Calpe

Trip Start Apr 04, 2008
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28
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Trip End Jul 03, 2009


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Flag of Spain and Canary Islands  , Valencian Country,
Saturday, August 9, 2008

We left Torrevieja and had a really relaxed sail doing over 7 knots with flat seas. Skies and seas were a beautiful blue as we sailed past jagged, rocky arid cliffs, so unlike home but really beautiful. Secret little cays and caves dot the coastline giving thoughts to pirates and older times as ruins of old Moorish fortresses stand on headlands.

After 3 rejections from marinas (all full) we finally find a berth at Calpe, it was meant to be a short sail day but in the end lasting 11hrs. Tom and Harri were both unwell and as it was reasonably flat seas we think it's a tummy bug thing but not too bad. We had not been too impressed by the beaches in Spain so far but as we reached this region the water and the sand started to change. The water is that lovely clear sapphire colour and the sand now clean and golden. One port we tried to stay at La Vila Joiosa had brightly coloured apartments dotting the beach and palms with golden sand it looked so great and we were disappointed that they had no room for us.

Caple however is another really nice seaside resort and after 1hr of trying to moor stern in, in a catastrophic breeze (as the Spanish marina guy put it) we finally got Bella tied up. The boys not feeling too well settled into a night of movie watching while Pete and I strolled the esplanade that went from the Marina into the centre of Calpe.

Overflowing restaurants, apartments and souvenir shops lined this route which winds along the beach, people everywhere. Spain has a population of over 50 million of which I think 40 must live or holiday along this stretch of the Med. There is barely an inch of sand available on the beaches and the cafes and streets are bustling. It was a really pretty walk in the cool of the afternoon. We decided to eat at one of the many large restaurant were all the dishes are displayed out front and restaurateurs are touting for business pulling you in with a free glass of sangria. Looks better and more exciting than it is. We waited over an hour for our Paella which the seafood tasted decided dodgy (the mussels still had beards) and we hoped wouldn't be a problem for us in the morning. So we said a quick pray to the patron saint of "Food Poisoning" and grabbed some ice creams for the boys and headed back to the boat to join them in the movies. I went to bed of course. 11 o'clock is still a very late night for me.
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