We left Cartagena and made our way to Malaga where our friends, Stella and Fabri, were waiting for us.  The initial idea was to stop at Cabo De Gata- a beautiful natural park along the coast of Andalucia- for the night and continue towards Malaga the day after. While sailing though, we got in touch with two other boats via VHF and found out that we were all going the same way and that they would be continuing the sailing throughout the night, without stopping.

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Strong winds were expected the coming days and weather alerts had been issued for Malaga and surrounding areas: ‘the sooner we get there the better’ – the other sailors said. Personally, I was really disappointed! I really wanted to see Cabo de Gata, which I was told being absolutely gorgeous. I reluctantly agreed with Gc that stopping there for the night was not ‘the right thing to do’, and I acted very adult-like by holding a grudge against him for the following 5 to 6 hours. Someone had to be blamed…

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We sailed side by side with another catamaran all day and almost all night. It was 5 am when we departed from our sailing companion to get to Almerimar marina: we were almost out of fuel and needed an urgent refill.

We dropped anchor outside the marina and went to sleep for a few hours, while waiting for the fuel station to open at 7am. Seven hundred litres of diesel and 900 Euros later, we set sails again: destination Malaga. We were so excited to see our friends and visit the shop they’d opened the previous year, La Dispensa Italiana, that we forgot how tired we were and kept on going.

Before our arrival in Malaga, we had been trying to reserve a spot for Gladan either at the port or at the marinas nearby. Apparently it’s not their custom to book places in advance: you have to show up and find out for yourself if there is space or not. Which is totally fine in settled weather, but very unpractical when you’re expecting strong southerly winds. Where are you going to go if there is no space anywhere?!

Thanks to our friends, we finally found a space at Caleta de Velez, a small marina in a fishing village 30 miles east of Malaga, and rented a car to reach the city.

After 4 nights there, we learnt the hard way that if you want a place at Malaga’s port you just go there, moore inside, and wait for the Policia Portuaria to come and “approve” your stay. Don’t bother calling them as the following will happen: they won’t answer the phone and if they do, they will tell you that they are fully booked even if they are not.

After trying hard, we did manage to spend a night inside the Port, and paid 100 Euros with no water or electricity. The port is quite beautiful, with bars, restaurants, shops and museums all around; you really dock in the historic heart of the city.

It’s a real shame though that a port with so much potential and one of the most important points connecting Europe and Africa it’s so badly managed!

We loved Malaga and enjoyed every minute we spent with our friends, not to mention the mouthwatering truffle mortadella and pecorino cheese we tried at La Dispensa… If you happen to stop in Malaga go and try their delicious Italian produce!