Saturday – 8 September 2018

Aguadulce

Well, this was an interesting and varied day. Steve was leaving us and had ordered a taxi for 8:00 am and so we were all up promptly. When we woke there was rain, yes RAIN!  This was the first proper rain that we have seen since May and it was bucketing down. The taxi arrived on time and Steve was off, rushing quickly to get in the dry car.

Over the next hour or so the rain continued to fall and the wind picked up significantly. We had gusts that hit nearly 40 knots, and the direction changed every few minutes. During the morning it went round nearly 360 degrees. During lulls in the downpour, we were out on deck, inflating our heavy-duty ball fenders, and inserting them between us and the boats that are alongside. We were all being pushed across our slots so that we were very close to touching at the sides. We now have 15 fenders out, protecting the sides and stern, and this in a sheltered position in the marina.  I’m glad we had decided not to move on today.  I went to the marina office and chatted again to our friend Jessica, who was soon to go to a friend’s wedding. Definitely not the weather you want for your wedding day.  The storm seemed worse in the office, which is in a more exposed position. 

Eventually after lunchtime it all calmed down, and the decks and quayside dried very quickly.  We used the lull to go to the laundrette and supermarket, so that we have food for the next couple of days and clean clothes.

On our arrival we had been told that there was going to be some sort of party here on Saturday night, and we had been offered a move of location if we were still here.  We are moored very conveniently, right outside the nightclub.  The quayside is full of bars and restaurants, and one in particular plays music on outdoor speakers.  It has access from both the marina side and the beach side, and I think the music is mostly intended for the beach.  Thursday evening we had all been aware of the noise, and we were expecting much worse tonight.  The weather earlier in the day had made it unfeasible to move, and even boats who had spent the night on the arrivals dock were still in place.  By about 9:30 the “drum and bass” was pounding away, but still no worse than Thursday.  We awaited the club next to us getting going. We went for a stroll to see what was happening, and were treated to an awe-inspiring display of lightning from several storms well out to sea. They were far enough away that you could not hear the thunder, but there seemed to be 2 or 3 separate storms, each trying to outdo one another for spectacle.  There were lightning flashes about every half minute.

There were a few more young people around than on previous nights when we returned to Equinox, took the passerelle back on board, and steeled ourselves for a potentially sleepless night. By the time I turned in, there was a large crowd on the quay in front of the club, but they were all socialising quietly, and the music from the various locations was not bad at all.  We were largely undisturbed overnight and look forward to what the weather has in store for the next few days.

Distance covered today	0	nautical miles
Trip distance covered	1616	nautical miles
Distance covered 2018	2336	nautical miles
Steve (and Tricia)