We took the train to Madrid for a few days to look around. Very impressive train and service. A 2 1/2 hour trip at 300kmh. The scenery passing by was quite incredible especially as you go over the mountains at the coast and into the interior. It feels as if you are in a now dry inland sea. Limestone cliffs, gorges – much more green than we were expecting. Although the last couple of weeks has seen heatwaves over this land it may be looking a bit different. Purple fields of lavender and the bright yellow of sunflowers. Olive trees, fruit trees. It all looks immaculate In fact everywhere we go it is all very looked after. Cleanliness and tidiness are the go – at least in these cities.
We spent two days walking and visiting the Prado and Sophia galleries in Madrid. Incredible collections – the sheer size of Madrid and its buildings, roads etc is on another level. This is a grand city with grand proportions. A great place to base yourself and then train in every direction to each point of the compass.
A 30 minute train ride took us to Toledo – a medieval city and the home of The Man from La Mancha. A popular spot as it also has featured in Game of Thrones. They make steel products here and Knife shops are everywhere – daggers, stilettos, hunting knives and swords.
While we are In Madrid Francesco is ‘polishing’ the fuel. Essentially running the fuel through a series of filters to remove any contaminants. This take a few hours and much better to be off the boat while that happens. We have ordered 6 of each type of filter to take with us as it is likely to reoccur. When we get back to Rome we can have the tank emptied and cleaned to remove any sludge that is probably still sitting in the bottom of the tank.
Figueres and Dali
We have another day to wait while the spare parts come in so another train ride up the coast this time to Figueres
Finally we can go. The work is done , the spares have arrived and Francesco will come out for a test run before we head off proper. As we leave the harbour we are surrounded by the Classic Yachts that are racing today from the Marina. 100 year old timber boats – big and small – and two of the America’s Cup contenders also out for a play. October 2024 Barcelona will host the next America’s Cup.
We sailed up to Blanes – the start of the Costa Brava. A great day – smooth sailing, nice town – it’s great to be out of the city and back on the water. It’s cool along the coast with a sea breeze constantly. Quite a few boats out now as School holidays have begun and the summer holidays are in.
But the next day – whoa – so different. We are heading to Portlligat- Dali’s house, now a museum, is there I would very much like to go. The wind is in our favour and the town has a protected anchorage that should be okay. It’s going to be strong and a fast ride. That was the plan.
But then – the wind increased to 30 knots, the swell to a metre of more. Still ok and we have reefed the mainsail and the jib. There are quite a few capes along this route plus we are coming to the end of the Pyrenees where they hit the coast. Lots going on. The wind became flukey and suddenly the sail jibed. In doing so the force of the sail slamming across broke one of the strings of the lazy bag. A bit of a problem because now we need to drop the sail but we know that the sail is going to fall on the deck as it comes down without the support of the lazy bag. What a pain! In heaving seas we managed to tie ropes around the sail and boom and limp into Portlligat looking very untidy indeed. We had totally forgotten that it was Bastille Day and the small cove is packed to the rafters. But we need to drop the anchor and sort out this mess. Which we do – but it is so windy that we cannot leave the boat with confidence so I can see the Dali house but cannot get there- oh well. In tidying up the sail and half fixing the lazy bag we also discovered a tear in our new sail 😢. As it has slammed across it has hit the spreader and cut a 400mm slit in the top of the sail. We have some gaffer tape and put it on both sides. Not sure how well that is going to work but it’s all we have. The best bet is for us to get emergency sail repair done in Marseille- we will be there Monday.
It did – we have our jib reefed in to a tiny triangle and we are using the motor and we are scooting along between 9 and 11 knots – fast. Until – the rolling seas have disturbed the sediment still in the fuel tank and we are losing power. Rog will have to change the filter in conditions similar to being on a bucking bronco. It’s not great. It’s never all smooth sailing. Thank goodness he manages and we are nearly to Sete underneath Montpelier. It’s been 9 hours of huge seas and wind – some flat calm and a jetty will be great. We are going to spend two nights in Sete – change the filters again and then continue on to Marseille
fountain in a square with water leaking over it – it has grown it’s own garden
I am writing this as we are en route to Marseille. A couple more hours and we are there. The fuel has played up again but as the day is flat and calm and the boat is hardly moving – the problem seems stable – for the moment anyway. The sails are up and the tear is not too bad. The gaffer tape is holding😂😂
janeandrogersadventure 
I can imagine the conversations on the boat!! Not a relaxing time at all waiting for something else to go wrong. You’ll be pleased to get into sheltered waters and repairs done.
Yes all fixed and now in the Calanque du Morgiou. You two would love this national park – great hiking and little beaches- 😊