Yacht Racing Charter & Sailing School

A brief journey summary to Gibraltar

Seawolf happily set sail in early October from Southampton to its winter home in Gibraltar.

Peniche006-758523The journey down provided us with everything we could possibly expect from a sail of over 1200 miles. With made a few stop-overs, first in Camaret-sur-Mer, a typical fishing port tucked in just off the Rade de Brest, where we started our gastronomical discovery tour. Although sailing through the Raz de Sein against tide (!!!) proved somewhat challenging at the helm, the crossing of the Bay of Biscay was relatively uneventful and we were lucky to spend over half sailing with the wind just off the beam. The approach to Bayona, our next stop, proved a little more challenging with a whole day of gale winds blowing on the nose. Luckily, both the invaluable sailing expertise of our Captain and the excellent performance of our yacht sailing under storm jib and three reefs in the main made this day a reasonably comfortable ride. We were glad to take shelter in Bayona though where we spent a couple of days with our neighbours, the two Peters from Guernsey and Lars the swedish Viking (to be pronounced Wyking!!) and his family.

Cascais038-748442

With calmer conditions, we then set off under spinnaker (for over 25 miles) to Peniche in Portugal, a little known traditional fishing port but which is highly recommended as a stop-over for anyone eager to savour the best fish and seafood kebabs along the coast. Along the way down the Portuguese coast, Johnny our valued crew member, even took time to perfect his sight takings with his trusted sextant. With strong weather from the South a few days in Cascais gave us the opportunity to sample the local history and again food. Finally after another couple of days of perfect sailing (still accompanied by dozens of dolphins), Seawolf weaved in and out of the many tankers anchored off Gibraltar to settle in its winter berth in Marina Bay.

Gibraltar038-736059

Author: Atlantic Charters

Share This Post On