Cádiz, Spain – We are now officially 100% in Andalusia, after having gone back and forth between Portugal and Spain in the last month. After our last posting and before arriving here, we spent a week or so travelling further down the west and south coasts of Portugal, and now southern Spain.* I feel we have been “all over the place” recently, I can’t remember the exact details of everything so I will give you a few highlights here…. A lot of working on the boat, cleaning, taking care of business matters, homeschooling and a little fun!
Sailing south along the western coast of Portugal was very uncomfortable so we were thrilled to have rounded the Cape of São Vicente (the most western point of Europe) to the southern coast (the Algarve) where things were much, much better weather-wise, swell wise, etc.
It was sunny, clear blue skies and smooth sailing.
There is a plethora of dolphins around the cape and on one day of perfect sailing, we spent about 45 minutes playing with a pack that was swimming back and forth the bow of Begonia. Sebastian almost touched them while leaning over the side of the boat. The kids really enjoyed this and I have to say it was better than Seaworld!
It was the most exceptional day sailing we have had yet on this entire trip.
In the Algarve we met up again with our buddy boats TinFish and Soleil and celebrated a birthday, played volleyball on the beach, went swimming and the kids went sailing in the dinghy. The weather has been great so far and all we could wish for after having experienced colder temps in June and July.
In Punta Umbria, we anchored on the Rio Odiel for about 10 days, and dedicated much of our time to fixing the boat. We are starting to realize that having a boat is a complete money pit! We needed to repair the seals on the sail drive since some salt water had seeped inside and mixed with the oil. This repair required us to take the boat out of the water (
mucha pasta! as they say here in Spain, which means, “mucho dinero”) which has also taken some time to coordinate with August being a very important vacation month in Spain, the religious holidays and the businesses being closed from about 1:30-5pm every day.
But, alas, MacGyver fixed it, while the kids and I spent the day in Huelva.
It was a pleasure to take this long breather in Punta Umbria to hang out with Gustavo Diaz, yet another one of Sebastian's sailing buddies from Argentina. Gustavo, his wife and two boys built their own catamaran years ago in Patagonia, sailed it back and forth to Spain for the Expo in 1992 and participated in all the celebrations for the 500th anniversary of the Discoveries as a representative of the sailing community coming back to Spain from the New World… All very symbolic and a wonderful opportunity.
After returning to Argentina for a few years, they decided to come back to Spain and have been living here - on their boat, the Gandul, for the last 10 years. Gustavo has always been somewhat of an idol for Sebastian, having received his Captain's license through Gustavo who is an excellent sailing teacher. But more importantly, Gustavo has been a role model Sebastian for his courage to take this trip and lead an alternate lifestyle.
We backtracked a little and spent another couple of days on the Rio Guadiana which separates Spain and Portugal, where we visited the towns of Alcoutim on the Portuguese side and Sanlúcar on the Spanish side. In order to use up some time while we were waiting for specific part for the sail drive fix to arrive we spent a day back in Lisbon where we had to return to pick up Benjie’s new passport, as well as another day in Sevilla where it was very hot…. 42 degrees C or 108 degrees F!!!
We aren’t complaining about the weather though!
It has been great to again be able to jump off the side of the boat for a quick swim, and to bathe outside under the moonlight with a solar shower.
Since we have anchored in rivers with strong currents we have had to be extra careful about the kids swimming.
After a couple of scares where the kids were pulled away from the boat and got nervous about trying to get back, we have required swimming with life vests as well as tied a buoy way off the stern that the kids can grab onto.
The new school year for the Begonia Boatschool officially started a couple of weeks ago and Benjie is now in Kindergarten, Sofia in second grade. It has been much easier to have them both formally in classes, whereas before it was mostly Sofia and Benjie participating in a few activities. We are in a better groove and the promise of swimming and sun when the kids finish their work is the best incentive. Back in Galicia, we were given some workbooks that are actually used in elementary schools in Spain and have been using these rigorously. But, the ones in the Gallego language I have decided to forego!
It has been nice to sink into a routine again.
The kids usually do a quick swim after breakfast, we do homeschool until lunch, eat lunch and then go into town.
Since businesses and people aren’t out and about until about 4 or 5 in the afternoon, this is when we hit the town and come back to have our dinner on Begonia or maybe we will go out much later, have a bite in town and walk around and people watch.
It is still very light out, and of course perfect temperatures.
Even if we were to leave the boat earlier, everything would be closed, there would be no one walking the streets and it would appear like a ghost town. In Spain everything happens so much later.
Tonight while walking around Puerto Santa María at 11pm, we overheard a child ask his parents if he could have ice cream, and the mother responded, “not until after we go home and eat dinner!”
Only in España!!!
So, for now “no more port wine on the port side in Portugal.”
It is now “sherry on the starboard side in Spain!!!”
Next stop:
Gibraltar and rounding the strait.
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| Dolphins! |
*Specific cities we visited in order: In Portugal - Sines, Sagres, Olhão/Ilha Culatra. In Spain - Isla Cristina, Punta Umbría, Huelva, Sevilla, Alcoutim, Sanlúcar, Puerto Sherry, Puerto Santa María and Cádiz.
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| More Dolphins!!! |
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| Sebita playing with the dolphins |
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| And more dolphins! |
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| The "Begonias" on the trampoline dolphin-watching |
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| Cabo de Sao Vicente |
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| Rounding the Cape |
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| Birthday Breakfast |
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| Guys setting up the volleyball net.... |
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| Birthday Party Time! |
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| Celebrating with Tinfish and Soleil |
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| The three first-mates |
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| The three captains |
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| The kids helping me blow out the candles |
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| Ilha da Culatra, Portugal |
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| All fun and games heading back from Olhao in the dinghies.... |
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| ...Until low tide and we were stuck without water and had to carry the dinghies almost all the way to our boats! |
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| Downtown Olhao |
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| Next Koziura Construction project? |
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| Olhao fish market |
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| Olhao farmer's market... the lettuce and tomatoes were amazing! |
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| Back in Spain.... putting up the courtesy flag. |
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| MacGyver puts a new trampoline net up.... |
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| MacGyver cleans the hulls.... |
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| MacGyverette repairs and sews "Smarty" the horse. |
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| MacGyverette sews her first stuffed animal... |
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| Replicas of the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria in La Rabida, Huelva. |
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| Columbus checking the charts on his way to "India..." |
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| Yes, that was Columbus' first reaction too upon arriving to the New World! |
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| Now Sevilla |
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| The Jewish Quarter was our favorite part.... very pictoresque.... |
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| Janey, the horse, meets her relative sevillano... |
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| My dream house will have this Spanish style... |
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| Keeping hydrated in 108 degree weather! |
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| Didn't I mention that even the grocery store is a cultural experience? Leg of ham anyone? |
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| Despite what it looks like, the cured ham is actually quite good! I just don't understand why they have to keep the hoof intact? |
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| Water parade for one of the religious holidays. |
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| Back in Lisbon.... the navigators. |
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| Kids playing a game trying to find different countries on the map. Great geography lesson! |
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| Gandul and Begonia together at last... |
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| Hermanos patagonicos reunidos! |
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| Gustavo and Ofelia from Gandul |
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| Benj steering us up the Guadiana |
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| Nice calm afternoon |
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| Just arrived at 9:30pm and jumped in the water to cool off |
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| Two courtesy flags since we were on the river border of Spain and Portugal |
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| Picture taken from Alcoutim, Portgual overlooking the Guadiana River and Sanlucar, Spain on the other side. |
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| Andalusia and the Algarve are famous for their "white houses." |
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| What a surprise! Here comes Gustavo up the river with a group of people who chartered his boat! |
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| Having fun in the river... |
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| The trimaran Benjie and Peter rebuilt together... |
Scroll down left panel to see prior postings!
FOUNTAINE PAJOT ATHENA 38 CATAMARAN FOR SALE – After our wonderful experience, BEGONIA is ready for its next sailing family – with or without children! Please contact sebastiankoziura@hotmail.com for more information.
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