Tuesday / Wednesday - 11 & 12 September 2018

Aguadulce

There is a distinct end of term feeling. I am starting to contemplate the horror of having to abandon my uniform of T shirt, shorts and flip flops.  I have only worn long trousers once since we started this phase of our trip and that was a mistake.  All too soon we will be back facing the delights of winter in Britain. I even went to get a haircut, suitable for going to work.

Since we moved across the marina, there is a completely different feel, you could be in a different place altogether. Our original position was, let’s say, vibrant, but where we are now is peaceful and quiet.  It is a considerably longer walk to town and the other amenities, but this keeps us away from the more tourist orientated spots, so we don’t see as many people promenading past.  We believe that the Spanish schools have now gone back, and everywhere is operating at a lower level as a result.

We have continued to progress our revised plan to keep Equinox here over the winter.  The boatyard seems to be well established and respected, and has out of the water storage space, which is our preference. We have been in conference with the boss of the yard, and his greatest concern is whether he will have supports big enough for our boat, when it is lifted out. As a result, he arranged that they would do a trial on Wednesday morning. So, we duly prepared for our epic voyage of about 200 metres and reversed the boat straight into the waiting slings for it to be lifted.  They even raised it about 50 centimetres and moved the boat closer to the quay with the crane, so that we could get off easily.  After this they continued the lift, taking enormous care, and then rolled the crane and boat back into the yard.  They took measurements and brought sample props to fit against the boat. I think that they have some that are big enough but not as many as they need. Jines, the boss, is arranging for more to be made and he is pressing for them to be ready for next Tuesday, when we will lift the boat again.  After a short sit ashore, Equinox was eased back into the water and returned to her berth.  It was really useful to see the undersides, and we concluded that they were nothing like as dirty as they were last year. 

For the rest of the time we have been preparing for the winter layup, pouring over lists of jobs for us, the yard and the sailmakers.  We have been chipping away at our jobs as much as possible, although it is extremely humid and hot.  The overall temperature is not as high as it has been, but it is much more humid and therefore uncomfortable.  It is quite strange that we are further west than much of Britain, but our clock is an hour ahead.  This results in sunrise at about 8:00 in the morning and sunset at about 8:20 in the evening. Midday therefore is at about 2:00 pm and after this it becomes sufficiently sultry that we have been taking a siesta, out of the sun at least, if not actually sleeping.

Back to the cleaning…..

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