October
This is VERY peaceful marina! We have met a couple of our neighbours and they all are very nice and friendly, as are the marina staff. We have a skateboard park, which is only 15 mins away, and Jack can also skate quayside! Yay! We have popped into town, briefly, and it looks very pretty. We went into one shop where they had some Roman ruins under a glass floor! 1st century! Wow!
Unfortunately when we arrived, the marina wifi wasn’t very good at all! uh oh! But a few days later, Rob unpacked a wifi amplifier thingie (that’s my technical term) and it now works brilliantly! Well done Rob! We can watch strictly! 💃🕺
After we had been here a few days, we decided to turn Hoopa around, as it was awkward getting on and off via the bows – and we thought that, as the steps are only borrowed, they could be taken at any time. Our new neighbours helped us and now she is stern to. Rob then fitted our passerelle (gang-plank), and now getting on and off Hoopla is SO much easier. He then cleared the stern area and put away the bimini. This has made it less of an obstacle course.
Our 1st weekend here was really peaceful. No alarms were set so we woke up at 10.30am, with breakfast at 11am (never happens normally!). On Sunday, a neighbour took us to the supermarket by car. I noted that there was also a C&A, Primark and a Decathlon – amongst other stores. We’ll definitely be back! We took full advantage of the car and stocked up on all the heavy items (ie: juice, potatoes, UHT milk and barbecue charcoal). We just had to find room for it all in our already full food lockers.
Andreas (a neighbour) popped over for coffee and we had a very pleasant Sunday afternoon sitting in the cockpit, watching the world go by.
As we are not travelling now, school is back to normal; Mon to Fri, 10am to 3pm, with breaks. I worked out that for yr 7, Jack achieved an average score of 82%. Well done Jack!
I have dusted off my running trainers and found a run route (starting with 3k) and I plan build up to 5k, 3 times a week.
Rob has been asked to go diving for 4 of our neighbours, to clean their prop. This gives him some extra pocket money for the chandleries! We have just discovered that the police have closed the skateboard park 😔 such a shame. At least Jack can still skate at the top, quayside. We hope it will be opened soon – but we don’t hold much hope.
Yesterday I swapped around our summer / winter clothes. This is was no mean feat as it involves moving a heavy mattress to get to the actual storage areas underneath. Our winter clothes now consist of Jean’s & fleeces, which we need in the evenings. It is (currently) still very nice an warm during the day (23°) so t-shirt & shorts. No complaints from us! We, finally, dug out our duvet, too, from its vacuum pack as the nights are cold.
Current Covid situation:
Anyone over 6 has to wear a mask at all times. Many municipal and regional areas (counties to us) have introduced reduced opening hours and capacity of bars and restaurants, and in some places these remain closed until further notice. Curfew (11pm to 6am) is also in place in some areas, as are social gatherings limited to a maximum of 6 people. These restrictions don’t really affect us (apart from the masks) as we are a family of 3 and don’t get up until 9am anyway!
All in all, we really like it here and we think we will enjoy our stay.
November
The month of November has sped by.
We have had some very nice sunny days, with an average temperature of 23°. It is noticeably chillier in the evenings and, for the last few nights, we dug out the electric radiators from storage. These are now on from approx 9.30pm until 9am . They are on low, just to keep the chill out and they provide a nice, comfortable night.
Rob ordered us a new toilet (at €375) as our one had started to weep sea water through one of the seals. Rob had replaced these (and the barrel) just last year (around €70) so we decided to go for a new unit. We have replaced it with an electric system rather than keeping with our original pump system. It was just slightly more expensive but it should be easier for maintenance.
We had our first overnight storm, with strong winds and we woke to the sound of loud bangs on the deck. We had (very quickly) got out of the habit of not securing down or putting items away after use. Lesson learned!
The solar panels are doing an excellent job but Rob wanted to try out our wind generator during some 20+ knots of winds. Rob quickly realised that the cable wasn’t thick enough and needed replacing. This was ordered and fitted. Now we just need strong winds again to test it hahhaha.
The local curfew, 11pm to 6am, continues and our area recently had a two week lockdown. This only applied, though, to the pubs and cafes. All the local shops were still open!
Schooling continues Monday to Friday and is going well. Jack is so good and we are all learning together! Our next module in geography is all about coasts! Yay!
We also had two days rain – complete with Sahara sands! Our decks were covered! Rob very kindly washed down our neighbours yachts too, along with Hoopla.
Well, the new toilet arrived quicker than we expected, so Rob decided to fit it the following weekend. As with all these things, they never go to plan! But 3 days later, its completed. The flush system is louder than what we were expecting but it’s fine and we’re very happy with it!
Towards the end of November, we found out that the skateboard park is back open! Yay! On the second day, Jack took a tumble and badly grazed his palm and side. Ouch! A couple of days later, though, he was back up there!
Rob and I go for regular walks and the last one was to a local park, which had peacocks. We had a look around the fort and the museum and we were the only people there.
A thunder storm with heavy rains were forecasted and so we decided it was now time to dig out the cockpit tent. Rob put it up without any problems but it does need some repairs to a couple of zips and seams. Typically, the storm arrived much later than forecasted and was over quite quickly. But, wow, it was very loud and torrential rain!
Last Sunday, here in the marina, we had our first socially distanced BBQ! We all took our own food, plates and utensils and had a great time. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and was so nice to get faces to names.
Parcels from home are always very much appreciated. We received a very important one from Pete, which included much needed bearings for the wind meter. Thanks Pete. We also received one from Matt, recently, which included our mail, squash and treats! Thanks Matt x
Our eyes are now focusing on December, with Christmas on the horizon. The decorations are going up in town and aboard Hoopla very soon. My next report, next month, will include all the details. In the meantime, stay safe everyone!
December
Rob eventually sourced the part needed (only available from the UK) which meant that we have to wait for it and in the meantime, no hot water. We have to boil a kettle if needed. We use the really nice marina shower block for showers, which really helped. The cuts also affected our wifi too! Not good! We have lots of mobile data but we would rather save it for when we are out and about, than use it for Jack’s school work. Luckily it was back on within the week. Phew!
Rob was the hero of the day and donned his diving gear and cleared it for them. He also replaced the broken propeller for them! This saved them a fortune as they would have had to have their yacht lifted out for this, at great cost. Well done Rob!
January 2021
Stay safe everyone and best wishes from the Hoopla crew!
February
The skateboard park also opened up on the 18th! 
yay!
March
April
April brings showers back home in the UK and also here in Spain, along with strong winds. Unlike the UK, the rains sometimes also include a dump of Sahara sand. One can occasionally wake up to a small desert on deck! Look closely and you could see camels clumping past your porthole!
On the 3rd, we finally got to do our trek to the cannons! This was mentioned and planned by Vera (Jack’s Spanish teacher) before Robs op! It was wonderful! It was a circular walk and took in cliff tops with magnificent views over the Mar Menor, through forests and over open landscapes. Not to mention the actual cannons themselves! Vera was a fabulous guide and had lots of interesting facts for us. An amazing day was had by all!
After prepping yacht Barramundi 1, Rob, and boat neighbour Kevin, set off at 10.15 on the 9th. Rob went below to make them both a coffee at the start of their crossing and soon after smelt the unmistakable, strong smell of GAS!! He immediately closed off the gas supply but this meant that they had no cooker for the duration of the passage! They could not have anything hot to eat or drink! They spent the next 29 hours with only sandwiches and water! They obviously tested the cooker before they left, but only to check that it actually worked. The heaven’s opened at around 8pm – followed by two huge thunder storms later… The wind and sea picked up and they both got soaked to their skin, even in their full waterproofs. It was a cold, wet and uncomfortable night that seemed to last forever! The wind shifted right around the compass and left a horrible and confused sea, with waves hitting the boat from all directions. Finally, the low cloud lifted mid morning and Rob and Kevin were finally in sight of land. They saw our neighbours leaving Melilla marina, in their catamaran and, at about one mile off shore, they managed a quick, shouty, conversation as they passed. Rob and Kevin were told that they are expected and that the marina staff are very friendly and helpful. They arrived soon after, on Saturday afternoon, moored up and they were met by the marineros. The VAT paperwork was finalised on the Monday but they couldn’t leave until the gas leak was fixed and the weather had turned back in their favour. Rob managed to replace the pipe over the next few days, while they waited. Melilla is a small town, a Spanish territory. It is smaller than Cartagena, with calls to prayer heard often. The marina wifi was non existent and they both relied on Robert’s data and hotspot. Their stay came to an end on the following Saturday and they slipped their lines at around 10am. It was a much calmer crossing on their return journey, but not without excitement! They went through the biggest pod of dolphins that Rob had ever seen and they also saw a school of whales! He thinks that they were pilot whales and around 6 of them. Amazing! They happily sailed on for a good few hours but, when it came to the time to motor, it came to light that the fuel guage was faulty! It had read half full when they left Melilla but the movement of the sail had apparently woke it up and it had flipped to read EMPTY!! unbelievable! Luckily (very luckily) Rob had insisted that they take an extra 20 gallon container of fuel with them. He emptied this into the fuel tank and they arrived back at Cartagena, Sunday at 3.30. What a journey!
Meanwhile, back on Hoopla, Jack and I continued with the schooling and our day to day routines. A neighbour very kindly took me to the local supermarket in her car, which helped enormously. I filled up our water tank and ended up washing our decks, as we had received more Sahara sand from the recent heavy downpours (no leak so Rob’s recent sealing worked a treat!).
Locally in Cartagena is their Asiático coffee. It is made with their locally brewed ‘licor 43’ and condensed milk. I had to try it and it is very sweet and very, very yummy!
Last season we (the royal we, you understand!) noticed that the chart plotters are not easily visible from the steering position, in the cockpit. So Robert is trying out an idea of using a tablet that is attached to the cockpit steering column. It was a quite complicated task to set up, though, as he had to run a new electrical cable so that we have power to charge the tablet.
We had yet more rain and woke to more Sahara sand on the 25th ..
Jack’s Spanish lessons continue three times a week and last week actually included making a traditional Spanish cake! They had SO much fun! Not gluten free unfortunately but I’ve been informed its delicious!
Our contract here ends on the 13th May and this is when we should leave. We have pencilled in to depart on the 9/10th, as this gives us a few extra days if weather isn’t good, or a job has over run. We are slowly turning Hoopla back into a sea travelling vessel from the static caravan she has turned into! Rob started up the engine, to check that she is ok, and she started 1st try! It was a lovely sound to hear after 6 months. The Balearics are in sight!
May
The month of May has sped by, but probably because such a lot went on! The Spanish restrictions have been relaxed and, with the arrival of the sunshine, we have recently seen an increase in boat comings and goings here in the marina! Saying that, it is absolutely pouring down as I write this, with rumbles of thunder in the distance…maybe we should put on our life jackets! hahaha!
We had Mothers Day here in Spain on the 2nd and I had a lovely day! I was a lucky mum indeed with gifts including a very nice fleece and a set of mugs, which are used often
The rain finally eased off and the fab weather is here at last and on the 6th our neighbours very kindly lent us their car. We went to the Tesco’s (that we’ve heard all about) in Mazzaron. It was a good 45 minute car journey, through the scenic mountains. It felt really strange (and a little uncomfortable) as it was stocked with British foods, the store signs were in English with Spanish underneath and there were only English staff (that we saw). We stocked up on gravy, squash and other bits and pieces and then had a lovely meander around the town and marina, which included a beer and a sangria
Rob had an awful night one night and woke up feeling nauseous and dizzy. On the 2nd day, we went to an A&E that is covered by our insurance. The doc said it was a problem with his neck and prescribed 3 sets of tablets. We put it down to when he went diving a few days before. Rob remembers putting a strain on his neck but thought nothing of it. The nausea went quite quickly and the dizziness has got better over time, but has not completely disappeared – but we hope it will do so soon.
In Aldi recently, we picked up an outdoor fabric canopy for €25. We ‘ummed and ‘arred but we got it in the end, as it was not cheap. But the fabric felt like it was really good quality – and we need extra panels for our bimini for shade cover. Rob dug out the sewing machine and, out of this canopy, he made three extra panels. Brilliant!
Jack is spending most afternoons at the skateboard park and has shot up in the last 4 months or so and is now 5’6! unbelievable! We are coming to the end of his year 8 in school, possibly next week He has done really, really well! We look forward to the parents evening when he finishes – and the teachers gifts…
He is very much enjoying his Spanish lessons with Vera. She is so kind and spoils her students! Vera now speaks only in Spanish to them and Jack is, again, doing really well
We were very lucky to have a tour with Vera of a newly opened section in the Roman museum (by the King of Spain) towards the end of May. It was surreal to be standing on a road that was used in the 1st century! We all enjoyed it very much.
Rob received his telephone call for his vaccine jab for the 26th may. I went with him, snuck in, and got jabbed too! We were given the Jensen (or Johnson) jab which is only a single dose! We now don’t have to worry about having to come back here (Cartagena) for a 2nd jab, which is great.
Just last week, we were having a lovely celebratory birthday lunch with friends, when I broke a tooth! I saw a dentist that afternoon, who gave me a temporary filling and I have an appt on the 7th June. I’m not sure what the outcome will be but I think it maybe an implant (ouch for having it fitted and double ouch for the cost, €1500).
We think that the C.I. Bears (like us) are all getting itchy paws and are wanting to set up and sail away. What is giving the game away is that, whenever we return to Hoopla, the chart table is cleared away with only Robs compass, pencils and his Balearic charts left out…
I am sure I have said this, in at least the last three posts, that we hope to be leaving soon. But I say it again hahhaha! Final decisions will be made following my appt outcome on the 7th..
Stay safe everyone and keep smiling!
