Frontiers

We finally cut the umbilical chord and left Vila Real de San Antonia, a frontier town in Portugal  on the banks of the guardiana river, the border with Spain. We had a brilliant sail and did our usual, we were enjoying it so much we kept on going for 30 hours. We didn't mean to go to sea!

It was a tester for Tristans back and although he was tired, I'm not sure a long passage is the way to go yet. It took me 24 hours to get my sea legs but that's always the worse and why long passages are often easier. 

We arrived in La Linea and within five minutes of handing our ship papers to the Marina, were photographed by the Guardia Civil. Not sure whether it's to do with being in Spain for 185 days in 18 months or just bad timing. Jury's out. We still have a few months grace but it does mean you have to be accurate counting days in Spain and keeping proof where you've been.

After a day's rest in brilliant sunshine....the varnishing kit came out. I haven't been able to get Epiphanes so have opted to use Titan Yate with extra UV. Its a bit like applying sugar syrup as oppose to treacle, but  it's better to put something on than let the varnish go and I can always do a proper job later.  

The sun didn't last long. We've had horrendous rain and feel boat bound but at least some of the varnish looks ok. I love to see the beading of water on fresh varnish.

We went into Gibralter and did a bacon and sausage shop at Morrissons. We also stocked up on things we haven't had for ages.....tahini, more marmite, teabags, birds custard powder, English mustard. It's funny you crave for things you have around in the the UK but then when you get them, they are never as good as you remenber and you wonder where that craving came from. That trips over back to local produce in the market.

We walked up the rock a little way to find a picnic spot, but somehow kept on going. We didn't mean to walk to the top, but we did, and we seemed to be the only ones walking up. 

The vegetation was  scrubby  Mediterranean, mattoral. Although the limestone rock contains 37% of Gibralters flora, it seemed far from natural. The military presence alone had altered huge areas.

There are around  200 Barbary Macaques living on the rock with 30 babies born each year. The population is sustainable, according to monkey patrol, but they are fed twice a day with fruit and nuts, to supplement their foraging. They occasionally  go into town into houses and steal plastic carrier bags of food. They struck me a a bunch of renegades. 

The macaques are tail less monkeys which are thought to have lost their tails in adaptation to the cold. 

The rock is around 400 metres, not that high really but constantly being questioned about its ownership. The Spanish want the UK to leave Europe as I'm sure they see it as another opportunity to regain control of Gibralter.

On the south side of the rock, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, colonies of gulls compete noisily for nesting space.

Having made it to the top it seemed a cop out to take the cable car down, even though we were offered free tickets. We decide to keep walking down the Mediterranean steps.

There was a group of four monkeys huddled on the narrow steps which we had to walk around. I think they were more afraid of the big baboon.

By the time we'd reached the bottom of the step, our legs were like jelly but there was still a fair way to go down the Devils gap footpath into the upper old town, town centre and back across the runway to La Linea.