4 months, 3 weeks and 1500nm later we made it to Gibraltar | Episode 45

We stayed in Puerto Sherry in the Cadiz area for a week while some weather played out. Puerto Sherry was great for the dogs as we had a big forrest and beach area right on our doorstep - they got happy zooms for a few days… which means we usually get a few days of peace onboard after! Daria Flew out to the UK to attend to some work. This was a masterpiece of logistical planning - Chris rented a car for a few days and we drove the two hours from Puerto Sherry to the Gibraltar border to drop Daria off - so she gets to claim she was first in Gibraltar by several days! Jasper, Chris and the dogs then held fort, returning to pick Daria up from Malaga Airport. Long drives, but needs must. The doggies reaction to seeing mum again made it all worthwhile! The mighty hire car (FIAT Tipo!) was put to good use and Ragdoll got her heavy items restocked - drinks, water, all the stuff you don’t want to hand carry back to the boat if you can avoid it… Chris makes the comparison that since we sold our cars in May this year, we have spent the princely sum of £180 on motoring! How things have changed… no more road tax, diesel, insurance, servicing, MOT, depreciation… As soon as Daria was back, we got underway as we had a good weather window to finish out our sailing for the 2023 season. We left Puerto Sherry with a good sail south, pushing into Conil at Cabo Roche. Onwards to Barbate round the infamous Cape Trafalgar, which we hit at the right moment in the tide for an easy ride. Chris chose to take the inside passage which with the conditions we had, worked out quite comfortable. We got into Barbate safely with our rudder intact… a reminder that many boats have come to grief here with their rudders and Orcas. Stay shallow folks - it works! There’s not much to see or do in Barbate, so it was just a rest stop, and towards the following morning. We did clock the ORCAS.PT boat Elsa, who we have been constantly aware of in the Telegram Groups for monitoring Orca activity in the area. They go out and tag the orcas, allowing them to notify boats in the area what the risk of Orca interaction will be. Daria did a stellar job before departing Barbate for Gibraltar by completing all the pre arrival paperwork, which seems to have saved us plenty time at arrival in Gibraltar later that day. Our onward passage past Tarifa and onwards to Gibraltar was pretty uneventful - we worked at the day jobs as our future sailing season in 2024 unfolded in front of us. We plugged the tide until it turned in our favour, at which point we were hurtling towards Gibraltar at 7 to 8kts! We took in the moment as the reality of what we have achieved this season set in. 1500NM of sailing and 6 months of official life onboard SY Ragdoll, and we have arrived at the gateway to the Mediterranean safely with our rudder in one piece! Champagne was served - Ragdoll and her intrepid crew get their reward for sticking in and getting the job done! We look forward to exploring and getting to know Gibraltar… seems like by March next year, we will have become part of the scenery here! Enjoy our content? Don’t be a stranger! Subscribe, hit that like button & don’t forget to hit that bell while you’re at it - you’ll get notified of new uploads. We are super grateful to each and every one of you & love to hear from you! Who are we? We are a family of three with three dogs - Chris, Daria & Jasper. We have two Golden Retrievers and a Bernese Mountain Dog – Hachi, Luna and Meems who sail with us. Sailing with dogs has its challenges, but we would not have it any other way. We have been sailing the coasts of Scotland for the last few years, enjoying each and every Scottish island, nook and cranny. In spring of 2023 we have moved aboard Ragdoll and left Scotland for the warmer climates of the Mediterranean. There is no set route or plan. We will go where the wind and life take us. We sail on a 1995 Gib’Sea 472 which has undergone a huge refit over the last couple of years. We made her our own and now… we’re off on an adventure! Connect with us! Instagram: http://instagram.com/sailingragdoll Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingragdoll Website: http://www.sailingragdoll.com Email: sailingragdoll@gmail.com Music credits: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referra... #sailingragdoll #gibsea472 #gibsea #sailingfamily #sailingmediterranean #dogswhosail #sailingwithdogs #liveaboard #sailboatlife #sailboatliveaboards #goldenretriever #bernesemountaindog #polish #scottish #familieswhotravel #vlogger