We’ve arrived in Rota in the Andalusian region of Spain after a 22 hour passage from Lagos in Portugal.
For most of the passage we were able to sail with a pleasant downwind breeze keeping us moving between 5 and 7 knots, a real treat after all of the motoring we have had to do.
During the day on our navigation chart we could see a large number of fishing vessels 5 miles to our starboard. We hoped this meant tuna which in turn would mean the orcas were there too and would stay away from us.
As night fell we left the fishing boats behind and were kept company by a flotilla of cargo ships. We lost count at 23. They were either milling around in circles or on anchor. We can only guess they are waiting to go through the Straits of Gibraltar.
We had a beautiful big full moon from dusk til dawn. Such a difference to have some light after the dark dark nights we’ve had so far.
As predicted the winds picked up just after we arrived in Rota and have been blowing a constant 27 knots and more since docking. We timed our passage very well, picking the perfect weather window to move along the coast and get us closer to Gibraltar before the end of the month.
Nice downwind sail. Like the full moon picture. Lokks light a nice night to sail. Glad you made it ahead of the storm. Safe journeys!