Mar Menor back to Almerimar

Leaving the Mar Menor

We were sad to leave the Mar Menor and knew that we might not visit this place again for a very long time, however we felt we really used our time well. Our anchorage just off La Isletta on the La Manga side, proved to be very comfortable and the hospitality of the little marina is second to none.

The day began early, well early compared to most days, and we got the 8am lifting bridge then motored along the coast in fickle winds.
Once around Cabo de Palos the winds proved more favourable, so we set the genoa and for the most part enjoyed a nice sail, not setting any records, but always nice not to have the engine on.
It was just after we passed Cape Tinoso that things got a little lively. Now capes are notorious places, and often accelerate winds to one, two or even three forces higher than normal. For the most part in benign conditions, they can be approached close in, with caution. On the day in question the wind suddenly accelerated from about 7 knots to over 20, and swung 120 degrees, leaving our headsail backed and wondering what hit us. With the staysail it is not as simple as pulling it through, so we furled it away and turned the engine on. Not a huge deal as our destination in Mazzaron bay was just around the corner.

The water at Mazzaron was so crystal clear it was fabulous for swimming.

After leaving Mazzaron we set sail to Cape Cope, however due to the wind direction we were unable to anchor off Cala Bardinas and had to settle for the rather less interesting side. Never mind, it was only a night stop.

The following morning we left the anchorage early and headed in the direction of San Jose, near Cabo de Gata. The sea had a good deal of swell and we had a go at flying the genoa, but it was never going to work. Ian radioed up and we knew what he was going to suggest, time to play with the cruising chute! It took us a while to rig and launch, and we were more than happy to find that we could sail it up to 160 degrees off the wind. It also greatly reduced the roll, and for the next six hours we could not have been happier. In the end the wind died and rather than have the sail flog, we snuffed it in the sock and turned on the engine. What a fantastic sail, without a doubt the best of the season thus far.

During our sail we ran the watermaker, what we didn't do though was open the sink seacock. The bilge alarm alterted us to something amiss and sure enough when we lifted the floorboards, water was sloshing around, and salt water at that. After a frantic check of all the through-hull fittings we discovered our senior moment, and using the bilge pumps and a bucket, eventually got all the water out. Lessons learned!

As the wind by now had swung round and with a large swell coming from the East, we pressed on and finally anchored early evening in the lee of Cabo de Gata just off the beach opposite Almadraba, famous for the huge salt pans.

We did go ashore, but frankly not a lot to see. After a few days we upped anchor at 4am and set a course for Almerimar. We arrived some 6 hours later having motored on flat calm seas, and via the VHF got permission to go straight onto the berth we had used for our winter season... Result!
We called back into Almerimar to collect our new sails, have the solar panel frame moved and modified to include some sun shades, put some anti-chafe protection on the running backstays, and pick up some spare parts for our Duogen. We also changed the Duogen drive shaft for an upgraded more durable version, and the local sailmaker is making a modification to our bimini. 

Soon it will be time to move on again. This time to Gibraltar to meet Phill, which we are looking forward to as it could be a good few years before we catch up in person again.

On the move

Leaving Almerimar

The new season has begun!

Whilst we are in range you can monitor our whereabouts more or less real time using the site called Vessel Finder. For those with a tablet or phone, you should be able to download the app. Just search for Aztec Dream, and if we are in range and our instruments on, you will be able to track us. Very Big Brother!

Our internet dongle won't allow large file uploads so this will be a little out of date. 

We left Almerimar after a final clean, thanks Phill..

Phill helping with the chores

In the good company of Nautilus, with Phill on board, we left Almerimar in a fine mist and headed for a small anchorage just around the corner of Cabo de Gata, south of San Jose.

Lynne bringing up the fenders leaving Almerimar

Captain Phill takes us out

Of course the wind played fickle and we ended up motoring most of the way. 

Phill trying his hand with the new lure, no bites though

Still it was great to be back out on the water in brilliant sunshine and calm seas, with the occasional sighting of a dolphin or two in the distance. Our route took us across Almeria bay, so for the most part we were too far offshore to define buildings and landmarks and it was a little hazy for a while.

Given the benign conditions we opted to motor reasonably close to the headland and took some pictures of the contrasting white limestone encapsulated in the dark volcanic rock. A sight those on land are not privy to.

Cabo de Gata and white limestone folded into the rock

Having gone from almost no wind to a building gale, our well sheltered cove was free from swell and although noisey with the now high winds, proved remarkably comfortable. 

During an attempt to silence a flapping halyard at the mast, Steve noticed the the Mainsail halyard was slack above the clutch on the mast. This was not how it should be at all. What was worrying was that this halyard holds up the mainsail, and it had clearly become detached somehow.

Our options were limited, and having exhausted many scenarios it appeared the best plan was to turn back to Almerimar the next evening and rendezvous with Andy the rigger.

When the time came to leave, just after dusk, it was clear that it was going to be an uncomfortable 8 hour passage with big headsets and strong winds on the nose. It is never easy to turn back, but as it turned out we made a good call.

That night was especially uncomfortable for Phill who had the double whammy of his first night sail, albeit under engine, and the rough seas. It was with relief for Phill when we moored back in the comfort of the marina and he had a chance to get some sleep.

Andy met us soon after we arrived, and after a trip up the mast confirmed the the knot to which the shackle and sail should have been attached to had somehow come undone. It took over two hours to get the halyard moused, and the new knot is now stitched together for extra security. Andy then spent much of that day with us going over the rest of the rigging in fine detail, and it made sense to stay an extra night to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Unexpectedly back in Almerimar

And back off again, cracking sail up to Mazzaron Bay

The onward passages to catch back up with Ian and Stephanie on Nautilus went well without a hitch, and especially enjoyable was the day long one into Mazzaron bay when we tacked well offshore and were rewarded with a wind shift which took us on one long tack into the bay and our welcoming anchorage for the night. 

Courtesy of a wind shift we managed to sail all the way

 We did pop ashore to stretch our legs and made a short hike up to an old lookout post. We rewarded our hard work with a cold drink at a rather trendy beach side bar overlooking Azzy at anchor.

Phill relaxing overlooking Azzy at Anchor

Later that evening the wind picked up, and unbeknownst to us the drop pin must have come out of the drive shaft on our wind generator, leaving the blades to spin at a ferocious speed which completely ruined the plastic gear drive. We spent about an hour in the morning swapping the old drive gear for a new one we had on board, and replaced the drop pin this time using some wire to keep it captive. We will now need to order some more spares to replace the ones we used.

The next morning we upped anchor soon after 4am to head to the Mar Menor and past Cartagena. This is a passage we have made in darkness before, and spectacular to see the tankers at anchor and the lights of the busy commercial port. We even managed to take advantage of a favourable wind in both speed and direction for a while and sailed under main and genoa, keeping a good look out as this is a busy place not only for tankers and passenger ships, but also for a multitude of fishing vessels. By the time we started to approach the headland at Cabo de Palos the wind had died, and once again we were back under engine. We arrived a little early for the two hourly bridge opening into the Mar Menor, but it wasn't too long and we waved farewell for a short time to the Mediterranean sea, and hello to a remarkable salt water lagoon about 12 miles in length and 4 across. We anchored off the beach by Los Narejos and bade farewell to Phill as we dropped him ashore in the rib. It is fair to say he had a taste of life afloat but it is not for him, as indeed it is not always as glamorous as people think. Thank you Phill for making the effort to visit us and share the experiences. It's always great to have you on board, and hope to see you again in Gibraltar.

It is great to be back in the Mar Menor again.

Sunset in the Mar Menor

On the next update we sail with family, fly our cruising chute and asymmetric spinnaker, take the helm of Nautilus with the Parasailor up, get greeted like long lost relatives in a gem of a yacht club, watch Mercedes screw up Lewis Hamilton's dead cert Monaco win, and catch up with old friends. We also go back to Almerimar again, this time a flying visit by car, why...

Boatyard

Haulout in Almerimar

This was the first time we had seen Azzy out of the water, and initially we were very pleased. 

Nice calm day to reverse into the dock

On the move

It was not until she was on the chocks and jet washed that we discovered the previous people to anti foul her had applied the paint over hundreds and hundreds of barnacles, what were they thinking!

It took three days to remove each one before we could start to prep the hull properly.

Next up was a look at the Gori folding prop. What an amazing piece of engineering. Not only does it fold up when we are sailing, therefore producing less drag, but it also has an overdrive position so we can change the pitch of the blades to allow the engine to run at less RPM.

Apart from needing regressing, the three rubber stops that prevent damage to the blades looked in poor shape so we replaced those. Or should I say our friend Les came along and replaced them, as it was a devil of a job to get the new ones back in place.

New rubber stops in situ

Waiting to be greased

The old rubber stops on the right

The main purpose of the haul out, apart from painting, was to change the rear heads holding tank seacocks which had jammed shortly after taking delivery last June.

We had a similar issue with this part on Scarlet, and had been very pleased with the replacement design which was made of glass reinforced nylon as opposed to bronze.

We decided to replace both the jammed one and the good one at the front, just in case.

This involved grinding the old skin fitting away from outside of the hull, which made it easier to remove the seacocks. Of course this is a boat, so a simple sounding job took a vey long time as even with us removing the toilet, there is only a very small amount of space to work with.

Skin fitting ground off

OMG, a hole in the boat!

The offending seacock totally jammed

Eventually both seacocks were replaced, and at that point we decided to replace the rest of the plumbing. Basically, the plastic waste pipes get furred up inside (hope no one is eating a meal at this juncture), and clog up. You can pour brick acid down the loo which will remove some, but the only way is to replace. Not knowing if the job had ever been done before, we thought it best too do it all.

The pipes are bent and shaped using a hair drier to fit back into the limited space, and yes it really did take us two days to do both heads!

Lynne bending the pipes into shape

Next up was the dripless seal on the prop shaft. This seal is designed to prevent water coming into the boat at the point the prop shaft enters the hull. They should be replaced about every 5 to 7 years, so ours was due. We had also noticed salt water in the tray underneath the seal and salt crystals in the corner, tell tale signs of sea water ingress.

The shaft had to be removed from the back of the gearbox, and pulled back enough to allow the old seal to come off and the new one to be fitted. Chris and his assistant Kevin made this look very easy, although they did need to use a blowtorch to pop the shaft from the gearbox.

Looking down at the propshaft and gearbox

Propshaft gearbox coupling

Once all that lot was done it was simply a case of preparing the hull and applying the anti fouling, oh and the hull got a quick polish as well.

All done for another season

Not sure when and where we will next have Azzy hauled out. It will probably need to be before the Galapogos, as they send a diver down to look for barnacles and will send you away if you have any, as they want to protect the surrounding waters from contamination. Not too sure what Charles Darwin would make of all that.

Only a few more weeks scheduled in Almerimar and then the voyages begin.

Looking forward to having Phill join us from Almerimar to the Mar Menor in early May, and then catching up with the family when we arrive. 

Rigging

Rigging Check

Part of our rationale in coming to Almerimar was to reacquaint ourselves with Andy Parkinson, the expert rigger we had used two years before on Scarlet Lady, and soon after we arrived we made contact to book in a full rig check. As our sailing is evolving from relatively short hops around the Med to an Atlantic and onward Pacific crossing, we wanted to be doubly sure the rig was up to the job. As it turned out for the most part everything was fine, but the amount of movement fore and aft in the mast was a cause for concern. Whilst it would probably have been perfectly OK, and after all Aztec already has one Atlantic crossing under her belt with her previous custodians, Andy felt we could improve the integrity, and therefore safety still further by making some modifications.

Our mast is well supported at the top and sides as you would expect, but would clearly benefit from extra support slightly lower down.

Andy carrying out a rig check

Aztec Dream, like Scarlet Lady before her, is a fractional sloop rigged yacht as is common with many production yachts that you can buy today. Very different to the square rigged ships of old that could only sail downwind. Those ships came into their own running downwind on the 'Trades' transporting all sorts of commodities like tea in the case of the Cutty Sark, that could manage 17 knots downwind, but the upwind performance was not good at all.

Modern sailing boats have good allround performance thanks to the Bermuda Sloop rig, with its low drag and high lift to drag ratio. In addition, instead of needing large crews, most yachts these days can be easily handled by just two people and it is not uncommon to see yachts of 50 to 60 feet with just two aboard.

Types of rig

Andy recommended the fitting of a 'Stay' at the height of the second spreaders, running down to a strong point on the deck. This would be complemented by additional adjustable 'Backstays', which combined would give the support for our intended use. One of the options we discussed and ended up going for, was rather than just have a bare wire which is what the stay would be, we could fit a furling jib. This would be a sail much smaller in area to the genoa. It would turn Aztec Dream from a sloop into a cutter, and the pros more than outweighed the cons.
Not only would it provide a greater sail area and therefore more speed, it could also be used very effectively when conditions turn nasty. In very strong winds we could furl away our genoa and just use the jib, which would give us better stability. Hopefully with this new sail and all the others at our disposal on board, we should have something for just about every kind of condition we are likely to encounter.

The only downside is that when both sails are deployed, the genoa has to be furled before tacking, as it will not fit in the newly created slot. Not really a big issue as we are not racing, and most passages tend to be on one tack anyway.

We have specified a furling system made by Selden called Furlex, which is very high quality and has a good reputation. We could have gone cheaper, and then again could have spent a lot more, but this one seemed to be a good choice.

The first thing we did was to change the padeye fitting that the new stay would attach to, with a heavy duty one that was custom fabricated for us in the local stainless steel workshop. To take the extra loads, the deck was reinforced below this with a thick sheet of stainless, again custom made to fit Aztec.

We turned Aztec around to make it easier for Andy to fit the new Furlex system. This involved another trip up the mast to secure the fittings in place, and to measure the wire forestay. The Furlex option we went for came with an adjustable section which allows for fine tuning, and after cutting the wire to length and swayging on the fixing terminal, all was done.  Only issue was the new deck fitting for the staysail has meant we have lost a place to tie down the rib at the front. It appears that we should be able to fit a new pad eye just to the side, and use this to secure it. We will also have to move the bowsprit chocks to the starboard side so the tack line does not interfere with the new staysail furling line. The bowsprit itself could really do with being about a foot longer, but that would mean buying a new one which probably won't happen. Being a little longer would give us extra clearance for the anchor when flying, and bring in the chute and spinnaker. Nothing is ever straightforward!

New Furlex 200S inner forestay

Talking of the new sail, Andy did a great job of taking all the measurements and on his advice we chose to go with Hyde Sails in the UK. We have specified a cruising weight Dacron, and now that it has been fitted we are delighted.

Hyde's have been making sails for more than 50 years

New cutter configuration

Staysail deployed

New coachroof track

Ceiling panels had to come down

Holes in roof under mast track, where the deck is 40mm thick.
These holes are in the inner moudling behind the ceiling panels

Andy also took down the forestay for the genoa, as on the last sail around the bay it became stiff to furl the genoa. As much as possible was stripped back and lubricated, and it is a little better now. We are going to monitor it from when we leave here, but have an option to replace the furling drum on the way back past should we need to. 

We had to stop traffic to get this off!

This part connects to the top of the mast.
The large plastic ring is a rope deflector

The furling drum was taken away and soaked in diesel for 2 days!

Removing the old Helicoil

In the meantime we have removed the old damaged helicoil unit from the mast, and the new one does not fit! The manufacturer has changed the material in the spiral to a newer one that is more UV resistant, but in the process the unit has ended up 3mm longer. As far as we are concerned it may as well be 6 feet longer as nothing lines up, and it is impossible to get it back in the mast. Having sent many emails back and forth to the UK supplier, we began going round in ever decreasing circles until the final email from the MD who suggested we force it in!
We then contacted the manufacturers in La Rochelle, France, who could not believe the poor advice and have promised to make us one that fits. To this end we have sent back the complete unit and the old part, and are now awaiting their findings. Hopefully it will not be too long as we can't fit the mainsail until we get it back, which is taking up valuable storage room in the aft port cabin.

One of the last jobs will be to upgrade the fitting that holds the boom to the mast. The design is poor, and relies on just one clevis pin to stop the boom falling off. Our intention is to enlist the skills of the local metalworker, and the design idea from Andy, to come up with a better solution. We have also spoken to the manufacturer, who admitted they had changed the specification since Aztec was built.

At the time of writing the we have just taken delivery of a spare fitting which has gone off to me modified. All being well we should have that back in a few days time.

As this is the first post for a while, it would be fair to assume we have had our feet up and spent most days relaxing in the sun, with a nice hike in the mountains at the weekends. Well, apart from the hiking that could not be further from the truth, in fact we have spent just about every day doing something boat related, but more of that in the next instalment.

We are looking forward to using the new sail, and it will be interesting to see what differences there are on the various points of sail. No doubt we will convey that in future posts.

Back in Almerimar

Almerimar

Not an awful lot has changed since our last stay two years ago, but that is a good thing. We have already said hello to Chris in the boatyard, Andy the rigger has sailed with us, Stuart at Inox has quoted for some stainless work, and Spencer the owner of the Chandlers here, must soon be planning retirement if we stay much longer!

We also waved goodbye to friends Mike and Lynne of Mistroma who where heading down the coast to Aguadulce before flying back home, but we have promised to meet up again before they set off. We had a great time with them during the summer.

Mistroma leaving Almerimar

Mike and Lynne

The liveaboard community is finding it's feet, and for those that want to, there is something going on just about every day. Activities are announced each day on the radio net on C67, and I (Lynne) am doing the Monday slot. It does bring up a few issues, and like two years ago the theft of bicycles is still going on which is a great shame. 

On Monday mornings Steve often pays a visit to the GOM club. GOM stands for Grumpy Old Men but according to Steve it is actually very convivial, and has now been renamed the Meeting of Masculine Minds! A chance to sit down over a coffee, to ask advice and gain new knowledge, all in all an excellent way to spend Monday mornings.

Soon after our arrival we had a visit from my parents and brother Phill. It was the first time they had seen our new yacht in the flesh, so it was great to show them around. Phill of course was no stranger, having already stayed on board earlier in the year. It was great to show them around and they once again noticed the increased space, especially the width over Scarlet Lady. We also talked in outline about our route plans for the coming season/s.

Clean and tidy!

Graham and Sheila relaxing on Azzy

We also caught the local bus to nearby Roquetas, but sadly our favourite place to eat was closed for the day! We spent some time looking around the mall and had a bite to eat before returning back to the marina.
As always the week seemed to fly by but we had fun and are all looking forward to meeting up again at Christmas.

One of the activities which we have joined in is the weekly hikes up in the mountains. Each Sunday morning a group of people meet up, and those with cars give lifts to those of us without. It is a great opportunity to see parts of the countryside we would not normally, and have a change of scene from the marina. Below is a selection of vistas from the last few walks we have been on. What is surprising is how green and lush some parts of the countryside are, considering the region is one of the driest in Europe.

L to R Stephanie and Ian (Nautilus) Lynne, Andy and Michelle (Kerching)

The oldest house in the village of Fondon, dating back to the 1700's

Some may say that we need the walks to balance out the social aspect of liveaboard life and burn off some calories, and they would be right.
In this part of Spain it is common to get a free tapas with every drink, and depending on where you happen to go to (there are over 70 bars and restaurants in the marina), you can buy a small beer or soft drink for not much at all and get a large free tapas. A couple is all that is needed (although not usually stopped at) to have a meal, fantastic! For those with bigger appetites, all restaurants offer a menu del dia (meal of the day). This is a tradition that goes back to when Franco ruled Spain and was conceived as a low cost affordable meal, usually three courses for the common worker. The Ministry even set a price cap of around 80 pesetas, which would be approximately 50 euro cents today. The tradition has remained, but the price is a little higher. For 10 euros you can have an excellent 3 course meal, usually with a bottle of vino thrown in, fantastic value!

We met up with Annette and Campbell Hair from the yacht Annecam, who also happened to be in Licata, Sicily last year. They are on their way back home to Australia and crossing the Atlantic early next year. We met up with them as they where passing through, and it was great to catch up. We had some great meals out, and they joined in on the quiz nights with Ian and Stephanie (Nautilus), and Andy and Michelle (Kerching). Although we didn't win we had a lot of fun.

STOP PRESS... We won last weeks quiz!

Waiting for the special order leg of lamb to arrive

Better go on the hike this weekend!

Of course it is always hard to say goodbye. It has been great catching up with Bob and Martha of D W Crow, Annie and Cam of Annecam, Simon and Helen of Interlude 1 and Stuart and Anne of Time Bandit who will all be crossing the Atlantic soon. We wish them fair winds and safe passage, and hoping our paths cross again down the line.

Hopefully see you in the Caribbean, Cam

We have also managed to get out sailing, and with the help of Andy the rigger and Ian and Stephanie, we have been learning how to deploy and recover our cruising chute. This is a sail, and along with our asymmetric spinnaker, should mean we can improve our light air performance. They are designed primarily as downwind sails, although the reaching angle is impressive and it looks fantastic. Both of ours are launched and recovered using a built in snuffer, or sock as it is sometimes called. One end called the tack is attached to a line on our bowsprit, the back corner of the sail called the clew is attached to one or two very long lines (called sheets), which run outside back to blocks on the deck and then onto the genoa winches. The top (head) is hauled up in front of the genoa. At this point the sail is in its bag until such time as the person on the bow pulls at the control line, then the sock rises and the sail spills out. To gybe, the sail is snuffed and then passed from one side to another by manhandling it around the outside of the genoa.

Lynne learning to helm with the chute, under the watchful eyes of Ian and Andy

Chute with mainsail

Chute without mainsail

Skipper learning new skills

All great fun, and we will continue to practise when conditions allow.. although we have just had an incredibly windy night and day here, with the highest wind speed recorded, just under 70 knots which is a storm force 10!

The next post will be an outline of the significant changes to our rig, which at the time of writing are well under way. More on that soon...