5. Through the Straits of Gibralter

We continued along the coast of Portugal overnight and then early this morning (Saturday) altered to a more easterly course, passing through the Straits of Gibralter at breakfast time. Although the sky is mostly blue, it is very hazy, the seas are calm, but the visibility is only 4 miles so we were unable to see the Rock, (although the Atlas Mountains were just about visible to the south). As I write, there must be a dozen or so other ships of all shapes and sizes in view, transporting their precious cargos to ports near and far.

Our brief stints on dolphinwatch have yielded several sightings. We have also seen a number of swallows crossing the Straits on their migration southwards. It is comforting to know that we have managed to keep up with them although I daresay that our journey has been considerably less arduous and we have managed to find much more to eat in order to sustain us.

I regret to report that we have yet to win any trivia sessions, although it is still early days. Having said that, every session has been extremely well attended, with around 30 teams taking part. Not surprisingly, competition is extremely tight.

As for "firsts", the first formal night took place last night although we avoided the traditional champagne fountain having seen it several times before. But, as the air temperature has now climbed to a very acceptable 22C, we had our first swim in the pool earlier this afternoon.

(I apologise for the lack of pictures so far, but the Internet connection is rather slow and there is not too much of interest to photograph. This will undoubtedly change when we arrive at our first port of call on Monday.