LinoCat

Back on the boat. After a healthly meal we prepare the boat to leave for Portugal. The plan is to reach Gibraltar Saturday afternoon and then stay there for a night since they predict Force 10. The good part is that the wind is in our direction. Nevertheless there is no point to shoot through the narrow passage and Thomas has not seen Gibraltar yet. Cartagena at night is beautiful. We also inflated the Dinghy and tried out the outboard engine, all is fine. The UV light from the sun has destroyed many smaller parts and the bimini and lazybag need to be repaired in Portugal. We enjoyed tapas and a cool beer also. Andy and Thomas adding some weight :-)

This is the marina of Villa Real de Santo Antonio which is reached pretty close to the entrance of the Guidana river. This river is seperating spain and Portugal. Which courtesy flag to run :-)? It is cheap, clean and even has free WiFi due to the Algarve digital initiative. We paid 28Euro for a night. The current in this river can be strong but we had no problems at all entering the marina even with the currents running. Some cruising guides state this as dangerous but i rather think they are making a to big deal out of it. As you can see the marina is really in walking distance to the city center. There are nice restaurants nearby. It is higly recommended also to do a cruise upstream the river which is quite, relaxing and you will see many birds and other wildlife. There are ample opportunities to anchor or use moorings. Of course one needs to watch the depth-meter since it is also getting shallow. There is a bridge right at beginning but if you have less than 19m it is never a probl...

In Chipiona they gave us the most expensive berth on this trip, since it was for a 50ft boat and costs around 60EUR per night. The city is OK and it is nice to walk around.

The next day we were exploring Ceuta and really found it to be a nice place. Of course it is a bit touristy with all the daytime visitors who come for shopping but it has nice restaurants, cafes and shops and some beuatiful architecture and interesting history and political background. Together with good weather and a good mood, what more can you ask for? To the left you see the dragon house one of the most beautiful buildings in Ceuta. During Siesta hours (lunchtime and a bit afterwards) most shops are closed which was a pitty for us heavy shoppers :-) This snap was taken in the old castle where the medieval market was held. It was very nice with tasty food and some attractions for kids as for us more older kids. It was not to crowed and so we visited it also more than once. At each booth we were allowed to try the specialities they were selling. Looking at the rock in Gibraltar from the Ceuta coastline. You can actually see how narrow the strait of Gibraltar is. Also you can see the ...