Dearest Family & Friends,

I'm happy to report that our first sail of the season was executed 'without incident'. Nothing broke; nor did we crash into anything either leaving or entering the marinas. There WAS a bit of a swell, so there was the opportunity to feel a little seasick. oh boy.

Our trip from Barbate, Spain to Gibraltar was one we had really been looking forward to because of the spectacular views in the straits of gibraltar: Morocco with its Atlas Mountains to the right and Spain's mountains to the left,,,, and then of course the ever so distinctive ROCK! Alas, when we left Barbate at 8:30am , we were immersed in FOG. Fortunately, our radar allowed us to "see" all the shipping traffic, but not the view. We timed our departure to catch the tidal current flowing eastwards through the straits. That in addition to the normal east-bound current, PLUS the 20-30knot winds from the west enabled us to practically FLY through the straits. Our speedometer registered 10 knots at one point! Since everything was going in the same direction there weren't any serious waves.... it was great fun! by the time we turned left to go into Gibraltar Bay, barely dodging the highspeed ferries to Tangier, the wind was a very blowy 35 knots oh great! NOT the greatest conditions for coming into a marina! At least the fog was clearing though. And there turned out to be enough protection in the marina so we were able to tie up without any crises. [for our boatfriends: It's the first time we've med moored since Portugal, and although the mooring technique in and of itself is very sensible, secure and simple (bows-to that is, with a 'lazy line - - aka slime-line available, - - not your own anchor), it IS a little more challenging to climb off the bowsprit to get on the dock, 'specially with a dog in your arms. chuck is rigging up a new gangplank/ladder affair to help facilitate this particular operation.] We were able to buy access to the local wifi, so we have email from the convenience of our own boat. yippeeee!

Within 2 hours of our arrival, our Scottish friends Ian and Maggie (who shared thanksgiving with us), were at the dock greeting us. They're wintering here in Gibraltar (in an apartment) and working to replenish the cruising kitty. Ian's job gives him a little truck to run around in, so he took 1/2 day on friday and took us all around Gibraltar. We saw the famous barbary apes; [Zoey was inTENSELY interested in them. She redefined the expression, "going ape sh- - ". Those of you who know her can easily imagine her antics.], plus the incredible network of tunnels that the brits built, the the 13th c. moorish castle, and well, just the incredible stark beauty of the rock itself. The Gibraltarians have their own language: spanglish. It's an interesting place to visit; everything is very expensive here. And there is construction EVERYWHERE! I think we'll be heading out on Monday, weather permitting, crossing the straits to Morocco and heading down to Smir.... just a short 25 mile trip.

That's all for now..... more adventures to come.

alison & chuck..... and zoey of course.

p.s., for those of you new to the list, Zoey is our energetic, affectionate 10 pound jack russell terrier, sailing dog extraordinaire.

Alison Spinney
Aboard S/V ChaliVentures III
Living the Dream in ...
Gibraltar