2017-08-13 Moaira to Santa Pola, Spain

 

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 Moraira
Early 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 southeast
The fabulous lighthouse, Faro del Albir on Punta Bombarda

In the morning light, the spectacular cliffs of the coastline look amazing
We 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 holidays
Torre Atalayola stands out prominently on the cape
The island of Tabarca comes into view off the coast between Alicante and Santa Pola
Numerous 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 Island
The tiny island of Tabarca is one of the top tourist destinations within the Costa Blanca
In 1986 the island and and its surrounding waters were declared a protected marina and bird reserve
Over 4,000 people visit Tabarca daily during the summer period
Being slightly cooler and often being more breezy than the mainland Tarbarca attracts so many visitors to the town and the beach every day
The old church, Iglesia de San Pedro y San Pablo
We join a number of other motorboats and yachts on anchor on the south side of the island
Cuartel de la Guardia Civil de Tabarca, the former Guard Tower of the Civil Guard with the Tabarca Lighthouse in the background
Looking towards the busy beach and restaurant area of the island
Numerous visitors to the island today are enjoying the beach and the relaxed surroundings of the island
After 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 days
By 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 Pola
The town of Santa Pola
Tangaroa nicely moored in the Santa Pola Miramar Marina
The modern Miramar Marina office in Santa Pola
After 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 together
Our new friends suggested we try one they had enjoyed recently,  not too far from the port
Our new English sailing acquaintances Simon and Claire
To start with we share a delicious plate of the popular local Iberian ham
The boys order a nice Spanish red to accompany our food
Claire and I both ordered the delicious monkfish with baked vegetables
Simon was very pleased with his generous portion of whole grilled squid
Ric’s choice tonight was the steak which he thoroughly enjoyed
It 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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