Left the Portugal capital and returned to Spain to check out a less visited Huelva then back with Los Paranauticos close to Cadiz to sail through the Straits of Gibraltar enjoying spectacular views of Africa.
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| Europe meet Africa... |
Back on the road, but this time in a Bla Bla Car from Lisbon to Huelva. Bla Bla Car is an intercity ride share like Uber and usually cheaper than any other transportation. And itès great fun as well due to the people you join for the journey.
Enjoyed two days in Huelva and may return in the near future. Very friendly place.
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| quick homemade / fast food lunch 7eu |
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| Goodbye Portugal |
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| Hello Spain...de nuevo |
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| Costa la Luz, the most sun in Spain |
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| At Flecha Del Roompido just before Huelva - Cleane, Sonia (driver) and Jo |
Room with Private bath and A/C at the charming little Vega Hotel, family owned and managed. I was a little sad when they didn't offer me some pasta lunch as it smelled great!
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| Hotel Vega, 30 euros |
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Punta Umbria,
no shorted of beach here |
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| Tapas with the girls at Tapeito |
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Monumento a la Fe Descubridora
because of Chris Columbus |
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| One of the older University buildings, of course with a church |
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| WTF??? Where is the rubber dude? |
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| Excellent and Highly recommended La Teja |
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| Love that Whiskey Beef |
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| It's a quiet town |
Quiet until you find some Futbolin, (Spanish version of Foosball) which is quite a bit different from what I played in University.
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"El Agujero del Topo"
"The Hole of the Mole"
Sounds better in English |
With a chance to sail again and to sail through the Straits of Gibraltar I was happy to chase down SV Dr Feelgood somewhere near Cadiz, a town I was hoping to see a little more of this time.
Unfortunately Puerto Sherry is about 20 km away by train once you walk the 5 km to the train station...boo. Special thanks to my Bla Bla Car driver Jose Maria for going out of his way to help me find Simon and Sally at the remote marina. Hey...at least there was a beach near by.
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| Hanging out waiting for my Bla Bla Car pick up |
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| Excited to be back |
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| Lord Dinky...? |
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| Fancy Hotel with no one there 200 eu |
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| Lots of boats stored here coz it's cheaper |
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| Very windy day |
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| This oldie looks ok from far, but... |
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| Cadiz very far away |
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| Playa de la Muralla, nice bay |
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That's too swallow for boats and this
is a marina! |
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| What a turnstile to the beach |
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I appreciate her commitment to
not having tan lines on her butt |
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| Alright. 3 days was good enough. |
Up at 4:30 am to sail to the midpoint of the trip, Barbate, a small town 25-30 nautical miles south of Cadiz. Not sure I love sailing in the dark just yet, but Los Paranauticos follow the mantra of sailing with soft seas and little wind which is definitely more comfortable. I think the truth is it takes years to really be comfortable at sea and I'm not there yet either.
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Not looking too bad for
an early morning start |
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| Cadiz bridge |
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| More Cadiz |
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| Cadiz bridge at Sunrise |
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| Coastguard? Or North Korean Spies? |
Doing a little actual sailing until the "back stay shackle" snapped!
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Photo of Serious vs less Serious
Enjoy it man! |
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| Lord Nelson Point, the site of many sea battles |
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| A little cliffs of Dover feel |
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| Long day |
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| Over 12 hours at sea due to taking the "safest course" |
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| Napoleonic Watch Tower |
Another marina far from anything, although you can see the town as you come in and could swim to it in 10 minutes, but by foot it's about 30 minutes. Hey, one night in the bars, why not!
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| Huge 60' Sloop from Nederlands |
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| Not a job I ever want! |
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| Snapped shackle pin |
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| At sea quick fix. Imagine the stress we had...uffffff |
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| That's a lot of anchors |
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| Just about there after 20 min walk |
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| Nice little Boardwalk |
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| Futbolin with Drug Dealers |
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Sad to see the group in front of me
discard their bottle on the beach
when a garbage can was beside them! |
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| Nice row of fishing boats |
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| Always sad to see in marinas |
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| Closest place to get Wifi, nice spot |
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| What the hell is that |
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| Cool |
And finally the Straits of Gibraltar! An area of the world which can have lots of complications navigating; current, tides, obstructions, winds and lots of shipping traffic. This was truly a marvelous moment in my life, which was followed by a horrible moment in my life...
To be continued in the next installment of The Life Of Brad ...
For now enjoy this amazing passage
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| Here we are...passing Tarifa, Spain |
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| Africa to the right |
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| Couldn't stop shooting! |
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| Happy Chappy |
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| Hi Africa!!! |
Dolphins and Africa, that's pretty awesome. This video has it all.
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| Hiya Dolphins |
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| 15 km from Africa |
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| The Rock (again, but from the sea this time) |
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Only our perspective...
The boat is not as big as the Rock |
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| Amazing view of the Gibraltar run way |
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Gibraltar Marina - cheaper
than the Spanish one across the way.
(Paranauticos moved 1 day later) |
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| Love these photos!!! |
Bonus: In a dive bar in Barbate the bartender gave me the bottle and said whatever you want. The first drink I pour 3 fingers and he charged me 2.50 euros. I went over 4 fingers on the second drink and it only cost me 3.50 euros. Check it out.
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| A few fingers |
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