For those following the log, you are aware the boat has arrived in the port in Rota, Spain. We knew any journey over 4000 miles would require cleaning up, and lets just say we've concluded there is no shortage of salt in the ocean. We did what we needed to do to get the boat clean, as well as repairs that we could. On the dock where the boat was tied up, the local boat owners were very helpful in giving us ideas and suggestions. One area of the boat that took a beating was the trampoline upfront. A boat neighbor gave us the name of a toldero (canvas maker/repair person), who came to evaluate the trampoline. He said he could help us, but not until midAugust! He then knew of a local fisherman who made nets. They found him (Jose) on another dock. Jose came by and felt he could readily make us new netting upfront. He then showed us some of his craftsmanship on other docked boats, and we felt comfortable with him doing the job. He took the measurements, and 2 days later he put on the first net and came by the next day with the second. They fit perfectly!

We did get a wonderful feel of the town. Everyone we met was very helpful. We were accustomed to the "siesta" hours of Spain during the lunch hour of shops closing 2-4 pm., but were very surprised to learn that here in Rota things close down from 1:30 to 6 pm! One day, we finally asked why, and they said because of the heat. Most people get around town by foot, and it is felt to simply be too hot to walk during those hours. We had returned our rental car once we got here to Rota, so we got use to walking everywhere. I (Desiree) would usually take a backpack to the grocery store, buy what could fit in the backpack, plus a few carry on bags and get enough food hopefully for two days. It is fairly typical for people to go just about everyday to the grocery store to get their daily fruits/vegetables, and of course their fresh bread.

We also learned of the U.S. naval base in Rota. It has a fairly strong influence in the town, and provides a number of jobs. When we realized we lost our American flag during the storm from the Azores (from our U.S. documented vessel), we thought going to the base might be a good option to obtain a new one. Certainly this is post 9/11 era, but also right after the London bombings, there was NO WAY we were going to be allowed on the base. We had our U.S. passports and stated we were doctors who had worked on military hospitals, but that did not get us in the commissary to buy a flag. To make a long story short, however, a core man from the medical site did get us a flag and it was a "gift" from the U.S. navy.

As many of you know, Ryan and Wesley are champion sleepers. They have slept many a restaurant around the world. Since we got into the Spanish routine, we never had dinner before 11pm. When we went out and about the town for the dinner, we were able to keep Ryan and Wesley up for most of the dinner; however, there always was the walk home. Ryan and Wesley were astounded by the children who were awake, playing, and eating ice cream at 1-2AM, when they could barely drag their feet home.

Hopefully, this catches our friends and family up to date. We will be moving on to Gibraltar tomorrow, so again, it may be awhile before we find another Internet caf�.

Check out our photo album!"http://homepage.mac.com/gonenative/PhotoAlbum8.html