On a beautiful sunny day with no wind we motored out of Almerimar to start our 2014 adventures. I love the start of the season - always a feeling of excitement and anticipation. We paid our final marina fees - why is that all marinas use a difficult calculator from ours and always come up with a higher figure than we do when we are all allegedly working from the same price list? One of life's mysteries.

We hoisted the sails in hope and motored across the Bay of Almeria trying not to study the acres of plastic sheeting that cover the surrounding land. For us the return to agriculture has been the most obvious sign of Europe's`s economic woes as people who had earned their living building the endless holiday apartments, making a living from banking or other now depressed industries seem to have decided to cultivate forgotten family land. Everything seems to depend on tomatoes these days!

Suddenly we would have been grateful to be able to see the plastic sheeting as the sea fog descended and the weather deteriorated. Only upside was that the wind picked up and we were able to sail. The fog lasted for nearly three hours and by that time we were nearly at San Jose. We have stopped in this pretty anchorage 3 times now and each time we always say how interesting the town looks and we must go ashore and then never do. This time was the same and we stayed aboard. Just as well as at about 11pm the wind picked up and then picked up some more, changed direction and we reluctantly realised we were going to have to move. No one really wants to lift and relay an anchor in the dark (especially when you have already gone to bed) but it had to be done. We moved to the other side of the bay where the shelter was better and safer from the wind but it was still a very uncomfortable and lumpy night.

I am sure when we talk about our sailing in the Med a picture of sitting in the sun sipping cocktails watching the sparkling water comes to mind. And, of course, some of the time it is like that and it is always fun but I can't imagine that the picture we presented that night is imagined. Both of us half dressed with the nearest jumper and coat thrown on, trying to lift the anchor in the pitch dark with the sea pitching and lurching and the wind howling so we had to shout at the top of our voices to each other. Then we had to get the anchor back down again and do the process in reverse in the same conditions and hope it holds. And then try to sleep whilst bracing yourself against the swell. It always seems harder when you are tired.

Next day the wind was even stronger and had changed direction yet again and we decided to move to the next bay to find some shelter. The wind was stronger, the sea probably higher but it seemed so much easier to re anchor in the daylight. However after a couple of hours the wind was still getting stronger and the waves were now starting to break so we had to up anchor and move yet again - this time across the second bay. We had now re anchored 4 times and it still wasn't much better or safer so we decided to head out to sea. It always feel safer out there as at least you cant be pushed on to the rocks or go aground! We sailed with 2 reefs in (very small sails) and had to tack up the coast so it took ages but at least we ended up off San Pedro - one of our favourite anchorages. We got there after dark and came in slowly not expecting there to be any other boat anchored there as we have always been on our own but there were boat lights and a few shouts to make sure we had seen them - another boat was anchored in our spot! So we had to anchor a bit further back but at least we were still out of the wind and the worst of the swell. It had been an interesting first 2 days, We had anchored at least 4 times, had little sleep and moved about 30 miles up the coast but at least we were back on the boat and out sailing.

We stayed safe and comfortable off San Pedro for the next day whilst the wind continued to blow at 25 knots plus and the sea picked up. The hippy community who live in the hills there all seemed alive and well and the boat that had beaten us to our spot was a large, rusty but loved tug boat called Rosinate that seemed to be part of the community. There was various comings and goings all day that kept us entertained. It reminded us a bit of the boat in the film The Boat that Rocked . I hope she wasn't destined for a similar fate.

I shall never complain that lifting our anchor is difficult (we don't have an electric windlass - Martyn lifts it by hand) after watching the Rosinate up anchor. It took 3 strong looking young men taking turns to winch the huge anchor up and then one of them climbed down the anchor chain by hanging over the front of the boat to secure the anchor in place! I bet they were having the time of their lives though and will always remember the days they lived on that boat. Probably some of them will go back to normal life but I am sure they will be better people for their time aboard.

We also left when the weather improved and headed off down the coast towards Cartagena where we due to meet friends on their boat in a few days time.