Arrival in Gibraltar

We have been in Gibraltar for a month now and have been busy in maintenance mode - so the blog updates have slipped while we make the most of the mild winter to get the outside tasks completed. The trip from Cadiz to Gibraltar at 80 NM was our shortest, and last, trip for 2014. We opted for a late departure from Cadiz at 1730hrs to ensure we arrived in Gibraltar during daylight hours. While the plan was good, we had stronger winds than forecasted with the main and geona reefed at 3/4 for the duration of the trip with excellent sailing conditions. We arrived at the entrance to Gibraltar on 13 Dec at 0500hrs - so much for daylight hours! This was a particularly taxing arrival due to the volume of shipping traffic with both of us staying on watch from 0300hrs to ensure no collisions. It was like a city coming into the straits of Gibraltar with all the ships lit up.  

Qcean Village Marina

After completing our check-in process and hot showers it was time for breakfast then a much needed sleep.  I was fully prepared with my PJs on making breakfast while John completed his final checks on deck.  It was then we realised the docks were not floating - a major problem for us as the davits (and the dinghy) were overhanging the concrete dock.  You would think this would be easily solved, just move the boat further away from the dock - this would work but then we could not get on or off the boat.  Okay, take the dinghy off and retract the davits - yes that works but there was nowhere to keep the dingy for an extended period and it won't (easily) fit on our foredeck.  

Safely berthed at Queensway Marina

With the rising tide we would have woken to a damaged dinghy and davits and no way of getting off the boat.  So much for a sleep!  To give ourselves some time to assess the situation (noting this was to be a long term stop over) we initially moved the boat to a temporary finger pier (alongside berth).  With only two marina's in Gibraltar there are not many options. I had contacted Queensway Marina (the other marina) for a berth but they had not confirmed availability so we walked down to see if they had floating docks and a spare berth.  Fortunately they had both so it was back onboard and our third move in less than four hours of arriving - and yes another Med mooring!  Queensway Marina is a small marina surrounded by apartment blocks and restaurants, with good security and quiet location (no runway) with a good view of 'The Rock. 

View from our berth

We are now back into a 'work mode' as we catch up on a myriad of boat tasks.  These have included finally taking out the passarelle (a boarding platform to get on/off the stern of the boat when Med moored), five months after purchasing a 8HP, 2 stroke outboard motor it was fitted to the dinghy and run, completing some minor repairs, installing a new deck wash pump, replacing the port winch power control board (which had previously failed), stripping and cleaning all seven winches and the windlass and the never ending task of cleaning and polishing the GRP and stainless steel. Thankgoodness for audio books and podcasts to listen to while working.

Testing the outboard - or playing!

While we had planned on one month in Gib sourcing spares from the UK, and being delivered the wrong items (it always comes back to logistics!) compounded by the Christmas holidays has meant our time here will be extended. Although our Christmas Day was quiet with just the two of us we are now settled into Gib and enjoying the ease of living on a small island with a population of 35,000 and an area of 6.4sq km - it is so easy to walk everywhere. We have only had one day of rain in the month and the temps are mild - with highs of 20 degs and over night low of 10 degs - this is better than a Welly winter:). We are a short 10 min walk to the town's shopping area and a 30 minutes walk to cross the border into Spain for a greater variety of shops and more competitive euro prices. With 35,000 people daily crossing into Gibraltar during winter the border crossing can get busy - just as well passports are not stamped as the queues would be long even longer. It is certainly faster to walk across the border than travel by car or scooter, however, it is interesting to note a resurgence in political tension between the UK and Spain over the status of Gibraltar!  Hmmm - must look at our insurance - don't want to be caught in any incident that could be characterized as an act of war for which we are not covered. LOL!

Border Crossing from La Linea to Gibraltar - easy but political tensions remain!

The passarelle - akin to walking a plank

Looking down on Queensway Marina

As a result of questions we have received we have now added a page called 'about the yacht' which provides information on Sabbaticus and her systems for the yachties out there. 

Our next blog will cover the more interesting tourist highlights of Gibraltar.  Below is one of the 'locals' we see on a regular basis when doing our daily exercise on The Rock.