SAILING
#7 – A seabound adventure from Lagos to Gibraltar
After enduring a harsh five-month lockdown in Lagos, we were overjoyed to finally set sail towards Gibraltar with our friend Markus from the sailing boat "Nordre Rose." On the first day, we didn't sail too far, as we wanted to get accustomed to the sea again after being in port for so long. Therefore, we anchored about 10 nautical miles from the Portuguese town of Portimão.
Although we had grown to love the city of Lagos and its beautiful Atlantic beaches and cliffs over the past few months, lockdown rules prevented us from exploring this area by boat. As a result, the first night at anchor felt somehow forbidden, and this feeling persisted as we encountered only a few sailing vessels along the way.
We set sail the following morning and headed towards Ria Formosa lagoon, which boasts a large, beautiful, and well-protected anchorage. However, the arrival time needs to be scheduled carefully. We arrived one hour too early and decided to enter the lagoon anyway. The current was still very strong and pulled us into the lagoon like a vacuum cleaner.
One or two days later, our friends Nina and Andy from the sailing boat Eilean arrived and joined us on our sailing adventure to Gibraltar. We stayed in the lagoon for a few days until we could continue our journey, and we also visited the town of Olhao. It was a joy to see more and more sailing boats getting back out on the water every day.
Over the next few weeks, we sailed along the Portuguese and Spanish coasts, anchoring in different river mouths. Although some of these anchorages were quite uncomfortable, we enjoyed the freedom of being at anchor. Our highlight was entering the Rio Guadiana river, which flows through Spain and Portugal. To get there, we had to pass under the Puente Internacional del Guadiana, with barely two meters of clearance from the bridge to our mast.
We were incredibly excited about our next anchorage in Cadiz, Spain! Being able to finally be in a big city again filled us with joy. We stayed here for a few days, and the beautiful historical port city of Cadiz was very appealing to us. Again, we did not go into port but anchored near the bridge, even though it was not easy to come ashore with the dinghy.
After taking in the sights of the city, we set sail towards Gibraltar, sticking to the Spanish side and finding a comfortable anchorage in La Linea. Unfortunately, the friendly police informed us the next day that anchoring there was prohibited for reasons that were not immediately clear. Although the harbor was nice, we found La Linea underwhelming.
Fortunately, Gibraltar was within close proximity and made our stay worthwhile. We climbed up the Rock of Gibraltar and were in awe of the breathtaking views overlooking Africa, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea. Although we had to remain in Gibraltar for 17 days due to unfavorable winds, we made good use of our time by sewing a new spray hood for Lumos and installing a self-steering windvane.
