We departed Barcelona, heading southward to Gibraltar. As we were sailing down the coast, we realized how large Spain really was...550nauical miles to arrive to Gibraltar. We sailed four out of five days to arrive, and sensed an inspiring moment when Dave brought to our attention that we had passed the Prime Meridian. Our longitude would now be described as "west," rather than east, as our blogs have reflected over the last two years.

Our final morning of the passage, we were surrounded by a cool, misty fog. Dave was finishing his shift and woke us up to the spectacular site of the "Rock of Gibraltar." Dave had whipped up a frothy cappuccino to celebrate this monumental moment. We felt as if we had come full circle...perhaps not quite 360 degrees, but at least 270 degrees. We celebrated Ryan and Wesley's tenth birthday sailing in front of the rock (see blog of the capt., 07-29-05), and now they are thirteen.

We are now at a pivotal point in our trip. We will be leaving the Mediterranean Sea and entering the waters of the Atlantic. The Canary Islands will be our next major landmark destination. There we will start our preparations to cross the Atlantic late November.


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