Ryan
We woke up later than we meant to.
That usually happens after a few days moving. Your body still thinks the boat should be rolling, so when it finally stops you sleep like someone switched the power off.
First thing I noticed when I stuck my head out of the hatch was how quiet the marina was. No swell coming through. Just the occasional halyard tapping somewhere along the pontoon and a fishing boat easing out of the harbour.
Cádiz looks old even in the early light. Stone walls, faded buildings, everything facing out towards the Atlantic like it has been doing the same job for a long time.
Feels like ships have been arriving here forever.
Liam
Harbour mornings are strange after a run.
You wake up expecting the boat to move and it just sits there. No creaking, no rolling, nothing.
I made coffee and walked down the pontoon to wake up a bit. A few cruising boats tied up, one that looked like it hadn’t moved in years, and a handful of gulls standing around like they owned the place.
One of them watched me drink the coffee for a good five minutes. Not aggressively. Just waiting.
Ryan
First job was the engine.
There had been a noise during the last stretch that was starting to sound expensive in my head. That’s the problem with offshore sailing. A small noise at sea grows bigger every hour you listen to it.
Lifted the cover and started poking around.
Loose bracket.
Ten minutes with a spanner and it stopped.
Boat problems do that. Three days of quiet worrying followed by a fix that takes less time than making coffee.
We’ve had harbour days like that before where something small turns out to be the whole problem. I was reminded of the stop in Portimão when the engine wasn’t the only thing that needed attention. OceanBois https://www.oceanbois.com/the-harbour-day-that-fixed-more-than-the-engine/
Liam
While Ryan was playing mechanic I dealt with the freshwater situation.
Somehow the tank was almost empty. Neither of us remembered that happening which probably tells you how the last few days blurred together.
Filled the tank.
Quick rinse of the decks as well because the boat was still crusted in salt.
I also found a plastic fork sitting in the bilge when I lifted one of the floorboards.
Neither of us owns plastic forks.
We have decided not to investigate further.
Ryan
By early afternoon the boat looked a lot more respectable.
Lines adjusted. Water topped up. Engine behaving itself again.
We walked into town for a bit just to stretch our legs. Cádiz is the kind of place where every second street seems to end with a view of the sea.
You keep turning corners and suddenly there’s water again.
Also a lot of places selling fried fish which is generally a good sign for sailors arriving hungry.
Liam
Didn’t stay out long.
Harbour days catch up with you quickly once you sit down somewhere comfortable.
Back on the boat before sunset, marina getting quieter, wind dropping off.
The gull from this morning was still standing on the pontoon.
I dropped half a biscuit earlier and he caught it before it even hit the water.
Pretty sure that means we’re friends now.
Ryan
Funny thing about harbour days.
You arrive thinking the engine needs fixing.
Then you realise what really needed fixing was your head after a few long days offshore.
Cádiz seems like a good place for both.
