Gibraltar Back to Lagos
Click on chart to view at full resolutionAfter four days in Gib I was ready to leave and head for my winter berth in Lagos.  I had originally planned to spend most of the month of September cruising up the SW coast of Spain and then across the Algarve of Portugal to Lagos.

However I was growing tired of the daily push to get from one harbor to another and the constant checking of the weather to determine if I should head for a marina or an anchorage.  I was considering a straight run from Gibraltar to Lagos, a distance of over 175 nm.  This would require a day and a half of no sleep, and would not be covered by my insurance.

By the time I was ready to leave Gib a near gale was blowing at Tarifa, the narrowest point in the strait.  It is almost always blowing off Tarifa.  When Chris, Martin and I passed there on the way into Gib, it must have been one of the few calm days of the year.  Especially with easterly winds, a gentle force 4 at Gibraltar is almost always a force 7 at Tarifa.

Not wanting to set any speed records sailing out of the strait I stayed in Gib a few more days waiting for the winds to subside a bit more.
The Strait of Gibraltar, September 2, 2006
Click on picture to view at full resolutionOn Saturday it looked like a good wind to get through the straits.  The forecast called for force 4 -5 at Tarifa.

Besides the strong winds, the other factor that must be taken into account when  transiting the straits are the currents, both the prevailing west to east current and the daily tidal currents.

When transiting west to east, the current is not that great a factor as ,except at maximum ebb out of the Med, the current will almost always be favorable.  Even at max ebb the counter current is normally 1 kt or less.

When transiting east to west, it is best to take the tidal current into account such that the vessel arrives off Tarifa at or near the maximum ebb.  This will provide a slight push out of the straits, or at worse only a slight head current.  If you hit Tarifa at maximum flood into the Med, the counter current can be more than 3 knots.

In an attempt to hit the max ebb at Tarifa I left Gibraltar around 13:00 and headed down Algeciras Bay to the strait.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionAs I entered the strait there was a force 4 breeze out of the east, providing a gentle sail for this boat.  I elected to keep motoring to insure I arrived at Tarifa on time.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionI passed this well-loaded container ship entering Algeciras Bay.  The containers were stacked to just below the height of the bridge.  Almost every day some number of containers are lost overboard somewhere in the world.  Many sink, but many others float for weeks or even years.  Not something I would want to run into during the night in the middle of the ocean.  It almost looks like there are a few holes in the stacks on this ship.  I wonder ...
Click on picture to view at full resolutionBy the time I reached Tarifa, the forecast for force 4 -5 was clearly not correct.  At Tarifa the wind was blowing a solid 6.  Past Tarifa the wind continued to build to force 7.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionOff Tarifa I was passed by this catamaran.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionThe harbor at Tarifa.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionBecause of the near constant high winds there are numerous wind farms around Tarifa.
Barbete, September 2, 2006
Click on screen capture to view at full resolutionAfter I cleared the strait I set a course for Lagos, about 150 nm away.  I expected the winds to drop as I moved west and north of the straits, but they continued to blow force 6 - 7.  I was willing to risk an un-insured trip in moderate conditions, but not in potentially gear-busting conditions.

So I aborted the trip straight to Lagos and turned north to the port of Barbete (barb-a-tay) and took a berth for the night.
Barbete to Lagos, September 3 - 4, 2006
Click on picture to view at full resolutionShortly after sunrise the next morning I left  Barbete, rounded Cabo Trafalgar and headed straight for Lagos.  Now the distance was 140 nm, only slightly more than a normal 24 hour run.

There was a slight force 4 breeze out of the east, and I started to motor-sail toward Lagos.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolutionLater that day I heard the operator at the Tarifa VTS excitedly calling a vessel named Hornbeam.  The Tarifa Radio operator was warning the vessel that they were entering the westbound traffic lane without permission and demanded that they stop and await direction from Tarifa.

I could not hear the ship respond, but my AIS plot showed them (red triangle) continue through the westbound lane heading north toward Cadiz.  Tarifa Radio told them the would file a report on the incident.  I suspect the captain or one of the officers is in serious trouble.
Lagos, September 5, 2006
Click on picture to view at full resolutionThat afternoon the wind died to about force 3 and I motored all night, arriving off Lagos shortly after sunrise on Monday.
Click on screen capture to view at full resolutionDead tired I entered the harbor at Lagos, tied to the marina reception dock (in a semi-controlled crash landing) to register then moved to my home for the next seven months.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionThe entrance to the harbor at Lagos is a long canal dug on what was otherwise an unnavigable river.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionThis is the reception dock at the Marina de Lagos.  It is really nice to have an 80M dock at the marina rather than the tiny or non-existent reception docks at so many marinas in Spain.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionThanks to a lot of EU seed money most of the marinas in Portugal and Spain have very large, if unattractive, office buildings.  These offices house not only the marina administration and reception, but also the immigration, customs, and maritime police offices.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionTo get in and out of the marina you have to pass through this lift foot bridge next to the office.  A call on VHF channel 9 to the marina office will generally get a prompt opening.  Of course this means that only small powerboats can sneak out of the marina without paying their bill.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionThis is a portion of the marina basin, with a number of restaurants and bars in the building behind the berths.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionSarah, in her berth at the Marina de Lagos.
Click on picture to view at full resolutionMy home for the next 7 months.
With my arrival in Lagos, my summer 2006 cruise is over.  I will spend the next seven months preparing Sarah to re-cross the Atlantic back the USA and do some more land cruising of the Algarve and SW Spain over the winter.