At Last!

 

So we find ourselves on the eve of leaving Benalmadena! The last week has been busy fixing engine pieces and organizing the boat. We have added two more wolves to our wolf pack and could not be more thrilled! Jeb and Wendy have been a great addition to the boat. Their little hands and bodies have been great to get into those tough to reach spots...hahaha just kidding!

On Sunday, We had a day of rest and headed to Rhonda by car to meet Gigi and Poppy for lunch. The drive was spectacular! I drove there so I could practice my manual driving. I have really mastered it! I even ran some errands alone the other day and only stalled once.

On our way to Rhonda we stopped in a small town tucked into the hill and went to mass. There was 12pm mass all in Spanish. The view from the church was gorgeous. The kids did great despite how hot it was. I truly enjoy attending mass in a new church every week. I love seeing all the different styles of altars and paintings there are. This past Sunday the church had a funeral procession casket. It was made out of wood and glass with a silk white bed and pillow inside of it. It really put a perspective on how beautiful a funeral procession in Spain is.  We went on to meet Gigi and Poppy for lunch. Rhonda was a gorgeous town also tucked high into the mountains. It had a very large cliff running through the center of it. The mountains here are breathtaking and driving through them was amazing!

church

They also had this painting that was 3D. It was a painting of Heaven and Hell, or at least that is what Wendy thought it was. I would have to agree with her. We went on to light a candle for our family and friends back home, especially my uncle Frank for whom I heard is now recovering at home!

We are heading out of town at last tomorrow afternoon and we are heading towards Malaga but will definitely pass it. I am really looking forward to getting out of this marina. Although Benalmadena is beautiful I miss the open seas!

I am feeling very blessed and so excited to be sharing this adventure with Gigi, Poppy, and the kids.

Hoping everyone at home is healthy, happy, and safe!
 

Benalmadena Spain

 


Today is Saturday July 27, 2013. We have been back in Spain now for 3 days. I love the town of Benalmadena.  It is just southwest of Malaga on the southern coast of Spain. We have met some really great Spainards that are very helpful. We currently have two very special boat guests. Jeb and Wendy the two children who I nanny for have come to stay with us on the boat for 5 weeks. Jeb is 10 and Wendy is 8. They have so far been great listeners and helpers when it come to living on the boat. We were hoping to leave port today but we are in the process of fixing a few things on board and it looks more realistic that we will leave on Tuesday instead.

We flew back to Spain on Tuesday the 23rd. Our luggage got lost along the way. When we arrived into Granada we did not have all our bags. Iberia airlines lost it in Madrid. We spent the day in Granada checking out this very old castle called the Alhambre. It was very hot out! The kids did great and really enjoyed exploring the site. We were able to pick our bags up later at the airport then we drove to Benalmadena. We have been here in the marina and there is lots to do and see. I have been taking the kids to the beach every morning. Wendy loves to boogie board and Jeb is all about building castles. In the afternoon we have been leaving the beach because it gets very very hot and crowded. I am really looking forward to getting out of the marina and anchoring for a few nights. I can't wait to find a cozy lagoon to explore!!!

Last night we took the kids over to boardwalk. They both decided they would try the bungee cord jumping on top of a trampoline. It was a riot. Jeb did a great job flipping forwards and backwards. He was in his element! Wendy was great too. She mastered the backwards flip right away! We walked back to the boat and the kids went right to sleep.

As of right now, 10am they are still sound asleep. I think boat life is agreeing with them!

Hope everyone at home is healthy happy and safe!
Prayers of healing for my uncle Frank.

US visit!

Joseph and I were home for 10 days. We managed to fit in a funeral, rest in peace Aunt Marie and  A lovely Wedding in Newport, Congratulations to my cousin Jackie and her new husband Nathan!  The venue was at Castle Hill and the two families, the Ryan's and the Konos could not have been nicer. We danced all night and enjoyed some delicious food. I was so wiped I did not even make it to the after party. (not like me)!

We were only home for a short visit and had lots of jobs to complete. My parents were extremely helpful and supportive in our ability to accomplish our jobs.
 We had a great visit with lots of close friends and really enjoyed our time at home!

Thanks Mom and Dad!
Love, Anne

Gibraltar

As I write this blog we are closely approaching the Strait of Gibraltar.  I can see Spain on the port side and Morocco on the Starboard. It has been a long trip to reach this point but we did it! At this point Joseph and I have logged over 1,865 Nautical miles. Not all of them have been as warm and sunny or even close to glamorous as the last 300. Since we reached Porto over a week ago we have been blessed with beautiful warm weather.

morocco ... didn't expect to see that :)

I will back up a bit a fill you in on what ports we have visited and some of the very interesting and amazing people we have met along the way. First of all, we had a great time with our friends Kate and Alison. The girls were very good sports about helping and being a part of our sailing adventure. Alison has sailed with us before in St. Martin and was so helpful with docking and winching.  We arrived in Porto and went into the old city for dinner. The depth of the city amazed me. I had never experienced such steep hills that lead down to the riverfront. It was breathtaking, with very old churches and buildings with amazing detail. We made our way down to the riverfront and had dinner. The restaurant we chose was not the best but it did the trick! As we walked around we took in the sites of the old city. One of my favorite parts about Portugal and Spain is that they people are out late and eating late! There is always a gelato shop open. The ice cream has been a great treat! They have amazing flavors and I love the cones.

Porto by night

Now, earlier in the day we experienced a lovely visit with this gentleman from Porto.  We had stopped in a local café for a drink and asked about where to find some pastries.  The owner then took us around the corner to a local baker. The baker allowed us to test many different homemade cookies. I cannot remember his name and probably would have had I blogged sooner about this experience! He explained to us that he and his wife had been in the business for over 20 years and that he loved baking cakes. He made a reference to Cake Boss and said that his cakes were a bit overdone and not authentic to real cakes.  It was a wonderful experience to meet this baker and hear how passionate he was about his profession. I think we all enjoyed talking to the baker. We ended up buying a chocolate cake. It was delicious.

The following day we unfortunately had to say goodbye to the girls.

For the first time since May 5^th Joseph and I were alone on the boat. We had to work together to sail our way to Lisbon. It was the first time we did an overnight with just the two of us. Now for some of my readers I must explain to you about night sailing. First of all there is no white light allowed after the sun goes down. If you are on deck at night then you must be clipped in to the boat. Our lifejackets are self-inflating when they hit the water and are also equipped with strobe lights. Joseph and I took turns doing the watch. We have an amazing autopilot system that drives the boat and keeps us on course. A person must be on deck to watch for other boats and adjust the sails as the wind changes. Every hour you must log your position in the notebook and the speed the boat is going. Later, I asked Joseph why we had to log if the GPS records this information regularly. He responded by telling me that it was in case I fell in that way he would know about where and when I left the deck. Wow!

me on watch ... drive by wire

When we arrived in Lisbon we were exhausted. We spent most of the day napping and catching up with emails and family. Joseph had the wonderful news that his first nephew was born.  His brother Fergus and wife Elena had given birth to a boy Christian Luca Burke. He looked adorable on Skype!

That evening we took a train into Lisbon and toured the city. We went to the Castelo de Sao Jorge. It was breathtaking. We walked all along the castle walls and could see for miles. I really enjoyed exploring the castle and seeing the city of Lisbon with Rio Tejo below. 

in the castle

Later, we poked around Alfama’s twisting alleys and enjoyed some local flavor and Fado music. In the restaurant were we ate all of the staff and servers sang Fado. It was amazing to hear all of their voices together.  We enjoyed some red house vino and had an exciting ride home in a taxi.

fado music at its best

The following day we left and headed south down the coast of Portugal to Sines. This Marina was great. We were able to anchor the boat and Joseph got to do some diving for the first time this trip. We had purchased some scuba diving gear before we left the states. Joseph suited up and cleaned the bottom of the boat. I swam around the boat and cleaned the sides. The water was beautiful and warm. It was so hot out that the only place to be was in the water. After we finished the cleaning we headed back to the dock. We met a lovely gentleman from the Channel Islands. His name was Adrian. He mentioned that he used to own Herm, the island and has since retired to sailing. He invited us to have a drink on his boat later. We of course we very pleased to be invited and went over after church.

When we arrived we met his wife Penny. She was lovely! We had some appetizers and a couple glasses of wine with them.  They told us that they use to own Herm and that Penny was one of the first people to have been born on the island.  If you remember earlier in my blogs I talk about Peter Dawson Ball from Guernsey. He told me the story of Herm and who owned it etc. I was so surprised when I later caught up with Peter of Facebook to find out that we were I the company of local Channel island royalty and didn’t know it! What a small world.

Zim in the marina... can you see her ?

Next we sailed on to Portimao and anchored there for the night. We had a nice swim and then a short sail west along the coast to Abufeira were we met up and collected Joseph’s friend John and his wife Kathy. They are going to be staying on the boat for the week while we are away in America. They are a lovely couple and it has been nice to have the company!

getting ready to shop for food ... we love food
Sardines for dinner ... not me :)

They are going to be staying on the boat for the week we are away in America. They are a lovely couple and it has been nice to have the company!

John and JosephKathy

I am really looking forward to being home for the week. I miss my friends, family, and job very much. Joseph and I are looking forward to celebrating with my cousin Jackie and he fiancé Nathan at their wedding in Newport.

The travel and adventure continues. I said to Joseph the other day, “this sailing thing is not always a very relaxing vacation” he responded by saying, “Darling, this is not a vacation but a lifestyle” …

  I am really getting into the lifestyle now and loving every minute of it! We are so blessed to experince so many different cultures and to have this adventure together! 

Hope everyone at home is healthy, happy, and safe!

Oh ya ! Gibraltar:

Now a cruise ship trying to be a sail boat :)

SPAIN!!!

June 30, 2013

Ok so I have not written a blog in over 2 weeks! UHGG but I am here now thanks to God! I experienced some of the worst weather that the Bay of Biscay has to offer as well as some of the most amazing creatures.

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Before the fun started

Dolphins in Biscay

Nighttime watch in Biscay

The dolphins in the Bay were so playful and are apparently good luck but after the amount of bad weather we have experienced I do not really believe in luck anymore. So we left on June 17^th from L’aber Warc’h France in hopes to reach A Coruna, Spain. 

Peter on watch... and I was watching him :)

We ended up encountering some bad weather on our third day and ended up in Gijon, Spain. I was sooo happy to see land! We came into the harbor at about 2am. The swells were very large and rolling and there were 14 foot waves. I was scared but knew I had a great crew to get me there safely. Joseph and Peter did a great job managing the boat. I stayed below most of that night because of the rain and freezing wind. As we arrived in Gijon the weather died down. We tucked behind a wall in the harbor to take our mainsail down. 

    

We had a great night sleep and enjoyed a delicious tapas meal.

 As we reached Viviero the harbor was set very far back in the rio. As we approached the harbor, the marina attendant came to guide us into a berth but the one he wanted us to squeeze our 42ft. sailboat into was not going to happen. We do not have a bow thruster on our boat so getting into very tight spots can be difficult. We chose to tie up to a longer pontoon that was to our left or as we say in the yachting world, “port side”. As we approached the dock the boat stopped moving. It was low tide and we knew we had run a ground. The marina attendant said that it could not be but as I was left on the boat to make dinner it began to tip even more! So there I was, tipped over with our boat tied onto a dock. People were staring at me and laughing! I was very embarrassed. When Peter and Joseph returned from getting diesel, the tide began to come in again and the boat came back up to her normal floating level. We moved to a better spot and had a great night’s sleep.

The following morning we rented a car and collected Alison and Kate from the airport in A Coruna. While we waited for the girls flight we had some local BBQ

The girls and I spent the night in a lovely hotel. The guys returned to Viverio in order to bring the boat around the corner. 

Alison and I in A Coruna

The corner they had to go around is infamous for being one of the worst corners to sail around in the world. The waves are extremely steep and the wind has to be at a favorable angle in order to approach the corner. The guys did great and arrived in A Coruna the following afternoon. The girls and I had a great day exploring the town. We were unsure about the time of the boats arrival so I opted to move to a hotel closer to the marina in order to enjoy the pool. We had a great night out to dinner as a group.  The next morning we had to say goodbye to our Guernsey shipmate. Peter has been with us since Enkhuizen, Holland. He is an extremely experienced sailor as well as a very funny and just well rounded easy going guy. He will forever remain a close friend of ours. It was very sad to see him go but I knew saying goodbye to him meant that we had made it and were making great strides to reach our destination off the Mediterranean.

 Joseph and Peter

 We spent about 4 days in A Coruna. The city was beautiful, as it has a lot of old time charm with some modern aspects mixed in. We were fortunate enough to take a train to Santiago for the day. Joseph stayed behind to do some repairs but the girls and I had a great day taking in the sights of Santiago. We saw a lot of people making a pilgrimage by foot to Santiago. The end point of this journey marks a very old and very beautiful cathedral. We were able to go in. I said some prayers of thanks that I made it safe and sound to Spain. As I was walking out of the cathedral I noticed that there were priests sitting in these open wooden boxes. They were hearing confessions. No mom, I didn’t take confession! I considered kneeling and taking confession but then quickly realized that I am not fluent in Spanish. Although, considering my bilingual career in High school did not go well, I surprisingly am able to communicate and understand Spanish very well. 

Santiago

  
A Coruna

   OCTOPUS IN A CORUNA

We left A Coruna on Friday and headed south west towards Porto. We sailed around the Cape Finisterre, known as one of the most dangerous places in the area. We were lucky to have had the wind at our back. We also had some extra help to round the corner. We met this lovely man from Cornwall, England in A Coruna and he joined us for the journey. David was a wonderful addition to our crew. He had some great stories and a very colorful character. After seeing all of us girls aboard Zimbabalooba he said he came to Spain but ended up in America! David has a wooden boat that was built in Nantucket. His boat has gaft rigging and a spar that he has to raise up.  As he was crossing the Bay Of Biscay he experienced some rough weather and in the middle of his plight a pigeon landed on his deck. He quickly realized that this bird was not going anywhere. After some hours he welcomed the pigeon below to shelter it from the storm. On arrival to A Coruna he Googled and discovered that the pigeon was an Irish homing pigeon that had been released from England as part of A race. He even went as far as contacting the owner who said he was not going to travel to Spain to retrieve his pigeon. When David joined our boat he left the pigeon behind on watch. The girls and I did not want David to leave because he was so much fun. Again, I think we made another friend for life, just as he has with his pigeon.

Highly paid crew

Spectator sport

As I write this blog we are motoring between some beautiful islands just north of Porto. It was so nice to wake up this morning and put on a bathing suit. For the last 2 months I have been wearing a winter hat and Musto gear. Bring on the summer!

  Mountains and islands

It has been great having Alison and Kate here. Their visit has meant the world to me. Alison is my best good friend and I am sad to see her go! We have had some great laughs and experiences this week. I will be so sad to see them leave tomorrow. It is all so bittersweet because their departure also marks the beginning of Joseph and I arriving into Gibraltar. I am so excited to spend the summer sailing around the Mediterranean. I am feeling extremely blessed and grateful for this adventure! If you had told me a year ago that I would be traveling by sailboat around Europe, I would have laughed!

I hope everyone at home is healthy, happy, and safe! I miss you all so much!  I hope everyone knows that there is an open invitation to come visit us on Zimbabalooba anytime.

Cheers, Anne