Welcome in 2004. We are still in Rota, Spain. We started the year 2004 in style with a grand new-year's eve party where most of the wintering guests participated. We had a 5 star dinner where everybody contributed. Our doctors used all their surgical experience while trying to dissect the turkey.

We had no 'real' winter because it never was really cold. Night temperature were hardly ever under 5 degrees and during the days we had a lot of sun at 15+ degrees. We had hardly any rain.

The winter in Rota was a challenge. All told there are about 15 couples from many nations in a small community where everybody sees and knows everything from everybody else. It is a real small village, complete with rumours, common jobs, evenings in the tappas bar, afternoon sherry, the village scandal, discussions around anything, spanish lessons, exchange of experience, charts and software, and a lot more. All of us travel in Spain and bring experiences back.

We learned a lot from and about Spain. Mostly we lost our (Northern European) prejudice about this country. We experienced Spain as a modern country with very good infrastructures. The differences between cities and countryside are larger here than in Switzerland but on the other hand exactly this is one of the charming properties of this country.

In a rented car we did a trip to Madrid. The trip in itself was very interesting because it showed us the different landscapes of Spain. And Madrid certainly was worth the trip. We had a hotel smack in the centre and walked all over the city. A beautifull and grand city with elegant streets and buildings. Enormous shops and malls which of course we donot have in Rota (and don't miss them either). In Madrid we visited the Swiss embassy to renew our passports.

We visited the archaeological museum which had a splendid exhibition on the last 5000 years history of the Iberian peninsula. Spaniards, Greecs, Phoenicians, Romans, Goths, Arabs, all contributed to this history. And you see their influence all over the country when you care to look.

We saw the enormous agricultural plains of La Mancha, and obviously we met with Don Quichote.

And we further developed our plans for 2004.

First we would like to make a spring journey to the west coast of Morocco. Morocco attracts us and we are very curious to meet with its culture which is so foreign and strange to us. By the end of mai Jantine and Bastiaan will marry so we will leave Gorte Beer and Liesje in Spain for a week. After that we plan to spend 5 month on a tour of Madeira, the Canaries and the Cape Verdes after which we intend to sail down to Brasil in November. But untill then a lot of wind will have blown over our heads and we will have heard from each other.

April.

The 30th of March we left Rota to find out that for Morocco the wind was in the wrong corner. Therefore we dropped our anchor on the river near Sancti Petri.

Sancti Petri is an abandoned fishing village. Due to legal battles it has not yet been taken over by the project devellopers though it is a beautifull site. It is a complete but empty village in the style which we know from the westerns. On the picture 'high noon' complete with the village 'sherrif' with an enormous revolver.

From Sancti Petri we set a direct course to Agadir and took off. The first night was a nightmare because we had far too much wind. Our stomachs did not like us. And during the third night things went really wrong. West of Ras Bedouzza our engine stopped suddenly around midnight at high sea. No wind, no movement. Obviously we had caught something big in our propellor. After 3 hours of radio contact with Safi Radio the Safi lifeboat took us in tow for about 20 miles. Safi, our first port in Morocco. Big reception by all officials at 0600 in the morning, and no sleep during the night. But everybody was very friendly and extremely helpfull. A diver took a thick, 200 meter cable which we had been towing with us out of our propellor.

Safi is a large fishing port with 450 mid-size and over 900 small fishing boats. There is a lot of activity in the harbour but it is dirty. Fish in any shape and amount. We stayed next to the lifeboat for a week and enjoyed the port, the town and the people.

Safi is over 2500 years old and has a densely populated old town with narrow alleys. There is a great hospitality and the people are very friendly. Everybody bade us welcome and we had the honour to be invited for dinner by 2 families.

On the streets many young and only a few old people. Obviously one dies earlier here than in our part of the world. Part of Safi is modern but a lot less pittoresque than the medina.

A different culture indeed. Exciting and challenging.

A main activity in Safi since thousands of years is ceramics manufacturing. In all shapes and styles. For a purpose or as an ornament.

Adjacent to the harbour is a large ship building and repair yard where almost all boats are being built in wood. All handycrafts which almost disappeared in our part of the world can be seen here daily. 45-60ft fishing boats in wood. Fantastic to see but probably less so to maintain. Of course this is possible only in a country where the wages are low. Also there is a large unemployment here.

After a week in Safi we continued our voyage to Agadir.