Tour Hassan Rabat, Morocco.

Next visit we took a Petite Taxi (They are Blue  smaller than the ‘Grand white Mercedes and MUCH cheaper!) Anyway the destination was the Hassan Tower. With Grand Mosque and Mausoleum.  This had a mounted guard at either entrance and other foot guards at strategic doorways.  On the way home we found the Marjane supermarket which seems to be the only place to buy beers!
Writing all this up has reminded me that I can STILL only put one image per entry so please look on Picasa for the rest, however,since some avid viewers have had 5 invitations so far I shan't go there again for a while!

Rabat, Morocco.

What weather! Really blue skies and sun all day . This is more like it! Low 30’s during the day and low 20’s at night,  Just my cup of tea.  We had a day to recover our body clocks and chill out.  Then we set about exploring Rabat. Our first trip was though the souk (market) . A warren of tiny lanes for pedestrians which were packed with tiny shops . Some had a cooker and were preparing and serving food, Others had live chickens and were selling both chickens and eggs. Fish , herbs spices fruit veg , absolutely , everything.
Next we  tried looking for a tourist office - Ha! they didn’t have one but we were sent to the National Office of Tourism a (pretty major taxi ride) where the lady behind the desk told us that  the tourist office had been moved and kindly wrote the address down for us,  Another  taxi drive and we found that although it was called a tourist office it was just a desk.  At this point all we wanted was a map and the main tourist attractions.  She went to her cupboard and ooops no town  maps and no information-all she could offer was a map of Morocco-which we  took with a big smile. Hey ho back to the boat and after sorting the wi-fi  we printed our own  with the biggest attractions.
I was not happy about finding mixed information on the Lonely planets website.  At least 3 of the 20 attractions were to be found in Rabat (Malta!)

Next day we cycled to The Kasbah de Oudaias where we were lucky to be caught by an English speaking guide.  His name was Hassan and it was his day off school. He informed us that the whitewash and blue colours were symbolic of the Koran.  He took us round and pointed out the door knockers which had the occupation of the inhabitant depicted or a lucky hand.   It was tranquil and cool wandering around the oldest part of Rabat .  We had our picnic in the Andalusian Gardens.

Rabat the Passage

We left the anchorage in Portimao harbour for Rabat around lunchtime, after coffee with the Follies. Winds no greater than 10-15 knots were forecast for the first day and, with quite light breezes in the harbour, we sailed out with just 1 reef and full headsails. There was soon 15-20 knots from just aft of the beam and we were flying along, sometimes reaching 8.5 knots. We kept waiting for the wind to drop back again, thinking it was a coastal effect but it didn’t—if anything it was still increasing.  Finally, after more than 3 hours of  averaging 7-8 knots, we decided to put in the other 2 reefs and furl the yankee. This was a timely decision, as the wind was soon 20-25 knots and we were still doing 7 knots. We wanted to arrive off Rabat near high tide in the early afternoon of the third day but, at this rate of progress, we were likely to be far too early. We were rolling quite a bit in the big seas and neither of us felt like eating a proper dinner that evening, even though it had been pre-prepared. By the early hours, conditions had moderated quite a bit and I (Malcolm) finally ate the meal at  0400!! By mid-morning the winds had become light and rather variable and that remained so for much of the day. Occasionally we had to motor sail, when progress became too slow but generally it was a pleasant  relaxing day in the sunshine. It remained quiet throughout the second night  but the next morning we found we had been boarded during the darkness—by a flying fish, which was now baking on deck! We should have fried it for breakfast but somehow didn’t get around to it. The winds became ever lighter as we approached the coast - again we adjusted our arrival time by intermittent use of the engine when the going became too slow.
  Finally, at around 3 p.m .we arrived off the entrance to the Bou Regreg river and called up the marina to ask for a pilot to guide us in.  As luck would  have it they were just guiding another English yacht out, so were with us in a matter of minutes. The harbour bar is often very treacherous but we had picked the perfect day and time for our entrance and there were no waves breaking on it at all. Once in the river, we were warmly welcomed by all the fishermen in their brightly coloured wooden boats that we passed. Our first attempt at  mooring to the reception pontoon was less than brilliant but after a second approach we were soon safely tied up, to be greeted by a large group of assorted officials. They were all incredibly friendly and after less than an hour all the formalities had been completed, mainly in French but with a little English. The dog that they were using to check for drugs was a huge Alsatian called Wolf but  our companionway steps were just too steep for him, so they contented themselves with a quick tour around the deck. After all this was completed we moved into the perfectly sheltered marina and were soon tied up between 2 unoccupied German yachts. Our other neighbours were an Australian couple and another couple from the West Coast of the US, both of whom had been cruising for quite a few years.  While our pontoon was quite full, the next one had just 6 yachts on it—5 of them belonging to the King. Because of that, security is very good, yet not at all oppressive and the marina, part of an waterside village development which is in its early stages, is the best kept  one we have ever been in.

Portimao 12th -26th ish Sept 2010

Time in Portimao was quite pleasant. Back to civilisation, almost like the UK, all foods available with our friendly market stall holders who remembered us from the spring. As it was the tail end of the season there were plenty of tourists in Praia de Rocha—without the noise late at night (and no Shearwaters to wake us up !)
A job list was finalised and the long toll began. The Staysail was checked and packed ready to take to Canvas Mike for minor re-enforcements. The offending guardrail was removed ready for the rigger. At this point Our dear friends Anton & Denise turned up to take us for lunch! Wow what a treat we combined a full blow (The Thai mint and coconut dressing was so good with the Prawns that I asked for it with my LAMB chops ( yes lamb after almost a year without !)out with a pleasant walk to view Denises favourite windmill and returned home happy and replete.
Our next visitor was Simon who had returned from Spain a day early and noticed we were around. It being Friday he suggested Pappa Jorges and then a classical concert in town. Jobs then overrun and dinner was needed before a late night concert so Pappa Jorges held over ‘til next week. The Concert was superb (as usual) and we were joined by some new friends for a nightcap afterwards.
Sometime here we realized that we could no longer ignore the fridge/freezer problem . We asked the American long term residents Bill & Marylyn who the could recommend and set about fixing an appointment. Meanwhile Malcolm had googled a sewing machine mechanic who lives in Lagosh to come and fiddle with it. Another Ex-Pat who really had a feel for his work. He was very impressed with the mechanical changes (motor) and bobbin winder which had been done in the past. Only a very minor adjustment was needed to the bobbin mechanism and it was behaving as it should. After making some new hatch covers to match the new Bimini I now realize why Jerry said that the Top-Gun material was so hard to work with.
It was good to catch up with the Follies over dinner (& I managed to use up some more meat before it went off) they have spent the summer doing their 10 year service and are almost ready to go back in the water.
Another walk around a Barragem (in blazing hot sun) with Anton & Denise followed by dinner in another mountain Hamlet on the way up to Monchique. Traditional Portugese 'Wild Boar'. To the chirping of a large Parrot - see Picasa.
While rechecking the joints on the loo system we also checked the bilge and found that the automatic pump had been left of (during generator repairs). Next we needed an obscure item from a locker and eek discovered a leak ! From the hot water pipe …(whatever next you ask…) so off went the water pump and I set about drying bits which had got wet. Meanwhile we searched the spreadsheet to see if we had items to fix the problem. YES good ‘ol Yan HAD thought of everything. We found a hose connector and new piping and a repair was soon made! Phew!
The job list got shorter and shorter and still no sign of a fridge mechanic so we called another chap who assessed the situation and scratched his head before adding some more gas and taking many readings (pressure and temperature) He returned a day later and flushed the system to replace said gas with some from his own supply. Yes this worked and the system is now ready for filling again.
Meanwhile Anton & Denise had been trying to phone us and couldn’t so had made a surprise visit for lunch and another walk. It was a cool day and far better for walking which this time took us to Alvor and a traditional Portuguese Restaurant. Followed by a long walk to the harbour entrance. On the way we are pretty sure that we spied the ’Flying fish’ at anchor but too far out to shout a greeting. Back along the beach and as the photo (© Anton) shows a washed up polythene bag (NOT)
So today being Friday and the main jobs finished it is time to start looking at the weather and conditions for Rabat. The Follies are being re-launched today and they think the wind is good for South. I write this before I really know but am anticipating leaving tomorrow so wanted to get the blog and pictures done for this stopover.
9 NB self -Must remember the OOO setting on the email...)

Passage to Rabat...? (Or NOT) 4th - 12th September

A Happy Snap to keep the avid readers content.
Now for the exitement...

The trip began in calm winds through which we motored. As soon as we had slipped we tried turning circles and reversing to get the boat speed log to work. It was then necessary to empty the forward locked of all the food supplies to take it out and clean it of growth. This is the second time it has been done (even though the electronic anti fouling should prevent it from happening. Since the sensor is below the waterline it means there is a time lag before the locker can be repacked into its’ dry home. I took the opportunity to rationalise the boxes and have made even more space to store food.
The winds kicked in and we began sailing most of the trip was a broad/beam reach. Minor sail adjustments were needed to cope with the vagairies of force 2 to force 5. The seas were BIG and we had a couple of brief showers of rain.
We almost had the MPG out again—but after checking the halyards etc and freeing them ready to use the wind had increased and we needed to start reefing. Still everything is ready IF we get a chance again on this trip.
The Aries Wind vane has been doing sterling work helming which saves electricity. The only hang up is that it goes haywire in winds less that force 3, which does mean that you need to be keeping an eye on it. This seems a small price to pay for a third crew member who works for free and doesn’t complain at all.
I must mention my first passage as a working crew member, yes now that I take Stugeron (25 mg) I no longer get motion sickness and can do sufficient to give Malcolm 5 hours of sleep. My watch is 9 p.m.’til 2 a.m. I had prepared hot meals for the first 3 days so there was a minimum to do below deck in the rolly conditions. After that we took the meal preparation in turns.
Highlights of the trip were Dolphins cavorting around the boat and a lone turtle making an ocean voyage.
About midway we decided that the waves would probably prevent entry across the sandbar at Rabat so changed course for Portimao. This has the bonus that we can get a few more jobs done before we move further away from civilization.
On approaching the separation zones off Cabo San Vicente for traffic to and from the Mediterranean, we began to see lots more shipping. We were going to cross roughly at right angles to the general direction of shipping, several miles to the north of the separation zones but our AIS was showing such dense traffic that we knew we were in for a tense time. The AIS was showing 3 potential collision risks at a range of more than 20 miles but I assumed that with that much notice, the ships would keep well clear of us. Eventually one of the ships became a serious collision risk, so I started calling him on the radio. Only on the 5th attempt did they reply and grudgingly agreed to change course to pass astern. In fact, they only altered course by 5 degrees and to my mind remained a collision risk. In the circumstances, we started the engine but even with our increased speed, the ship passed within 1000 feet, which was too close for comfort. Twenty minutes later it was a great relief to pass into relatively empty seas again.
The remainder of the trip was non-eventful if fast. We sailed into the harbour and anchored after the second attempt. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and catching up on sleep.

More of Sao Miguel

It being lunch time when we arrived we sat down and ate yesterdays’ leftovers and a beer. As soon as the Marina Office opened again I checked in at 4 different desks!
1 - Marina
2-Police
3-Immigration
4-Customs
This even though we are already on many computers within the Azores. I wonder why they are not linked? Maybe it’s to ensure that men keep their jobs? But begs the question of why on some islands one man has to do it all !
Back to the boat and we could now go berth in the new Marina and had been given free choice as to which berth we wanted on F pontoon. While doing a quick ’Reccy’ we bumped into Jack & Carolyn (Flying Fish) so ended up near them. Remainder of the day was de-salting the hull, deck & bright work. This done I also gave the cockpit a coat of polish and the windows a layer of UV protection.
We slept like the dead that night.
Monday started well. I asked in the Marina office for an English speaking dive mater and was given directions so I added this call to my main task which was sourcing some cable for the Autopilot. The Padi dive center is on the Marina site so easy to find and here I found Neliuho who was able to offer us an afternoon dive to refresh our skills and check our equipment. He also recommended exactly the right guy to get the NMEA cable from.
Next stop was the Singer sewing machine shop. Here the nice lady didn’t speak ANY English but could understand the problem. She indicated that I should bring it to her. This involved finding a trolley to transport it…. To cut the boring bit –when I got back later that day her boss was in and found that indeed it was impossible to load the new lower bobbin. He said his mechanic could make a slight adjustment when he returned from holiday! Watch this space.
The rest of the day went pear shaped. I seemed to take one step forward and 4 back. Last time we had internet I had deleted the doubles of photos in the folder for this blog. Now when I look I see that they have disappeared from the Blog ! With a less than perfect internet connection this took the rest of the day waiting for each page to load before I could select the image and reload it. Frustrating is not the right word here !!
Tuesday. I can’t remember just what I was up to when there was a scream from the cockpit and I rushed to find out why. Malcolm had gone into one of the rear-most locker to get some acetone and had failed to put the safety cord in place the lid had slammed down on his fingers! Blood everywhere. I grabbed a couple of kitchen towels and clamped them over then elevated the hand and tried to calm him down. Vernon from Nefartari rushed round to offer help but soon saw I was doing all that was possible. Next I extracted the first aid kit and sprayed the two gashes with Iodine/antiseptic and followed up with strips of steristrip to hold the gaping sides together.
I certainly felt that it was bad enough to be seen by a Dr. So we hopped into a taxi and went to A&E. After completing the registration formalities we were seen by a triage nurse and then sent to X Ray before a fairly long wait of 45 minutes to be sewn up by a professional. I watched the whole procedure but it wasn’t ’til it was all over that I felt queasy!
The rest of the week I have been acting as Malcolm's right hand (sic) .Sorting the loo out .We also took the local bus to do some tourist stuff just to stop him using the hand and not allowing it to heal. We did a pretty uninteresting walk from sea level up to Lagoa do Fogo. Mostly because they are building a new motorway across the footpath which means that most of the walk was on a newish concrete road and uphill. We had sundowners with Vernon and his crew David.
On Friday we took a bus to Ribeira Grande on the other side of the Island and had a look round. Malcolm had his dressing changed again and the neighbours ( Vernon, David, Jack & Carolyn) came round to supper. Once again Thai Green Curry went down well followed by Azorean Pineapple and coffee. FAR too much alcohol was consumed but all involved said what a great evening it had been.
Saturday I finished the rewiring of the auto helm. Which now works!

Flying Fish left for Santa Maria, and having arrived safely downloaded Skype so I’ve added them to the Skype contacts for future use. Nefatari received some long awaited Yanmar parts and have had an electrician aboard rewiring their looms, they set sail for Madeira as soon as the work was completed hoping for fair winds so that David can catch his flight home. We have Vernon's email address and his marina birth in Madeira which we can use in his absence. After final shopping then preparing ready meals for the first few days, and checking out the on board systems we are ready to leave ourselves. When I go to pay the Marina bill the office is closed. I manage to get the headman out who tells me that the Government is making cuts and from now there is no opening at weekends—oh if he had put a note on the doors! Anyway after completing the paperwork we are ready to slip . As I said to the policeman our next port could be Rabat (Morocco) - if the winds are fair, Madeira if we get headed, or Vila de Porto if we have any problems or Malcolm's finger is not up to it. As Barry and Gail came to see us off we noticed that the guardrail at the gate had almost worn through. This was probably due to the pounding it had taken while alongside in the rough weather. Some gash tape and some rope for a secondary safety line suffices until we can get it fixed.

Ponta Del Guada,Sao Miguel, 21st August.

August still
Well what a good sail ! Which ended anchoring off the marina at Praia de Vittoria for a couple of days. This was when we realised that the genny problem was still with us! And the gas finally ran out. It was easier to move into the marina to get a refill and be able to access the shops for fresh veg etc. It also meant that Malcolm could begin testing again. He had got to the last lead and found an earth leak where a well insulated wire had rubbed right through to the metal casing and was causing a short. This was easily repaired and since the guy who helped us was having a look at Roakaldais he came over and added a few cable ties Yes ! Otto & Ester arrived on the Monday and had a meal with us which was preceded by a bottle of Champagne to celebrate ‘Piano’s birthday. They are returning to Lisbon en route for Greece where Otto will be doing a cargo run for 6 weeks to help a friend of his out. (Otto is a real Captain—but semi retired. Esther is going along for a holiday! We hope to meet up with them later in the year either in Rabbat or the Canaries.
The following day a German registered Halberg Wrasse 39. With Ziggi and Leila aboard. They were en route for the north after 10 years blue water sailing. Naturally we picked their brains over places which they recommended and would avoid over dinner and drinks. Thanks to both for their valuable experience.
Next day 17.35 We decided to slip for Sao Miguel the last Island on our list for the summer. We had another good sail (by which I mean no motoring), marred by one tiny problem. To set the scene : We slipped late afternoon so that we would arrive during daylight hours. We powered along at up to 7 knots in a sou’westerly breeze. After dinner Malcolm left me on watch and I was intrepid! Not noticing that the wind had filled in and with it some horrible showers. He must have been asleep because the next I knew he was peeking his nose on deck and suggesting that we ought to ‘reef’. OK good call (spoil my fun) it could have continued increasing …..
He asked the auto pilot to drive while we attended to the reef and it must have been drenched by rain because it just gave up ! A little cursing and after the sail change I was allowed to bed. I asked if he was going to steer by hand and he said no the auto pilot was functioning but not out on deck.
He 'woke me at 0300 for my next watch and by then it was working above deck again. I found this out when I asked it to change course a wee bit and it did as it was told. However now that it has failed twice under needy conditions Malcolm is determined to sort it out so that will be the boat job for Ponta Del Gada.
Arrived Ponta Del Gada 13.30 and now I’m keen that was 90 nautical miles in 19 hours so an average of 4.75 kts. (remembering I did 7’s on my watch please!)