Porto to Gibraltar – Round 2
April 17, 2013
Two weeks ago in conjunction with the Easter Holiday, we flew to Porto with plans to sail Shearwater to Gibraltar where she would meet up with a SevenStar yacht transport ship to make her way to Florida. Unfortunately, the weather gods did not get the message that spring had arrived, and a strong south wind
Safe arrival in Gibraltar!
April 9, 2013
Early yesterday, we arrived in Gibraltar after a lovely day of sailing and beautiful weather (that seemed like it was well earned after our first 24 hours!). Technically, we were in Gibraltar for under 8 hours, but slept for 4 hours and then were tornadoes of activity for the rest of the time, getting the
Day 2 – Flat seas and fast reaching
April 7, 2013
Our trip has been somewhat delineated by the turn to go east (or slightly before) – the big waves/more wind than you want section, and the amazingly flat/wind from the beam or rear quarter section that has had us flying along smoothly. We’re really enjoying the sailing we ‘ve been able to do this second part of the trip. Making hot meals at the stove is easy, we’re not turning green at the thought of wrestling our foulies off for the off-watch, and the air temperature is so much nicer (30+ knots from behind at night kept us really cold the first night).
Day 1 – Lots of discomfort
April 6, 2013
We left Douro River at 7am Friday morning – skies were clear, the northerlies had arrived, and the harbor entrance was open!
From the start of our day, things were uncomfortable – big waves, lots of wind (saw 40 knots twice), and putting in the time to get over the initial sea “blahs” does not make for the most pleasant of conditions.