April had seen Skipper Nigel working very hard to prepare Gemini J for our new sailing season, installing a new solar panel, new speakers on deck and thoroughly checking and re-checking the engine.
Sunday the 1st of May arrived and surprisingly the weather was good for setting sail. We had enjoyed a fabulous final preparation day on the Saturday which included a final shop, some coffee and cake with my marina friends and glorious sundowners aboard our friend’s catamaran. They were all there to wave us off as we departed which was really nice. Before we could leave we had the small matter of contacting Cartagena Port Control on the radio as we had been told that another cruise ship was due to arrive – not something we wanted to share the channel with. Luckily they were still a way away so we could depart. We followed a number of other yachts out of the marina and the atmosphere as we left was great – it was nice to see so many boats out on the water
The weather was lovely although not enough wind for much sailing – we did motor sail though and the feeling of being back out on the water was wonderful. We decided that since the March and April weather has been so bad we haven’t been able to do day sailing that we would head for San Pedro del Pinatar a route we know really well so we could check Gemini J and make sure everything was good for our 2022 adventures.
We arrived in San Pedro about 3pm and the weather was lovely. Everything was great on board and we had a relaxing afternoon which of course included a walk for me out to the salt flats which were beautiful and pink.
The next morning we went for a coffee and planned our trip – reviewing and re-reviewing the forecast. There was some worse weather to come so we decided to make our way up the coastline heading for Alicante. As we departed it was clear that we’d be motoring that day as we were head to what was quite a chilly wind. After a couple of hours we talked about our options again and decided that we’d head to Santa Pola. This decision and slight change of course meant we could sail which was fantastic. We flew along with our mainsail and reefed Genoa sail – both making the 6 knot club as the wind increased to 21 knots. Skipper Nigel brought us onto berth in high winds perfectly and once again we were relaxing aboard.
The following morning we went for our coffee and our review of the forecast – there is a storm system about and rain was forecast for the afternoon. We decided to stay in Santa Pola since we know it’s sheltered here and we can happily stay a few nights if necessary. Having said that the weather that day was pretty nice – I had a lovely afternoon walk (when it was supposed to be raining). We were slightly frustrated that we hadn’t sailed but were happy that we hadn’t taken any risks with the weather at the same time. We spent the morning doing some boat jobs, including checking out our new pasarelle/gangplank.
In the afternoon I found Santa Pola’s salt works and a shipwreck – fascinating.
As I write this blog it’s Wednesday afternoon – it has been raining heavily all day – no sailing at the moment and barely a soul about in the marina, we are taking the opportunity to rest and relax and hoping that is might just pass over by tomorrow. The wind has not been as strong as forecast so we’re also hoping the sea will stay calm. We will wait and see what tomorrow brings but being back aboard and planning our onward adventures suits us
The Adventures of Gemini J 