Calm AFTER the storm...

At last we left the anchorage in La Linéa on Thursday October 16 at 2:30pm. We started 2 hours before high tide in order to have the current with us as long as possible to get out of the bay and go east. We slalom in between enormous cargos anchored on both side of Europa Point, watching VHF channel 12 to anticipate their moves.When we passed the cape we clearly saw the Fedra, the cargo ship that run ashore and broke in two during the storm. Several boats are working on her, probably pumping out the fuel and maybe starting to dismantle her.
We have a west wind window until Saturday night, which should be enough to sail 130NM. We know already that the wind won’t be strong but we didn’t expect any wind at all. This first day is still acceptable with a 4 knots speed on average. The night is endless (nice short summer nights are over…), we are progressing slowly (2knots!). Happily dolphins arrive before night fall to play with us and will stay all night around the boat. Night watches are easier when you’re not alone :-) On Friday, the wind takes its time to start blowing and to choose direction but it’s little stronger (force 4) in the afternoon before weakenning again in the night. Short before noon, I saw a strange floating thing through the binoculars, Ludo decides that we should give it a closer look. It’s a half sunk big jet ski drifting, surely since the storm. Our first catch at sea!? It’s entangled in fishing nets, Ludo takes a plunge and releases it, but it doesn’t make any difference, it’s full of water. It’s impossible for us to tow it to the coast; we signal its position on channel 16 as a navigation hazard. At the end of the day wind will weaken and won’t come back before we arrive in Almérimar the next day at 4:30pm!! We had to use the engine for about 30NM otherwise we would still be stuck in the middle of the Alboran Sea. It was for sure a foretaste of sailing conditions in the Med : gale or no wind…