When Apollo astronauts circled the Moon, communications were cut off with Earth every time the command module passed behind the Moon. This is because the Moon itself blocks radio signals, preventing communication when it comes between Earth and any spacecraft.
We had radio silence too. We neglected our blog for a long time. Too much boat work and enjoyed a wonderful summer with our grandkids onboard. It didn’t feel like blogging – sorry.
Today, we prepared the boat for sailing to the Bahamas. It will not be an easy sail. As always you have to leave late in the year in order to avoid tropical storms. This time “Nicole” is coming up north right now as I am writing – even though she is inland, Nicole has a strong, negative effect on the Atlantic weather patterns.
Our departure is planned for 0500h on November 12. We plan to arrive at Cape Eleuthera Marina Nov 18.
Small Island. Ferry connections only. Colorful buildings. No big box stores. No brand name chains. All buildings two stories high or less. Every little store felt like the time eons ago when the world consisted of small things. Zoomed back in time.
This post contains picture galleries to flip through. Words fail to describe, but somehow even pictures fail. Being here is the thing.
Small is beautiful! Below is Italy’s answer to the Dodge Ram. Fits perfectly into every narrow alley, supplying stores and restaurants through the backdoor.
Italy’s answer to the Dodge Ram
Walk Downtown First walk around downtown and trying to get lost 🙂
Carloforte
Carloforte
Shopping a la Italia
Live outdoors.
I must have been a teenager, when I last time saw a restaurant like that.
Meet your neighbour
Ferry Port
Buy your appliances local!
Yep! Real size. But, it works.
Ferry got an ugly update.
Statues have a crappy life.
Fresh Food When we came out of quarantine, the first order of the day was replenishing fresh food onboard LUNARA. What a pleasant experience. Even though the shopping atmosphere is eery with face-masks everywhere. Post Corona, normal times will return. We can imagine how lovely shopping and tasting fresh food next year will be.
Are we in heaven? (Promise: will never use Portrait mode for video again)
Getting Groceries: Gallery shows a food supermarket near the marina in Carloforte.
Fresh Local/Regional Produce
Narrow aisles, but they have everything you need.
Brave New World
Cheese Selection for the Admiral
Wine lunch time packs to go. Mediterranean diet lets you live longer!
Special Shopping Carts for Fifi
“Catch of the Day”
Small Church: Another day we discovered this small church downtown. The colors outside match tastefully with the surroundings and the blue sky. Inside, everything was perfect pastels.
Our first real trip this year and as usual the preparations kept us busy over the last weeks. We had some unwanted surprises, but that’s actual life.
For our galley we designed a custom made white tempered glass plate. This plate was supposed to function as a base for the new induction plate we had temporarily installed. When we fitted the glass plate, we noticed that it was bending up at the corners, rendering the piece unusable.
We improvised making a plywood frame and painted it with white bilge paint 🙂
1) Installing plate
2) Installing Oven
3) Final Product. Lovely White Bilge Paint.
We improved the main sheeting system, which broke last year on our way to Madeira. We strengthened the hardware and modified the sheeting system.
In front the originally fitted block. Behind the new Antal Blocks.Triple Spinlock Rope Clutch.The Admiral made a sheet bag. Looking good and functions really well.
We had hoped for one night rest on the service dock after the fuel exchange.
Early afternoon we were told to leave. Going direct to Gibraltar instead of anchoring again was a quick decision. Needed to fuel and got going 1600h. We passed our anchorage in Farragudo/Portimao and said good-bye to our friends on Lir.
Farragudo
1700h we were out of Portimao and settled into sealife. Wind was good from behind and we sailed only with the Genoa doing around 5.5kts. Lazy and relaxed sailing.
Ingenious method of the Admiral preventing the sliding door from slamming back and forth.
Night fell and our stowaway (do I have to report him/her to immigration?) climbed up its net back to safety.
Stowaway. Onboard for some weeks already.
During my watch around midnight, I shone a flashlight aft and saw 1000s of small fish jumping in our wake. Their eyes reflected the light in a reddish color and left trails on the picture. The scene went on for half an hour.
Photo quality is lousy. Hopefully communicates the scene.
We headed to Gibraltar on the northern side of the Straits, squeezing close by Tarifa. We were a little late for the optimal tidal window. As we came over shallower water, the current picked up several knots until we stood still over ground – against us naturally 🙁 Turning into deeper water solved the issue.
After nightfall and short before entering the Bay of Algeciras, the Gibraltar anchorage for large vessels, dense fog rolled in. Considering the ship traffic in the Straits, we thought it would be safer to continue the last 6nm to Alcaidesa Marina. Motoring at 2kts speed, with the help of Radar, AIS and other devices we inched up the bay in total darkness and 50m visibility. We entered the marina without seeing the seawall and continued to the fuel dock. On the last 4 or 5 boat length from the dock, the fog lifted, and we docked with the help of two marineros at 0400h.
Our track into the Marina.
We slept for two hours, checked in the marina office and continued to our final dock and went to bed again. This time we will not do any sightseeing, even so the ice-age museum is so tempting for me.
Tomorrow morning (August 22) we continue to Almerimar.
