Neil Hawkesford - Foolish enough to think I can build a boat (√), be a writer (√), cross oceans (not yet)) and inspire others (?)
It was 4th August when we finally pulled the anchor free from the thick Rio Guadiana mud and headed back to the open sea. It was 1st September when we at last tied up to our Winter berth here in Cartagena. It took nearly a month to cover the 398Nm (458 land miles) in between. […]
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We finally got away from Rota before dawn on Tuesday 16th August. The forecast was less than perfect. The winds were still coming from the East but they’d be easing through the day to fall light and variable by evening. I knew we’d be motoring, but at least we could make some progress. All went […]
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So, the ‘Levanter’, what’s that all about then? First some background. The Straits of Gibraltar are one of the worlds best known maritime passages. At the narrowest point, Tarifa, you’re as far South as it’s possible to get on the European mainland. It’s just 8 miles away from North Africa. The stretch of coast we’re […]
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We spent nearly three months on the Guadiana. One quarter of a year, it’s a long time, but still not enough to say we truly know the place. Before we arrived we’d heard tales about the ‘Guadiana Glue’. How folks sailed up river and never left. It’s no myth, we met many who’d done just […]
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The Wikipedia entry for this well known phrase goes as follows; “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is a proverbial phrase used to encourage optimism and a positive can-do attitude in the face of adversity or misfortune. Lemons suggest sourness or difficulty in life, while lemonade is a sweet drink. It’s a strange saying […]
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We wanted to spend time here, we wanted to immerse ourselves in the Guadiana experience, we’re doing just that. The weeks have passed quickly, Gail has been back to the UK, I’ve been thinking, writing, re-thinking, not writing. It was time for a change of scene. So, last week, we lifted the anchor and headed […]
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We’re floating in time and history here on the Rio Guadiana. 3000 years of history and time. Phoenicians from the Eastern Mediterranean sailed up here 1000 years before Christ. Romans, Visigoths and Moors have lived, worked and died here On the riverbed, just ahead of us, lie the stones of an old causeway. No one […]
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Don’t get me wrong. I love ‘Gleda’, I work hard at being satisfied with what I have, I don’t generally do envy, but………….. Just the other day, as I innocently killed a few minutes catching up with what’s new in the Wharram world. I stumbled across this video. It’s David Halliday of Boatsmith in Florida […]
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I’ve done it a few times now. On the boat I’m always barefooted. That means that anytime I go ashore I have to remember to throw the flip flops into the dinghy. I keep forgetting. I forgot the other day, when I rowed to Spain. I wanted to explore Sanlucar a bit more and climb […]
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New blogpost up on www.thegledaproject.com The Long And Short Of It
GLEDA, a self-built catamaran. We are happy to have The Gleda Project at Yacht Port Cartagena!
