Last we updated you all we were enjoying Lagos, Portugal. It was our first stop after we crossed the Atlantic so we enjoyed resting there for a few days. We visited Selves, a town a few miles inland. We toured a midevil castle, which was cool and I am sure the first of many we will see on this trip. After we felt rested we started heading towards Gibraltar. Tim and Katie were getting there on the 18th of July so we needed to get moving.
Our next stop was Faro, Portugal. It is a pretty large city, so we anchored out near the beach to avoid the chaos. There was a little café on the water where we grabbed a Caprainhe and watched the sun set. The next morning we picked up some food and took off towards Tarifa,Spain.
Pictures from Faro
Tarifa is in the Strait of Gibraltar (the Strait) and the closest point to Africa. It is known for heavy wind, so it is a wind surfer, kite boarder, sailing paradise. On our way the wind was at our back and pushing us at about 5 knots. The wind through the Strait mostly howls east or west (they call it the Levanter). When it howls east the experts say it’s full of dust and dirt from the desert. It’s best to stop and anchor in Portugal until it changes. The wind was not howling for us, but it was at our back which is better than at our bow.
Katie in Tarifa showing us the Levanter wind!
The calm before the storm.
Unfortunately, that night the wind changed and was hitting us on our nose at about 30 knots. With our motor running at about 2200 RPMs (usually we only need about 1400 RPMS to get economical forward propulsion) we moved about 1.5 knots through the night and struggled to keep our course. The wind wanted us to head toward southern Morocco. Gertrude spent all her energy just staying in the right place. No fun. We were hoping it would change when the sun came up so we kept on keeping on.
Around 8am the next morning there was a horrible noise coming from the engine room. We cut off the engine and Charles went to investigate. He discovered our propeller shaft was not keeping a tight grip on the propeller. She was spinning and not giving us much steering power. Cadiz, Spain is a large port city and wasn’t too far behind us so we turned around and sailed to land; hoping we would be able to get Gertrude fixed and head on our way since the wind was looking like it wanted to change directions again.
We planned to stop in Puerto America and radioed to ensure they had room. Unfortunately, as soon as we got into the Cadiz channel, Gertrude’s propeller stopped working all together. We had no ability to steer with the engine on, and the head wind was keeping us from sailing into the marina. So, we called for a tow. The tow boat was to us in 30 minutes and took us through the channel. With a surgeon’s precision the Capitan put us into a slip at Puerto America.
The towing ordeal cost us about $200. I think that was a great deal. We had a friend in Charleston who was towed in last summer from just off Folly Beach. His bill was over $500. Yikes.
We spent two days in Cadiz trying to make Gertrude happy so we could get on our way and meet Tim and Katie in Gibraltar (Gib to the locals). Charles had figured out the problem. The key that holds the shaft and propeller in place had disintegrated. The mechanics at the marina were nice, but in no hurry to get us on our way. All we needed was a new key. It’s a piece of metal the size of a tooth pick. Most machinists grind a larger piece down to fit it into a specific boat. A 30 minute job at most. The mechanics in Cadiz kept saying they would get to us in a few hours. Two days later we had to leave Gertrude behind and take a bus to Gib.
Despite the issues, I loved Cadiz. Granted we arrived via tow and it happens to be the same port Christopher Columbus left to explore the new World (have I also mentioned I am from Columbus, OH?). My shame and embarrassment left as soon as we were safe in our slip. Cadiz is known for being a laid back city. Lots going on, but not the chaos you would find in Madrid, Barcelona, or even Malaga (according to Tim and Katie). The people were friendly and helpful, even if the language was a barrier. I had an older gentleman walk me to the super mercado one afternoon because it was too complicated for him to explain directions. We also had some funny moments. Practicing my Spanish, I unwilling invited a deck hand at the marina to come aboard and sail with us for a few hours. I thought I was asking him if he was a sailor. Thankfully the fact our boat didn’t work made him find other plans. Oops.
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