Hallberg Rassy 44: “Orca Alley” Strategies from Porto to Gibraltar. Sailing Breezy Ep 10 4K

We sail to Porto to fuel up prior to a planned sail through Orca territory. The reports of sightings and actual attacks on sailboats is more frequent than I initially thought and Orcas.pt website and the Telegram chat group proved invaluable as we transited down the coast of Portugal. Based on most recent attacks inshore, we decided on an offshore route adjacent to the shipping lanes. This was also my preference as the tuna netting can be as dangerous as the Orca in disabling a sailboat. The weather was fair but sea state was rough and it was fairly uncomfortable on board due to the excessive rolling. Fog and mist led to zero visibility at night and the radar was an essential supplement to the AIS as the shipping navigation lights could not be seen. Once around Cape St Vincent, my excitement heightened as we approached the Strait of Gibraltar. Although predictwind forecasted fair winds through the strait, the winds were head on and increasing. As a result, the undulating swell led to increased slamming and Mark suggesting we do an about-face and head for Cadiz. It was the best decision ever. We found shelter, beer and rest, while another boat we were communicating with continued slamming into the Strait for an entire sleepless night. They were forced to seek shelter the next morning in Gibraltar as all crew were frustrated and exhausted. Our transit through the Strait was breathtaking as we hugged the southern coast of Spain with fair winds and a following sea. We sailed past Cape of Trafalgar and Tarifa and reflected on the history of the area as we floated above countless wrecks; a graveyard to ship and sailor. The Rock came into into view over lunch and we cooked up store bought frozen pizzas from Sweden. Not bad, but nothing tastes bad after 20+ days at sea. The transition from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean was noticeable with a gentle following current and a sense of accomplishment and relief. We made it. Dates of passage: June 22-26, 2024