Just re-surfaced.

[saxon]

 Hello folks,
It's been a while since I posted but the excuse is a good one...I've been cruising.
I wintered in southern Portugal and sailed East through the Gibraltar strait in the spring. Since then I've been cruising the Spanish Mediterranean coast and out to the Balearic Islands where marina berths are really  for the very rich but there are plenty of good safe anchorages around the islands. Planning to find a winter berth somewhere here in Spain and then the long haul home to England in the late Spring 2011.

I'll try to post some photos, so fingers crossed that they appear where they are supposed to!!

Lying at anchor at Dartmouth in Devonshire, England, at the start of the voyage.
The port of Falmouth, Cornwall, England. My port of departure and a busy place with cruise ships and men o war of the Royal Navy using the facilities. The little steel Gaff Cutter anchored astern of me had just returned from a 5 year circumnavigation by her owners, a young English couple.
Outward bound, some days were like this..and some..
Like this..        
Safely at anchor 10 days out of England, an Atlantic voyage of just about everything, calms, fog, fine sailing breezes and a short but nasty gale just South of Cape Finisterre.           

I've seen this view a few times now in my wanderings over the years. Coast of Southern Spain on the port hand and off to Starboard lies Africa (Morocco) Makes me realise just how far I am from home..
What the ancients called one of the Pillars of Hercules, the Jebel Musa on the african shore in the Gibraltar Strait.             
And the other Pillar of Hercules on the European side..The Rock of Gibraltar.
It's nice to get ashore and find my land legs after a while at sea, and the walk into Gibraltar from the anchorage at Lalinea was ideal.                           

Off to sea again and a strange sight to an English man, blistering sunshine and snow on the mountains. In my land we either get sunshine or snow...rarely both together.. The white rectangles you can see on the lower slopes are enormous sheets of poly-tarp under which 60% of Northern Europes tomatoes, cucumbers etc: are grown. 

A few strange and interesting sights seen on the voyage up the Spanish coast.



Unfortunately marinas and harbours all over the world are full of abandoned dreams....

Seen in a small Spanish town denoting the district name...
And so the voyage continues..
With my only shipmate..bloody useless..can't steer, can't cook and falls asleep on lookout...still if I run short of stores I could always boil him up and eat him..  

Sail safely all... regards .Saxon

[Tim]

Wow! Looks wonderful Saxon, Thanks for sharing those great pics. And at least your crew doesn't talk back 

[Captain Smollett]

Wow, wonderful pictures.  Very inspiring.  Mate wants to hit the Med some day.  Can't wait to show her these pictures.

Thanks!

[Oldrig]

Saxon,

Welcome back. Thanks for the pictures!

--Joe

[maxiSwede]

thanks for sharing those photos Saxon. I just realized I saw you and your nice looking boat somewhere in the spring. Culatra maybe?

We are on a 32' red ketch.

[Skipper Dan]

Just started working a lot harder on my boat. Hoping to join you next spring. I will travel alone also. I am setting the boat up for single handed sailing inside and out. On an average what kinds of fees do you see for that kind of trip? I would be mooring out not in a marina.

Looks like so much fun and excitement.

Dan

[saxon]

Hello Maxi, Yes could have been Culatra, I was in there and at quite a few other anchorages along the Algarve  prior to passing through into the Med.

Skipper Dan. I'm on a service pension which together with my State Pension ( over 65 yrs of age) totals roughly ?1300 per month, you'll have to convert that to $..  I sail whenever I can, only use the diesel for berthing. I anchor very frequently, use marinas (not the expensive ones) occasionally but always try to find a reasonable and secure berth from about October to March. I'm too old and wrinkly to bounce around on the hook, even in the Med: in a winter gale..
It's not a life of luxury on that budget, but pleasant enough and for me as a single hander on a 'Kiss' principle boat, a life easily managed without being too spartan. I'm happy and contented. If the kids...Ha! both in their 40's... want to see me they fly out from home, otherwise they have to wait for the old boy to get back to England..Good luck with your plans....saxon.

That's 1300 English pounds but my keyboard seems to be having an off day..

[maxiSwede]

Saxon - glad to hear you've managed to live the life you want to.  Myself I am looking forward to retireement. Not for getting older, but for a steady income, even if on the small side.   

Still quite a few years to go.... 
 

[saxon]

You will make it one day Maxi. However much the world changes in the meantime, with a little forward planning, keeping yourself fit and your sights on the dream there will still be oceans for you to cross when the time comes.  regards Saxon.