Through the gates

35°59.68’N  005°51.48’W

12th May 2020

Glowing streetlights, busy ship traffic, chattering on the VHF, fishing markers, traffic separation schemes. The silence of the ocean has abated. We are on the approach to the straits of Gibraltar, the under and overwater highway of our sea. Here we are flung back into reality after a trance-like state that being out in the vastness of the ocean desert brings you to. These last few days were a blur; fast and fun spinnaker sailing while getting into our work grooves.

Early this morning we crossed the two lanes of the TSS to hug the Spanish coast on entry to the med. A strong current slowed us down for a couple of hours but soon turned in our favour. Already the rolling swell we had to contend with over these days has all but disappeared, everything about our environment was new; rain showers coming off the land, an eerily glassy sea and the strong smell of earth that is immediately noticeable from our vantage point. Our Instrumentation has been popping in and out of GPS signal, maybe caused by the rain and a loose connection.

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We’re through! Everyone got something of a normal sleep last night, three or four uninterrupted hours for most. The reassuring hum of the engine and flat seas are a perfect combination for some proper rest.

This morning the energy is up on board, I got the administration required for our arrival out of the way and everyone got through their own digital obligations, being disconnected for a period meant the screen time left us with a familiarly bittersweet taste and devices were soon put away. We all had a nice breakfast together in the aft cockpit enjoying the change of scenery.

The buzz of life in the Med was noticeable from the outset, aside from the enjoyment of the snow-capped range on Spain’s southern coastline, we instantly got a superpod of Dolphins coming to play on our bow, we were instantly surrounded. Pilot whales joined in the charge and patches of boiling water were tell-tales of some Tuna-hunting activity.

We motored along the coastline into a beautiful sunny day that we all gladly spent at work, tending to Far Out; Dan and Greg ploughed through a solid teak scrub, I did some stainless polishing and maintained our systems, Janos steered us in the right direction while keeping us entertained with his stories, and Vitto cooked us a delicious lunch. Like clockwork, Far Out’s crew were perfectly synchronised into maximising their positive impact on a boat we have all come to love.

Our marine troupe of entertainers were unabashedly clingy, they danced with the boat and gave us a great show while we got through our tasks, showing us the way home.

Every now and then I would check in with Janos at the wheel; “Marc, my friend, this is what life is.”