Homeward bound

Moraira anchorage

It was finally time for us to start thinking of wending our way back to mainland Spain and our winter berth. The wonderful summer weather was becoming changeable and we had to delay our departure from Ibiza due to a storm passing through. When we finally left it was a long day of motoring with little wind, heavy rain and some fog but thankfully very little traffic. We decided to make for an anchorage we hadn't visited before and dropped the hook off the small upmarket coastal town of Moraira which offered welcome shelter from the easterly wind and swell. It was busy with local craft but they disappeared with the sun and we were left with a handful of yachts for the evening. We stayed another day but were soon on the move again on our journey south.

Jellyfish infested waters

We had an early start passing Benidorm on the way and finally dropped anchor off a long sandy beach, rather too exposed for our liking, around the corner from Alicante. It wasn't a very picturesque stop and we had a bit of a rolly night but at least we were safe in the sand. With some very strong winds forecast we decided to  return to the Mar Menor inland sea and sit out the dodgy weather with our anchor safely stuck in the soft glutinous mud. We were up again at dawn and safely navigated the shallows around Tabarca island before arriving at our destination. The bridge opening times hadn't changed since we last entered the large lagoon a few months ago but the quality of the water had! This time the waters were absolutely inundated with jelly fish and there was almost more jelly visible than there was water. We anchored in a peaceful spot in the lee of one of the islands but there was definitely no swimming this time! With yet another wind shift from yet another direction we moved across the lagoon in search of shelter and stopped just south of La Manga.

We went ashore in search of some provisions and we, as well as our dinghy, were made very welcome at the Club Nautico la Isleta. As well as a safe dinghy park they offered us free hot showers which were most welcome and in return we made good use of the club bar and restaurant. Needless to say La Manga is a very strange man made resort but we managed to find a couple of grocery shops hidden amongst the sea of 1970's apartment blocks. With the bad weather behind us we were happy to leave the jelly fish infested waters and continue on our way.

No whales, just a couple of snorkellers!

As we passed Cartagena and entered the bay of Mazarron we kept our eyes peeled for marine life. This is where there is practically no continental shelf and the sea bed falls away to depths of 2000 metres just a few kilometers from the coast. This is precisely the marine habitat that sperm and fin whales need and is one of the few places in Spain known for whale spotting. We went on a long detour following the continental shelf scouring the horizon for a fin, a large tail or with luck a squirt of water....

Laid back La Azohia

La Azohia beach

View across La Azohia bay

Having completely failed at our cetacean hunt we hit the jackpot with our next anchorage. Not only did we find shelter from the easterly swell, La Azohia proved to be a delightful laid back little resort. We were happy to chill here for a couple of days and enjoy swimming in the turquoise, jellyfish free, waters. We had a lovely coastal walk to the unusual hexagonal 16th century watchtower affording great views across Mazarron bay as well as the sea some 70 mts below. There was a lovely laid back feel to the place, a great beach front bar and even a much needed Spar supermaket a short stroll away.

View of Azohia bay from Santa Elena tower

Aguillas windmill

Sadly we had to tear ourselves away and continue on our journey. We had heard good things about Aguillas, particularly that it afforded good shelter inside the large natural harbour where yachts are still allowed to anchor. We found a spot sheltered from the swell and went about exploring the town which didn't really come up to expectations. On the move again we had nice easterly winds helping us on our way but unfortunately it meant that the wonderful anchorages around Cabo de Gata were untenable especially as some gale force winds were forecast. Instead we snuck round the headland and joined a handful of yachts off San Miguel beach. Our last night at anchor and a final swim before the last hop back to Aguadulce.

                                                             Aguillas town square

Ride of a Lifetime at anchor in Aguilas harbour

Anchorage off San Miguel, Cabo de Gata

Ride of a Lifetime's winter home

Once back in the marina and firmly attached to the concrete we busily set about tidying, cleaning and putting the boat to bed for the winter. Our final journey took us from our berth to the boatyard lifting dock. We were then hoisted and moved to our new resting place on the hard standing. This winter we are leaving the boat for the winter months and are becoming landlubbers for the first time in fifteen years! We'll be back in the Spring....

We'll certainly miss Aguadulce's glorious winter climate