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The Weather forecast on our route
Carthagena(Es) 19 oct 2001.
One gale and two storms in Adra.
Sailing from Gibraltar to Almeria (150 mile), we were already close to Almerimar, when we got a stiff breeze on the noose so we went into the little fishing harbour of Adra because it was getting dark and we were not making any progress tacking against it. In the port of Adra we dropped the anchor near another (larger) yacht when the wind had just calmed down a bit. Not for long though, al of a sudden a very strong Easterly wind started to blow. Although the wind was very hard it felt like being in a nice and hot drying machine.
Went went to bed, but did not sleep a lot, because the wind picked up to a good force 8 and we had to get out of bed several times to put some heavier anchor gear into the mud or to check if the anchor was holding. The anchor held perfectly and we were happy that we had not tried (in vain) to go on to Almerimar.
Next morning we found the deck and the sails covered with a thin layer of red sand, brought to us by this wonderful hot wind from a desert somewhere.
On the advice of the Adra harbour authorities, we moved to a pontoon where some small fishing boats were moored. At the end of the pontoon there was just enough space for us to tie up the stern. For the bow we used one of the moorings that were also used by the small fishing boats, but for security, we let out some extra line to be able to reach the pontoon with the stern and left our anchor where it was (in the middle of the harbour). When it was getting dark, and we were just moored, the German from the other boat which was anchored in the bay, left his zodiac (with outboard engine) with us (to keep an eye at it) to go to the internet café. Suddenly, we were not yet ready with tying up the boat, or a strong wind came up and started to build up to gale force 5, 6, 7, 8 Beaufort from the port side, where we were most vulnerable as there was a wooden fishing boat on starbord side and we were blow aside so much by the wind that we started hitting it. Quickly we put extra ropes to tie our stern to the pontoon, from our winches and other strong points of the boat as the wind continued to increase and winched in the anchor line (we did not trust the mooring so much as it was only for small boats). At that moment, rain started and the wind gusts became so strong (it must have been a real storm) that the zodiac of the German was blown right out of the water towards us and was smashed on the pontoon with a big bang. As it landed upside on its outboard, we feared for the engine. Good for us, it was tied up pretty well, because it would have hit us pretty bad (“It is really true doctor, I was hit by a flying dinghy’’).
The dinghy flew up another time before I could get to it and tie it down upside down on the pontoon. Wind was blowing as hell now and there were waves inside the small harbour due to the storm. We were hoping that the mooring and our anchor would hold. Torrential rain started, and within minutes our rubber boots were full of rain water. I had to empty mine 2 times in half an hour. Just as we felt that there was not much more we could do than wait and hope none of the ropes would break. We looked at the boat of the German and had turned around (it was anchored) completely and was now only a few meters from a fishing boat! The rain was so bad that we could hardly see whether it was actually hitting it or not. Just as we thought of ways to get the German (we felt so sorry for him, realising that he must have been reading his mail in this ‘cave’ like café, ignorant that his boat was about to be smashed to pieces at that very moment), he came running and we managed to get the dingy in the water without being injured by its flying aspirations and we watched him as the storm blew him straight to his boat. 20 minutes later the storm had totally subsided and it was calm again. Very weird. Our neighbour came back (the outboard was working although the engine cover had broken) to thank us and to check whether we were not injured by his flying zodiac. Miraculously, no damage was done, although my inflatable lifejacket had inflated (it was laying under the spray hood) due to the torrential rain. The strangest thing was that it was so hard to predict that heavy winds like this were coming and that they were changing direction from minute to minute.
The next day, all the fishermen came to check and empty their little boats on our pontoon. They agreed that it had been an unexpectedly fierce and sudden storm. But although it was a damp and hot day, everyone went fishing again as nothing had happened. From some steel wire, I made two conductors to run from our back stays into the water in order to put there in case of a thunder storm so we could get rid of the lighting if it would hit our mast. That evening, around sunset, pitchdark clouds came and we saw lighting coming. But it was coming closer. Mira and I looked at each other and thought ‘Not again’. But it cannot be worse than yesterday, I thought aloud. And as our anchors had not dragged yesterday, why would it drag to day? Even so, I started to check all the extra lines to the pontoon, put the rubber hoses (around the ropes) in to place to prevent chafing and made sure we could not hit the wooden fishing boat. After I had made three rounds over the boat and the pontoon and tied up our dinghy upside down on the pontoon in a way it would not fly away, I went cooking. Soon after the wind came and we looked at each other again. Mira pulled her ‘you get used to it’ –face and continued reading while I took the dictaphone and started to report the events to our grandchildren: ‘It is the same thing as yesterday. Lighting all over the sky now, and the wind in picking up. Wind is quite strong now, perhaps a force 8, and oh, there is a small boat entering the harbour! Just in time! Wow, these guys are lucky! Wind is still increasing, waves build up inside the harbour and we are heeling over a bit as the wind is from the port side again. I am getting a bit worried now’. At that moment a mega gust of wind tore on the boat like I have never seen before. The water was blown right off the waves and salt water sprayed our faces inside the harbour. By now our whole boat was now seriously heeling over as if we were under sail. Not just worried but outright scared now, I tossed the dictaphone on the chart table and we got ready for action. This was a severe storm or even hurricane force. Everything rattled and cracked and waves pounded the side of the boat like mad. The whole boat hung on the pontoon by seven or eight of our thickest ropes and the wind was howling like mad as we tried to spread the forces over the various cleats and winches in case something would break. And what if the pontoon would come loose? We decided that we would cut ourselves loose from everything and just swing around on the anchors. Our anchors seemed to hold beautifully for the time being. We had 2 anchors attached to 60 meters of chain and heavy line, in only 7m of water. Lighting was everywhere and had obviously struck somewhere as the lights in Adra went out. We were too busy working the ropes to worry about the lighting. After a while the wind decreased to a force 7 or 8 and changed direction and the worst was over. At that moment we saw another yacht enter the harbour, they must have been waiting, unable to enter the harbour in the storm.
Once more realising that it is getting Autumn now and how important reliable ropes are in case of these storms we went to the local fisherman’s hardware shop next morning and bought 100m of heavy line (as an extra line for anchoring or tying up the boat in real bad weather). We also spoke to people with boats that do have wind meters (we can only guess windspeeds by looking at the waves) and they confirmed our estimations: wind speeds of up to 60 knots had been measured during the storm. So those gusts had been indeed force 11 Beaufort. It is a good feeling (no guarantee though) that our anchors and ropes seem to be able to hold under such conditions.