AfriCat in the Med

Below is a condensed account of our travels through the Med, from Christchurch in the UK to Santa Pola, Spain via the French canals. This is mostly an account of our day-to-day experiences rather than a boat log. For those who are interested I have produced separate documents, containing details of the marinas and anchorages we used along the way, budget information and canals Navicarte updates. These are also accessible from links on the Sailing web page.

"Christchurch to Paris " " Paris to Avignon " " Avignon to Vinaros " " Vinaros to Torrevieja "
" Torrevieja to Santa Pola via Almeria " " Top " " Bottom"

13th to 27th April 2001 - Christchurch to Paris

We left Christchurch as planned on Friday 13th April and headed over to Poole harbour to refuel.  Early Saturday morning (5:30am), we left for Cherbourg.  Most of the trip went well, but as always with Cherbourg, we had to fight a strong head wind for the last 2 hours (12 hours).  It was a cold but dry trip.  We spent 2 nights there, awaiting good weather.  On Monday we headed for St Vaast (6 hours) and spent the night anchored off.  We made a dingy trip in for our first “Moules & Frites” meal of the trip - delicious! Tuesday brought clear skies so we left for Le Havre to have our mast taken down in readiness for the canals (12.5 hours).  Once we got closer, we changed our minds and headed for Honfleur, intending to have the mast down at Rouen despite all the horror stories.  It was a cold day but the sun was shining which always makes us feel better.  Once in, we discovered we could have the mast down there so we stayed.  Honfleur is a wonderfully quaint town - lots of restaurants and art galleries.  The buildings are really old, with narrow cobbled streets.  St Catherine's Church is glorious - mostly wood with wonderful stained glass windows.  We met another couple making the same trip- he is also originally from SA - they have a 4-month baby and 18-month toddler aboard - makes our life appear very easy! They are continuing on back to New Zealand, were they live and originally sailed from.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to spend any time with them - we would have loved to hear about their travels.

On Friday we left Honfleur at 6:30am to head up river to Rouen - the boat is now in canal mode - mast down, fenders and tyres slung along the side, bikes on deck - basically a floating caravan! It was a hard trip - cold, wet (sleet and hail at times!) and with strong current against us due to the recent flooding.  It took us just under 14 hours to cover 62 miles! We were shattered and went to sleep straight after a very quick dinner.  Saturday was spent having a lie-in (9am - this is NEARLY as hard as working!) and then wandering around the "old town" and the markets- where we bought some seafood for dinner.  Monday saw us on the road again - aiming to get through the first lock of our trip before it closed at 7pm.  The river was really flowing hard against us so it was another long day - 10 hours before we eventually found somewhere to spend the night.  It was a working quay but by 8pm no one was around and we were too shattered to continue.  In a way, the flood has helped us as it has made the peniche quays available to us whereas usually they would be far too high.  The water level is still at least 2 m higher than usual so we are seeing a lot of flooded homes and some amazing junk in the river - fridges, kids toys, gas bottles - that is apart from all the trees! On this trip we actually covered 54.5 Miles through the water to gain 48 kilometres along the river.  Once you go inland, all the charts are in km.  We are referring to them as maps as they also tell you exactly which side of the river you must travel on and where you are allowed to turn and park (no, not berth).  Our first lock was not nearly as awful as we expected, we were in and through in about 15 minutes - with a HUGE commercial fuel carrier behind us! We were off again early the next morning, headed for Vernon, with this current we are trying to get out of the Seine and into the canals as soon as we can.  We have also been very cold to date, luckily not much rain though apart from the odd short downpour -even hail at times.  We are both wearing 3 - 4 layers of clothing, hats, gloves and scarves.  And we are continually thanking ourselves for spending the money on the Dubarry boots!

We are seeing a lot of wildlife - mergansers, swallows, kestrels, kingfishers, a red squirrel and lots of something that looks like a water vole, only bigger.  Wherever possible, we have been taking the offshoot branches of the river, which take us past some wonderful waterfront homes.  The houses are huge, all free standing with quite a bit of land.  If the weather was better, it is an area we could really like.  We have seen very few other boats - Jolli Jumper in Honfleur and Famous Five in Les Andrelys going upstream.  We were passed by a Wharram going downstream yesterday - at about 12 knots with the current behind him! The peniches have mostly been courteous, giving us a wide berth and always waving in reply to ours.  We have seen lots of apparently abandoned yachts - mostly still sound but with years of grime accumulated - most are steel or aluminium.  Such a waste.  There are also lots of live aboard barges - in fact almost every advertised 'marina' is totally full of them with no space for visiting yachts.  Some are still beautifully maintained but the majority are pretty run down.  However, even those that are really scrappy outside are beautifully done out inside - huge windows mean that we have been able to be nosy and look in! On again the next day - 41 km to Limay, followed by 46km's to La Frette on Wednesday.  We had planned to spend Thursday at rest -as it was my birthday - but the halte was directly opposite and behind a sewage pumping station! So we decided to move on to Bougival, after a leisurely morning - late rise and then a stroll up the hill.  We are trying to do as much walking as possible as our bodies are really missing some exercise - we are missing swimming! We went for dinner in Bougival, after spending a very pleasant evening in the cockpit, reading in the sunshine! It only gets dark at around 9.45pm so the evenings are wonderful when the weather plays along!

The plan for Friday was to do about 30km's and then stop, to do the last 5km into Paris at a leisurely pace.  So much for plans, we could find nowhere to moor as the liveaboards were now everywhere, so we continued into Paris, arriving around 7pm.  It was overcast and drizzly but nevertheless an impressive entry.  It was also nerve-wracking as the river is very narrow with lots of bridges - we were only making about 1knot forward through some of them even with the engine at top rev's.  Coming into Paris, we noticed lots of squatter camps and shantytowns, under bridges along the river and even some people living in the old storage space in the riverbanks.  Sad to think that in this day and age people are still living in that type of squalor in one of Europe's most sophisticated cities.  So here we are, in the centre of Paris.  We are taking a one-day rest to do some sightseeing and then heading off to warmer climes.  We will be in touch in a few weeks again.

"Christchurch to Paris " " Paris to Avignon " " Avignon to Vinaros " " Vinaros to Torrevieja "
" Torrevieja to Santa Pola via Almeria " " Top " " Bottom"

28th April to 23rd May - Paris to Avignon

We have now been away for nearly 6 weeks - we have covered about 1100 miles, gone through about 170 locks and now have only 60 miles and 2 locks remaining until we reach the Med at Sete, which should be in about 5 days time.  Since I last wrote from Paris, conditions have generally got better on a daily basis - the weather is now truly Mediterranean, averaging 23 - 25 degrees Celsius everyday - no more thermals!!!  

We were relieved to leave Paris - we really do not enjoy the cities and it also meant we were nearly into the canals and would stop having to fight the floodwaters.  We had to endure another 2 days of this fighting before entering the canals at St Mammes - what a pleasure!  The canals are peaceful - well, at this time of year anyway - and not having to worry about current, tide and wind direction is a real treat.  Most nights were either spent on a floating pontoon 'halte', usually free.  When these were not available, we just took out our spikes and found a nice spot, hit them into the ground, tied up and enjoyed!  The wildlife in the canals has been amazing.  Funnily enough, not many ducks or swans but LOTS of buzzards, water voles and otters!  Unfortunately we have also seen a lot of drowned animals - the canals are impossible for them to get out of if they fall in.  We have also seen one coypu, which is a South American otter-like creature that has a face like a giant guinea-pig!  

We have been surprised at the price of general supplies here - at least as expensive as the UK, fruit & veg are definitely dearer.  Drink from the bottle shop is far cheaper but drinking in the pub is not.  We cannot get duty free diesel here as we do in the UK so that is another additional expense.  As we are travelling south, the towns are slowly becoming more Mediterranean - narrow cobbled streets, colourful vegetation, washing hanging from first floor windows - it really is so peaceful and relaxing..  The history all around is astonishing - ruins everywhere as well as many well-preserved buildings, mostly churches.  I still struggle with the concept that some of the buildings were started 1000 years ago!  To keep myself occupied in the hours we are travelling, I have taken to baking - bread, scones and muffins mostly - but with only limited success.  I don't think the canals will last long enough for me to get good at it - thanks heavens!  

We have had 3 little incidents so far, but surprisingly there is not one scratch on AfriCat. Our first one was when we got a log jammed in the propeller, while we were still trying to fight the floodwaters.  The other 2 were within an hour of each other - first our steerable drive worked it's way over into the opposite direction that we wee heading, nearly giving a couple on their boat heart failure when we only managed to turn away quite late.  Then we got some rope around the prop as we entered a lock.  Great fun and games!  

Rowing and cycling seems to be very popular and organised here, we see big rowing clubs all along the rivers and lots of serious cyclist wherever we stop.  We have met very few other boats doing the same route, although it has picked up as we have got closer to the Med.  We have found it difficult to get used to being stared at - the French love catamarans and stand and stare for ages!  That’s all for now folks.  I will write again in a few weeks time, by when we should be in Spain.

"Christchurch to Paris " " Paris to Avignon " " Avignon to Vinaros " " Vinaros to Torrevieja "
" Torrevieja to Santa Pola via Almeria " " Top " " Bottom"

25 May to 1 July - Aigues Mortes, France to Vinaros, Spain

We entered our last canal section after speeding down the Rhone - 15 km's of current with us at times - and finally started winding down.  It had taken us 42 days to cover approx.  1250 km's to date, we then took 8 days to cover the last 65 km's to Sete - one day we only did 6 km's!

The canal is far less well maintained here - many of the banks are collapsing and there are not as many places to stop.  There are also LOTS of hire boats - known as 'bumper boats' by all the locals, for very obvious reasons!  We tended to stay well back from them, especially when they were trying to berth.  The wildlife is amazing; horses, frogs, buzzards, booming bitterns (the first I have ever heard!), a snake and thousands of bee-eaters.

We decided to take the scenic route through Aigues Mortes rather than the 'bypass' - so glad we did as we bumped into some old friends from Emsworth, Dave & Michelle aboard 'Aku Aku' - we spent 2 days catching up on the missing years.  Aigues Mortes is a wonderful old walled town - lots of art and pottery shops as well as a reasonable marina.  We travelled another 6 km's to a wooden jetty in the middle of nowhere, planning to spend a peaceful evening and morning enjoying the quiet and wildlife.  Little did we know it is the local hangout for the fisherman and teenage gangs on the weekend - 4 separate groups were trying to out-do one another in the music loudness stakes!

We finally reached Sete and found Terri & Andy aboard 'Lushka'.  There is quite a liveaboard community here - a number of people winter or base themselves here.  Jim and Adrienne on 'Carefree' were very helpful, Terri and Andy pointed us in the right direction for all the things we needed doing.  Firstly, we needed to remove all AfriCat's canal 'clothing' and give her a damn good scrub.  The new fenders and ropes came out, the mast went up and we were ready to be a sailboat again - so the wind started howling directly from the south, where we wanted to go!  We eventually made it out into the Med on Sunday 3rd June, covering only 17M in mixed conditions.  We opened the bottle of champagne given to us specially for this occasion, by Jeff, Sandra and Matthew - thanks, it tasted wonderful!

Thus started a leisurely meander down the coast, French stops included Grau d'Agde, Port Leucate, Collioure (our first night at anchor) then into Spain; Port de la Selva, Port Lligat (Salvador Dali's summer residence), Cala Castella, Palamos (a move of 3M from the previous nights anchorage!), Sant Feliu de Guixols, Mataro, Barcelona, Port Ginesta, Coma Ruga, Tarragona, Cambrils, l'Estany (FANTASTIC!) and finally Vinaros (pronounced Binaroth) where we now find ourselves stuck for a while.  

A few of the highlights from above have included;  

·         Our first swim in the Med, and our first barbeque!  

·         Seeing our first sunfish, sunning itself on the surface - we have since seen quite a few and found out that they are poisonous which is probably why they are not scared of boats.   

·         Our first Spanish marina and the shock of being asked for 5300 pesetas - £21 - for a bows-to mooring.  We left and anchored in the next bay, where we met Ray & Julia aboard 'Missie Mollie'.  

·         Our first shopping trip in Spain and the joy at finding everything so cheap!  After France it is a welcome change.  Also, as we are no longer spending as much on fuel, it means our budget is becoming a bit more useful rather than being tight as it was through France

·         Port Lligat, were we spent 3 days just relaxing in peaceful, picturesque surroundings

·         Barcelona! I swear I heard Freddie Mercury as we entered the harbour!

·         L'Estany - a very shallow natural harbour, protected from all winds and very peaceful

Spain is marvellous - very laid back yet vibrant.  Cost of living is cheap, the only things that are really expensive are the marina's - and they are just ridiculous!  On average, along the coast between France and Barcelona, we have been charged around 3500 PTAS (£14) - and that is only because we have been very choosy about which ports we go into (the cheapest ones!).  We have paid 5600 on 2 occasions, but mostly we try to anchor.  It is now getting extremely hot - by 10am you have to be in the shade and it is still warm enough to sit outside in a swimsuit at 10pm - WONDERFUL!  However, the wind is a pain in the butt - either none at all or from the SW, where we are going, so we have had to motorsail about 80% of the time.  We have not spent more than 3 days in one place so far but we now have a forced stop of about 2 - 3 weeks - the outdrive leg on our engine has snapped.  We are awaiting the insurance decision so that new parts can be ordered from the UK.  These could take up to 2 weeks to arrive and be cleared, after which they will need to be fitted.  We have decided to use the time until the parts come to catch up on a few chores and visit some of the surrounding area.  We also plan to do a few of the odd jobs that didn't get done before we left.  We will send out our next update once we reach the Balearics.  Cheers.

"Christchurch to Paris " " Paris to Avignon " " Avignon to Vinaros " " Vinaros to Torrevieja "
" Torrevieja to Santa Pola via Almeria " " Top " " Bottom"

11 July to 24 August - Vinaros to Torrevieja

Well, at last the outdrive has been replaced and we are once again in the water and moving.  We left Vinaros and headed slowly down the coast for Valencia, where we planned to stop for a week to attend my brothers wedding.  We are really enjoying Spain and have decided to take our time.  We may actually spend next summer here as well, as the entire coast down to Gibraltar and around into the Atlantic seems to be worth a visit.  And that is before we have even started on the Balearics!

Prices in marinas are once again becoming affordable, the further south we get the more reasonable they become.  We are looking for somewhere suitable to leave the boat for the winter, but a word of warning for anyone else doing the same - check all facilites available beforehand.  There is a new custom whereby some marinas are prohibiting owners from working on their own boats, any work has to be done by the yard, including antifouling.  Jobs for the boys, I am afraid.

Marina prices have gone up by at least 50% on last years published prices, for most marinas.   You can get a list of prices in the free paper called “El Mundo Nautico”, which can be found at most marina offices, published in the summer only.  However, be aware that these prices reflect the previous years rates.  At the end of the season I will be publishing an updated list of the prices we have paid, which I will put on the website.

Well, we eventually got away from Vinaros on July the 12th, and did a whole 10 miles on our first day!  This was to a lovely scenic anchorage, but as we had been sitting on our butts for so long we quickly moved on.  We stopped at the marina at Oropesa, and then anchored off Burriana to visit Toni & Ingrid, who we had met in Vinaros.

Our next stop was once again a long one, luckily not because of problems with the boat but because we went to my brothers wedding.  Pobla Marina is just north of Valencia so it was a convenient place to spend some time, we paid for a month because it was the same price as paying for 9 days!  We ended up spending about 3 weeks there.  There were 6 catamarans in the marina at one stage, of which 4 were Prouts – “AfriCat” old Quest 31 - British, “The Two of Us” Snowgoose Elite – Dutch, “Annonome” old Snowgoose 35 – British, “Gypsy Rose” Snowgoose – British, “Manzara” a Summer Twins – British, a huge Kelsall.

Lliam and Maria´s wedding was wonderful; we were surrounded by Maria´s Spanish family, which was a real experience.  Although a few of them could speak some English, it really tested our limited Spanish and gave us a better insight into the Spanish way of life.  Maria´s dad is a horticulturist and they have a wonderful vegetable garden - we left with 2 shopping bags full of freshly picked peppers and tomatoes which lasted 2 weeks without any refrigeration.

We eventually decided it was time to move on, as we still had not confirmed a place for the winter.  We decided to stop at every marina along the way south, asking about space and prices.   Well, it was mostly an exercise in futility as most were either too expensive or didn´t have any place for us on the land (which is where we want the boat to be during the winter while we are not here!).  I am keeping an updated list of all the quoted prices, which I will publish later.

Valencia Marina was very nice, well priced and with a 50 meter pool, so we did some swimming training - I was absolutely shattered after 1600m, I can´t imagine how I used to manage 2400m in a session.  Angie is going to whip my behind when I get back to Seagulls!

Further marina stops included: Cullera - a Club Nautic (CN) about 1 mile up a river, with limited facilities where we had to berth 4 deep alongside AND then still pay 2870 pta (11 pound) for the priveledge; Marina de Denia - a new marina which will have superb facilites once completed but which will also then double in price; Villajoyosa - a nice marina; Alicante - very convenient, especially for flights into Newcastle.  We also met Bill and Jo on “Arctic Blue”, who we met up with again in Torrevieja.  There were also 2 Prouts in the marina, that I had previously read about in the Prout World magazine – “Pressgang” and “VIC-TIM”.  “VIC-TIM” was originally built by one of the previous co-owners of our boat!

Anchorage stops included : Cala Sardinera; Moraira, which was well sheltered and very nice APART from the pests on jetski´s who insisted on speeding round the boats all day!; Calpe; Altea; Isla Tabarca - crystal clear waters but plagued by jetski´s, motor boats and ferries during the day; Torrevieja - a good anchorage within the harbour itself, where the authorities alternate between banning anchoring altogether, limiting to one night or just ignoring totally!

Keith has been doing a lot of snorkelling, mostly for our dinner but he has made a few useful finds; a small anchor, some Speedo swimming goggles and a new pair of RipCurl shorts with 3000 pta´s (12 pound) still in the pocket!

We have finally found a place for the winter, in a shipyard just south of Alicante, where we can leave AfriCat on the land for the time we are away.  So now we can relax and enjoy the rest of the trip, knowing that is sorted out.  We are going to continue south, visiting Mar Menor and then maybe as far as Malaga before turning back.  Our plan of visiting the islands has been blown out of the water for this year, we have had reports of the islands being so crowded that you cannot get within half a mile of most anchorages!

"Christchurch to Paris " " Paris to Avignon " " Avignon to Vinaros " " Vinaros to Torrevieja "
" Torrevieja to Santa Pola via Almeria " " Top " " Bottom"

25 August to 23 October – Torrevieja to Santa Pola via Almeria

After a useful stop in Torrevieja – got the laundry done and topped up on liquid refreshment at the bodega – we continued south to the Mar Menor, an inland sea.  There is only one entrance for yachts, although there are another 2 small entrances.  The sea is about 6 by 12 miles, maximum depth of about 8m – it is a wonderful sailing area, even with a strong wind the waters stay relatively flat, the perfect conditions for a cat.  You can anchor just about anywhere, dependant on draft – if the wind changes direction it is never more that an hour to a safer anchorage.  Only one problem – THOUSANDS of jellyfish, so swimming was always a nervous affair.  There are netted swimming areas, though.  The water was crystal clear at Urrutias, with short green weed very like coarse grass – it looked as if we were anchored over a flooded garden, and I kept expecting to see some flowers!  We spent 5 days and plan to visit again on our way back to Santa Pola.

Leaving the Mar Menor, the engine started playing up – choking and cutting out – so we anchored just outside and Keith spent hours checking it out.  The next day we moved on to Cartagena – a nice town, the back street shopping areas are really bustling at night.  Here we met an Australian couple aboard a steel boat called “Y-Not” – a ship had hit them at night while travelling to Turkey.  Luckily, both they and the boat were not too seriously damaged – they were awaiting insurance go-ahead to have their rigging and sails replaced and the bow rebuilt.  When we returned 3 weeks later, they had left so it must have all gone well.  They had planned to enter the Med via the Red Sea, but while in Mauritius heard reports that 7 of the 12 boats that had left before them had been involved in pirate incidents.  So they changed route and headed around South Africa and up the Atlantic to enter the Med at Gib.

We spent 2 nights on anchor at La Subida, another cat “Silver Blue” joined us, and I think the flag was BVI.  This is just a small holiday resort and was a nice peaceful stop, with a great bodega!  We then moved on the Aguilas and Garrucha, where the engine once again decided to play up!  So, once again Keith spent hours being a “grease monkey”, but eventually managed to sort it out.  We moved on the Almeria – the coast is really pretty here, low-rise buildings backed by high mountains and fronted by golden beaches, very rugged and isolated.  Once again we were joined by a cat “PopCop 2” a French-flagged Kiwi model, apparently a prototype build.  We also made friends with a German single-hander named Marcus aboard a tiny Pacific Seacraft.  We also became surrogate owners to a pregnant cat, who came around every evening for her spoils – Keith caught her small fish with a net in the marina, which she loved!  As the time was getting on, we decided we would only continue as far as Roquetas before turning around to head back north.

After an overnight stop in Almeria again, we moved north and anchored overnight at Cala Higuera – the only boat there.  Keith caught his first llampua (blue dorada) for our dinner – very nice!  He was really in the wars today; he also caught another fish which had poisonous spines, which managed to pierce his hand when he was trying to release it – then he cut his foot open on one of the canopy studs!

The following day, we moved on to Ensenada del Rodalquilar, where we stopped for lunch.  This is a beautiful beach with crystal clear water, so we decided to stay for the night.  A Spanish-flagged Catalac “Estela” joined us, Juan came over for a chat – we managed to struggle on with our limited Spanish and his limited English (better than our Spanish!).  Unfortunately, the 7pm weather bulletin broadcast a NE gale warning, so we made tracks to Carboneras, along with “Estela”.  We were stuck here for 3 nights while the winds blew themselves out, but it was a pleasant stay and we got to know Juan a bit better.  As he is based in Aguilas, we will bump into him again.  We eventually moved on to Garrucha, where the wind once again picked up and there was great fun and games in the anchorage as boats dragged all over the place.  We then moved onto Aguilas and spent another 2 nights awaiting the winds to die down.  This past week has been most unusual, strong winds just about every day, all day and RAIN – not just showers but true thunderstorms!

From there, we moved on to Hornillo, Mazarron, Rincon de la Salitrona and back to Cartagena.  Here we met Barry & Sheila aboard “Panorama” – we spent an interesting evening in their cockpit.  “Estela” also arrived; Juan is on another trip, this time to Mar Menor so we will spend some more time with him.  We then moved on to Mar Menor, where we spent another relaxing 10 days exploring.  The mud baths and bird sanctuary at Lo Pagan / San Pedro del Pintar were both interesting visits; the first for the number of people walking around, caked in black mud and the second for the flamingos.

We then moved back to Torrevieja for 4 nights on anchor.  Here we met our second South African flagged boat “Scorpio” – this time a family from Cape Town who have spent 2 years travelling, via St Helena and South America up to the Med and are now on their way back.  There was also a South African built American-flagged catamaran “Sea Quest” on anchor, as well as al old Prout Snowgoose “JABI” in the marina.  We experienced the most amazing thunderstorm – about 3 hours of continually flickering lightening – just like a broken fluorescent light.  It also hailed ENORMOUS hailstones, the cars were all badly pock marked the next day.

Our final stop was 2 nights in Las Dunas marina, Guardamar, where we met Tim and Viv who have returned to the Med after a number of years in the Caribbean.  

So our summer travels came to an end, with our final move to Santa Pola and craning out. Here we spent a week winterising the boat – trying to get used to the idea of leaving the boat for the first time in 5 years.  

We had a wonderful 6 months travel and would recommend it to anyone.  The trip through the canals is well worthwhile.  It should be seen as part of the trip and taken slowly, rather than being used as an express highway, in order to get the most from it.  Although the Spanish Med coast is pretty busy and the marinas are expensive, it is still a very interesting and rewarding area to visit.

"Christchurch to Paris " " Paris to Avignon " " Avignon to Vinaros " " Vinaros to Torrevieja "
" Torrevieja to Santa Pola via Almeria " " Top " " Bottom"