back in Gibraltar

Current Location: Morrison's, Gibraltar

I'm sitting in Morrison's in Gibraltar whilst Gill does even more stores shopping. Petronella is creaking at the seams and we may have to repaint the water line white stripe an inch or two higher!

Well, what a change in environment. We've just spent a month in the UK arranging care packages and Blue Badges for Mum and Dad as they struggle to continue living independently. Three hours later we are back in a world full of long-distance sailors.

We've become used to being some of the better travelled Med sailors but here we feel like newbies again. Moody Mistress across from us on the pontoon left for the Canaries yesterday. This morning Gill met a guy and his nephew who are off to Sydney, Australia. Dilek has arrived, Carpe Diem get here tomorrow, Endangered Species a few days later. Old friends and new gathering for an adventure. Everywhere preparations for long passages are being made. This really is a buzzing place at present.

On Sunday Jen and Marcus arrive and after a quick tour of The Rock we'll set off as soon as the weather is favourable. First stop La Graciosa for a couple of days. Then Lanzarote. All very exciting.

We've tried the new sail which looks fine - just need some ropes and clips for it. The repaired windlass looks like it will last for a while. The guard rails have been tightened using fittings purchased at the boat show. The paint we put on the deck in Kas is peeling off but that is only cosmetic. The self steering hinge has been fitted. We've bought an old secondhand Satellite phone for emergencies only (sorry Jen) from Wave Runner a New Zealand boat who have decided at the last minute to stop cruising. This morning we will purchase chain to secure our dinghy from thieves in the Caribbean and we are buying Dilek anchor chain here in Gib because as a Turk she has no UK visa.

Questions. Questions. Can we get US gas bottles filled in Lanzarote? How far west to go before turning south? Is it our HF radio or Carpe Diem's that mean we can't talk (or both). Will we catch fish on the way to the Canaries? Whole else be leaving at the same time as us? Is it worth changing the oil again or should I wait till Lanzarote? What about that slipping fanbelt and slight leak from the seawater side of the cooling system? What if? What if.......?

UK Progress Update

Current Location: Petronella in La Linea. Us in Southampton, UK.

Amazingly quite a few of you want to know how we are getting on!

Are we still in the UK? Yes

When do we return to La Linea? 21st September

How are we progressing with those many tasks? See below...

Well, we are now the proud owners of a large, secondhand downwind sail for our spare forestay. For £165 we hope we have bought ourselves an extra knot or two. It's about twice the size of our mainsail so we should have some fun taming all that canvas in the middle of (or preferably before) the first Atlantic squall.

The broken windlass is more of a problem. I had no reply from the lady in America who had one for sale back in February. Our Turkish friend Ozkan has one he would give us except it is in worse condition than ours. An advert in the sailing press has had no replies and the main Simpson Lawrence spare parts supplier said we would not get one. However, the one hopeful contact is a marine welder who will take on most jobs who works just outside Southampton. I took it in to him earlier in the week and he is hopeful he can mend it. Let's hope so. It is a sorry sight at present.

However my usual oil and fuel filters have arrived. So too have various computer bits.

Wanda, our self steering gear could also do with some spare parts but the daughter of the now dead inventor is looking after her husband's poorly sister and not answering emails. So I have ordered the critical part  (a special hinge to lift it up out of the water) from a Danish guy who has taken over the company. Parts are pricey but I guess that is reasonable because the market is small. But charging 65 euros to ship something the size of a large camera is just taking the piss.

It's the Southampton Boat Show this week (craftily timed to coincide with our visit) so we'll be off to see what goodies they may have. We need two more pair of foul weather gear for Jen and Marcus and a load more ropes now we've got a new sail. Also so fittings for the guard rails. Oh yes, and Gilly would like a new boat [ha! ha!].

Other than that is has been family things. Financial stuff and things to make Mum and Dad's life easier have taking a lot of time (and energy!). We've also seen Jenny, Marcus and Emma for Gilly's birthday, her sisters (Ali, Swaz and Caz) for yet another birthday party and also long lost friends from Oz. Tomorrow I'm off to see my beloved Southampton football team demolish Newcastle United along with another firm friend from Reading. Yes, it's all go, go, go here.

I've also got involved with the Atlantic Crossing Group, cruisers from across the world who are planning to cross the Atlantic from east to west this year. Most of them are gathering in Gibraltar at present so we are looking forward to meeting up with them all when we get back. We are coordinating radio nets for those crossing and putting people who are headed off in touch with others that are leaving around the same time.

Plenty going on but what we really want is to get back on Petronella...only just over a week to go now.