Sailing 2....

Due to the evaporation of the Mediterranean sea not being replaced with water flowing into it from rivers, there is a constant flow or current of sea water into the Mediterranean from the Atlantic Ocean. This can make leaving the Mediterranean on a small boat a slow process. Tides are almost non-existent in the Mediterranean but you just start to notice them as you arrive in Gibraltar. To make the most of the tide that would help to counteract this easterly current as we sail west into the Atlantic, we would have to leave at 3am. With tides at neaps, or their weakest point in the lunar cycle, the benefit we would get from the westerly flow would be negligible at best. The most we could hope for is a slight lessening of the effect of the incoming current. This could mean that we could make progress in a westerly direction at 3 knots rather than 1 knot if we left when the tides, as well as the current were flowing easterly. (Normally we should be able to motor or sail at 5-6 knots).

We left early in the morning as planned. There was little wind and so we motored into the Straits of Gibraltar. Once we were well on our way, those of us not on watch could return to our bunks whilst two members of the crew kept watch and took us on our way to Morocco. We would have our turn in time; we had 2 people on watch doing a 3 hour shift overnight. The first watch struggled to maintain even 3 knots due to the current. The advice is to keep close inshore and apparently we were only 50 metres from land at times, trying to stay out of the main current. When Andy & I woke, after quite a bumpy ride, we were through the Straits and crossing towards the Moroccan coast. Although we had passed the shipping lanes, traffic is still concentrated here as it is funnelled into the Med. Marine traffic drives on the right hand side and although we have right of way as a sailing boat, it is prudent to keep out of the way of these massive ships. Cargo ships might be approaching at over 15 knots, at this speed it can take them miles to come to a standstill or even turn to avoid us.

So the passage out of the Med had been interesting but once we had turned the corner to head down the African coast things calmed down. There was not a lot of wind so unfortunately motoring was the order of the day, (and night). We kept a fair distance from the coast to avoid the worst of the Atlantic swell as it piled up in the shallows. Even here and up to 50 miles offshore we had to keep our wits about us as the local fishermen come out in their tiny, wooden boats and lay nets with flags or really indistinct flashing lights on them. These can be a real hazard to us, we wouldn't want them wrapped around our prop, (again).

So another night passed; the smell of Morocco arrived. Even far out to sea there is a distinct burning smell, we were assured this is what Morocco smells of and it wasn't something that we neded to investigate on the boat. At dawn we arrived off Rabat where there is a new marina with good facilities for visiting yachts. We radioed the marina whilst waiting a couple of miles offshore, well away from the huge breakers we could see all around. They informed us that to enter the river mouth and hence the marina safely, we needed to wait until high tide or thereabouts. This would be in 5 hours! So we took it in turns to get some rest and practised essential drills such as man overboard and soon it was time to head up the river. Due to the tricky nature of the river mouth, a large, following sea pushing you onto shallows and breakwaters; the marina sends out a pilot boat to guide you in. The ride was exciting but fairly straightforward as it turned out. Once the customs formalities were completed we made our way to our berth. Simon the skipper did an excellent job of parking the boat in a space that we could scarcely fit in, with the necessary fenders out on both sides of the boat.

Looking downstream to the kasbah at Rabat

We had a couple of days to enjoy Morocco before heading to sea again, this time we would be aiming for Lanzarote. Rabat has a modern city centre but it also has the old Medina; the traditional, walled part of the city jam packed with market stalls and narrow walkways. Whilst winding our way down the main thoroughfare of the Medina it started to rain. The first rains of the autumn for Rabat. Goods were huriedly dragged back undercover, awnings were pulled out and the stall holders tried in vain to sweep the groundwater away from their frontage. We got soaked. The local children clearly hadn't seen rain for a whle. They excitedly put out their hands out to catch the drops and kicked the growing puddles with their feet before being moved along by their parents. Realising that the rain was here to stay we resigned ourselves to geting wet and headed off to the Kasbah, the traditional coastal fort of the city. The two things that no-one semed to sell in the Medina were umbrellas and raincoats. Someone could have made a fortune today!

The Kasbah, like the Medina, is old, walled and full of winding alleyways and paths. However, unlike the Medina it is a largely residential area. We would wander down slipery, wet paths only to find ourselves at someone's front door with no option other than to retrace our steps and try again. We climbed onwards and upwards until we reached the high point of the Kasbah. From here we could look down onto the river mouth that we would have to negotiate to leave Rabat. It never looked like a relaxed pasage to make. The surf consistently rolled in; with high tide at least the waves looked smaller, the rocks and breakwaters were covered and the navigable channel looked so much wider than at low water. With quite a large swell forecast it was going to be exciting when we left.

We filled the boat up with diesel, bought some fresh supplies and readied the boat to leave Morocco. We had been forewarned that it would take about an hour to clear out of customs. At some point during the process a small van pulled up and a man in uniform got out and fetched his dog out of the rear. The couple duly made their way onto the pontoon and the dog was encouraged to come aboard and sniff around the boat. No matter how easy we made it for the dog to come aboard, and what encouragement he was given, he was not getting on. In the end they gave up and drove away.

Whilst we cleared customs the pilot boat went to check on the conditions at the river mouth. With huge Atlantic rollers coming in the pilot boat wasn't sure that we would be able to leave the Rabat today. The swell was large but an hour before high water he decided that it would be possible, we were off! Assured by the terror of the sniffer dog that we had no drugs on board, we cleared customs and we followed the pilot boat right out passed the Kasbah and into the Atlantic Ocean once again. The pilot waved us on our way and headed back into the calm waters of the marina. We headed south west into the Atlantic. The winds were not favourable, coming from the south to south west but we did manage to sail for a few hours before the winds died away completely. After motoring in completely calm waters we decided to change course, heading further west to look for the wind. Not only would it allow us to sail but it was forecast to be behind us, enabling us to sail at a comfortable angle. As forecast the winds arrived, from behind us. We got the spinnaker out to play, only to find we were being pushed along at 3 knots in 8 knots of wind. This was not fast enough, we had a deadline to make.