GIBRALTAR

I was excited to sail to Gibraltar.  It’s one of those places that have been mentioned in History and the unique location in relation to Spain was intriguing to me. 

It was also the end point for our 9-day sail from France and the beginning of the Atlantic Crossing adventure, so when our marina berth had the best view of the Rock of Gibraltar I was impressed. 

For those that are not aware, Gibraltar is an Overseas British Territory that is found on the southern tip of Spain, and the Strait of Gibraltar is a key waterway between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.  It is also a major refueling stop for cargo ships travelling past.  It is also a major refueling stop for cargo ships entering and exiting the Mediterranean and if they refueled on the dock they would have to pay tax on the fuel. To combat this, the ships refuel from a fuel ship not on a dock.

The border between Spain and Gibraltar is located just before the airport and airstrip and to cross to Gibraltar you go through a passport check.  There are cars, pushbikes, scooters and walkers waiting to cross the border. Once through immigration you can walk to the airport or across the airstrip to Gibraltar.  There is a big set of gates stopping crowds from crossing at any inopportune times eg while a Jetstar flight is taxing down the runway.  That would put a dampener on your day. 

I think I got three sets of passport stamps for Gibraltar during my stay! 

With half the crew, Tim & Campbell having arrived on Sunday we took the opportunity on Monday to walk across to Gibraltar.  We did have to stop at the tarmac gate as two planes were taking off before they let the crowds cross.  We found a taxi driver, which is the best way to see the rock, who was a born and bred Gibraltarian to take us on a tour up the rock.  There were a number of amazing vantage points with views from Spain to Africa and our driver kept an interesting running commentary on some history and points of interest.  The monkeys on the rock are a real thing, and our driver was familiar with quite a few of them and they would sit on his car door and he would pat them.  Their eyes were going everywhere, checking out what they could pinch from his dashboard.  He just managed to save his packet of mints. 

Keeping things fair, I received a call from the other half of the crew Mark & Agnieszka while we were up on the rock.  They also got the same treatment and had no one to meet them on the boat when they arrived.  Truth be told we didn’t exactly know when they were due to arrive either. 

We did some wandering around the Spanish town La Linea which borders Gibraltar and found that to be good for restaurants and shops and the marina was in a great location for walking or using our bikes to get around.  

I had very mixed emotions when it was time for me to leave Gibraltar.  I had always known that the Atlantic Crossing was not something I wanted to do but to be involved in organizing and planning and the excitement made me feel part of the team.  Since the crossing has been completed it was so amazing to have access to Starlink and have the ability to contact the guys on the boat at anytime (when Starlink was turned on). 

I had also spent quite a lot of time and effort before leaving Australia, stocking up on a medical kit that would cover all possible scenarios of accidents at sea.  My poor GP didn’t understand the full extent of the prescriptions I was asking him to provide me with for the kit.  It ranged from simple antibiotics to green whistles to OxyContin.  Amazon was pretty helpful for getting a range of bandages and equipment while we were in France. 

My one question, heading towards the completion of the crossing was “Have you had to open the Medical Kit?” and the answer was no and I was certainly happy to hear that.