A lightning trip to Calpe

Quote from the log as we left Alicante harbour: "Lovely swell" written by Chris who obviously has strange notions as to the meaning of the word lovely! We were able to hoist full main and jib though, and for an hour and a half we sailed close hauled in an easterly force 3, gently heeled over reaching speeds around 5.7 knots. Being late afternoon it was likely to ease off however and at 1600 we had to put the engine on. We got the main down but decided only half an hour later to unfurl the jib again to motor sail. Over the land to the west some ominous grey clouds gathered while out to the east we were enticed onward by blue skies.

We watched lightning fork its way to the mountains, some seven miles away by our count to 35. I began pondering on the advantages of being at sea in a thunder storm, but Chris reassured me that all was well because the storm was well inland. Encouraged I looked on, but continued to count the seconds between the flashes and the rumbles! Some two hours later, the rain at least caught up with us and Chris went below to cook some pasta and to keep out of the huge drops hammering the decks! We decided that we must be among the few sailors who have "ooohed and aaahed" as they passed Benidorm. It was quite an amazing sight shrouded in the rain clouds, lit up by the occasional sheet of lightning.

Our goal was now in sight, Penon de Ifach, the rock standing guard over Calpe, and with the rain having eased off we decided to phone my brother in law's parents who live in Moraira to invite them to dinner the next night! With that settled we were only a few miles from the Club Nautico de Calpe where we found a berth, tied up and dried off!

We spent Saturday giving La Premiere a bit of a wash 'n' brush up ready to receive the evening guests. Chris prepared a delicious lasagne which went down a treat amid conversations with Daphne and David about their various sailing experiences and the odd snippet about Jack, their grandson and my nephew who is due here with Viv and Tim on Wednesday. Whilst the wine flowed the wind was gathering strength outside and when they came to leave it was blowing "a real hooley". We planned to sail round to Moraira on the Monday or Tuesday having climbed most of the way up Ifach on Sunday and enjoyed a birds eye view of the International Women's match racing competition which was being hosted in Calpe, but the windy weather continued and we were harbour bound once again.