L: Well here we are again. Out in the open ocean. But this time it does feel a little different. The temperatures are a lot colder (I am in foulies!), the boat is rolling and surfing on a distinctive Atlantic swell and we are sailing with a gaggle of boats all heading in the same direction. Whilst in port we all talk the talk of cruisers - “we’re here to have fun and run the boat conservatively with the kids on board…..” - but it does feel good to be at the front of the pack (despite being the second smallest monohull!) and the adrenaline is kicking in as we are being caught (particularly with another Moody that we got to know in Tangiers!). It might not be a race but they do say that 2 boats is a regatta.

Settling back into life at sea is a peculiar experience - especially as everybody does it at a different pace. Sititing here right now is amazingly peaceful and a point in time that you can only appreciate if you are able to experience it. We talk about making memories on this trip and today has definitely done that. J finally found his sea legs, within the day has removed his head from the bucket to singing sea shanties whilst steering the boat flying our Spinnaker. We were all on deck enjoying the conditions and ended with a family round of “the Wellerman” - quickly becoming our boat song and a sight/sound best kept for the open sea!

It is midnight now, the boat is quiet, we are trucking along at 8.5kts, there is a single tanker on the horizon and the night sky is providing a light show that you can only get out in the ocean. Since our last blogs the wildlife has also been out to play with sunfish, turtles, swordfish and plenty of dolphin showing off. Fortunately no Orcas!

So - it has been a while since the last blog - our apologies! Indeed I edit this after a handover where V informs me that she has just written up Gibraltar so you have 2 in quick succession. Sorry for any overlaps….

Since our last blog we have been said goodbye to OB, requiring a vet’s trip in Malaga, had an extended non-Schengen/boat maintenance stay in Gibraltar and had a whistle stop in Africa. We have now cleared the straits, left Orca-alley behind and powering on towards Lanzarote. Whilst, the ARC+ (the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers) does not start for a month, we do now feel like we have very much started the Atlantic leg with a 5 day passage down to the start in Gran Canaria. There is also a defined gaggle of boats all heading in the same direction - all being corralled through a Wattsapp group organised by V. (If the competitive spirit on Canopus was surprise number 1 of the blog then I guess this is surprise 2!).

Saying Goodbye to OB was definitely a low point of the trip. It is amazing what a hole a dog leaves behind. He loved boat life, swimming and being in (very) close contact and we his company. Unfortunately, he just found it impossible to go to the loo on the boat whilst in motion and so he could not do the extended passages that we are now on. Seeing videos of him chasing leaves and his tail going back in the UK has definitely reassured us that we have made the right call.

Our recent stops down the spanish coast have felt a little functional to be honest - Torremelinos to stamp out of Schengen and sort the dog travel, Gibraltar to build non-Schengen time and some much needed boat work and Tangiers to find the weather window to get out into the Atlantic and down to the Canaries. Aligning the constraints of boat readiness, tides, current, wind and Orcas through the straits has been consuming - but the truth is that we had a relatively easy time of it. The passage across the traffic in the straits was very well planned by V and we got across well - albeit that by the time we got across to Africa avoiding the adverse tide, the wind had built somewhat. Tangiers was a welcome sight until we were told to moor on the windward side of a pontoon being blown on at 26kts while we cleared customs. Arriving was easy, departing less so!

Gibraltar was a long stopover that definitely grew in appeal. We entered in the very early morning through a very narrow gap created between the Gibraltan peninsular and the runway which juts out into the sea. The gap is very small and difficult to distinguish in the dark - but we managed although I suspect closer to the runway than is normal given we got blue flashing lights racing towards us along the runway as we made our entry!

It was lovely to see Granny who spent 4 days with us acting in loco parentis while V flew home with the dog and I battled with boat maintenance. The kids were over the moon to see her - not that they showed it in their abilities to concentrate on home schooling!

We did manage to get a lot of work done to the boat - we have hot water returned, the hatch lids are replaced, Starlink is up and running and we have done some good work to manage our gearbox leaks. There will never be a time when we don’t have a list - we certainly have a few more things to do in the Canaries that include some new running rigging, a new VHF and some deck hardware checks/maintenance. We certainly appreciated the help of the chandlery’s in Gibraltar - specifically Jen, Gavin and Simon - all of whom went out of their way to help.

Gibraltar itself grew in us. Early visits to Main Street and an O’Reilly’s pub reminded us of elements of the UK that we are not missing. However, as we went up the rock, met some monkeys, visited the caves (where the myth is Hercules entered Hades- to continue ur ancient legends theme!) and toured the amazing Word War 2 tunnels the place really came into its own. A visit to Morrisons also let us indulge in some UK tastes - fruit shoots for the kids and Thai sweet chilli crisps!

Tangiers, whilst a quick stop, was an introduction to Africa for the kids.

Whilst it takes a day to get into Africa, I find it highly rewarding when you do - the smells, the tastes, this colour. Tangiers did not disappoint from any of those regards. We went to the Kasbah, bought and ate locallly, relaxed with mint tea and were woken by the call to prayer. Although S got a little bit sick of the attention blondes get! The hygiene difference between the continents became quite obvious. We did not swim in the sea where they discharge 60% of the cities effluent raw into the local beach. As we left, the sea was depressing. Definitely not a place to be running the water maker.

The cruising community is beginning to gather now and we have met a number of other boats on “the circuit”. We have now met a good handful of boats doing the Atlantic. Not only is it great to share advice, tips and take solace in the fact that we all have long lists, but the kids have started to have some quality time with people their own age.

Talking of which, S/Y Malaya is creeping up on us so I might just shake out a reef. Not that it is a competition!

Stay well!

The crew of Canopus!