Cala Salada

Saturday 23rd August

If I could write wind noise down I would but, suffice to say, we woke to wind howling through the entrance of the cala and on to the shore....not what was forecast at all...we had been expecting and hoping for an offshore wind which would have meant a much more pleasant end to our stay here...instead, the wind was increasing...from 5am...and the waves were growing.

[caption id="attachment_2062" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Not the calm scene we went to bed with…we really can't show how big the waves were with a photo, but you get the idea….[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_2064" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Crashing waves….[/caption]

 

Being a horseshoe shape, the entrance to the cala is narrow and surrounded by high cliff faces...making our exit treacherous at the very least. All of BT’s skill was needed to assess the situation and make a decision as to what to do. Initially, we decided to sit it out hoping that the wind might die down or at the very least change direction....as it was supposed to...BUT...we started to sustain damage to the anchor chain and the bow roller, so we made the decision to try and leave. The anchor was well embedded between two rocks and we had to manoevre Windekind to release it...not easy for Billy (at the helm) when BT asked her to head for the nearest rock with the waves crashing around us...but, of course, it was the right thing to do as it released the anchor and we were off..... For me, the worst part was making our way out of the cala...the waves were enormous and we were tilting right over from side to side with water gushing down the side decks as we went.....I was very scared, but BT was fantastic and brought us through safely.

Unfortunately, this meant that, because of the wind direction and the state of the sea, we were unable to stop at the next cala along where we had planned to spend tonight and take a long walk to Saint Mateo and a ruined Moorish village. Instead, we found ourselves in Cala Salada...the last cala before San Antonio.

[caption id="attachment_2056" align="aligncenter" width="620"] Well deserved sangria[/caption]

It was busy, but we expected that being a Saturday in August. We found a little slot for Windekind and took a breather...thankful to have escaped Cala Portixol with our lives and without too much damage to Windekind.

[caption id="attachment_2055" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Cala Salada[/caption]

As a treat, when we went snorkeling later, we saw an octopus feeding over a reef...it was an awesome sight...I was just mesmerized by the way that it slid gently over reef, stopping every now and then to spread open the web between it’s many legs and embrace some weed, tuck its tentacles underneath and wheedle out some tasty morsel....many fish were hovering nearby hoping for a remnant!! I can now cross that off my list of ‘must see’ whilst we are aboard Windekind... the other thing on my list are dolphins...we are surprised that in nearly two months aboard we still haven’t seen any....I am very disappointed, but still hoping!

[caption id="attachment_2058" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Feeding octopus...[/caption]



Tonight we moved Windekind to a cosy corner of the cala giving us a much more settled night.