I really didn't didn' think of it as an adventure, so much as a voyage into the unknown. Something so completely differant to my life on earth so far. Working as a chef/manager in restaurants in England. Working where you get your supplies daily and now I was working out how to shop for at least a month for the crossing from Palm to Antigua. Luckily there was plenty of help around and I was shown a few tricks. Like how to store the fresh fruit and vegetables in the owner's bathroom, everything wrapped in paper, taking things that would last a long time, red and white cabbage, water melon, apples, chinese cabbage for salad later on, carrots, seeds for sprouting. Loads of tins and dry foods.
It felt quite exciting, everyday as we got closer to the leaving date, we would sail from Palma to Gilbrata then on to the Canaries from there straight across to Antigua. Last minute varnishing, putting the boat back in the water, testing the motor and the electircs, putting the sails back on, testing all the sails for rips and holes, doing all the shopping the boat was a constant whirl of activity and we still managed to go out and have fun.
Finally we left Portals Nous to make our way to Gibralta, it is when we were in the straights of Gibralta that I had my near on collision with a tanker, which I thought to be a house on the hill. The captain came rushing up from the cart table took the helm out of my hands and steared the boat out of trouble. I found Gibralta to be the strangest of places, a little bit of England surrounded by Spain. English pubs, fish and chips, pints of guiness, and the rock of Gibralter full of those very cheeky monkeys. It was fun for a few days and then we moved on.
More please, don't leave us hanging on.......
Posted by: Your SIL | September 15, 2011 at 10:20 AM