Introduction to Levante

Tarifa is one of the nicest stages of our trip so far, the atmosphere is cosmopolitan and the old city is charming. I enjoy the beach (and the sunburns!) and Ludo practices kitesurfing.
After two nights anchored between the port and Tarifa Island, our floating neighbor let us know there might be a Levanter gale. This eastern wind should start blowing in the night. The weather forecast announces force 4-5 (20 to 40km per hour) in the Strait but “hey guys, here it’s Tarifa, it’s usually 2 forces stronger”. Here wind force 8-9 is common and 10 happens. We see the 12m catamaran entering the harbor which is not at all equipped for pleasure boats: no pontoons, only concrete quays for fishing, whale watching boats and ferries. After thinking it over and wandering around in the harbor to find a spot Ata Jata could fit in, we also decide to take shelter inside. Around 7:30pm we are squatting a place in front of the catamaran along an empty pier (surprising in a crowded harbor) full of folded fishing nets above it. We understand right away that our skinny fenders won’t do the job when the boat will be pushed against the wall. So I start looking for big round buoys to complete our defense and by chance I meet a gang of very friendly German and Spanish wind surfer fishermen who, not only helped us with the buoys, but also invite us to celebrate the feria in the bar of one of their friends.
The city is indeed kick starting a full week of fiesta with costumed horse riders from surrounding mountains, religious processions and Andalusian women dressed in flounced spotted traditional dresses. When we come back to the boat later in the night the wind hasn’t even veered east and we think maybe we panicked for nothing…at 6am we know we were wrong. Wind will freshen continuously until it reaches 50km per hour with gusts at 60. We could have moored Ata Jata with wool strings; she’s literally stuck to the pier! And of course, it’s in the middle of the afternoon when the wind is beating hard that fishermen arrive and ask us to get off to let them collect their nets. First the catamaran will have to make a tricky move, towed by a fishing boat to leave the pier and avoid our boat by only few centimeters and then we will have to slip Ata Jata along the quay by pulling the mooring lines. The wind will finally weaken at dawn. The same fishermen, back from sea, woke us up and we went back to our anchoring spot. Today there shouldn’t be any wind at all.
This harbor is definitely uncomfortable but you can seek shelter here, no one will ask you anything, no paperwork, no money, and even if the fishermen are a bit pissed off that we are disturbing their routine, they wouldn’t let a sailing boat outside in such bad weather.