At the end of the last summer, I received a call of my friend Alvaro, whom it invited to me to sail with him and his friend Alpaca, to take the boat just acquired in Barcelona, a motovelero Arenys of 8 meters of length, until the port of Seville, sailing by the Guadalquivir river.

The present stage of navigation consisted of embarking in the sport port of Marbella and sailing until Tariff, to naturally follow course until the navigation of Defeat, happening through the Straits of Gibraltar.

Never until now, it had had the occasion to sail by this water, since normally ground to sail by the zone of the East and the Balearics. So that said and done. I bought a ticket of BIRD from Madrid to Seville and thence we took the car for Marbella.

The day was good, with something of wind. Clear and clouds were alternated constantly and the temperature was pleasant since we wore winter clothes. The sea disturbance era of slight swell to swell.

One is a absolutely recommendable passage with landscape of an impressive and very beautiful coast. Hallucinating views of the Rock robbed by the English, Mountains very green and escarped by the zone of Zahara of the Tunas, and infinite beaches near Tariff, which I give a gratuitous visit to the strength located next to its light, in the Island of Tariff.

Mid-morning we approached the zone of Gibraltar, and like a one mile in front of their famous rock, Europe End, was searched not less than 10 or 15 enormous freighters, in a noticeable zone disquieting in the letter like `garbage dump of explosives'. I ask who type of pumps and missiles will throw overboard the ships military that by those waters march past. But that makes as much boat this way enormous? We happen sailing among them feeling us like a hormiguita in front of a herd of anteaters. Huge spectacle. Alvaro commented to me that simply they hope to that passes a loaded tanker of Diesel oil, so that all of them fill their fuel tanks, naturally without paying nor a duro of taxes.  Carajo, very legal does not seem to me, but put to it, to see to that happens the idea to him to mount a floating powerboat near Levante for all the friendly of nautical the sport one. That yes, naturally to the territorial waters limit not to have problems with the state treasury!

In short, we return to the one from the passage, that is than it treats. The wind had fallen enough, so that we sailed to motor doing about 6 knots to 1,800 revolutions.  Once left back the bay of Algeciras that showed all the small houses to us of its urbanizations, we began `to mosquear itself'. Our boat moved to very good rate, which was appraised in its noticeable wake. When we threw a rind of pipe to the water, this moved away indeed of us, like a about 6 knots of speed.  And clear of the hypothesis to the verification. We ignited the portable GPS and we remained agape. Our real era of naked means and sometimes negative speed! In some zones we went reverse gear!

The preoccupation was stronger when without previous warning, the motor was put in strike and it refused to want to start. We floated placidly in a shaken average sea. We seemed unemployed and the escupitajos of test sent by the hut therefore seemed it to demonstrate, but our GPS insisted on assuring to us that we returned from where we came to about 6 knots of real speed. Taking already, this if that is a current! All the mass of sea that surrounded to us moved as a dragged carpet towards the Mediterranean. 

Luckyly after clearing the filter of the air, and trying to start while one of us drained a boat of spray of I do not know that product takes motors, this was again put to toser. To the few seconds we recovered the timid march and our half naked one of real speed. The speed in the track was of about 6 knots. Hurra by spray, very advisable product for all boat that navegue to motor!

Another peculiar effect to sail with so strong currents is the form in which the course varies the real speed when modifying. Simple sum of vectors. Indeed, when confusing us by some moments, and varying the course of significant form, the speed happened of practically zero to near the 10 real knots! Eye with the rudder…

Passed Tariff after many hours of stubborn navigation and against the coasts End Dove, we entered a zone in which in half of the sea formed a line of rompientes very accused and after her, a quite wide strip of very calm sea, almost a plate. Our curiosity made us approach us her previous consultation of the letter to assure to us that he was free of sank banks. The passage of the rompiente went something it jeopardize being to point one of the waves to mount us by the stern.  But the worse thing was to be in half of those infernally calm waters. Indeed they seemed in calm from far. Being in them they were not seen more than pronounce eddies turning one next to the other in opposite directions. Hundreds of them. The color of waters was very dark and nothing reassuring. I suppose that one is an effect due to the submarine canalizations of so strong currents, but to see close by means them to understand the dangerous thing that it is to cross in patera by these zones.

In the end we ended up sailing to good rate, once left the zone of influence of the current forts, there by Zahara of the Tunas.  Still we had left many miles, when the dusk fell and the sea disturbance passed through gusts of wind of swell and fort swell. Thank heavens that the Arenis is a very marine boat and demonstrated the comfortable thing to us that it makes navigation with bad weather from his position of rudder protected in the cabin. Some waves swept all the cover and the windshield wipers did, although badly their work, to have rubbers of the brushes totally cuarteadas.

Already near the 5 in the morning, and with something of fatigue in the body, we reached the navigation of Defeat where we moored. It was Saturday and still some bars were open in which we could celebrate entertainment so day's work…