Observations from Jennifer

After 10 days aboard the floating bubble I have learned the following four things: 1. the bubble does indeed float, 2. I am very lucky, 3. my parents are truly amazing, and 4. international cruising is exactly like and entirely different from international backpacking….
So one great thing about a boat is a it is a lot bigger than a backpack. Though my parents have finally relinquished their home in Kingwood and left what we have lovingly referred to as “the bubble” permanently, never fear, they have found a way to take it all with them!

There were moments that felt oddly like being at home in the living room being forced to listen to Rush Limbaugh and play trionimos while drinking captain and coke. Only thing different seemed to be the presence of other languages and different food. I did learn how to say man overboard in Spanish and Queixo Tetillia (you provide the translation) is one of the most amazing foods on the planet. Parents are making a fantastic attempt at languages as well— if you don’t believe me just ask dad about that wind that they get outside of Gibraltar! However, stepping outside the boat I was reminded we were in a different place. Castles and palaces built long before the country I claim as home (Texas) was even conceptualized!

One of the most interesting things I have noticed is some of the parallels between the international cruising and international backpacking scenes… While I know that these reflections could perhaps be largely attributed to tourism in general, their comparison is interesting because both of these styles of travel have such distinct “cultures” of their own and their members would likely scoff at any potential similarities. But it’s interesting how both have really unique ways of entering and participating in other “cultures” that both allows for a new means of interacting with and understanding them and floats completely above them almost completely avoiding any real interaction. Hmmm….

Well off to new adventures. If only I can be so lucky to catch these two wandering seafarers at another point in their journey… We shall see what the winds have in store!

“Rocking Around the Rock”

After two nights in Lagos we set sail on May 26 for an overnight sail to Gibraltar, an 180 nm trip. The weather was excellent but the winds were very light so we augmented with the iron jenny. Most of the trip was uneventful until 0600 on the 27^th when we had our introduction to the Levante winds. Levante (means to rise up) winds blow predominately from the east and increase rapidly. In less than an hour we went from 6 knots of wind to over 30 with gusts as high as 45 knots, and of course, since we were headed east , on the nose. Motoring directly into the wind was somewhat less than a comfortable ride but Lone Star handled it admirably. We slammed through the Gibraltar Straits uneventfully and anxious to get our first glimpse of the famous Rock. However, along with strong winds, the Levante also brings with it poor visibility so maddeningly the Rock was elusively hidden behind low clouds. At 1210 we slipped into our berth in Queensway Quay Marina, grateful for the protection from the howling Levante winds.

First order of business was to check in at the marina office and clear customs, and then it was baths for the three of us and a good rinsing for Lone Star. With that taken care of Jan and Jennifer headed off to town in search of Fish and Chips and shopping while Craig grabbed a much needed nap. The Colony of Gibraltar is composed mainly of the Rock. Gibraltar town, situated at the base on mainly reclaimed land, is long and skinny and with one Main Street lined with shops and pubs. You would swear you were in merry ole England instead of tucked on a peninsula sandwiched on either side by Spain. Pub Grub is available everywhere and pounds, not Euros is the currency. The Rock was still hidden behind clouds and out in the open the Levante winds could be felt. Fingers were crossed for clear skies the next day.

Our wishes were answered as the next day dawned bright and clear with great visibility and diminished winds. We spent the day all over the Rock – on top, on bottom, all around and even in it. The Rock is the colony’s best sight. Its attractions include fantastic views from the very top, quirky, apes, a hokey cave and impressive Siege Tunnels.

The three of us took a cable car to the summit deciding it would be much better to hike down rather than up. At the top we were immediately greeted by the official residents of the Rock – the Barbary Apes. Actually a breed of monkeys, there are about 200 inhabitants who have no fear of humans; we saw several going after tourists’ backpacks. The views were amazing and from the top you could see that the Rock does indeed look like the one in the Prudential ads. We spent the day hiking down stopping first at St Michael’s Cave, full of stalagmites, stalactites and classical music. Our next stop was the Siege Tunnels.

Originally built by the British during the Spanish and French siege in the 1700’s they were enlarged by more than 30 miles during WWII and were home to over 17,000 soldiers. As we neared the bottom we made one more stop at the Moorish Castle, actually the remains of a tower built in the 700’s. After several hours of hiking and touring our way down we finally made it back to the town and immediately headed for a Pub for a coldie and some Pub Grub. After a long day both never tasted so good! With full stomachs and sore muscles we turned in early. Tomorrow was an important day - we would officially sail into the Mediterranean!

At 10AM on Friday, May 29, refreshed from a good night’s sleep, we motored out of Queensway Quay Marina. We first stopped at the fuel dock to take advantage of the cheap Gibraltar fuel prices and then were on our way. At 1040 we rounded the Rock and were now officially in the Med. The Levante winds were now gone and in light winds of 8 knots with Jennifer manning the helm for part of the trip we sailed to Benalmadena Marina close to Malaga, Spain. At 1820 we were in our slip and popped the champagne in celebration of making it to the Med.

The celebration was also bittersweet because we knew our time with Jennifer was coming to a close. It had been a great visit. We thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company, even the “spirited” political discussions! Jennifer is fluent in Spanish and we took great pleasure in having Jennifer with us in Portugal as she spoke Spanish, the Portuguese spoke Portuguese and somehow they understood each other. In Spain she became our interpreter and we knew we would not just miss her but also her language skills once she was gone. Our last full day together we took the bus to Malaga, toured the old town, enjoyed tapas for lunch and visited the Museo Picasso which houses paintings and sculptures spanning Picasso’s entire life. Back at the marina in the afternoon, Jennifer and Jan headed for the beach for some sunbathing and a first dip in the Mediterranean Sea. Then at 5:30AM on May 31^st with heavy hearts we said our good byes as Jennifer headed off in a taxi to the Malaga airport for her flight back to NYC. In two days she would be leaving the USA again, this time for Mexico City and a summer internship. We headed back to Lone Star knowing it was going to be a bit lonely and definitely quieter on board.

Our First Guest Arrives

May 21st we were up bright and early with good reason. Our first guest was on her way. Jennifer was flying into Lisbon from NYC for a much needed 10 day R&R after completing her 2nd year of grad school. Even George Clooney was thrilled. After arriving safe and sound, we stopped by Lone Star to stow her bags, show off the boat and then it was back in the rent car and off to the town of Sintra for a day of sightseeing. For centuries Sintra was the summer playground for Portugal’s royalty and upper class. Today it is an escape for tourists of all sorts. Sintra is a green, very hilly village home to several castles, beautiful gardens, cute shops and excellent cafes. We spent the first part of the day touring two castles. The first, Palacio Nacional, was the official summer residence for Portugal’s kings from the 1500’s to the early 1900’s.


The Palace, with a unique roof resembling Madonna’s bra, has beautiful painted ceilings and tile work throughout the inside. The two cones on the roof are actually chimneys in the kitchen. Our second stop was Palacio de Pena built in the 19th century by German born Prince Ferdinand. This castle is a crazy mixture of Gothic towers, Renaissance domes, and Moorish minarets. Done with our official sightseeing we spent the rest of the day browsing in the many shops and having bacalau for lunch at one of the cafes.


Bacalau, Portugal’s national dish is made with salted cod. We’ve been told there are 365 different ways to cook Bacalau, one for each day of the year. During our time in Portugal we didn’t quite taste all 365 recipes but we sure gave it a good try!
The next day we were up bright and early and after returning our rent car boarded the train for the 20 minute ride to Lisbon for another day of intensive sightseeing. We visited Jeronimos Monastery which was built by King Manuel in the early 1500’s as a thank you for the discoveries made by Portuguese explorers.
The monastery stretches for some 300 yards along Lisbon’s waterfront and the church houses the tomb of Vasco de Gama. Also on the waterfront is the Monument to the Discoveries, those Portuguese sure loved their explorers, and Belem Tower which was built in 1515 to protect Lisbon’s waterfront. We also took a double Decker bus tour of the city. Like all major European cities Lisbon has her fair share of monuments, cathedrals, museums and restored buildings.
The one thing we found disturbing was the amount of graffiti in the old sections compared to some of the other cities we’ve been to.
On the 23rd, after 10 days in the Lisbon area, we slipped the lines and under sunny skies Lone Star with three instead of two on board headed south for two days of sailing. Jennifer was definitely a good luck charm because both days brought the best sailing and the best weather we had so far this season. After a 50nm journey averaging 8knots/hour we were in a marina in the tiny fishing village of Sines. And finally, after being in Portugal for 10 days, we were immediately visited by the local customs official, checked in and able to take down our Q flag. The next day we were up early again, this time for a 78nm journey to seaside resort of Lagos on the Portuguese Algarve coast. Once again Jennifer’s good luck powers were with us as after the first two hours we were able to shut the engine off and made the remainder of the 10 hour trek under wind power alone. We enjoyed the day testing the various sails and at one point had four out – main, jib, mizzen main and mizzen ballooner. As we sailed past the Algarve coast we enjoyed beautiful stretches of beaches and craggy cliffs at the water’s edge. We pulled into the Lagos Marina at 1730 and shortly thereafter were celebrating the wonderful sail with sundowners in hand.
We spent the next two days enjoying Lagos – a very popular seaside resort with all the obligatory shops, cafes and beaches. The marina is a cruiser’s favorite with every possible amenity you can think of close at hand. Craig used the opportunity to go to the top of the main mast and check out what looked like a loose item. It turned out to only be a cap that goes on the wind instrument when it is removed and he tucked it back into its hiding place. It did provide a good opportunity to get a picture of Jan on the deck deciding if she was going to let go of the halyard used to hoist him up.

While in Lagos we were visited by a family we met on our land tour to Porto. Deolinda, her husband Dave and her parents Deolinda and Bob, stayed at the same pousada we did. Deolinda’s (the mom) parents immigrated from the Azores and Dave’s family also had Portuguese roots. The four were on a month long trip to Portugal. Over drinks in the Pousada bar we discovered our paths would cross again in Lagos. In Lagos we shared a lovely afternoon over a bottle of Portuguese Champagne which they brought and appetizers on the boat. Dave and Deolinda own Coelho Winery in Oregon and hopefully one day our wanderings will take us to Oregon for a visit. Later that afternoon Jennifer and Jan did another “first” of the season- sunbathing on the beach. Yes – winter was definitely over!

Bayona SPAIN to Lisbon Portugal

View Bayona, SPAIN to Lisbon PORTUGAL in a larger map

Speeding Down the Portugal Coast

The last time we blogged we had just arrived in Bayona, SPAIN. Bayona is a very popular stopping point on the Atlantic Spain coast just for cruisers. Located just across the border from Portugal it is the last stop in Spain if you’re heading South or the first if you’re heading north. We spent several days tied up at the Bayona Real Club de Yates where we experienced our first of what will no doubt be many Med mooring style slips. For those of you who don’t know what Med mooring is a brief explanation – Unlike slips with finger piers that we are used to in the States, marinas in the Mediterranean offer a completely different style. With Med mooring there are no finger piers – the boats are backed up to the quay “slip” and tied off with two stern ties. The bow is then secured to a permanent mooring. Quite a bit different but once you get the hang of it pretty easy to handle. Also, this style of berth makes a gangplank absolutely necessary. After a few days in Bayona, which included paying our respects to Christopher Colombus
who returned to Bayona in the Pinta after his first trip to North America and once again visiting the forts, sampling the local cuisine and exploring the area we were anxious to head for Portugal. Jennifer, our oldest daughter, was scheduled to meet us in Lisbon on the 21^st. Our original plans were to make about four stops along the Portuguese coast – taking about a week to get to Lisbon. However, once again, the long range weather outlook was not promising. While rains were not predicted after the first day, gale force winds were expected for later in the week. Concerned we might get stuck somewhere north of Lisbon for an indefinite period we decided to do an overnight sail directly to Lisbon.

On May 12^th we left Bayona at 0900 with a light wind on the nose (go figure), scattered showers, and seas of 1 to 2 meters. By 1500 the sun was shining and we had picked up a hitchhiker! We had been underway for a few hours when out of nowhere a small black bird decided to join us. He hitched a ride with us spending most of his/her time at the helm and even flying into the cabin once or twice to check out the accommodations below! After a few hours we guess the bird grew tired of our company or we had reached his destination because off he flew not to be seen again. We motor sailed almost the entire trip. We had one period around 0700 the next morning where we sailed, but it only lasted for about an hour before we restarted the engine in order to arrive at the Porto de Recreia Yachting Harbor Oeiras at 1440 in the afternoon. Our guide book said this was a marina with staff that spoke English and were very helpful. That is not an understatement. Everyone we interfaced with at the marina did everything they could to help us and their English was generally very good. The facilities were first rate and we felt comfortable when we left the boat for a couple of days to land tour later in the week. We also received a 50% discount on the slip fees because we are participants in the ARC and they are a host marina for the Rally Portugal and ARC Europe events. It also turned out to be a good decision to head for Lisbon. Within 24 hours of our arrival the predicted gale force winds arrived and pummeled the Portuguese coast for seven days. However, the entire time the skies were clear and sunny. The most sun we had seen since arriving in Europe!

Since this was our first port of entry in Portugal we were anxious to clear in so we could start flying our Portuguese courtesy flag and we filled out the appropriate document at the marina office and waited for a visit from the authorities. We were still waiting to clear in when we left 10 days later on May 23^rd. We did enjoy seeing the Coast Guard go in and out because they had a slip for their 53 foot boat two down from us, but we were apparently of no interest to them. Finally on May 21^st we determined that we were not going to be visited so we started flying our courtesy flag below the yellow Q flag. Why, you ask, were we so interested in flying the flag? We also wanted to also fly our Texas flag and Seven Seas Cruising Association flags on the port spreader and felt it would not be appropriate if we were not also flying the courtesy flag on the starboard spreader. Anyway, even we this new configuration we were still not visited. However, we had a proper welcome flag for Jennifer when she arrived on May 21^st.

Jan was fighting a cold so we were low key for the first couple of days while she recovered. Then on Monday (May 18^th) we rented a car and did some land touring, checking out some of the sites we missed on our speed trip down the coast. We drove to the Douro valley in northern Portugal for a 2 day stay. The Douro Valley region is the area where Port wine is made. The valley is quite beautiful with steep, green mountains dotted with quintas, the wineries where the grapes are grown. After a visit to a few quintas (“farms” or vineyards)
where we learned the methods used in making port, sampling the end result, and a 2 night stay in an 18^th century posada we headed back to the boat to prepare for Jennifer’s arrival.

La Coruña to Bayona, SPAIN - the "Coast of Death"

View La Caruña to Bayona SPAIN in a larger map

Saints, Sinners and the "Coast of Death"

A Coruña is the major city in Galicia, the northwest region of Spain. The Real Club Nautico A Coruña is conveniently located in the heart of the Old Town and the day we pulled into the marina the sun greeted us without a cloud in the sky. What a welcome omen for what was sure to be an enjoyable stay! After showers and a much needed siesta from our overnight sail we set off exploring the Old Town. The streets were narrow and cobblestone with boutiques, bars and restaurants and beautiful plazas in great abundance.
On one of our walks we discovered you may leave Texas but "Texas never really leaves you"! If you zoom in on the picture of the building with the banners it seems we just missed seeing the Houston Ballet. Along the perimeter of the harbor and coastline a walkway with small parks stretched for several miles. Every afternoon, after siesta, the streets and walkway were crowded with families and couples out for strolls. Our plans were to spend several days in A Coruña. Fortunately the rain clouds stayed away and we had sunshine the whole time. However it was good we planned an extended stay because offshore the winds howled nonstop at gale force levels. A Coruña is also a favorite stop on cruise ship itineraries and each day of our stay a different ship was docked just off our port. Unfortunately, try as we might, we could never get the attention of one of the drink boys to bring us an Umbrella Drink!
One our third day in A Coruña we took the train for the one hour trip to Santiago de Compostela, one of the most revered places in Christianity. Each year thousands of pilgrims trek several hundred miles across northern Spain by foot, horseback or bike to visit the town and famous cathedral, the burial place of St. James.
Many thousands more, like us, arrive by train. To quote travel writer Rick Steves, "The best destination in the northwestern province of Galicia, Santiago de Compostela might well be the most magical city in Spain. This place has long had a powerful and mysterious draw on travelers--- as more than a thousand years' worth of pilgrims have trod the desolate trail across the north of Spain just to peer up at the facade of its glorious cathedral." How could any self respecting tourist, or Christian for that matter, pass this up? Anyway the story of St James goes something like this. After the Crucifixion of Jesus the apostles spread out and brought his message to other lands. James chose northwest Spain and preached there for several years. After returning to the Holy Land he was beheaded but before his body could be fed to the lions it was rescued by two of his disciples who brought the body back to Spain and buried it in a secret place. His body lay undiscovered for 800 years when a monk guided by the stars and a vision discovered the grave and the local bishop proclaimed it to be that of James. From that the rest as they say is history. Santiago is Spanish for St. James and the Cathedral and town grew along with the legend. We enjoyed our day touring the city, it’s wonderful market
where we realized Spain was not taking the Swine flu epidemic seriously, excellent seafood and, of course, the Cathedral. The Cathedral is beautiful and inside is St. James’ tomb where he is enshrined in a silver chest. As is the custom, we said our thanks and a small prayer. And what did we pray for? Good health for our loved ones and safe travels for us for the winds were now in our favor and tomorrow we face “The Coast of Death”.
The Coast of Death, Costa de la Muerta, is the stretch of coast extending south from A Coruña to Bayona. It’s where the Bay of Biscay and the Atlantic converge and is known as the Costa de la Muerta because so many ships have been wrecked along the rugged coast. How would we and Lone Star handle the two day journey? We slipped the lines at 10AM on May 5th and ventured out once more. We anxiously looked at the skies. Ok – so the sun was shining, the sky was cloudless and the most winds we encountered over the two day period was 10 knots which of course was mostly on the nose. A 2 day uneventful motor sail. The first night after a 54 nautical mile journey we spent a peaceful evening anchored off the fishing village of Camarinas. After a second day of mostly motoring; this time 75 nautical miles, we arrived in Bayona, just north of the Spain/Portugal border and were tucked in at the Montes Real Club de Yates by 5PM. The Coast of Death – conquered by yet another sailing vessel. Thank you St. James!

San Sebastian to La Coruña SPAIN

View San Sabastian to La Coruna SPAIN in a larger map

The Rain in Spain Does NOT Fall Mainly on the Plain!

We can assure you – whoever wrote those famous lyrics had never been to Spain in April or at least to the Northern Coast! It’s been a little over a week since our last update and there is a good reason why the Northern Coast of Spain is lush and green – rain.

On Sunday, April 26th we departed from San Sebastian in route to Zumaya. Zumaya is a small fishing village that is about a half mile up the Rio Urola and we were told it had an excellent marina for visiting boats. You would think a two hour journey would be a piece of cake. Well, in this case it was windy, on the nose, and rough with confused waves up to two meters. We decided to motor the distance and felt like we were on a trawler. Lone Star was rocking back and forth and on reflection we would probably have been a lot more stable if we had rolled out the main. That would have been so tough. We would have had to push two buttons, but what can we say. We’re Aggies.

Anyway after two rough hours and an exciting entry into the river channel we were once again in calm water and found Marina Urola to be quite nice.
That was fortunate and on Sunday afternoon the skies cleared and we enjoyed a Basque open boat rowing regatta. There were five or six teams from different towns rowing these open boats in races that were about a mile long. It was quite a festive occasion with carnival rides, vendors, and all the locals dressed in traditional Basque outfits.


As happens frequently our stay changed from two days to four because of weather. Sunday’s sun was the last we saw for four days. As the rains fell and gale force winds howled off shore we hunkered down safe and sound in the marina and enjoyed the local life of a small Basque fishing village. Our original plans were to bounce down the northern coast stopping a various inlets and marinas along the way. However, it was quickly becoming obvious that Mother Nature had other ideas. Since plans were to meet our daughter Jennifer in Lisbon on May 21st we had a limited amount of time and with the weather not cooperating we changed tacks.

The new plan was to make as much distance as possible when we got a decent weather window and then when we are stuck in a location to tour via train what we missed and wanted to see. So with the new plan in action on our 3rd day in Zumaya we used the new time to sample the Spanish train system for a trip to Bilbao and it was a fun experience. We were told that the Spanish train system is less than reliable, but we found it to be on time and quite pleasant. The trains here in Basque land are also narrow gauge, but are not at all like the one that runs in Colorado. They are modern and smooth.

The train to Bilbao (what would have been our next port of call) to visit the Guggenheim Museum was two hours followed by a 15 minute tram ride to the Guggenheim.
What an amazing museum. While the art inside is interesting, the real attraction is the building itself. The museum reminds you of sails billowing in the wind. Inside there are no straight walls – everything is on a curve.
Our favorite exhibit was outside in front of the museum and appropriately titled “Puppy”. Originally commissioned to be a temporary exhibit, it proved so popular it is now permanent – a 40 foot high topiary of a West Highland Terrier. Our favorite dog breed in all his/her/its glory. How kewl!

When the weather finally cooperated we departed Zumaya at 8:41 am on April 30th once again going out the Rio Urola. Our departure was considerably smoother than our arrival. Our destination was Santander a port 50 miles down the coast. Our plans were to drop the hook in a small bay just inside the harbor entrance so we could make a quick departure in the morning. The skies opened up the last hour of our journey and in moderate rain showers we successfully set the hook and were in the process of having our traditional celebratory beer when we heard the Santander Port Authorities hailing an American Sailing vessel anchored in the harbor. Uh-Oh! Correctly assuming the call was for us we responded and were told, even though the anchorage is clearly marked on the charts, that it was illegal to anchor in the harbor and we had to proceed a mile up the channel and take a slip at the marina. Back went the beers into the refrigerator and in what was now a driving downpour we raised anchor and did as requested. The marina it turns out was barely half full and we figured there was a definite scam going on to send business its way. Oh well, as it turns it was nice to be in a marina because the skies really opened up and the night turned quite nasty.

The next morning, Friday May 1, we departed at 7:05 bound for Gijon, a 76 nautical mile trip. The conditions for being offshore were great, but we started to wonder if we would ever be warm again. Of course if you consider we were at the same latitude as Boston, we should be cold!

We continued to be happy we had the diesel heater installed and it got a workout keeping the cabins warm. It was a beautiful day for sailing with minimal waves and light winds. After we got our morning weather reports we started discussing the possibility of skipping Gijon and sailing over night to A Coruña and around 1700 decided to go for it and settled in for what looked like a nice overnight sail. In this case it was a wonderful overnight sail and we were tied up safely in a slip at the Real Club Nautico A Coruña at 1240 on May 2. A Courña was to have been our final destination and where we had planned to winter the boat last year so after 7 months we finally made it!