End of sailing for 2013

We have now laid up Mango until next year.

We had a somewhat eventful final sail as we had not spotted that the lashing for the throat halyard block was worn and it gave up as we were beating towards Barcelona and in F4/5, so the main came down.  However, we realised that this was the perfect opportunity to try out the trysail and it worked brilliantly: we were doing around 5 knots to windward (after letting out all the jib) and it works well with the our normal mainsheet set up.  It was good to have the trysail up as we spotted a couple of improvements to how we attach it to the mast which will improve it.

Prior to laying up we had a day trip by train to Barcelona to get a taste of what it offers and visit Parc Guell.  We saw the outside of a lot of the Gaudi buildinds and it was a great day out, we will be going back.  Unfortunately the camera battery died in Parc Guell.

Award for best cala to date

Having anchored in a few calas on the Costa Brava now we have decided to award the prize for the best by far to Cala de Futedera. This cala had more fish, more interesting seabed and the most stunning scenery (though Cala de Sant Pol pushed it close on the scenery).  The downside is that all the locals know about it so last sunday we were the 3rd boat to arrive and when we left there were around 30 boats there.  Some pictures below:

This assesment is a little unfair as we suspect that there is some pretty dramatic under sea stuff on the rocky shores of all the calas, judging by the number of snorkellers we see.  However, we are limited to what we can see when at anchor. We also have not spent any time in the calas around Cap Creus which we suspect may be as good if not better.

Reached Blanes

We are really enjoying the Costa Brava cost, which is very unexpected.  The coast is full of little coves which would provide better shelter if a lot of them did not have buoyed off no anchoring areas to keep the boats away from the swimmers.
In the height of th summer it is probably very crowded but in September it is fine, the air is warm, the water is clear and warm and once you are South of Palamos the weather is more reliable as the NW winds tend to go straight on.  Below are some recent pictures we have taken.

The distinctive 'Eagles Head' by La Ciotat

West side of Cala de Sant Pol

Collioure Entrance

Lateen boats in Collioure

Port de Selva, top of the bay (Tiki 21 Parana lives here)

Palamos beach front

Palamos beach front by anchorage

Ancient terracing on Cap Creus

Further South

We would have liked to spend more time in the bays around Cabo Creus but after 3 days in Rosas Marina the forecast was still looking unsettled so we decided to head south down the Costa Brava. We have reached L'Estartit which is a ex fishing village in an attractive location opposite the Isla Medes, which are a popular destination for divers.
The chart shows lots of little bays along the coast which we aim to visit on a gentle sail South.

Arrived in Spain

Left Port Vendres at midday and had an initial bumpy beat to get round Cap Bear and then a fast fetch down the coast. Now anchored in El Port de la Selva; an attractive bay well sheltered from the forecast southerly winds.
We spotted a Tiki 21 (Parana) on the beach as we approached; they came over and we ended up going for a sail on her.
All in all another fun day.
(original typos a by product of writing an email quickly on my phone)

Back in Gruissan

We had a variety of winds on the trip; most frustratingly the NW which was getting us to Gruissan at a steady 6+ knots went into the West when we were about 25 miles off which meant a beat and 3 times the distance to cover.

We were towing a fishing line yesterday and noticed that it had gone slack. When we pulled it in the paravane and all the tackle was missing. It was a clean break, so we are wondering if a big fish had it.

We sailed through the night but did not see any other yachts, very different to night sailing in England.

Heading West

As the weather is looking unsettled and we do not want to get stuck in or East of the Golf du Lion we have set off in the direction of Sete rather than heading direct to the Balaerics or Port Vendres.

We are expecting some stronger wind over the weekend and hope to make Gruissan before it arrives as there is a good anchorage there.