Pictures

A few pictures from the first leg of the trip:




The salon


My berth. Around the corner to the right is an instrument guage so I can keep an eye on the course, wind direction, etc. while I sleep.


A forward berth.


After never having to go up a mast previously, I ended up going up this mast 6 times on this trip. Fortunately I brought my climbing harness. My primary attachment is to the genaker halyard; my safety line is on the spinnaker halyard.


Pascal added a block to a reefpoint to reduce the friction. Note the use of spectra (shiny gray line) instead of a shackle. This boat uses this new type of line quite extensively as it is very lightweight and stronger than the equivalent diameter of steel.


Coming into Barcelona with the landmark "W" hotel in the background.


A great porthole pic.





Masts at sunset



A race boat designed for two-handed around the world sailing sitting at the dock in Barcelona.




Scopa! (sweep)
Nico taught Carlos & I the Italian card game, Scopa.


Sculling in the Barcelona harbor.


Nico at the helm taking us out of Barcelona.


A stowaway posing for a picture.


We marked the main halyard position for reefs 1, 2, and 3 by seizing it. Here the 3rd reef position is marked with 3 stripes on the halyard; also note that the 3rd reef line (red) is taught. 1st reef is green; 2nd is yellow; third is red.


Taking a snooze.


Plotting a course.


Reading "The Big Short" on the tramp while underway.


Chef Nico hard at work.


Mediterranean sea salt anyone? After several days of pounding waves, the boat is covered with a thick layer of salt.


Nico & I work together to solder an improvised LED bulb replacement for the faulty navigation light on the bow. For those that might zoom in to see what time it was; my watch is still set to Dallas time :-)


A gorgeous sunset and a rising full moon cap off a beautiful day.

Dolphin encounter off the coast of Spain

A short video of the return of the dolphins. Looks like I was overdue to clean my camera lens.
https://youtu.be/n0atEycoXmE





-Greg

Getting out of dodge

Tidied up the boat, did a thorough cleaning of the salon and bathrooms (thanks Carlos!!!!), took a quick trip up the mast (thanks to Carlos "the grinder" for the lift) to resolve a lingering problem of the main halyard getting lodged behind the pin securing the side stays to the mast; came back down (thanks to Nico), and caught my Blabla car to Barcelona (arranged by Carlos). 

As I write this, I'm reflecting on what great crewmates these two are. Nico has a bright disposition; cooks absolutely amazing food at the drop of a hat, and seemed almost completely unfazed by the crazy wave action we experience other than occasional bright-eyed exclamation about "the man with the hammer" beating on the hull of the boat when we really slammed into a wave and felt the shudder of the boat absorbing the blow. He is quick to offer a hand and is like a sponge for nautical information and skills. He'll be twice the sailor I am in a very short time. 

Carlos is a bit more reserved but has been a real trooper in spite of some feeling-green moments and probably a significant amount of apprehension while wondering if a boat could continue to take such punishment. 

His language skills and assertiveness in facilitating transportation, dockage, radio contacts, etc. was invaluable. Due to his profession, a matte painter, he possesses a great artistic eye and shares his passion and appreciation of remarkable scenery.  He's been a joy throughout. 

A big "Salute/Salud" to them both!!

Wind shift

Carlos' friend Abner showed up to say hi as we were cleaning the boat and preparing for departure. As we walked to lunch I mentioned that it felt like there had been a wind shift this afternoon. He's a kite-surfer so is very in touch with the local weather. He said , yes, there was a 180-degree wind shift overnight.
As they say, timing's everything....

The Spanish navy arrives

We are safely settled in Cartagena as of midnight last night. Found a nice marina that had room for a cat until the next leg of the trip starts on December 1st.
At dawn, the Spanish navy showed up; got to experience the excitement of the port as 3 tugs pushed a small carrier in with Harrier jump jets and helicopters on display. The crew was all at attention on the flight deck for the duration. Meanwhile a patrol boat and helicopter kept watch while the maneuver was underway.

A beautiful day

We never saw any wind over 7 knots today and the little breeze that did show up was always on our nose so zero sailing today but a true picnic after the last couple days of punishment.
The consensus of the crew was that we paid in full for the beauty of today.
Most of the day the surface of the water was glassy with a very gentle long/period swell gradually rocking the boat like a slow cradle. Carlos has been making quips the last couple of days about when my order of dolphins would arrive.
Late in the day while we were playing Scopa, an extremely popular Italian card card game, Carlos detected something in the water. He stepped out to see, sure enough, the dolphins had arrived!!
We went out to the bows to see several dolphins playing in the bow wake. A few moments later they were gone, an awesome experience though!
But apparently they were just teasing us. From a 100 meters off to starboard they came back in force, a dozen or more dolphins raced at high speed directly towards the boat, jumping clear of the water at every opportunity. It was an absolutely awesome display. They played around the boat for ten minutes before ending their encore and moving off to the east.
Their appearance lifted everyone to an even higher point.
An hour later brought a beautiful sunset and simultaneously a gorgeous full moon emerged from water on the eastern horizon.

What a day!


-Greg

Hoist the Flag