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LOG ENTRY DATE: September 25, 2003 Departed Chipiona on Tuesday, Sept. 23, and motorsailed the 7 miles to the mouth of the Guadalquivir River. We dropped anchor about 3 miles up the river, across from Bonanza (not to be confused with the steak house or the TV show), Spain, and the Donana Nature Preserve. We have two different worlds on both sides of the boat: Bonanza is a commercial, salt-making town (done by evaporating seawater in large open areas) and its shores are piled high with salt dunes; Donana is a huge, uninhabited tract of land that is home to large numbers of birds and animals—including the endangered Pardel lynx. Since the tide is so strong, Tom and I get a new view every 6 hours, as we sit on our respective sides of the cockpit reading our books. Again, I am reminded of how much nicer it is to be at anchor instead of in the marina. There's no doubt that the marina are convenient to towns and safe (it blew 25 knots two days ago when we were in a marina, the timing of which I'd like to chalk up to good seamanship, on my part but can't), but they sure lack the exposure to any of the sights that make a place different or interesting. Anyone who sails in a country and spends all their time in marinas is missing the fundamental purpose of the boat: to go places and see things that one usually can't from land. At any rate, the idea is to spend the night, and get a jump on the tide in the morning so we can ride it up to Seville, which is 50 miles upriver. The tides in the river are interesting: not only does it run at up to 7 knots downriver and 3 upriver, it also has an upriver duration of 9 hours. So, if you start at the right time (i.e. low water at the mouth of the river), you can ride the tide all the way to Seville, without it ever changing against you! That was our plan, as we were aiming for staying at the Club Nautico, which itself is upriver of a lock and a drawbridge, which have specific opening hours that we have to meet. Pulled up the anchor at 0915 on Wednesday morning and headed upriver against 2-3 knot tide, making about 3.5 knots over the ground. While the cruising guide that we use describes the passage as "long, flat, and boring", Tom and I reached other conclusions. True, the landscape seems much the same—i.e. low marshes and grasslands, punctuated by a few trees—but if you look closely, there's always something to see, or something going on. First of all, the fish in the river were comical: they leapt like miniature dolphins ahead and to the side of the boat, though sometimes diving right into the boat! Along the shores of the river, we saw birds of all sorts, including osprey, white storks, great blue herons, and egrets. We even passed a white stork rookery, the trees filled with their huge egg-shaped nests. Watching the storks fly, too, was fascinating. . . they are such large birds, but so elegant in flight. From a mammal point of view, Tom managed to spot a deer as we left the Donana Parque. And, there were also man-made activities that were interesting, such as a continuous population of very different-looking fishing boats (huge horizontal nets strung from the stern of what seem to be semi-permanently moored boats, designed to catch the small river fish), and the occasional ship passing by. Fortunately, we had no problem navigating the river, and our fathometer never read below 14' or so. It's very well marked with buoys and beacons, so that the deeper draft ships can get up to the city. We reached our first major obstacle, though, a little late—the locks that control entrance to the port open at 1600, which we had hoped to make but did not. We resigned ourselves to a 3 hour wait for the next opening. But, luck was with us, and an hour later, we noticed a large ship coming into the lock from the other side. We called the locks on the VHF and, through the helpful interpretations of somebody on yet another ship, were able to get permission to pass through the lock when the ship left. So, we snuck into the lock behind her stern as she came out, and were treated to a quick transit into the port, as both sides of the lock were open. The port itself was interesting. . . since we could not pass our final navigational obstacle—the drawbridge—until it opened at 2000, we motored very slowly past all the ships that were either disgorging or being laden with cargo. Mostly, they were bulk carriers, full of things like grain, fertilizer, pipes, scrap metal. Fascinating, though, to see the cranes work so smoothly as they moved material from one place to another. Finally, the Puente Delicias drawbridge was raised for us (this only happens once a day, which isn't too convenient), and we were able to access the docks of the Club Nautico Seville. I think I mentioned earlier that life in marina isn't as interesting as being at anchor. . .? Well, the Club Nautico is perhaps the single most exception to that rule. Instead of being jammed in with dozens of other boats in a maze of docks, the CN has two docks that parallel the river, and outhauls so you can dock the boat bow or stern-to; leaving one with a perfect view of the river. And, the CN isn't in some backwater part of the river—it's almost in the heart of Seville. More importantly—and the reason that it defies my marina life rule—it's so damned plush! Basically, it's a country-club. The facilities are great: a bar and restaurant (open until 0200, and comes complete with a bartender who pours sailor-strong drinks, and speaks good English) just behind the dock, so one has to stumble only a minimal distance before getting home. Three swimming pools are found behind the CN offices, and there is an ever larger Olympic-size lap pool on the other side of the property. There are clay tennis courts, an indoor basketball court, and plenty of dock space for Optis and shells. Moreover, the landscaping is perfect: lots of shade trees, immaculately cut and trimmed grass, and beautiful plantings. In short, it's like no "marina" that we've stayed in before. . . this makes our 3 weeks in Sines look like a sentence in Purgatory! But, given the continual stress and tension that fills our lives as we explore the Algarve and Andalusian coasts, I guess we deserve it. . . we're due to be pampered, dammit! So, we'll try to make the best of it as we are forced to wait here 5 days or so before Seb Milardo shows up for his enlistment duties. In the meantime, I'm brushing the cobwebs of sleep off myself (though it is 1030 in the morning), and then I'll be off to fetch one of the wireless network cards the club offers to laptop owners so they can access the internet without the inconvenience of those dreadful, public, internet cafes. Later, I'm sure, Rioja vino, tapas and Flamenco will beckon. . . how can you help but pity us? |
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