Next stop Africa: Ceuta & Tangier
We decide to continue our journey together with our friends Tim and Heli from Moana. After they had already been to Gibraltar, we wanted to go to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, which is directly opposite Gibraltar and surrounded by Morocco. With the next weather window, we set off the day after Ines' birthday. Spontaneously, two other sailors our age, Joseph and Noa on Marlin, also decide to sail to Ceuta and so we stay in contact via VHF radio with at least one of the two boats almost the whole way. Initially, the wind is weaker than forecast and we even have to motor. As good winds were forecast, we have not filled up with fuel and know that we won't be able to cover the entire distance under engine power.
Luckily there is soon enough wind for our light wind sail and we speed away. We catch Tim and Heli in the action - they are a bit slower with their boat although it is longer than ours. We let our fishing line (thanks to Johannes for the equipment) with a pink lure into the water for the first time and use a rubber line and a can to make a noise as soon as something bites. And after a few hours, the can really does bang against the cockpit wall. We are briefly overwhelmed because we didn't expect a bite on the first attempt. But as soon as we try to reel in the line, it stops rattling - nothing is pulling the line anymore. We reel it in anyway and notice that the bait is missing. A fish has obviously bitten or torn it off. We attach a new green lure, but it remains calm for the rest of the trip.
With a light wind sail, we sail south well into the night. Before sunset, dolphins accompany us and play in the bow wave of the boat. When we jibe to head west, the gennaker gets tangled up and there is night-time action on the foredeck. We can't get the lines untangled and after some trial and error we simply stuff the sail into the foredeck cabin with the lines outside, still wrapped around the forestay. We can't close the hatch completely, but luckily the waves are moderate and don't splash on deck. We have solved the problem, at least for the time being. Now only under mainsail, we are heading in the right direction - west.
After sunrise, we unfurl the foresail and sail butterfly. We make good speed but we also have a good counter-current that slows us down. The Atlantic constantly feeds the Mediterranean with water and is 3 meters higher than the Med. Without this inflow, the Med would dry out, as more water evaporates than flows in through rainfall and rivers. This is why the salt content in the Med is slightly higher. However, this condition also makes it difficult for us to get into the Atlantic. After a long journey, we are the second boat to reach Ceuta at around 10 p.m. and are welcomed there by Noa and Joseph from sailing boat Marlin. At 4 a.m. we welcome Tim and Heli in return and help them moor their boat. This is followed by a good night's sleep.
The next day we have a joint briefing over churros and Moroccan mint tea at the market in Ceuta. The market already has a good North African flair and doesn't make you think you're in Spain. Due to the weather and the currents, we want to set off for Tangier at 23:00 on the same day. We complete all the formalities and the police assure us that nothing is necessary to leave the Schengen area and the EU by boat.
Then we take a tour of the city. There is a heliport right next to the marina from where helicopters fly noisily towards the Spanish mainland many times a day. The overall picture is of a more modern North African city with well-kept houses in the front row, which seems to live mainly from its exception from Spanish VAT. There are duty free stores everywhere, with alcohol and perfumes, as you would find in many border areas. There are only a few sights such as the small Arab baths and the dragon house. It is therefore not too difficult to say goodbye for us.
After enjoying the culinary highlight of Domino's pizza, Moana (Tim and Heli), Marlin (Joseph and Noa) and we untie the lines. We set off prepared for a long journey under motor - due to the counter-current. The journey is tricky not only because of the current but also because of the orcas, which have been attacking sailing boats, shaking the rudder and destroying them since 2020. We keep close to the coast for both reasons. Within sight and with constant radio contact, we sail in convoy one behind the other. The journey is unusual. We can see the heavily illuminated border from Ceuta to Morocco and we are repeatedly illuminated by searchlights along almost the entire Moroccan coast.
We even have a slight tailwind and can therefore make somewhat faster progress with the foresail and engine. In general, the journey is unexpectedly fast (we had expected 10-13 hours) and fun, as we are constantly chatting on the radio. We are briefly slowed down in front of the cargo port of Tangier Méditerrannée when a 400 m long container ship - announced by Port Control on radio channel 14 - enters the port in front of us. To our astonishment, all boats are then stopped so that we can pass safely. In the meantime, we are informed that this is not our port of destination, Tangier, and that we still have 15 nautical miles to go. Port Control is only satisfied when Moana explicitly confirms that we know that we are off Port Tanger Mediterranée and still have further to go. Towards the end of the route, there is still a bit of interesting sailing through the fishing buoys. Surprisingly, they are all illuminated. Shortly before entering Marina Tanja Bay, we experience a near-accident when a fisherman shoots straight towards Moana and only avoids a collision by turning away at the last second.
When we arrive in Tangier, we are greeted by friendly marineros who guide us directly through the clearance process. After three completed forms (always with the same information) and a visit to the police, our boat is searched by customs. We have to give our drone into custody and unfortunately we have to say goodbye to our scratch-off world map, as Western Sahara is listed as a country on it. Afterwards, we have a mooring beer and vegetable paella on Moana before going to bed at 6am.
Crossing from Almerimar to Ceuta in numbers:
Distance: 148 nautical miles, of which under sail: 119 nautical miles
Time: 1 day 10 hours 39 minutes
Average speed: 4.6 knots
Number of sunsets seen: 2
Wildlife: a school of dolphins that accompanied us
Crossing from Ceuta to Tangier in numbers:
Distance: 27 nautical miles under engine
Time: 7 hours 47 minutes
Average speed: 3.5 knots
Radio calls with the port of Tanger Méditerrannée: countless
In the afternoon, the six of us explore the city and start with a brunch. The medina (old town) of Tangier is surprisingly well-kept, clean and unobtrusive. We are only asked once if we want to buy something and are only approached by on person wanting to show us the way (for money of course) - we are used to it being completely different in Marrakech, where you are constantly approached. We go to the market and try to haggle for a cheese. In the end, we manage to get some free mint, even though Tim considers it as old and a reject good - a small triumph in a foreign culture. The aromas at the market are intense, the spice stalls well stocked. In the meat and fish zone, the smells become too intense for some of us and we flee outside. We discover a small, typical café on the outside of the market and have a spiced coffee. At the very beginning of the medina, we take a seat outside in a rustic barbecue restaurant. There are three kinds of kebabs, minced meatballs and sausages with salad and flatbread. Instead of beer, we have mint tea and fresh fruit juices, a welcome change.
After a long day, we get up early. Joseph and Noa want to explore Morocco by car for five days the next day and have to get up early. Tim and Heli waver between crossing to Lanzarote with us or staying in Tangier, so we postpone the evening get-together until the next day - a miscalculation, as the two of them spontaneously have to go home the next day for family reasons. We wistfully take them to the airport bus the next day and say goodbye indefinitely after two weeks of being together almost every day. So we are unexpectedly alone again, how unusual. With lots of fresh food from Tim and Heli, we start preparing for our first long crossing.
The leg to the Canary Islands is classified as moderately challenging, as the north-easterly trade winds are not yet so constant here. Our weather window also looks average - strong winds and rain for the first 2 days. After that, it's supposed to be calm to windless. We clean, put the boat away and go out for dinner in the evening. Next to us, the TV is playing recordings of an Iraqi-Saudi music star, Majid Al Mohandis, which captivate us as they are unusual for us. The orchestra sits in a U-shape in typical Arab garb on richly decorated wide chairs, the star's being almost a double sofa. The room is covered with oriental carpets. Euphoria is expressed in a restrained manner by Western standards. There are no exuberant movements, a bit like in the VIP area of a Western concert.
I walk around in the rain to get cash from the boat. It is generally cold and rainy and we unexpectedly pitch our cockpit tent here in Morocco for the first time on this trip. We go shopping at Carrefour at 10 pm, as it is closed on Sundays. There are lots of imported goods, some of them at hefty prices. However, there are also local or at least Arabic foods such as canned hummus, dates and babaganoush. We hit the shops to add a little variety to our shelf-stable food range.
The next day we cook curry, grilled vegetables and a kind of tzatziki, refined Moroccan-style with the mint. This prepares us for the first rougher days. We take another stroll through the old town on this sunny day and get lost for a short time in a lonely section of narrow, winding alleyways. Well-fed and well-groomed cats sit everywhere, undisturbed and unperturbed. We eat another tajine and meet up briefly with sailing friends who we know from the dry dock in Almerimar and who have just arrived from Gibraltar. Then we are off to bed early to get everything ready in the morning and start the departure formalities.
After checking the weather again in the morning, we hesitate as it is thundering on the route. We decide to set off anyway and, as always, leave later than planned. The customs officers, who have our drone in custody, need almost 2 hours to return it, so we don't leave until 14:00.
