The Mediterranean Sea

September 14, 2023 - We made the short hop up the coast to the legendary center of consumerism, Puerto Banus. Built around a high-end shopping center, think Gucci, Hermes and Dior, the marina houses a large collection of yachts for the rich and famous. When we pulled into our assigned dock, our first med mooring ever, we found ourselves dwarfed by large motor yachts on either side. And we were the 3rd dock down, in terms of size! To give you an idea of the opulence on display, there was a new Ferrari and Mercedes GTR parked on the dock behind us. We assumed our fans had stepped up for us but alas, it was flip flop transportation for us again.

We spent a leisurely but expensive two days here admiring the Bugatti’s, Ferrari and Lamborghini cruising the waterfront. Not to mention the people watching. As you can imagine, such ostentatious wealth brings out the lookers and it was quite the scene. The large yacht dock featured yachts from 25 meters up to 40 meters stern moored and the crowds ogled them all. We enjoyed the brief stop, but we were very glad to put it behind us as well.

Next stops included a bumpy few night in the small port of Marbella, where we loved the old city but hated the small, dated marina. Due to the angle of the wall, sailing yachts are required to moor bow in to avoid rudder damage and getting on/off the bow of Gargoyle is not an easy task. After two nights there with the thump thump thump of the club music, which is apparently the Spanish national anthem down here, we headed up to the beautiful quiet of Marina de Este. A spectacular and isolated port perfect for resting after a week of party ports. But then it was time to move on as we had our first Med visitors heading over.

Friends who last visited Gargoyle in Bora Bora flew over to Aguadulce, near Almeria, for four nights aboard and to celebrate a birthday in style. There is no doubt that the Costa del Sol is the place to celebrate and with a club literally ten meters off our gangway, the thump thump thump will haunt us for some time. Last Sunday they departed the boat, and we headed out for a 250nm crossing to the Balearic Islands and Ibiza. What a joy it was to sail again at night under a warm clear sky. Here we wait for our next few rounds of visitors. And yes, the thump thump thump goes on here, only louder than ever.

Now we will be hosting family for the month of October as we unwind and explore the famed Balearic Islands of Spain.