Thursday 25 April 2013

El Rubicon arrives in Gibraltar

Having delayed our start from Cartagena with light winds predicted, it proved a wise decision as we made good progress to Almerimar with winds hitting F6/7 from Carboneras down. The stopover allowed us to catch up with Tony and Gladys from Carpe Diem and having enjoyed a proper gin and tonic with them it was time to retire for the night and prepare for the next day. Leaving Almerimar we had expected to keep equal winds to the previous day by heading offshore, unfortunately this lasted for approximately 12 Hours before leaving us wallowing in big seas off Malaga overnight as the winds eased to nothing and we were forced to motor until a few hours out of Gibraltar. Enjoying a couple of hours rest we headed over the border from La Linea for the Brazilian Rodizzio in Ocean Village, well recommended if you happen to be in Gib for the day.
Now checking the weather for a potential departure tomorrow evening towards Portugal, will keep you posted as to our progress, wherever we end up the adventure is underway and the guys are enjoying the benefits of exploring under sail, if you are interested in joining us on our adventure please get in touch.

Sunday 21 April 2013

The adventure begins

El rubicon has been loaded up for our latest adventure, tomorrow we are setting sail towards Gibraltar before heading onto the Algarve and then our new temporary home in Ayamonte. Initially we were leaving today but with light winds forecast the crew are benefiting from VHF training before setting sail around midday on Monday. The stores are loaded, water tanks topped up and spare gas in situ all that remains is to fill up with fuel and were off.
If you see us on our travels come over and say hi and for anyone looking to join us we still have a couple of spaces before the summer charter season in Mazarron. Learning to sail is fun and an excellent way to explore and make new friends, to find out more about our RYA sailing courses contact us and let the adventure begin.

Saturday 6 April 2013

Mar Menor Bridge

One of the most asked questions when sailing in this area is what times does the Puente del Estacio bridge open, the opening of the bridge allows access to and from the Mar Menor and Mediterranean seas for yachts or vessels with over an air draft greater than 7m.

At present the opening times are everyday:
10.00 - 12.00 - 14.00 - 16.00 - 18.00 with the last lift at 20.00 hours

Happy sailing

Ibiza mile-builder

This week we planned to put a few miles under the keel for the guys as qualifying miles towards their Yachtmaster. The decision was taken to head out to Ibiza and following a cracking sail up the Costa Blanca with a rather iffy forecast in hand it appeared that the predicted weather was not coming so with clear skies and perfect force 4 we peeled away from the land and crossed. Around 25 miles from Ibiza the wind freshened and gusted at 40 knots, with 3 reefs in the main and a handkerchief of headsail we pressed on experiencing some exhilarating sailing.
Returning to the mainland we were not so lucky with the wind and required the use of the iron spinnaker to reach Altea, stopping the night the crew were all early to bed as the previous nights watch system had left us somewhat jaded and we had a 0600 hours slip time for our trip back to La Manga. With clear heads and fresh pot of coffee we encountered strong head winds and El Rubicon struggled to make serious progress into the building swell so we made for our port of refuge which happened to be Torrevieja leaving us a short sail back the following day. The normally reliable winds abandoned us and rather than just motor back we ran a series of pilotage exercises and practiced following contour lines.
With 2 x 60 miles passages accomplished, some great navigation exercises, experience of strong winds and calms we had a true mix of what sailing can be like and an example of just how changeable the weather can be. Overall we achieved 380 miles, had a ball and the guys are rapidly gaining confidence in their sailing ability, for more information of joining our adventure sailing and mile-building trips please contact us on 00 34 695 326 184 or cheap call from the UK 0872 426 0837. The next trip is planned from Gibraltar to Cartagena at the end of June and we will be sailing from La Manga down to Ayamonte our new tidal base at the end of September, so if you need qualifying sea miles or just fancy being part of a great sailing adventure get in touch.