The Motley’s
are excited to announce that we again have (some very brave) crew arriving in June to help us sail to
the Balearics. Obviously it only takes
one to start the ball rolling. GS (aka
Chief Navigator) has made these plans to get us from Gibraltar to Menorca with
a little sightseeing in between….( weather & time permitting):
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Socially Acceptable at Last
More Nav Plans
Gibraltar.
We will leave our guests to climb the Rock, talk to monkeys and wander
down historic streets. When we’re ready,
we’ll hit the magenta line. Needless to
say, we also plan to stock up on goodies that promise to be hard to find once
we’re underway, such as British beef & lamb, mint sauce, creamed honey and
marmalade. Thank goodness for the WAECO.
Smir, Morocco. We loved exploring Chefchaouen so much with
BCK we are hoping our guests don’t mind taking time for a ride up to into the
Rif Mountains with us. We can, after
sipping mint tea, stroll through the famed blue village and visit its walled medina.
Cueta, Spain. We’ll take a stop at this interesting Spanish
enclave on the African coast to stock up on groceries and wait out tides and
winds to cross the Gibraltar Straits.
Then let the day hopping along the Spanish “Costa del Sol” begin.
Costa del Sol, Spain. Our main stop will be Fuengirola Marina. From here we can explore Roman ruins and palaeolithic
caves in Ronda; walk through Mijas, one of the famed AndalucĂan
white villages; and then catch a train to Granada
to explore the famous Alhambra and Generalife Gardens. I’m sure we’ll have time to snack on tapas,
dance flamenco and taste head-spinning local vinho (it will be the cheap stuff
JD – so prepare yourself!). Nearby
Malaga also has the Museo Picasso, so be prepared for a little culture hit too!
Costa Blanca, Spain. A few more day stops to Cartagena, a famous
old town and our base to explore this coast. After days of being turisticos, we will anchor
to R&R in the Mar Menor, a shallow inland sea.
Costa del Azahar, Spain. Last stop along mainland Spain’s orange
blossom coast will be Valencia where we can hunt for the Holy Grail, said to be
in the Cathedral there. We can also
prepare ourselves for the party and sun worshippers that flock to the Balearic
Islands over a plate or two of paella.
Ibiza, Mallorca & Menorca, Spain. Hopefully we’ll have time and weather to
enjoy the good life as we anchor in narrow calas, eat at beach cafes and swim
in clear blue waters. Somebody famous
lives here for sure but I don’t think we’ll really care…
A hectic schedule? Of course, we hope the crew approve and it's always open to discussion! Meanwhile the Motley's are busy preparing WJ3 for her Monday morning splash (27th May). From Lagos we will slowly make our way to Gibraltar, so keep your eye on our tracker & map. (Let's make that a 28th May splash - the steaming light's not working & that means another trip to the top of the mast for our Cap'n.)
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Slow Boating
Lagos, Portugal
On Saturday, the sun came out and those devilish Nortada winds abated – well, for a few hours at least. The Cap’n and Mate downed tools and went to explore the local farmer’s market (snails, bunnies, guinea pigs not to mention ducks and plenty of chickens). There’s also plenty of fresh local fruit and vege and someone always seems to be running a fundraising table laden with exotic cakes and slices.
Lightheaded and in a
jovial holiday mood, the Motleys took a Grotto Tour. It’s just as well! Bruce would not have been happy dancing in
and out of caves, squeezing through tiny cavities in rock formations (with very
strange names) and surfing over submerged rocks. Sometimes, local know-how is essential. As our local boat captain said, “My head is
all the GPS I needed to negotiate these waters”. Well, we hope that’s what he was saying to us
(in Portuguese)!
(This is a cat-o-tel set up by a local charity at the back of the Fishermens Harbour to care for cats that are dumped along the beach area. They're very friendly (not ferals) and were happy for a tummy scratch.)
The Algarve
is known for its sunshine. Not this
week! We even had thunderstorms rumbling
by yesterday. There’s an enormous Hanse 531 next to us in the yard and we hoped
that his (rather larger) mast would take the brunt of any lightning strikes. Good looking and useful too!
So now we’re
busy at cleaning up chores, doing a few minor repairs and monitoring the last
of the bow-thruster installation tasks.
Any wonder we’re still driving a 12 year old Larry Astra…. This said the Cap’n is the end of upgrades -
maintenance only from now on. Sure.On Saturday, the sun came out and those devilish Nortada winds abated – well, for a few hours at least. The Cap’n and Mate downed tools and went to explore the local farmer’s market (snails, bunnies, guinea pigs not to mention ducks and plenty of chickens). There’s also plenty of fresh local fruit and vege and someone always seems to be running a fundraising table laden with exotic cakes and slices.
(This is a cat-o-tel set up by a local charity at the back of the Fishermens Harbour to care for cats that are dumped along the beach area. They're very friendly (not ferals) and were happy for a tummy scratch.)
Friday, May 24, 2013
Double Decker Cruising
London
For our second day the weather could have been a bit better, but undeterred, we sat up top in a double decker tour bus and travelled the red, yellow and blue routes.
Overwhelmed with information, we hopped off at the Victoria and Albert Museum for a “lunch & loo” stop before popping by to see the huge Raphael cartoons (drawings) housed there. Unfortunately, the Textile Museum (with a Kaffe Fassett exhibition) was closed – both Sunday & Monday…
No chance there, so we decided to whizz passed Harrods, cross over Oxford Street, and pretend we had time to take in a show at one the numerous theatres in West End instead. (GS made a mental note for next time we’re in town though). At least this time she did not come back with a Selfridge’s bag bulging with a purple fur coat (fake), a suede fringed vest or outlandish snakeskin high heels. Well, come on! It was the Seventies…
The stars must be in the boot? |
For our second day the weather could have been a bit better, but undeterred, we sat up top in a double decker tour bus and travelled the red, yellow and blue routes.
Tower Bridge under some blue sky |
Overwhelmed with information, we hopped off at the Victoria and Albert Museum for a “lunch & loo” stop before popping by to see the huge Raphael cartoons (drawings) housed there. Unfortunately, the Textile Museum (with a Kaffe Fassett exhibition) was closed – both Sunday & Monday…
It's amazing who your neighbours are.... |
No chance there, so we decided to whizz passed Harrods, cross over Oxford Street, and pretend we had time to take in a show at one the numerous theatres in West End instead. (GS made a mental note for next time we’re in town though). At least this time she did not come back with a Selfridge’s bag bulging with a purple fur coat (fake), a suede fringed vest or outlandish snakeskin high heels. Well, come on! It was the Seventies…
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
One Fine Stay
London
We can now understand
why Queen Victoria loved the Isle of Wight.
It was a great place to be and well out of the city rat-race, even if
home was a palace. There is no doubt
about it, London is huge. It’s vibrant,
expensive, and wall to wall with people, tourists included. There’s a lot to see and do and you really do
have to pinch yourself to believe that everything (mostly) is REAL. The Motleys had allocated a little over two
days for their first foray – a tester perhaps, to see if sailing to the UK was
at all do-able, weather permitting. Add
to the mix Cap’n Peg Leg‘s gammy leg and we knew we were going to be doing it
tough. But we did our briny best….
Luckily our hotel in Westminster
was central, so on Saturday we met up with Peter, Petra and baby Ben for a
guided walking tour of the “must do” sights.
There is no doubt that walking in a new city is the best way of
understanding it. Following along, even at
a snail’s pace, we managed to cover the best picks for a top ten (well, twenty
really!).
Yes, we were really there... |
All eyes were on that horse! |
Getting lost at Australia Gate near The Palace |
After visiting Number 10 and
the Queen, we recovered over a nice lunch near Nelson’s Column. Then it was on to admire Christopher Wren’s
masterpiece, St Paul’s Cathedral before pondering the fate of dissidents or
pirates at the Tower of London. We warmed up with tea & scones under the
Tower Bridge, before braving a river cruise back upstream passing South Bank
highlights including the Golden Hinde and Shakespeare’s Globe.
Under the Tower Bridge (a PG photo) |
And yes, it did rain (thankfully not all day) |
Monday, May 20, 2013
Famous Sea Captains
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard
We learned that HMS
Victory (1759) is docked at Portsmouth, so before heading back to the Isle of
Wight by ferry, we managed a short visit to the oldest dry dock in the world
and of course the ship housed in it, the Victory – Admiral Lord Nelson’s
flagship. The Victory has been
beautifully restored although there’s still plenty more work to be done. “A little big for us,” said the Cap’n
glancing at acres of brass and caulked timbers, not to mention the odd cannon
or two.
The Business side |
Obviously not set for the heat of battle |
Circa 1900 (Wiki) |
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Resting in Fareham
Fareham: 25th May 1972
We visited Fareham on
the 8th May to pay our respects to the Capn's father.
As you can imagine the cemetery grounds were beautifully maintained;
spring flowers and ancient trees peppered green lawns. We had no trouble finding JGP’s gravesite and
after an all-too-brief visit left an Aussie flag and coin (It was all we had!)
so that he could have a reminder of his home and family – so very far away.
Chapel at Fareham where the service was held |
Monday, May 13, 2013
Good Weather Tomorrow?
More Hedgerow Running
Walk over Smuggler’s Bones The Buddle Inn 16th C at Niton |
Admire Cottage Gardens in Spring Mottistone Manor Gardens |
Have Scones & Tea with the Queen Osbourne House & Queen Victoria |
Spend the day at the Beach Niton Undercliff - nice sand!!! |
Rub Shoulders with Posh Yachties on Yarmouth Pier |
Visit the Big House Puckaster House 1824 |
Hedgerow Running
Isle of Wight
On one small
island there are remains of dinosaurs, evidence of prehistoric man, Roman
ruins, places where Royalty have stayed and cute cottages in postcard villages.
Everywhere! The Motley’s hired a car and
took a spin through narrow hedgerows admiring scenery from rolling green pastures
to dramatic cliff faces. And there was even
the odd sail boat or three braving not quite summer conditions. What a perfect start to the season.
Our host,
Linda “I’ve heard the weather is going
to be better tomorrow”, ensured we were snug and well fed, met the locals
(including Lovejoy) and kept up with gardening duties. We learned of Uffa Fox’s (a famous sailor
& yacht designer) connection with the cottage, had a personal tour through the
nearby grand cottage orne, Puckaster House (1824) & beautiful grounds and
ate cheese before pudding in typical British fashion…
So what are
the Motley’s recommendations for the IOW?
Try the Local Brew |
Experience Real History
(St Lawrence Old Church 12th C) |
Meet the Neighbours - Peter & Sharker |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)