Allan McCashin

Great sail back to Gibraltar. Picked the perfect day and conditions. Steady westerly 13kn gusts no more than 17kn. Traffic in the straits were a bit busy than usual all the way into the bay. Bombay Sapphire hit 10.3 Kn coming round and the point into the Bay of Gibraltar.

Waited until I cleared Punta Alema Cueta until I could get a better feel for the wind gust. 60% head sail out and headed 345 for the middle of Gibraltar bay. Bit lump but a great sail over. wind dusted 30 kts max.

Tonic the Cat's first saling passage. Beautiful sailing over the straits. First passage under sail with the new sails and rigging. Perfect!

Had to push hard out of Cartagena to stay in front on the strong NE forecast. Hit some rough weather north of the Almeria point. Took a bit of a soaking for about 6 hours. Could not get into Benalmadena marina. Sitting on the holding quay at Fuengirola. I'll find out later today or tomorrow if I can stay here for 7-10 days. Longest solo sail for a very long time. Looking forward to many more.

Engine 418.7 Fuel Starboard 50% Port 100% Straight sail down. Wind was a lot weaker than the forecast. Between 8 to 10 knots. Engine and head sail. Stayed 50 nm offshore and avoided the traffic. Only 2 tankers during the night sail who were well off me.

Great sail round to the south of Ibiza. 7.5 knots out of 23 knots of gust. Last night on anchor at Port Brut was extremely rolly. Stayed on anchor watch until 2am to ensure the weather change followed the forecast Engine 390.7

Move round the corner to avoid heavy weather.

Nice sail over to the south of Ibiza. Head sail with 10 knots of wind on the beam. Deck duel transferred 3 days ago. Both tanks full. Headind to the Blue Marlin tonight with Pat and his crew.