Logbook Entry

Dates: 08/30/08 – 08/31/08
Distance: 25 nm
Sailed from: Altea
Lat: 38°41’N
Long: 00°08’E

Today we crossed the Greenwich meridian during a short, but nice sail to Moraira. Lisa saw three dolphins feeding nearby shortly after departure from Altea. We joined a few dozen other boats in the El Rinconet anchorage outside the harbor but had a sinking feeling when they all returned to the marina just before sunset.

We expected fairly settled weather, but ended up having a somewhat uncomfortable night with 12-15 knots of onshore breeze. The one good thing is that it kept us pointed into the waves, rather than rolling from side to side in a swell. If conditions worsened, we were ready to depart for the 50-mile open water crossing to Ibiza at any minute, but the wind eventually dropped off around 3:00 a.m. We weren’t up for an overnight passage just yet which is too bad because it would have been a nice sail. Instead, we slept soundly until dawn and were underway again as the sun was rising behind the rocky cliffs of Cabo Moraira to the east. Not much wind, but a quick and smooth passage nonetheless. We saw about a dozen boats headed in the opposite direction, probably toward Denia, the closest port on the Spanish mainland.