Sancti Petri to Barbate
15 July 2014
Stu & Shar
Set off early as it was still blowing from the SE, we knew it was only going to increase during the day, pulled into Barbate just after midday...good we did as it kicked in very hard from the SE bang on the nose, it would have been a rough trip to Tarifa and beyond, not what Shar signed up for. There is a current that runs through the Gibraltar Straights and up the coast so the wind against tide conditions can make the sea state worse...... As we rounded Cabo Trafalga it dawned on me that we were passing the same spot that cemented the 'British Navy' as the dominant force of its time. We sailed through the area where 23 Spanish ships were sunk in the battle of Trafalgar by Nelsons fleet over two hundred years ago (around 1804), no British ships were lost. Nelson died of wounds sustained in the battle and they preserved his body in rum for the trip home to England...We stayed in Barbate for two days, we made an attempt to push on to Gibraltar on the 16th ,but turned back again conditions to rough for Shar....Lucky we did as they had the festival of 'Virgin Carmen' on the 16th the patron saint for the town of Barbate. There were boat races, a procession through town in sweltering conditions, how the guys survived the walk carrying the Icon, I don't know, it would have been torture (see pics). A full two hour mass was held in the Fish Market (see pics) as it was the only place big enough to hold the whole town's population.....and of course the all night partying, ear plugs are wonderful things :o).