Cadiz to Gibraltar – Wednesday 1st July 2009

It was hot and sunny – yet again – when we cast off the ropes at Puerto Sherry this morning and manoeuvred back out to sea, expecting a similar trip to the one we so enjoyed yesterday. No such luck. The swell was more pronounced today and much shorter and sharper, which meant we were in for a less comfortable ride. As ever, Zaffina took it all in her stride, but the sea was doing its best to push her around and keeping on track wasn’t easy.
Whenever Frank decides to take a break and go down to the cabin, the weather deteriorates and sure enough…he went down below and the sky turned grey. Very grey. Adrian and I were convinced it was going to pour down; not the conditions we’d expected at the southernmost tip of Spain by a long chalk! It was still warm though, with the desert wind blowing up from the African mainland, which suddenly we could see clearly on our starboard horizon.
Fortunately things improved, and by the time Frank rejoined us on the bridge, the sky had cleared and the sun reappeared overhead. Africa seemed just a stone’s throw away as we passed Tarifa – which is apparently the European headquarters for windsurfing (that should have struck a warning note) – and suddenly we could see the distinctive outline of Gibraltar in the distance. We upped the speed and raced across the bay at 34 knots, cheering and laughing as we approached our destination.
We’ve had some exciting moments on this trip, but passing through the Straits of Gibraltar was one of the best. We kept looking from Spain to Gibraltar to Africa - 3 countries, 2 continents - and hugging one another, amazed and elated that we have come so far so successfully. This is both an ending and a beginning for us.
Mooring up in the shadow of The Rock was an interesting procedure, our first experience of lazy lines and mooring stern-to, but it was all completed without any drama and once safely tied up, the champagne corks were soon popping and the bubbles flowing on board Zaffina as we celebrated our arrival!