By 7.30 am we pulled up our anchor and slowly left our delightful Moraira anchorage
The spectacular cliffs of Cap Blanc by Morovit close to MorairaEarly morning light on the Ifach Cape
The spectacular Cape
So many high rise apartment blocks and hotels have sprung up here on the popular Spanish Costa Blanca coast over the past years
We pass the Virgin of the Consol, the Catholic church which stands high above the town of Altea on the coast heading southeastThe fabulous lighthouse, Faro del Albir on Punta Bombarda
In the morning light, the spectacular cliffs of the coastline look amazingWe approach Benidorm with it’s skyscrapers and hundreds of tall buildings!!In the 1960’s this Costa Blanca coastline of Benidorm consisted of small fishing villages and now it almost resembles small New York!!Benidorm is a popular Mediterranean holiday destination known for its nightlife and cheap package holidaysTorre Atalayola stands out prominently on the capeThe island of Tabarca comes into view off the coast between Alicante and Santa PolaNumerous small and large ferries take and collect passengers to Tabarca from the mainland all day!! Our destination of Santa Pola is the closest port to the Tabarca IslandThe tiny island of Tabarca is one of the top tourist destinations within the Costa BlancaIn 1986 the island and and its surrounding waters were declared a protected marina and bird reserveOver 4,000 people visit Tabarca daily during the summer periodBeing slightly cooler and often being more breezy than the mainland Tarbarca attracts so many visitors to the town and the beach every dayThe old church, Iglesia de San Pedro y San PabloWe join a number of other motorboats and yachts on anchor on the south side of the islandCuartel de la Guardia Civil de Tabarca, the former Guard Tower of the Civil Guard with the Tabarca Lighthouse in the backgroundLooking towards the busy beach and restaurant area of the islandNumerous visitors to the island today are enjoying the beach and the relaxed surroundings of the islandAfter a couple of hours on the island we made our way back to the coast and headed towards the port of Santa Pola where we had booked a berth for a couple of daysBy the entrance to the port of Santa Pola is a reasonable anchorage for those that prefer to be on anchor like us. We however needed to go into the port to have our generator looked at. It was not easy to find a Kohler service agent that was not on holidays on the coast, hence our trip to Santa PolaThe town of Santa PolaTangaroa nicely moored in the Santa Pola Miramar MarinaThe modern Miramar Marina office in Santa PolaAfter meeting a delightful English couple berthed beside us, we enjoyed a few gin and tonics aboard the Tangaroa and then set off out to dinner togetherOur new friends suggested we try one they had enjoyed recently, not too far from the portOur new English sailing acquaintances Simon and ClaireTo start with we share a delicious plate of the popular local Iberian hamThe boys order a nice Spanish red to accompany our foodClaire and I both ordered the delicious monkfish with baked vegetablesSimon was very pleased with his generous portion of whole grilled squidRic’s choice tonight was the steak which he thoroughly enjoyedIt was a lovely experience meeting Claire and Simon and it was great for me to have some female company and conversation for a change!!
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