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.......?