Location: Tarragona, Spain
Buenos tardes!
This morning, we arrived at Tarragona, Spain, on a hot and sunny Mediterranean summer’s day after a calm passage from Gibraltar. First, we docked at our new home for the next several days. During docking, we were smooth, and we even showed more skills than the local docksmen. It is great to see the progression of these tasks, from slow at the start of our journey to a well-oiled machine with everyone working as a team. We had Joey on the stern lines, Nora and Lucie at midships, and Zoe on the bow, with all other team members working with lines and fenders.
After our docking and checking-in process, we ate a delicious lunch of chicken, bean salad, and rice cooked by Joey, Will, and Emma, our chefs today. Then we commenced with boat appreciation, making our beloved home, Vela, sparkly clean and clutter-free. After this, our shipmates adventured onto shore to explore the wonders of Tarragona, an ancient city dating back to Roman civilization. Nate, Garrett, Will, and Joey explored the local beach and saw some cool fishes that jumped at them in the water. Jonathan always reaches out to see the local wonders of where we are and investigates the Tarragona Cathedral. After some boat work with other staff members, Andy, Shelby, Emma, Mac, Tom, and Dan, I also managed to explore some ruins that date back to around 30 BC with connections to Julius Caesar! The ruins I visited were called El Foro de la Colonia, a place that was the religious and social center of the Roman city of Tarraco. To my brother Tom, I am trying to photograph as many Roman ruins as possible and am gathering all the information in the pamphlets for you! (my bro is a cool history buff !! ). It’s incredible that these ancient ruins are scattered all throughout the city and the outskirts, with modern living built around what is still preserved over 1000s of years.
I then had a dock shower, which is one of the things we all look forward to at port. There’s no worry about water usage, and there is a lot of space in a terrestrial shower. The marina we are docked at is lavish, with a 24-hour gym, several restaurants within 10 meters away, and close to the city and ruins. Other shipmates love having their ‘cuppa Joe’ as soon as they arrive at a new port: Lucie, Garrett, Will, Jonathan, Nate, and Joey, to name a few. We had delicious homemade pizza for dinner, and at the squeeze, I asked everyone to give a 5-lined maximum’ slam poetry’ poem about our trip so far. Some funny poems were Monkeys and Rocks by Nate and Salt Causing Rust by Mac Mine. They were about the day we were out in the middle of the Atlantic with the pilot whales, how the sea looked like a mirror and like a dream, and the sounds of the whales. We ended the squeeze with some classic snapping and proceeded with cleanup.
To my friends and family all over the world: I love you lots and miss you!
To my best friend Allie FlahI’my, I’m gutted I am missing your wedding, but I know it will be the most beautiful and special day. Thank you for your support and for always being such an amazing friend. I know Dewy will be spoiling you extra on my behacan’t can’t wait to celebrate you in Vancouver, soon soon 😉
Our photos here are from passage between Gibraltar and Spain, and one from the ruins!