Almerimar 2014
30 May 2014 | San Jose
Jane
We caught the late night flight from Bournemouth to Malaga as ever due to its favourable price(ie dirt cheap) and the convenience of flying from an airport only 6 miles from home. Also with an evening departure it is handy to have all day to do the final packing and house cleaning and it gives Martyn hours to devise more cunning ways of locking the house so that no one (including us on our return) can possibly enter. All these advantages sort of dwindled when we landed at Malaga and everyone else had departed in the arms of welcoming loved ones or been collected by their shuttle buses and hire cars and we were settling down on the Costa Coffee plastic benches for the night. The last bus for the town cunningly leaves 10 minutes before the flight lands and I am sure the local taxi mafia have arranged this on purpose.
Of course, there are always compensations in life and if you didn`t spend nights at airports you wouldn't meet the other down and outs and hear all their fascinating stories of woe. I didn't realise how many people split up on holiday and ran to the airport to await the next available flight home!!
Anyway as ever the night passed and we then enjoyed the chaos of Malaga bus station at 7am before finally working out which bus we had to get on and settling down for the 4 hour journey to El Eijido and finally Almerimar and the boat. Why on earth would anyone just get a comfortable hotel in Malaga and then a taxi when you can as much fun as this? Actually the coach takes a lovely coast road and it is a really pretty journey. Unfortunately we were so shattered we slept for most of the way...
We were finally deposited at yet another backstreet Spanish bus station - this time El Eijido or as it is locally known The Arse End of the World. There are 2 local buses to Almerimar, each taking a totally different route and we have never understood the timetable so bundled on to the first one that came along with our bags and arms dragging on the ground and the temperature (and tempers) rising. Predictably it was the bus that nearly takes you to where you want to go and then diverts to give you a tour of a whole locality you have never heard of and never wanted to go to anyway.
Eventually we got off somewhere near the marina and made it back to the boat. She looked in great shape, still wearing her protective UV coat that Martyn so lovingly made for her last year and seemed to have weathered the winter storms very well. Great to be back and now all we had to do was put her back together, figure out where all those ropes went and antifoul the hull and we could go sailing.
We had come out to Spain a couple of weeks before, hired a car, driven down to the boat and done most of reprovisioning. Just as well really as the only supermarket in the whole area was closed for 6 weeks for a refurb and the only shops within walking distance were a small local butchers, a green grocers full of shouting elderly Spanish ladies and an opportunistic 'pop up' Chinese grocers selling everything we didn't need at vastly inflated prices. I was to get to know them all well over the next 2 weeks.
We had planned to get back in the water as soon as possible, hopefully within a week at most, as I especially hate living 'on the hard' as it is known. Really means living in a boat car park with absolutely no facilities ie no water, no toilet and having to climb up and down a ladder everytime you want to use either. Also inside the boat is usually in chaos as the back cabin is out of action as it is either full of boat bits or the bed base is up as the engine and steering are all serviced and accessed from inside the cabin. Hey ho though all worth it of course...
We woke up next day to hot sunshine (good) and 30 knots of wind (bad). This meant no anti fouling as the antifoul was just blown off the brush or roller and we couldn't even put the sails or ropes on as it was too windy. Nothing to do but enjoy what Almerimar has to offer. We exhausted that in 30 minutes so now what? Learn to be patient of course.
During the next days we got to know the residents of the marina, the local shop keepers and the itinerant campervan community who live in the car park by the beach. All very interesting. Amazing how many people are living a totally wacky, alternative existence and yet consider themselves absolutely normal. Makes you think about your own perspective on life - only briefly though as, of course, we are completely normal....
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We helped the lovely Rowena of Pegasus of Arne (her title!) to move her boat to the lift out and enjoyed a great evening meal with her and Shep (a man called Shep I might add and he is definitely NOT her beau she insisted - just a good friend). All live aboard marinas have their fair share of middle aged and elderly gentlemen who have been millionaires in their past lives and lost it all through divorce, drink and ill luck and Almerimar is no exception. We listened and sympathised of course.
Interestingly though Almerimar does have a lot of kite surfing dudes living in their camper vans on the beach and spending their winter on the water. Most of these seemed to be in their fifties too so there is still hope for us all. I actually find it really encouraging and uplifting to meet people doing what they want to do when they want to do and rejecting the accepted norms.
Eventually the wind died down and we got the boat back together. We weren't sure that the batteries were up to their job so after giving the local chandlery the opportunity to order us a new battery (which they decided wasn't worth it for them) we ordered one from the internet. We learned that next day delivery in Spain means 5 days but it did finally arrive and two weeks later than planned we were ready to go back in the water.
There was a minor altercation with Pepe the boatyard manager as we needed a lift and hold to service our lifting keel. This was arranged and agreed with the marina office but apparently no one had told Pepe. He freaked out but so did I and after a toe to toe in Spanish (I was actually taller than him as well) he became very helpful and even handed Martyn tools as he serviced the keel.
Actual lift in was very efficient and smooth ( a relief after the chaos of the lift in in Portugal last year) and we motored out of the dock and back in to the same berth we had been in seven months earlier ready to set off for the season.