Motrel had come complete with a rock and rolly night and although we slept well we were happy to weigh anchor and be away by 09.30 the following morning. We motorsailed the first couple of hours but by midday we were romping along hard on the wind under full sail. And then, to cap it all, there was a shout of "Dolphins on the starboard bow!"
16.00 hrs saw us dropping sail in the entrance to Torre del Mar - surrounded by local fishing boats returning from a day that had no doubt been a lot harder than ours. We saw a red ensigned yacht "Storm Dragon" tied up alongside a quay to port and they shouted across that they had been instructed to wait for a berth. They warped themselves forward to make space and we were soon alongside.
Radioing the port office we were soon directed to a berth and, together with Storm Dragon we motored into the inner harbour and were soon supping our ceremonial cup of tea.
The following day dawned with our Navtex forecasting big seas and strong winds although Storm Dragon was seen to sail - they were headed in the opposite direction to us but we did wonder if we had wimped out a little. When they returned to their berth within a couple of hours, reporting a big swell and lots of discomfort, we tried not to feel too smug.
As it was we spent the day on chores - not too many, of course, because it was extremely hot.
8th August and the forecast was still a bit iffy - we particularly didn't like the expected big seas - but we went anyway. Unfortunately. The day gave us winds on the nose, lots of pitching and rolling and a distinct lack of appetite at lunchtime.
Puerto Benalmadena was a welcome sight and once inside the very well sheltered port we wondered what had been wrong with the day. It was 19.00hrs, the sun was still hot and the water inside the harbour was like the proverbial millpond. We berthed stern to next to a Brit couple who keep their boat in Benalmadena, flying out 4 or 5 times a year - they obviously liked the place!
And so did we - and all for only 23 Euros and complete with free Wi Fi.
The following morning was hot, very hot, and we stepped ashore - only a 2 minute walk from the town. We found the town geared for the holiday market with wall to wall bars and extremely busy but very pleasant anyway. A good many of the visitors were obviously Brits - maybe because Malaga Airport is only 25km or so away.
We Skyped everybody at home in the evening - a very good connection and it was lovely to speak to the family, some even viewed by cam camera, and all for absolutely zilch cost. The internet is a wonderful thing when cruising and if there is a good wireless signal.
We also did our usual chartwork for our next leg - Gibraltar was to be our next landfall and we would soon be out of the Med. and having to think about tides again.
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