Salt and subs

Marina Salinas, Torrevieja

A three night stay in Marina Salinas, Torrevieja, turned into a week. It always takes longer than you think to do anything on a boat! Safely tied up on a Monday morning our first stop was to the local boat chandlers in search of new batteries to replace our very dead ones. Thankfully we had success but they couldn't deliver them until Friday. This meant we had time on our hands and so we set about seeing what the lively resort town of Torrevieja had to offer.

Torrevieja beach

Torrevieja Boardwalk

Unknowingly we had timed our stay to coincide with the festival of Carmen which involved kids, greasy poles and a blessing of the fishing boats. We took a stroll down the long raised promenade which afforded great views of the harbour and a lot of boats driving round and round in circles.

Delfin class submarine

Climbing out of the submarine hatch

On the dock next door to the marina is the floating museum which comprises a Delfin class submarine and an old customs cutter. Neither of us had ever been on board a submarine before so we took the opportunity of seeing first hand where 30 crew members used to live for weeks submerged in what many people describe as resembling a "sewer pipe". We entered through a small hatch and clambered down the steep steps into the heart of the 70 ft long submarine. A fascinating but claustrophobic experience.

                                                         The claustrophobic interior

Old Customs cutter

Sacks of salt waiting to be exported

Torrevieja is also known for its sea salt production so we joined the tourist train which trundled out of town to the large pink lagoon and the site of salt harvesting. We passed hundreds of sacks of sea salt all destined for northern Europe and the USA. We got off the train at the extraordinary pink coloured lagoon. The pink colour is due to the type of algae that grows there. It is also a bird watchers paradise. Next to the lagoon were 20 metre high pyramids of sparkly, blindingly white salt. We clambered up one, crunching through the salt which resembled snow.

Salt mountains

As planned, the batteries were delivered to the boat at the end of the week and the old ones taken away. We were soon powered up again and ready to go. Just time for a lovely lunch of fresh fish in the fishing harbour before a final shop to stock up with provisions for the next few days.

Torrevieja fishing harbour and ice factory

We had a pleasant sail north and anchored just east of Alicante in the hope of escaping the ever present easterly swell. The next day saw us make our final hike up the coast to Calpe and we anchored in the lee of the formidable Ifach rock in the hope of a good nights sleep. The wind dropped and the water was crystal clear with not a jellyfish in sight. It was so inviting that we both enjoyed a lovely swim but Tim wore his face mask, just in case. We set the alarm for 6 the following morning as we wanted an early start for our passage to Ibiza.

The formiddable Peñón de Ifach, Calpe

Monster from the deep!

Rounding the Cabo de Gata

It was wonderful to finally leave the boatyard behind. We'd made headway on the jobs but still the list keeps growing. Ride of a Lifetime is an old lady now and a constant financial drain. The new spray hood we promised ourselves will have to wait until next year as we'd depleted the boat pot this winter... Our first stop was the lovely anchorage just round Cabo de Gata, a five hour sail away.

Playa de los Genoveses, Cabo de Gata

The mauve stinger

As soon as we had dropped the anchor we leapt into the inviting turquoise water. Within seconds Tim let out an almighty scream and panic soon set in as he clutched his chest, the site of sudden searing pain. He made it back to the boat and I went in search of the cause. No sign of any ominous black dorsal fins but one single jellyfish hovered in

Ouch!

the water below. We soon established that the culprit was the infamous "mauve stinger" or Pelagia Noctiluca . It has stinging cells with a very active toxin that produces a burning sensation, intense pain, inflammation and red rashes. The sting typically results in hives, blisters and scabs... Dr Google suggested all sorts of remedies and we chose to douse the wound in vinegar followed by an ice pack on the affected areas. Not a good start to our summer - our first swim on the first day!

La Azohia, Mazarron

Anchored off the beach, Mazarron

We continued making use of the southerly winds and made the long hike up to the laid back resort of La Azohia, Mazarron. More inviting turquoise water, a beach bar, rubbish bins and a nearby supermarket! All these facilities are much appreciated by cruisers. We made use of all this small place had to offer for a few relaxing days including dipping are toes nervously into the water. Not surprisingly neither of us were very happy about swimming again, just yet. 

Mar de Cristal beach bar, Mar Menor

Beach front, Mar de Cristal

At anchor in the Mar Menor

With some very strong winds forecast we decided to head straight for the relative safety of the Mar Menor inland sea. With a couple of hours to kill before the next bridge opening we picked up a mooring buoy off a nearby island marine reserve and enjoyed one last swim before entering the lagoon. We made the 18.00 opening, filled up with diesel and found a nice spot to ride out the storm at Mar de Cristal. We anchored in 3 metres of weedy, muddy waters and laid out masses of chain. Another British boat joined us but not for long. The winds duly increased to a strong gale with constant gusts of over 40 knots. The boat was laid flat a couple of times but our anchor held in the mud. Our neighbour was not so lucky. We watched as they careered off into the darkness. We hollered, whistled and blew every horn we had on board but couldn't rouse them. We survived the night and celebrated with a delicious meal of freshly caught sardines at the beach bar in front of us. We stocked up with provisions and then moved the boat to the other side of the lagoon to shelter from the next storm. Definitely not the usual settled summer weather we have  become accustomed to. Instead of a couple of nights we ended up staying put for a few days waiting for the bad weather to pass. 

Rooftop, Mar de Cristal

Dinghy on the beach at Mar de Cristal

The cloudy weather and being stationary for a few days alerted us to new problems. The fridge was struggling to stay on overnight and the lights were dimmer than usual. Our batteries, having last been renewed five years ago, were not holding their charge and were clearly running on borrowed time. We decided it would be easier to replace the batteries whilst based in a marina but this would be prohibitively expensive in the Balearics. We decided that our best option was to head for the nearby town of Torrevieja, a three hour sail away.

Leaving the Mar Menor at dawn