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