Well, what can I say? Once again, the weather is not what we would like it to be. After the breeze last night and the drastic cooling down, I’m actually thinking about wearing long trousers and socks in the cockpit in the morning! It’s fresh, very fresh. Breakfast is therefore served in the saloon and a glance at the weather forecast makes us change our plans on the spur of the moment. Wind force 4 gusting to 5 from the southwest doesn’t seem ideal for entering the Rio Guadalquivir, where we would probably have to factor in wind against current on arrival. Nope, it’s not so bad in Mazagon that we have to put up with it. So instead of the sails, we unpack the bikes again and go for a short bike ride. This time we turn left out of the harbor and head towards Huelva. I wonder if this is due to the fitness boost I’ve already gained. In any case, I make it up the hill at the harbor into the city today without having to dismount. I work up a sweat despite the cool temperatures, but this may be due to the thick cardigan. We drive along the main road past endless pine forests and the container terminals of Yilport Huelva to the Lagunas de la Mujer. There we stand expectantly for a few minutes at a bird-watching station, but don’t see a single bird for miles around. Still, it’s a nice place, even if the plastic greenhouses at the edge of the lagoon spoil the idyll a little. We take the same route back, but with a detour to the Carrefour Express, which Axel found on Google Maps yesterday. The market is quite small, but of course we find a few goodies. Back on board, we indulge in a Spanish siesta and are pleased that the temperatures have warmed up again. After a glass of wine in the front cockpit, we put the fish we bought yesterday on the barbecue in the evening. Served with a delicious salad, baguette and a little olive oil. Delicious!!!
Perhaps there is also something like the ice saints in Spain? In any case, it’s quite chilly at night, below 10° C. In the morning we are inclined to turn on the heating. But we don’t! We have a mind of our own. Around 11 a.m. it is finally warm enough for us to venture outside. As it is still quite fresh and unstable for anchoring, we decide to sail to Rota without stopping in the Rio Guadalquivir. We hope to be able to anchor at another opportunity, when the temperatures will perhaps allow us to go swimming and SUP paddling at some point. We’ve only reserved a berth in Rota from Monday, so we’ll stay in Mazagon for another day. There are worse things. After a late Sunday breakfast, we cycle once more towards the Mazagon dune, but end up in a dead end. We can’t even see the dune, a cliff blocks the view and access. So we head back to the cat without having achieved anything and then to the Las Dunas restaurant for lunch. We enjoy a delicious paella with squid and prawns and roll back on board more than full for a siesta. We while away the afternoon doing nothing and practicing the ukulele. Meanwhile, a fresh wind of force 4-5 blows through the harbor and makes La Ola dance on the waves. No, not bad, but as we are the only ones on the jetty and can see all the way to El Rompido through the harbor exit, the wind, which is coming from precisely this direction, has quite a run-up. And so do the waves, which are not slowed down by anything. We definitely wouldn’t want to lie here in really strong winds. In the evening, we have a little baguette with ham and cheese. For once, we don’t watch the crime scene – albeit from Bremen – today and make travel plans instead. There is a lot to see in the Bay of Cádiz and we have plenty of time to explore everything.
Mazagon – Rota 41,7 nm
But now! The alarm clock is set for 7 a.m., but Lucky spoils it again. At 6:30 a.m. he meows loudly and demands that we finally get up and serve him breakfast. Done, done and off we go – almost. First Axel has to return our access cards for the dock gates and get the deposit back. We had already checked out the day before, but we still needed the cards. So Axel cycles to the marina office, but unfortunately there’s nobody around. Reception doesn’t open until 9 a.m. and the marinero who is actually there can’t be found. Fine, not then. Let’s just keep the cards for the next visit. At 8:30 a.m. we cast off and La Ola casts off almost by herself. As predicted, the wind has dropped and so we motor out of the Rio Odiel and head southeast towards the Atlantic. It is calm and we can easily see and sail around the numerous fishing flags. Around midday we reach the Rio Guadalquivir, the mouth of which is clearly recognizable by the change in colour of the water. A little later, the wind picks up and we can actually sail again! As we are in no hurry, we simply let the genoa pull us along and reach the port of Rota in the afternoon. As we had already made a reservation and completed all the formalities beforehand, we could simply drive to the berth assigned to us and tie up. Not in a box for once, but at the head jetty. That works too, but it’s not quite as easy to get on and off the boat. After a short break to catch our breath, we set off on our first tour of Rota. We have already heard a lot of positive things about the town and we are not disappointed. To be honest, we spontaneously fell in love with Rota. Pretty houses, flowers everywhere on the walls, nice alleyways, lots of nice little stores. And everything is clean and neat. As we are once again much too early, most of the stores, tapas bars and restaurants are not yet open, but we want to stay for a few days, so we will certainly have plenty of opportunity to see everything when it is open. Back on board, we have a delicious Aperol Spritz as a sundowner and a few snacks for dinner. We plan the program for the next few days and enjoy the rest of the evening on board.
The next morning, my morning coffee in the cockpit is accompanied by flamenco music. Next to us are the fishermen returning from their work at sea, happily singing along to the radio music. Church bells ring again and again. A bit like in a MareTV documentary and a pure Spanish feeling! The morning starts with fresh temperatures and a slightly overcast sky. But you can feel that it will soon get warmer and the sun will prevail over the clouds. Another beautiful day lies ahead. We unpack the bikes and cycle through Rota. Much to my delight, there is a Carrefour supermarket in Rota. We head for it and stock up a little. Then it’s back on board, where we spend the day working, cleaning and doing laundry. In the evening we have chicken burgers La Ola style with salad. Unfortunately, it’s quite windy and chilly, so we prefer to save ourselves an evening stroll through the city. There has to come a time when you can still sit outside at 25°C in the evening, right? Yes, well, we should have stayed in Bremen. People there seem to sit outside until late in the evening and enjoy the early summer.
May 14 – the bear’s birthday! Of course we have to celebrate. We start with a delicious breakfast of eggs, freshly squeezed orange juice and sunshine in the cockpit. Just like always… Finally it’s a little warmer in the morning. After breakfast, Axel devotes himself to his birthday messages and takes the odd phone call. We set off on our bikes around midday. We ride north through the city and reach the Camino Natural, a cycle path through the countryside. Unfortunately, it’s a bit monotonous as there’s not much to see to the left or right. Although, there are supposed to be chameleons here! However, they are known to be well camouflaged or perhaps somewhere else at the moment. In any case, we don’t see any. We follow the cycle path as far as a steep red bridge, but turn left towards the sea before crossing the bridge. We stop at Punta Candor and make a short detour on foot into the dunes. From here you have a good view of the Corrales de Rota, ancient stone fishing pools that are clearly visible at the current low tide. We continue south again and along the beach of Rota. Is it due to the wind and the cool temperatures? We don’t know, but the beach is deserted. And yet it is such a beautiful and long sandy beach! Before heading back on board, we stop off at Restaurante El Embarcadero near the lighthouse and enjoy a lovely birthday dinner. Axel has mussels in tomato sauce, grilled tuna and chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. I enjoy scallops with crab cream, squid carbonara and tiramisu with strawberries, although the strawberries are discreetly hidden and can’t be found. No matter, it was still delicious! Back on board, we continue the siesta tradition and relax a little. In the evening, we have a glass of champagne to celebrate the day and then the birthday is already over.May 14 – the bear’s birthday! Of course we have to celebrate. We start with a delicious breakfast of eggs, freshly squeezed orange juice and sunshine in the cockpit. Just like always… Finally it’s a little warmer in the morning. After breakfast, Axel devotes himself to his birthday messages and takes the odd phone call. We set off on our bikes around midday. We ride north through the city and reach the Camino Natural, a cycle path through the countryside. Unfortunately, it’s a bit monotonous as there’s not much to see to the left or right. Although, there are supposed to be chameleons here! However, they are known to be well camouflaged or perhaps somewhere else at the moment. In any case, we don’t see any. We follow the cycle path as far as a steep red bridge, but turn left towards the sea before crossing the bridge. We stop at Punta Candor and make a short detour on foot into the dunes. From here you have a good view of the Corrales de Rota, ancient stone fishing pools that are clearly visible at the current low tide. We continue south again and along the beach of Rota. Is it due to the wind and the cool temperatures? We don’t know, but the beach is deserted. And yet it is such a beautiful and long sandy beach! Before heading back on board, we stop off at Restaurante El Embarcadero near the lighthouse and enjoy a lovely birthday dinner. Axel has mussels in tomato sauce, grilled tuna and chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream. I enjoy scallops with crab cream, squid carbonara and tiramisu with strawberries, although the strawberries are discreetly hidden and can’t be found. No matter, it was still delicious! Back on board, we continue the siesta tradition and relax a little. In the evening, we have a glass of champagne to celebrate the day and then the birthday is already over.
We use the next day for a little shopping trip. First we walk to the fishmonger around the corner. The selection is huge and we get a nice sea bass. Then we ride our bikes to the city limits and the local Lidl. There you can get what we consider to be the best bread rolls and, of course, a few other treats. By the way, it is very easy to get around Rota by bike. There are numerous cycle paths and cyclists have right of way at road crossings, which is usually granted. Unfortunately, my e-drive still doesn’t work, but I can now get up the hills quite easily. Perhaps it was a good thing that I can now only make progress using muscle power. The wind picks up again today from midday and it rattles, whistles and wobbles. But the weather forecast promises improvement. Summer should finally arrive at the weekend and the wind should die down. Maybe then we can finally visit one of the countless tapas restaurants in the city in the evening? Without freezing? That would be great! Today we are still sitting in the closed cockpit and even move into the saloon after dinner. The wind is still blowing hard and it’s unpleasantly fresh outside.
Friday starts quietly and comfortably. And even a little warmer. How nice! We don’t have much to do today, just an hour’s work in the afternoon and then we finally have visitors on board again. Dirk and Nicola from the Saga put us in touch with Sonja and Stefan from the sailing yacht Dawn, who are currently fitting out their boat here and preparing it for a long voyage. In the evening, they join us for a sundowner and barbecue and we chat until midnight. How nice to finally meet nice sailors again. Since Portugal, social contact has been very limited due to the lack of neighbors on the dock. Here in Rota, too, we are the only German or even non-Spanish boat on the jetty and contact with our neighbors is limited to a friendly „Buenas Dias“. As we are the only people living on board at the jetty, it is deserted in the evening. This may be because most of the other boats on the jetty are small motorboats and the few sailing yachts are well under 10 meters long. And unfortunately you can’t get to the other jetties, where other German yachts are moored. Too stupid!
After yesterday’s long evening, we get a good night’s sleep. Then we have a nice cockpit breakfast and look forward to a sunny summer’s day. The temperatures have risen further and are set to stay warm for the time being. We set off again after breakfast. We cycle along the beach promenade, where the military are performing a small parade with marching music. Rota has a very large military base with numerous large ships and planes. The bathing season seems to have finally opened, as the otherwise deserted beach is filling up with more and more people every minute. A few brave souls can even be seen in the water! We cycle on to the end of the promenade and then a little way along the dune landscape with its beautiful pine forests. Every now and then we turn off towards the beach and look out over the sea and the city of Cadiz on the horizon. That’s where we want to go next week. First of all by ferry from Rota and later perhaps with La Ola to the marina there. At the end of the bike tour, we have a delicious lunch at Restaurante El Timon consisting of Iberico ham, prawns in garlic oil and tuna carpaccio. And super tasty olives to go with it. They taste indescribably mild and spicy here. We definitely have to buy some at a market. Back on board, we take a siesta and while away the rest of the day. In the evening we have a long evening in front of the TV with the ESC from Basel. Of course, as every year, we are completely wrong with our predictions and are very surprised at the voting public’s taste in music for some of the songs.
After it got quite late in front of the TV yesterday, we sleep in late on Sunday. Only the persistent ringing of the church bells lures us out of our bunks. At breakfast in the cockpit, we have to change our plans for the day. We actually wanted to use the forecast sunny and calm weather to firstly free La Ola from the dust and sand of the last few days and secondly to finally try out our shade sails. They have been lying untouched in the back box until now. Unfortunately, the wind is blowing again and so we postpone these tasks. Instead, we defrost our freezer and the cockpit fridge today. At the same time, we take stock and find something suitable for dinner. Unfortunately, the appliances ice up quite quickly and don’t have automatic defrosting functions like normal household appliances. Icing means less cooling capacity, less cooling capacity means higher power consumption. This needs to be avoided, even if we actually have enough power available here in the marina. But we want to anchor again at some point.
The next day is less windy again and so the day’s program originally planned for yesterday is used. But first we take the bikes to the shops. This time we ride to Mercadona and on the way we can actually spot a parrot – a monk parakeet to be precise – in the trees. They have migrated here from South America as a so-called neozoon – presumably escaped from somewhere at some point – and then made their home in the wild. Back on board, we have a small lunch snack. Sushi for Axel and prawns for me. Both available in very good quality in the supermarket. Then, after a short break, we get to work. We dig the awnings out of the foredeck locker. Of course, they’re back at the bottom. So the Code-Zero, Hackenporsche and spare litter tray are also taken out onto the foredeck. Then it’s time to take apart the awnings and see what each one is for. Not so easy when there’s no label on it. But in the end we work out that we have awnings for the foredeck and the aft cockpit. We put the shade for the foredeck on a trial basis and are delighted with the well-made and pleasantly airy shade sails. So far, however, we still don’t need them due to the weather, so everything is neatly returned to the forecastle. Then we arm ourselves with a hose and scrubbing brush and get to grips with the dirt on deck. Once again, a lot of brown sludge comes down and the birds have also „decorated“ the deck extensively. In the end, La Ola shines again in the sunlight and we are happy about our day’s work.
Excursion to Cádiz
We have to get up early on May 20. We want to visit the historic city of Cádiz and take the ferry at 8:35 am. That’s way too early for Axel, but I want to walk through as much of Cádiz as possible before the other tourists and before the siesta. The temperature is also more pleasant at this time of day. We arrive punctually at the jetty, buy two tickets for €5.45 per person and are surprisingly the only ferry passengers on board. We let the public transport take us privately to Cadiz in about half an hour and are glad that we are there so early. There are three cruise ships in the harbor and the city is likely to be correspondingly full. We walk past the town hall in the direction of the Teatro Romano de Cádiz, but save ourselves a visit, even though it would have been free of charge. We walk along the Avenida Campo del Sur along the waterfront around the old town of Cádiz and discover beautiful places and nice corners. For example, the Parque Genovés with its botanical garden invites you to take a shady stroll. We also find the 500-year-old strangler fig trees very impressive. And of course, Cádiz also has plenty of architecture to see and marvel at. Be it the cathedral, the Castillo de San Sebastián or the Balneario Nuestra señora de la Palma y del Real. After the tour around the city, we finally head into the city. Here, too, we find some nice corners and enjoy a fresh orange juice and a bocadillo in the Plaza da Mina. We continue into the alleyways of the old town, which are getting more and more crowded. So full that it’s getting too crowded for us. We pay a quick visit to the Abastos market before heading back to Rota. We really like the market. Inside a historic building with porticoes, there is a more modern covered section. There is a huge selection of fresh fish, vegetables, fruit and many a small but rather crowded tapas bar. And we can buy a few olives. Then we head back to the ferry terminal, where we are told that the next ferry doesn’t leave until 3:15pm and not at 1:30pm. It only runs at weekends! That’s a shame, but you could have read the timetable properly. So we wander a little further through the town and explore the Baluarte y Murallas de San Carlos, walk along the historic cannons and finally end up in the Jardines de Alameda Apodaca, where we enjoy an Aperol Spritz in the shade of the mighty Ficus Centenarios. Then we head back to the port and finally take the ferry back to Rota. Phew, quite an exhausting day on vacation! We covered a total of 14 km today, 24k steps. So we quickly put our feet up and relax with a vanilla ice cream with strawberries. In the evening, the new olives are tested and found to be good, but not yet very good. Then the beautiful day is almost history again.
