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December 1999 Newsletter | ||
| From Gibraltar to Ceuta, North Africa |
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| Click HERE for a photo tour | |||
| In answer to some recent e-mails,
yes, we're still afloat! We've had a busy and exciting season of cruising and filming for our new
television series, Distant Shores, so have been remiss in updating the news on our site. Thank you to all that wrote to us while we were traveling. It's so great to get news when we're away. We appreciate your interest and look forward to sharing what we've learned and seen. Two-Step is now hauled out in Almerimar, Spain, for the rainy season, and we are back in Canada for a few months to edit our new shows, complete some writing projects and spend the holidays with our families. We are also releasing a new cruising video at the Toronto International Boat Show in January, called "How to Sail Your Boat Across an Ocean." This 50-minute video follows our most recent transatlantic passage from the Chesapeake Bay to Portugal via Bermuda and the Azores and has lots of tips and demonstrations on how to prepare and carry out a safe offshore passage. Check the Searoom Bookstore for ordering details in January - and drop by the boat show and say hello if you're in town. (See our seminar page for dates and times.) In our last newsletter, we were in Marina Bay, Gibraltar, (website) at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea, preparing Two-Step for a summer of cruising. The Rock of Gibraltar is one of the Pillars of Hercules, guarding the entrance to the Med from the European shore and we wanted to see the second Pillar of Hercules, the mountain Jabal Musa, across the Strait, on the African shore. So our first port, after departing Gibraltar was Ceuta, a rocky peninsula at the foot of Jabal Musa. Ceuta located at 35 53.5N 5 19W is a strategic territory similar in size to Gibraltar but is attached to Morocco and owned by Spain. We found it hard to find information on yacht facilities in Ceuta so were expecting poor conditions, but after the 15-mile sail from Gibraltar were pleasantly surprised to find a brand new, fully-equipped marina, a beautiful waterfront swimming pool called the "Mediterranean Park" surrounded by bars, restaurants and boutiques, as well as a modern casino and hotel facilities. The Old World Ceuta still exists in the surrounding architecture but because it is a Spanish-owned territory has a modern European feel. We paid about $10 a night at the marina. We had a very enjoyable visit here for 3 days just wandering the palm-lined streets and relaxing by the pool before continuing on into the Med to cruise the Costa del Sol on the south coast of Spain - but more on that next time.... Some local information: Marina Bay Gibraltar The Tower, PO Box 373, Gibraltar Pier Office: Tel. (350) 73300, Fax (350) 42656 VHF Channel 71 Autonomous City of Ceuta Office of Tourism and Festivities Paseo de las Palmeras, 26 11710 Ceuta Tel. 956 51 40 92 or 51 80 22 Fax 956 51 51 98 or 51 06 66 Best Cruising Guide we found: R.C.C. (Royal Cruising Club) Pilotage Foundation guide to Atlantic Spain and Portugal, El Ferrol to the Strait of Gibraltar - Third Edition, 1995 by Oz Robinson and Mike Sadler, Revised by Anne Hammick Published by Imray, Laurie Norie & Wilson Ltd. ISBN 0 85288 254 8 - had a good harbour chart although at the time it was published the marina hadn't been built. The docks are easy to spot as you sail in, however. The guide also had a good information on approach, lights, tides and currents as well as fuel, water, and supplies available. Check out our "Cruising Notebook" column on Ceuta in the Summer 1999 issue of Canadian Yachting magazine (www.canyacht.com). Shard Multimedia PO Box 285, Brechin, ON L0K 1B0 Telephone: (705) 484-0061 Fax: (705) 484-1098 E-mail: shard@interhop.net Paul &
Sheryl
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