Barbate to Tarifa
17 July 2014
Stu & Shar
We made a late start just before midday as the weather was forecast to swing to the NE. It did swing and blew gently for about half an hour, before changing back to SE with the pressure quickly increasing over about a 15min period. We reefed down to the second reef and had about 30% headsail set and plodded along on a beat (cracked off) to ride the chop that was building up). The pressure increased and the waves became sharper in areas offshore as the tide was now running against the wind. The pressure increased again blowing a consistent 30+kts. On went the motor and the headsail was rolled away, we move inshore and clawed along close to the coast to scrape every bit of protection we could off the land to smooth out the ride. We stopped for about an hour in a small bay 'Ensonada de Bolonia' for a break, but the wind shifted slightly south and started blowing straight into the bay. When Songbird pitched over a wave and it broke on the foredeck it was time to up anchor and push on. How Shar managed not to throw up, I don't know how, I was bloody rough. This time we pushed out to sea a little to allow long beats back in towards the coast, eventually we sailed around the last headland into the long bay that swings around into Tarifa, we motor sailed off the beach in flat water for the last 5 miles and enjoyed the evening as we watched the wind and kite surfers flying around us. Tarifa is the European windsurfing and kite surfing capital, it is the windiest town on the Atlantic coast. On arriving at Tarifa, we anchored very close in tucked up in a position that offered the most protection. The wind was still blowing hard back in a SE direction, Songbird swung hard on the anchor, tacking from side to side at anchor pulling up with a jerk and tacking back again. You don't get much sleep in these conditions and sleep with one eye open, getting up every hour or so to check to anchor and wind.