To Barcelona Covers the trip from Sete to Barcelona December 26/27, 2000 At last, on our way out of the French rivers and canals into the open Mediterranean. We slipped from that desolate boatyard where we had been marooned over Christmas and went through the bridges at 1005 (they were supposed to have opened at 0945) and after an hour alongside at an industrial dock to offload our propane cube and finalize sea readiness, we actually exited the breakwater at Sete by 1145 into the sloppy swells of a windless but sunny Mediterranean. We hoisted the main to try to reduce the rolling in the confused two metre swells left over from the previous three day gale. We had a good forecast for light force 4 to 5 north and north westerly winds, which for our southerly course were good. After the gales, we appreciated no wind for a bit. We were cautioned that the Gulf of Lion could be one of the worst sections of the Med as the shallowing waters of this large gulf can create large confused wave patterns quite readily. To avoid such we were advised to circle around the shoreline rather than to diagonally cross the gulf in the direct route to Barcelona. However, with the light winds, we decided to go straight across, and if anything blew up, we would head inshore. However, we had to hand steer as for some reason our auto pilot would not follow the set course very reliably. As it was we had a motor sail the whole way across a bumpy sea. We sailed for about an hour in the early evening as the breeze freshened to a force 5 SE for a short while. Then the wind swung south, slightly stronger, to the extent we weren’t sure we might be in for a blow. We altered course from 190 westward to 235 to head towards shore with an alternative of making for Port Vendre. After another hour, we were headed again into a SW wind, and so decided to resume our original course direct for Barcelona. We continued motor sailing throughout the night hand steering in the sloppy seas with light winds shifting to the NW. No real problems. In the morning as we were running down the mountainous Spanish coast line, we accidentally discovered, much to our embarrassment, what the problem was with our auto pilot. While our mast was down, the extension speaker for our VHF had been stored in the same locker with the flux gate compass which controls our auto pilot, and the magnetism in the speaker threw the compass off course. After we removed it, the auto pilot worked quite well. We had overlooked one of the most basic precautions in sailing, not to have any metal or magnetic influence around the compass, and as a result we had to endure 20 hours of hour on hour off hand steering.  At 1400 we contacted Soleil Sans Fin and talked with Bill and Jean who were at Port Vell Marina. We were headed for Port Olympic, as there was no room at Port Vell because of THE RACE starting from there on December 31 with the giant catamarans ready to race supposedly non stop around the world. A big maritime event. By 1615 we were settled in on # 6 dock at Olympic, a large good marina that was the centre piece of the marine sports for Barcelona Olympics in 1992. We had our first experience of stern mooring. We nosed in between two other sailboats, nudging up to the dock where an attendant took our bow lines, and handed us a line dangling in the water attached to a bollard. I had to pull this line aft where it was secured to a thicker, slimy, barnacle encrusted heavy hawser that I then had to pull on in order to haul the stern out so that our bow anchors were about two feet from the dock. No real problem, except the barnacles are like razors, that can cause fine slices in your fingers as you grab the line. We will have to get out working gloves to haul on these lines when picking up stern moorings. The traditional Mediterranean mooring usually involves using your own stern anchor to control your approach to the dock; however with so many mooring lines and chains on the bottom, it would be risky to drop your own anchor, as it would foul in the bottom lies and be difficult if not impossible to retrieve. Early that evening, Bill and Jean came over from Port Vell to welcome us to Barcelona. The marina was ringed by restaurants and night clubs pounding out bass rhythms until all hours of the morning. We went out to an economical buffet that first night alongside, but we were too tired to fully enjoy it and crashed early. The marina was economical, especially with the half monthly rate, which came out to about 1400 pesetas (about $11.00 Cdn) a day, including electricity and showers. We had to put a deposit on the electrical fitting and two gate keys which was returned to us upon leaving. However, another catch 22 when we left 14 days later at 1100, we were charged for another day at the regular rate of 2100 pesetas as their days go from midnight to midnight! Oh well, that’s their game. If you can’t take a joke you shouldn’t be cruising. We were able to get the cruisers’ net each day on VHF channel 71 at 0900 from Port Vell, and announced our arrival next day (December 28) on it. We were then called up by Venturer II, and welcomed by Brian and Pippa whom we met in November of 1999 when we visited Arsenal Marina in Paris and were wandering the docks seeking information on the French canals. This is one of the enjoyable aspects of cruising, meeting old acquaintances in different locations as we wander about the coastlines and waterways of Europe. There is a real sense of community amongst the cruisers within the two marinas, but especially Port Vell. Not only was there the cruisers’ net, but also a list for Port Vell of the boat names, owners and locations of each liveaboard cruiser, as well as a white "Yellow Pages" of chandleries, suppliers and services that catered to the boating community in English in Barcelona.  The cruisers’ net was a bit similar to that which we experienced in Georgetown in the Abacos in the Bahamas two years ago. The net started at 0900 with one of the cruisers serving as net controller each day. He (usually, but sometimes a woman) would start off indicating the purpose of the net and asking if there were any objections to the use of that channel for that purpose, a legal and communications requirement and courtesy. Then a request for any medical dental or other emergency was made. After that Jens on "Kandu" was asked to give a weather report which covered the current conditions, and the forecast for the areas around Barcelona the Balearics and adjacent regions for the next 24 hours. Thanks Jens. Next were departures or arrivals, services required, then "Treasures of the Bilge" available, social activities, a race report on THE RACE which started December 31, and then any other communications. People would call in with their information, services, articles for sale, social activities in town, and the occasional bits of repartee to lighten up the session.  For example, one day when we announced for treasures of the bilge that we had an electric soldering iron available as we discovered we actually had three on board, some one chimed in with, "Soddering, that sounds illegal!" When preparing for a Robbie Burns Night, and trying to get haggis, some one asked, "What is haggis?", to which one person replied " A Scottish bird." and to which another responded, "No it isn’t, everyone knows a haggis has four legs." And so it went! After the net, boaters would stay tuned to channel 71 as we called each other regarding information on the net or to arrange meetings, outings, or other helpful exchanges. Most left their VHF on 71 all the time as it was the calling channel for the cruisers, like an old fashion small town party line telephone (for those of you old enough to remember such). We had a good view dockside, at Port Vell of the giant catamarans that were participating in this millennium non-stop around the world race, presumptuously, simply called, THE RACE. These giants are from 28 to 38 metres long, and up to 18 metres wide, and mast heights of up to 42 metres! They are capable of speeds up to 40 knots, close to 50 miles per hour! They go so fast they create their own apparent wind that allows them to go far faster than the real wind. Club Med held the record for covering 625.7 nautical miles or 1158 kilometres in 24 hours, an average speed of over 26 knots over a 24 hour period! I believe this record has already been beaten during this race by Club Med. (In contrast, the monohull record for 24 hours in the Vendee Globe single handed around the world race has just been broken by the Brit, Mike Golding, in Team Group 4, a 20 metre boat, on February 13/2001 with a distance of 435.3 nautical miles for an average speed of 18.4 knots.) I predict that Club Med will win THE RACE, and that several speed records will be broken. Big money and sponsorships are involved. After two weeks in Port Olympic, we took Veleda over to Port Vell on January 11, as most of our friends were there, and it was more centrally located to the old centre of Barcelona, the Barri Gotic, La Rambla, the cathedral, and Barceloneta. More about our sojourn in Barcelona and our crossing to the Balearics in my next log.