Thursday - 6 September 2018

Adra to Aguadulce

We slipped lines from Adra marina about 9.00 and, about an hour later, the wind filled in and we had a lovely sail across the bay, round the headland into the next bay to head towards Aguadulce. We were still hearing the PanPan emergency message on the VHF about the lost dinghy. A NATO reconnaissance aeroplane circled very close above us, checking us out, at one point. We also heard them talking to other vessels in the area to establish who they are, where they have come from and where they are going.

On the land we passed by, the coastal slopes continued to be covered in poly tunnels. We are calling them poly tunnels, but they are netting covers, protecting the crops from the sun. The crops are irrigated by water that comes down from the Sierra Nevada mountains and from water deep underground. We are told that this farming has gone on for the past fifty years. When you buy root vegetables from Spain, out of season in Britain, they were probably grown here. The locals are, not surprisingly, very worried about Brexit.

We were blown into the small harbour entrance, mid afternoon at Aguadulce, so were relieved that the concrete arrivals pontoon was well covered with fixed fenders. The marineros arrived a few minutes later, on large motorised scooters, looking very cool, and allocated us a spot nicely tucked in, along the harbour front walkway in this gorgeous marina. The two of them waited on the quayside to take our lines, as we eased ourselves into a narrow space, but just wide enough for us, between the already moored boats.

This is a marina typical of the scene we were expecting in the Med. Once in, we realised it was bigger than it appeared from out at sea, filled mainly with local boats. The one and two story buildings are white-washed with terracotta roofs, with shops, bars and restaurants. A barren mountain rises behind the town.

At 5 o’clock, when the lady in the office arrived, we completed the usual check in administration. Jessica, is a lovely, lively, friendly lady, whose English is superb. She had spent a year in Golders Green, twenty years ago and loves London. She made us feel most welcome.

Distance covered today	27	nautical miles
Trip distance covered	1616	nautical miles
Distance covered 2018	2336	nautical miles
Tricia (and Steve and Steve)