October 2023
It was lovely to wake up this morning in La Azohia; an anchorage about three hours from Cartagena. We had such a peaceful, peaceful night 🙂 We arrived here yesterday and we had a wonderful afternoon just swimming, snorkeling and enjoying sundowners aboard Gemini J.
We need to be making tracks back to Cartagena late this afternoon, but that is then! Rob and Jack began sorting out their scuba equipment after breakfast this morning. But when Rob went to start up our outboard engine – it was having none of it! We think it is still in holiday mode 🙁 This left us no choice but to raise our anchor and move Hoopla nearer to the scuba area. But when Rob told Nigel our plans, he very kindly offered us his outboard to use! How kind is that!?! So Rob and Jack were in the water and scuba diving around the rocks by 11.30. I was all prepared to go snorkeling but it was a really stony beach, so I read my kindle instead! They dived down to 15 metres and had a fantastic hour or so exploring the cliffs, caves and rocks! All their equipment was placed back onboard Hoopla and rinsed in fresh water, before Rob and I returned the outboard to Gemini J, and we were invited aboard for a coffee and a beer. Great company and great conversation before we really had to go. Sarah and Nigel are lucky enough to be able to stay here for another night, but we have school in the morning. All three of us pitched in to prepare Hoopla for our return journey, and Jack was pulling up the anchor at 15.45. Sadly, it was head to wind all the way, but it was only a little uncomfortable until we passed the headland, and after which the sea was quite calm. Yay! We were back on F34 by 6.30pm, when we were invited aboard by our new neighbours opposite. How lovely is that! We have noticed that we have lots of new boats arriving in Cartagena! Some will be heading off to the Gran Canaries this month, aiming to leave for the Caribbean in November. How exciting! Others are staying here in Cartagena for the winter and its nice to meet new friends. Rob paid €24 to have all the air bottles refilled. Rob uses 1 x 10L bottle and Jack 2 x 5L. But now Jack is older (and taller!) Rob decided to sell the 2 x 5L bottles and buy him one 10L. On Friday the 6th, Rob decided to put the engine to bed Zzz 🙂 This consisted of an oil change, new oil filter and new anodes. He also cleaned the heat exchanger and then flushed the engine with fresh water, followed by an inhibitor. Sleep well Hoopla. The following day, Rob scuba dived under Hoopla to scrub the keel, as this couldn’t be done when we were in Motril. Rob has also experimented with bagging up the rudder and placing a small football in each bow thruster. We hope that these steps will prevent oysters, etc, finding new homes there. Sunday the 8th saw Rob fitting the two new solar panels. The old ones are 6.5 years old and 100w each. We (well, Rob!) have recently started to noticed a drop in charge. These new ones are 180w each and will also be needed to help support the Victron convertor that’s to be fitted later this month. Jack was working on a neighbours yacht yesterday, and again this morning, helping to clean it and put the sails to bed. He worked for five or six hours in total, and earned €70. He’s very happy with that! Also, there is a possibility of Jack dog sitting over Christmas. I think the plan is for him to stay aboard their catamaran, but I will find out more info on Fri 13th.
Yacht Port Cartegena saw its first BBQ of the season on the 8th too! Somehow, Rob and I have been placed in charge of the arranging – and it went very well! 40+ people came! How on earth am I going to remember all these new people’s names
There has been an enquiry for a baby sitter for one evening soon. I have sent them Jack’s details and he has now been booked for the evening of the 1st Nov!! How great is that?!? Rob started connecting up the Victron Energy Invertor on the 12th. It is a Spanish bank holiday today – but not for us haha! When the Victron is installed and connected, we will be able to convert 12v to 240v. This means that we do not have to rely on shore power for our electricity. The solar panels will do it all for us. Jack is earning some MORE money this morning, helping his Dad and John move Giriz II from Ascar boat yard to her new mooring in the marina. They had to be there by 8am, so an early, early start! Typically Spanish, though, Giraz wasn’t actually lifted back in until 2pm! There was so much waiting around! She was finally in her new berth by 2.45. Well done everyone. Our second BBQ went well (15th) and we were invited for a pint after, with our neighbours. Well, it would be rude not to! The Victron invertor is working well, with Rob being the resident currency tart! Every time we use an electrical item (i.e. microwave, kettle or coffee pot, etc) he is checking how much we use hahhaha! But it is really working well and is keeping our batteries at 100%, using just our solar panels only!
More strong winds are due here tomorrow (the 19th) for which we have an amber weather warning for (gulp). So Rob and I (mainly Rob!) checked on our and our neighbours lines – and tightened as necessary. When it arrived, we saw gusts of up to 54knts! It was a tad windy. The following Saturday, the 21st, I completed the Cartagena 10k with Sarah. We did gooooood! We had to run/walk to get round it – but we did it! It’s Sunday tomorrow, so we can have a lie in. The Sunday Marina BBQ went well. We had more people than chairs this week, hahha! It was quite cloudy, though, and fleeces were required ! We popped out for drinks in town after, with our neighbours opposite. A very nice end to a great weekend 🙂 The 24th saw us finally applying for Jack’s passport! £80! Ouch! We eventually managed to take an approved photo, which was tricky, but the actual online application was quite easy to do. Here’s hoping it goes through without any problems, as it expires next month! Oh my life! We had fun and games collecting a hire car yesterday (the 25th). The receptionist would NOT accept Rob’s Spanish driving licence! Even though he has hired at least 4 cars previously on it! Their customer service team actually hung up on Rob when he contacted them! Can you believe it?! Rob popped back to Hoopla, as he had (luckily) kept copies of his licence application, but she swooped down on his old style UK paper licence! The one that is now invalid? You couldn’t make it up! Ha! We just sighed and took the keys. We just about made it to our dental check ups on time, which were at 12.30. We were given a good bill of health, by the way. Phew. That evening, we joined our neighbours for a couple of games of darts in town. We had a great laugh 😀 The reason for the hire car was because Jack has been invited to spend a day (Thur 26th) at an International school, in Murcia! We dropped him off at 9am and we headed into Murcia town centre. We had such a lovely day, ambling from cafe to cafe. We visited the palace and the cathedral before having a lovely lunch in the Cathedral Square, before finally collecting Jack at 4pm. He had had a really good day! We all met the new headmaster and we discussed Jack starting in September 2024, for his A levels. Rob had to be aboard Giriz II for 8am on the 28th, as she was having her sea trials! She hasn’t been out for seven years, bless her. Covid hasn’t helped, but still… Fingers and toes are crossed that all goes well. While Rob was away, for Halloween, I made a spooky ghost out of a coat hanger, bin liners, mask and string! He didn’t look too bad either! He looked excellent when Rob returned and found a red lamp in its mask! I also put up a string of lights in the stern. Now we were ready for our visitors. We know that it’s not the 31st but it’s what was planned. Giriz’s sea trial went really well and it looks as if she may be sold. It will be good for her to have an owner that can actually look after her, but we will miss her. When the Children had cleared us out of treats, we had our own treats, ie, delicious cake, at Kuss, with Sarah and Nigel. Happy Days 🙂 We kept up our lights etc for Halloween, even though we weren’t expecting any visitors. Jack spent the day with Ari and was asked to stay at hers for dinner.
All in all, a VERY busy October! Here’s hoping that November is not so much.
November 2023
Today, the 1st and a Wednesday(!) is a Big Bank Holiday here in Spain, so no school for us today! Jack spent the day with Ari in town, until 6pm, as he had a babysitting job looking after two children, here in the marina, from 8pm. He was back aboard Hoopla at just after 11pm, with €30 in his pocket – and a big smile on his face 🙂 His passport has now been approved and is being printed! Yay! The next day (2nd), I have one word: “cockroaches” ugh, ugh UGH!! We thought that we had a small problem with little beetles but, no, we have a small problem with ‘roaches! Ugh! I bought some traps, spray and gel from a hardware shop earlier today and Rob has just put them out. We. Have. Declared. War! Please, please let us win! More strong winds are forecasted – but not as strong as the last lot, thank goodness. All of the hatches are battened down and it is all cosy aboard Hoopla 🙂 We have finally signed up for Spanish lessons! Our first was yesterday, Mon 6th and it was really good and we are looking forward to our second tomorrow. Jacks’ passport has arrived today too! What a quick service! We are still raging the war on the Roaches! I had emptied out all of our galley (kitchen) cupboards (cleaned/bleached them and disposed of any cardboard we had had) a while ago but we’ve still seen a few around. So, on the 7th, Rob drilled 1p sized holes along all of our wooden trims (sad face) and he squirted cockroach spray into them. I kid you not, 15/20 minutes later, out came about eight little ones! Ugh Ugh Ugh!!!! Spray! Spray! Spray! Rob put up our cockpit tent on the 9th, as it is quite chilly now in the mornings and evenings. Jack has more babysitting duties this evening; 7pm to midnight! Thats another €50 in his pocket Lucky lad 🙂 On Sunday the 12th, Rob and I met Sarah and Nigel in town, to watch a motorbike race close to the marina. We had front row seats (saved for us by the lovely Sarah and Nigel) and they were loud hahahha! (the bikes, not Sarah and Nigel), but so exciting! After, we walked around the local Medieval Market before stopping off for a beer. Back at the Marina, Rob & I set up the weekly BBQ for 4pm – which was well attended and all went well. All in all, a great day for everyone! . Jack had a lie-in before completing his task for the day; washing a yacht. Good lad. His bank account is getting very healthy
It is now Tues the 14th and we haven’t seen any ‘roaches for a few days…. On Sunday 19th, Sarah and I took part in the annual Cross Artilleria 6k, here in Cartagena. It was tough course (3 hills!) but we ran all the way! This was followed by a lovely lunch in the restaurant Mare Nuestrum, next to the marina. We proudly wore our medals and great fun and laughter was had! The night of Friday the 24th saw Rob falling into the marina!! Oh. My. Life!! He tripped over a passerelle on our pontoon – and fell in! He hurt his shoulder on the way down (or in) and so he struggled to get out! He managed to get to a boat two boats along, with a swim deck, and crawl onto it. He then managed to swing himself back onto the pontoon. It was quite frightening and the next morning, he was in quite a bit of pain, and so he took himself to the hospital, for a check up. After an x-ray, he was told that he had damaged his shoulder ligaments. He was given a sling to support the shoulder and he has an appointment with the physio for every day next week. The next day, Saturday, Sarah, I, and a few others, had a 10k run booked – in Benidorm! Rob collected a hire car (no problems this time with his Spanish licence!) and we made our way there for the weekend. Jack wanted to stay in Cartagena as he had already made plans). Rob’s shoulder is still tweeky but a lot better (as long as he doesn’t sneeze!). The sling has really helped! We arrived in Benidorm just in time to join our friends for lunch! How great was that! 3 of us ladies had entered the Benidorm 10k and the fourth, the half marathon! So, at 5.30pm, we were all at our start lines – and off we ran. It was a good run and we all did really well! Rob and I checked in to our Airbnb after, for a quick change and an (oh so lovely) bath, before meeting Sarah and Nigel at an Indian restaurant. A perfect end to a perfect day! Sunday morning also started of perfectly – with a full English breakfast! HmmHmm!! Haha! We left Benidorm at around 2pm and we had a good journey back. Hoopla was just as we had left her! Jack had spent the weekend with Ari and her family – and even went on a mountain hike earlier today! It seems that we all had a great weekend! We are still enjoying our Spanish lessons! We have an hour twice a week and they are good fun! We are learning quite a bit 🙂 Yesterday, Mon 27th, we had a handover re the dog sitting that Jack is doing, which starts on the 1st Dec. Jack will move aboard the catamaran but will return to Hoopla for all meals. We still need to work out a routine for walks and school, etc, but a plan will come together.
What a month November turned out to be!
We haven’t seen any of the delightful cockroaches (ugh!) But we are not taking ANY chances! We still continue to unpack our shopping on the pontoon, removing any cardboard, before taking it aboard. Rob still sprays in the holes he made weekly and I still empty the hoover on the pontoon, even though we haven’t actually hoovered up any dead ones for ages. We constantly look for any signs of the critters during the day but, as I said, no signs “Fingers and toes crossed”
December 2023
Well, this is the month to arrange Jack’s IGCSE’s (Gulp!) and his place in Sept at Sixth Form, for his A levels (Double Gulp!)
The 1st sees Jack starting his dog sitting duties, taking over from the two lovely ladies who have had to return to the UK. The actual dog owners are in Dubai. Jack will move aboard their catamaran for the next 10 days, returning to Hoopla for all meals. School work will be done aboard the catamaran, to keep the dogs company. They are two Cocker Spaniels, aged 7 and 14 (Pinot and Summer) and both are gorgeous! Robs shoulder is still playing up 🙁 but he has just started physio today (4th). We really hope that this helps! The 5th saw me walking Pinot up a mountain – and she loved it! Rob & I went into town at 7pm, for the switching on the Christmas lights. They. Are. Amazing! There were choirs, marching bands and stunning fireworks. Cartagena certainly knows how to put on a show! We stopped for a Baileys and a Beer on the way back – and I was served half a pint! Wow! Just wow!
Rob has been really busy this last week! He has been finishing the wiring up of the inverter, plus its new power controls. On the 6th, I dug out our Christmas decorations! Plans were made to put solar lights up the fore-stay. So exciting! BUT we had to go out and buy another set, as one wasn’t long enough hahhaha! I put another set of lights around the bows and another set inside our cockpit tent. We also have a large star on our stern, with more lights above it. It does look pretty Quite a few boats in the marina also have Christmas lights. How lovely! Rob is now working on preparing the bows to take the new (for us) windlass. All with a painful shoulder! Ouch. Friday the 9th is another Bank Holiday here – but not for us this time. Boat School and Boat Jobs as normal, hahha! But, during lunch today, one of my front veneers fell out! Oh no! All of the dentists are closed today (B.H.) and they are not open on Saturdays either! Sigh! Jack has moved back aboard Hoopla today (10th) as Natalie has returned for a week. Yesterday, Jack and I moved all his school books, etc, to Hoopla and then we both cleaned and washed the decks of the catamaran! Phew! It was on the 11th that I finally received my Spanish driving licence! Yay! I also contacted the school in Murcia re the September intake for Jack – and all is on track. SCARY! The following day, Jack had his monthly braces check up and his dentist also refitted my veneer – at no charge! Fantastic! Rob has also seen a car for sale, which he has arranged for us to view tomorrow! How exciting! So, at 10am (with our good friend Tony) the next day (13th) we all drove to Alicante to view it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t any good. It was a wreck 🙁 It was such a disappointment! It was on the 16th that we waved goodbye to Natalie at 1pm. Jack has moved back aboard her catamaran (again, along with his school books) to care for her dogs, while she is in the UK, until the 2nd of January. We hope that she has a good flight and a lovely Christmas! Rob started on our Christmas cake this afternoon – and Hoopla smells delicious! HmmHmm! The next day (17th) was a 10k run along the Mar Menor, with Sarah and Paula. Sarah and I achieved a personal best each (1.17) but Paula came 1st in her category! Bloody Marvellous! While we were away, Rob caught up with Nigel over a coffee before his task of the day: tiding up his chart table! Good luck with that! Rob has just finished the Christmas cake – and it looks amazing! Apparently, though, we can’t have any until Matt arrives!! BOO!
The 22nd saw Matt packing for his week here, and me packing for the swim in the Mar Menor tomorrow (gulp) So, the next morning at 10am, 6 cars left the Yacht Port Cartagena Marina (with 9 people in total) and made their way to the Mar Menor. We arrived and found a coffee bar at 11am – and there we stayed until 4pm! Hahaha! Except for the swim at 12pm of course! It was really so well organised! Us ladies were so brave as the water was a chilly 14°! Very, very cold! Haha! Our friend made an excellent video of our day! At 4pm, the others returned to the marina, while Rob and I made our way to the airport to collect Matt! Unfortunately, Matts flight was delayed by 1.5hrs, so Rob and I grabbed a coffee “to go” and watched the sun go to bed at a nearby beach. It was beautiful! Matt finally landed at 8.30pm, with lots of hugs all round!
The next day was Christmas Eve, a lazy day, with some last minute wrapping hahha. Rob, Matt and I walked into town for a beer at San Francisco Square – but “rammed” doesn’t even come close! We have NEVER seen Cartagena like it before, so we gave up and had a beer onboard instead! Christmas Day was very, very lovely! Both Matt and Jack were very generous with their gifts – we were all truly spoilt! We had a “Pontoon Party” at 2pm, and everyone on F pontoon brought a plate of something nice to eat and a bottle of something nice to drink! It was a lovely, social event 😀 Boxing Day is a Bank Holiday in the UK but just a normal day here in Spain. We had another lazy day and ended up in our favourite curry restaurant in the evening, which was delicious as always At 8pm the next evening, we joined Sarah, Nigel, George, June and their boys, for a game of darts. Jack’s dart throwing is now legendary! How he came third out of 6 was unbelievable! The 28th was another midday breakfast for Matt and Jack(!) followed by a trip to the Cabo de Palos lighthouse. We then drove along the La Manga Strip before winding up at Thomas Maestro Marina, for a delicious lunch.
It is an early start for the boys, this morning, as we have been very kindly invited aboard Gemini J for coffees. We had a great few hours putting the world to right! After which, we finally managed to show Matt San Francisco Square, its magnificent trees and its famous Nativity scene. Fabulous! Later that afternoon, Matt went with Jack to walk the dogs while Rob prepared pizzas for us all. Another fabulous day! Before we knew it, it was the 30th and Matts last day with us 🙁 Rob made us all pancakes aboard Hoopla for lunch, before we were loading up the car with his suitcase. Rob and I dropped Matt of at the airport before dropping of the hire car – without any problems! Great! We caught the courtesy bus back to the airport, where we all had a typical airport lunch (meh and expensive!) before we hugged our goodbyes at 4.45pm. Rob and I had a coach to catch at 5pm, to Cartagena. By 8.30pm, we were back onboard Hoopla and Matt was in the air! It’s very quiet with Matt gone and Jack on the catamaran. The 31st – New Year’s Eve – saw my last run of 2023, with my good friend and running buddy Sarah. It is an annual fun run organised by San Silvestre. The Spanish do like to dress up and they didn’t disappoint! There were lots and lots of fancy dress costumes! Sarah and I joined in, too, with out glittery tutu’s and Christmas hats 😀 It was a 6.8k and both Sarah and I did very well. Later in the afternoon, Sarah and I took Pinot for a 6k walk! Yes, my calves were complaining! Hahha! At 8.30pm, we were aboard George and Junes yacht, with Sarah and Nigel and plenty of nibbles, beer and wine! At 11.30, we all went to meet others from the marina in the TV room, to see in the New year, Spanish style, with grapes! The six of us were back onboard to watch the New Year in London and in Dublin. Jack had an amazing time seeing the New Year in at a party with his friends. Our first without him.
What a FANTASTIC last week we had in 2023! It was an interesting and a full on year…. 2024 will be more of the same, I think, with Jack’s IGCSE’s in May and hopefully studying his A levels in a 6th form college in Murcia, in Sept. This leaves us a short sailing season for us, just July and August, but we have plans to follow the Spanish coast line to Delta de l’Ebre National Park – which is a scuba paradise, apparently 🙂
