We traveled the old Punic trade route from Carthage to Cartagena. Our passage to Cartagena, Spain, took 4� days, and for the first 2� days we had great favorable currents, allowing us to make incredible time. We were sure that these same currents were used by Hannibal 2200 years ago. On Thursday, our first day out, we were able to sail for four hours before having to motor due to lack of wind. Early Friday afternoon, with the wind once more returning, we tried out our new cruising spinnaker for the first time. This new sail worked great in light airs, especially on a reach. We learned late that evening, though, that this sail didn�t work well downwind in light airs due to its collapsing around the head stay; by the time we realized what was happening to ours, it had become wrapped 5 to 6 times. In total darkness, we spent about an hour motoring around in circles trying to undo the spinnaker from the head stay. Finally it became untangled and we were able to lower. Luckily, the sail wasn�t damaged. Afterwards, we poled out our jib and continued sailing. During our first two nights on this passage we encountered quite a few ships.
We continued sailing wing-on-wing all day Saturday with winds NE 10 knots, although in the morning we did alter course 10 degrees further north to take advantage of an expected wind shift from the NW on Sunday. However, 12 hours later we changed back to our initial course due to a new weather report from Phil�s brother showing instead winds from the SW on Sunday. Early Sunday with winds variable, we motored. When the new winds did materialize mid-morning, they were neither NW nor SW, but instead WNW at 15 knots. With this wind angle, we made little progress toward our destination during the daylight hours. By evening, though, the winds lessened allowing us to motor due west to the coast. Early Monday morning, just 100 nautical miles from Cartagena, the winds not only became westerly but we encountered 1 to 1� knots countercurrent. With both wind and current against us, we continued motoring west as we had no other choice. As we approached the Spanish coast, the winds and seas became less. At 3 am, Tuesday, September 2, we anchored in a cove near Cartagena, Spain, and celebrated our accomplishment of 563 nautical miles with a glass of wine. We had certainly �paid� these last two days for those two extra days in Tunisia. Early Tuesday afternoon we moved over to the marina at Cartagena as we needed fresh food supplies.
We spent 5 days in Cartagena waiting for our next weather window to continue south around Cabo de Gata. This was our second visit to Cartagena; our first had been in June 2005. Some of the historical buildings that had been under renovation during our first visit were now done, and they definitely enhanced the beauty of Cartagena�s historical district. If there was a downside to our visit, it was that we felt at times an uncomfortable amount of surge in the marina as the harbor was exposed to the southwest, and that was the direction from which the winds mostly came during our stay. |
