Almerimar – November 2018
Tuesday 13th November…
LINDA - Thanks to Dean for keeping the Blog going whilst Linda went home for 10 days to visit our loved ones. She returned to Malaga with two more suitcases than when she left, bringing lots of food goodies including Trifle Mix for us and Choccy Buttons for Saffy, also a suitcase full of Dean’s tools and spares from home.
There was no time to re-settle into the Spanish lifestyle though, because on Wednesday Dean’s Aunty Von & Uncle Jim came to visit for a two day stay. We were really looking forward to seeing them again, having missed out on Aunty Von’s Big Birthday Bash this summer. We all went to the quiz at El Espigon restaurant on the evening. It was a great night and all of our team of 8 were in good spirits, especially as we won the bonus round of a bottle of Vino Tinto.
The amazing Aunty Von & Uncle Jim on-board Thésée
Next day the four of us plus Saffy Dog took a stroll along the promenade to stretch our legs. Then back in town Von & Jim treated us to lunch, and later on in the evening we ended up in the Irish Bar where there was a ‘Music Jam Session’ going on. It was rather hap hazard and a bit chilly so we kept our coats on.
On Friday Linda went to join in the ‘Ladies in Boats’ coffee morning meet and then it was time to eat even more food, and our gang of Von, Jim, Cris, Phil and us ended up in ‘The Stumble Inn’ for lunch and delicious Lemon Meringue Pie. Later in the afternoon we had to say cheerio to Von & Jim as they headed north and back home to Alicante Province.
The weekend arrived and on Saturday lunchtime our Spanish neighbours arrived to check up on their boat. They don’t have a passarelle and the husband unfortunately fell into the water trying to step ashore from his boat. It was a good job Dean was there to grab his hand whilst another neighbour arrived to help, and then they both managed to pull the guy out of the water.
Saturday night was Quiz Night, this time in Leo’s bar. Somehow, with a magnificent team effort we came 3rd, only two points behind the winners! And the next afternoon we were invited to a Pontoon Party with along with our neighbouring boats for a drinks and nibbles on the quayside. Saffy was so spoilt by everyone that it seems she decided to leave home and move in elsewhere, taking herself along the neighbour’s passaralle and having a wander about the deck of their boat!
Naughty Saffy Dog..... you don't live on that boat!
Here she is returning to dry land after her walk-about
In demand we are, because no sooner had the pontoon party ended, we were over to Chris and Phil’s as they had invited us onboard Bora La for dinner. Mmmmm Linda’s favourite Lasagne, and more Lemon Meringue Pie…. Delicious.
Every morning on the VHF radio at 10am there is an announcement by the live-aboards group. Amongst other things they ask if everyone is OK or need help/advice, give a brief weather forecast, and relay the weekly programme of events. Whilst Linda was away, Dean got roped into doing this Monday’s announcement. It was a bit nerve-wracking, being a newbie and all that. However, he was amazing, and here he is in full swing...
Good Morning Listeners
This morning Dean got the bikes out and we had a ride down the Esplanade along with Phil and Cris. We got further than we thought, actually reaching the castle. One of the roads was a long uphill slog, it reminded me of when we cycled with them before… at the Rock of Gibraltar! Then on the way back we dropped by the Tuesday afternoon Boules competition.
Phil, Cris, & Dean at the Castillo de Guardias Viejas
Now looking the other way across the nearby greenhouses....
Almerimar in the very distant background
On the way back now, entering Almerimar
Here's a few extra photos from the exciting week we've had...
Our morning view from Thésée.... snow on the mountaintops
Feels like Scandinavia, not Spain
The Capitania Office in the marina
Another part of the marina.... right in town this time
The Castillo
DEAN - This week I have been looking at few mods for the boat which I hope will make life a little easier as we move East next year and further into the Med. While Linda was in the UK she brought back a bracket that the lads at work made for me. 316 stainless steel of course. It fits on the bow roller at the front of the boat and when the anchor is dropped a little it will enable us to fit the passarelle at the front should we have to come in bows first. I also found a used bow ladder which can be used in a similar way. We already missed the chance to use a bows too mooring so I think this will be fine now.
Trying out the new bracket for size....it's perfect
I also had to find space to put all the spares and tools that Linda brought back with her. I had to fix the printer also. It’s pretty useless since we bought it back in the UK as it seems to use an ink cartridge every other day. Any way I stripped it down and hopefully once we get some more ink it will be fine now.
The printer in bits
I’ve been looking at anchor chain also. We have 30 metres of 12mm chain and about the same of rope but once we start to anchor more next year it looks like we will need a lot more chain. 12mm chain is really heavy so we are considering coming down to 10mm but of course that means we will have to change a few other things also. The anchor swivel only suits 12mm and also the windless gypsy will only handle 12mm. This will be ongoing for a little while I think.
A couple of extra photos Linda took without me noticing....
The new clew strap on the foresail
Here i added an extra line
to keep the lazy bag from collecting rain water
Highlight of the week - Thanks for coming to visit xx
On the breakwater looking at the stormy sky on Sunday
The big big rainbow
Front door lamp!
Coach roof grab handles....newly oiled
On Sunday I made a start on cleaning up the teak. Previously I have used a waterproof treatment but eventually it wears off and leaves stains everywhere. When I cleaned up the table back in Oerias near Lisbon I used the cleaner chemicals and then treated with teak oil and it still looks nice so I thought I would use that same method. So far so good.
Tuesday 20th November...
SAFFY – Hi, it’s Saffy Perro here. Mum and Dad told me it’s about time I started earning my keep and do something useful so here I am. They keep moaning about me getting under their feet and wanting to be carried up and down the companion way steps all the time. Well, it’s not very exciting for me being stuck on the floor here in the boat so I like to go outside and see what’s going on. Two nice people stopped by the other day and gave me a new doggie bed, then I also found some doggie treats which they had left for me on the passarelle. So now I keep a good lookout for passers by just incase they think I’m cute and want to stop by and give me a fuss.
The microwave that Dad rescued from the nearby flat clearance is coming in very handy (that’s when mum remembers to use it). Dad has booked himself a flight back to the UK for a very quick visit in December. I’ll have to be nice to mum so she takes me on lots of walks whilst Dad isn’t here. Dad listens to the Almerimar Net on the VHF radio every morning. Sometimes he talks as well. This week I heard him asking if anyone knew a local place to buy printer cartridges. On Thursday the Net was very busy with people having items to sell.
Mum and Dad have also been looking at hiring a car so we can all go for a ride up into the mountains and do some sightseeing. I’m really looking forward to that. One thing that is annoying me is that they keep going out without me in the evenings. I’ve never known them go out so much. They always say ‘we won’t be long Saffy Perro’ but they always are. Twice a week they go to quiz nights, I think they’re getting quite good at it, or maybe it’s their team mates doing the work.
Mum has completed another jigsaw that Dad bought from the local charity shop. It was a bit of a mystery jigsaw because it was in a plastic bag with no box or picture. She soon had it worked out though and the picture turned out to be a lovely snow scene. Mum goes out on her own on a Friday morning to the ‘Ladies in Boats’ meet up. This week they talked about scary moments whilst sailing. I think they all had lots to talk about!
This one only took 4 sessions to complete....just a quick 500 pieces
On Sunday afternoon we had quite a long walk along the marina breakwater. The sky was stormy, the sun was out, and there was a huge rainbow over Almerimar. Then on the evening there was a scary storm with lightening and very loud thunder. Mum and Dad have been sorting out the Charts and doing some route-planning for next year’s adventures.
This afternoon it got really really windy, but we still went for a little walk-about. Mum had cooked a whole chicken and I couldn’t wait to tuck into my dinner when we got back. I haven’t had fresh chicken for ages and I ate it up in about 30 seconds. I hope there’s more for me tomorrow, i love it.
It’s nearly my bedtime and Dad just went outside to check on the lines because it’s still blowing a gale… 30-40 knots I heard them say. Dad was shocked when he found one of the lines had completely snapped in two. He’s so clever and soon had another line put on in its place. We’ve never had that happen before.
Mum braving the wind to show off our solar lights (in the winch)
Don't know why Dad's smiling....
he's just found our snapped line hanging in the water
Dad has been doing lots of jobs around the boat this week. He said he’s going to write about it because I’m exhausted now after all this typing. I’m off to bed. Night Night.
Zzzzzzzz..........
DEAN - I decided to fit a light above the companion way by the bridge deck (front door) to the land lubbers. When we get home from the quiz nights Linda can't get the key in the hole because it's too dark. Yeah right!!! Too many Bacardi's, no wonder we never win the quiz! Anyway I bought an LED battery lamp and that seems to work OK.
I'll do the toe rails over the next few weeks.
Tonight it's blowing Force 8 but hopefully that will calm over the next few days. I did the VHF net again on Monday, it's still quite nerve racking! However I did mention that I needed another pair of dinghy oars and somebody near to us had some for sale, so I managed to swap the old outboard cover and a few euro for them. They're just the job. I made such a good job with the varnish on the wooden oars that I now don't want to get them damaged in the dinghy.
Showing off the new dinghy oars
I'll have a go at splicing 8 plait tomorrow and see if I can repair the snapped mooring line.
Hopefully we can also make a decision about the new anchor chain soon and get that ordered, once that decision is made we can then concentrate on the solar panel issues.
It never ends. Must make sure that Saffy dog is pulling her weight, she's been asleep all day today and is always under my feet.
Tuesday 27th November… HAPPY BIRTHDAY WISHES to ALAN this week
LINDA - Well another week has flown by here in Almerimar. We……well me actually, i've been eager to check out the local bus routes into El Ejido and beyond. So last Wednesday we caught the number 21 bus just outside the Mercadona supermarket and it was just 1.30 euros each and a 15 minute bus journey to Carrefour where there is a small retail shopping centre also. As well as a tester for trying out the bus, we had to buy a new colour printer cartridge from Carrefour. There were some nice clothes shops in the mall and Linda said ‘she’ll be back’ but on her own next time to do some serious browsing.
Hotel Golf Almerimar .... next to the bus stop
Linda feeling festive at the shopping centre
Phil and Cris our friends, hired a car and went to Granada for a few days to see the Alhambra Palace, and Dean kept an eye on their boat. Well it was fortunate that he did because after the strong winds we had, he found their brand new cockpit table cover hanging by a thread over the side of the boat. Saved just in time it would seem.
Dean had a lovely long phone chat with his sister Wendy and it was good to know that all is well with everyone at home. Saffy has been getting fat on chicken dinners, it’s her treat for letting us go out at night to the quizzes. This week we found out that you can buy a card for the local launderette which will save us having to collect 1 euro coins all the time, so we bought one of those. We also checked out the M333 bus which goes direct to Almeria. We’ll be using this to go and get the hire car on Friday.
There is a bit of a competition in the marina this Christmas for the best decorated boat. So far we have bought two flower windmills and two solar lights. More decorations will follow in due course.
The first of the flower windmills..... hope they don't blow away
Linda has been busy checking out the car hire from Bristol for Dean’s quickie visit next month. You really have to read the terms and conditions closely as all the websites and suppliers are different. Usually there is a massive excess that they want to hold against your credit card, so it’s a bit scary really. Then some only offer limited mileage, whilst others appear to be on the airport grounds until you read about the shuttle bus that you have to pay for to get to the car. These issues are to name just a few. And of course we want the best price possible, so it takes quite a lot of research before we are happy and ready to part with cash.
Last weekend was extremely windy here, we think about 38 knots and it went on for over 24 hours. I would say on average we are getting gale force winds about once a week. On the other hand when it’s calm and sunny (like today) it’s idyllic and we are in shorts and t-shirts. On days like today it’s hard to comprehend that it’s really the end of November.
Strike a pose Dean.....deep breaths
We arranged a dinner party on board Thesee on Sunday evening with guests Ant & Cid from Impavidous, and Phil & Cris from Bora La. Cid cooked a wonderfully tasty cottage pie whilst Linda made a colourful trifle for dessert. Afterwards, we had a bit of a music quiz and then a game of Tri-ominoes. It was a good night and at least it took our minds of the windy weather going on outside for a while.
I can't resist another photo of the snow capped mountains on a sunny day
...and another photo taken from Thesee's bow
DEAN– Well another busy week here in paradise. I found a break in the weather and small amount of enthusiasm to start cleaning the toe rails. I use a two stage teak cleaning fluid but of course it plays havoc with your hands so I seem to have lost all my finger prints!
Anyway the teak now looks great. I managed to order some more of the same teak oil from France and hopefully that will turn up in the next few days so I can finish the job off.
Before and after shots of the toe rails
Rope slicing
I managed to splice together the snapped mooring line from the other day. At least it will do as a spare.
Sorting out the anchor template
Measuring the chain
The replacement anchor chain saga is still ongoing. We have 12mm chain which is heavy, especially when I want to replace the whole lot with 100 metres. Anyway after seeking some advice and talking to fellow Beneteau 50 owners, one in Australia and one in America it seems that the boat will take the weight. I made some more measurements and took an average of the measurements over about 20 links. We need to make sure it's the correct size so it fits in the gypsy! That's the the chain drive gear on the electric windlass. I'm also going to change the anchor for a better type. This means I have to check the fit in the bow roller arrangement. So: print off the paper template, stick to some card, cut it out and try it for size. Looks like it will be OK with a couple of minor mods.
Cockpit lights
After the wind the other day I noticed the new cockpit light was a little loose. I found an old oil container and made a new bracket, it's a lot better. I also added another so we now have twice the light. I managed to add a hailing device to the passarelle while I was at it.
Front door bell!
This will be the last blog post entitled Almerimar - November 2018
The next post will of course be entitled Almerimar - December 2018
