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Gibraltar has been a major milestone for sailors since the days of the first sailing ships in ancient times. It marks the end of Europe, leaving the enclosed waters of the Mediterranean Sea and venturing into the vast Atlantic Ocean. For us it would mark the start of our final leg around the world.
Gibraltar of course is also England's last bastion of Empire on the mainland of Europe and though it is only a few miles from the beaches of sunny Spain it even has English weather with a constant dark rainy cloud sitting on its summit.
The entire place is just a few square miles much of it taken up by the airport. Its single runway crosses the only road in or out of the country, and when a plane is landing or taking off they close the road blocking all traffic.
We were joined here by our friend Karen who had been one of the first visitors to Ventana 16 years previously in the Bahamas. Together we explored "the rock" and played with the Barbary apes that have been made famous by their association with Gibraltar. After our explorations here we set sail out the straits of Gibraltar and into the Atlantic bound for Rabat, Morocco 150 miles away along the African coast.
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English weather
Views from high atop the Rock of Gibraltar
Karen and a Barbary ape