04-Mar-2004 -- Three full days we were waiting off Gibraltar for news regarding our next employment. Just a three weeks earlier we had been here for repairs, and this time I took the opportunity to take a picture from the Eastern side of Gibraltar Rock. This large flat precipices are of course not natural, those are the famous Gibraltarian Water Catchments. Here rain water runs and drips down and is collected. The Water Catchments were of extreme importance at the times when the border to Spain was closed (during the Franco Era) and no trade was permitted. So Gibraltar had to take every effort to remain self-sustaining. Spain, although still claiming British Gibraltar as its territory, has of course discontinued its strict policy of boycotting Gibraltar, as both countries belong to the European Union and such a practice is not considereed to be a proper one for its members, having decided themselves for tolerance and good neighborship (at least in theory and on the paper ...).

This morning we decided to make a life boat drill, as it is mandatory for all cargo ships every three months according SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea Regulation). On the picture we see our lifeboat heading towards the lighthouse of Great Europa Point, the Southernmost tip of Gibraltar Rock. Even as Captain I should not run out of practical skill, and so I manoeuvered the boat myself as well.

From the lifeboat I had one of the rare opportunities to make a nice picture from our ship, the good old "Nova Scotia", which I am now captaining since five years. This is the ship with which I visited almost all my offshores.

Then, after my well deserved afternoon nap from 1 to 5 pm the following message arrived on board:

"Please heave up anchor and proceed to Alexandria in order to load oranges for Novorossiysk."

A trip with fruits from Egypt to the Black Sea was really not what I had expected. I was rather believing to load some fish in The Netherlands for Nigeria, but due to the high exchange rate of the Euro currency the African countries, being Dollar-payers, can no longer afford to purchase it.

The way to Egypt brings us again to 36N5W, and just when the sun set behind the Rock of Gibraltar we were there. Due to a very high pressure of 1035 HPa over the area the visibility was even more better than during our recent visit, and so we can offer now the full panorama:

Looking South: the Moroccon Atlas Mountains

Looking West: the Strait of Gibraltar, with Punta Almina and Jebel Musa at left, and Gibraltar Rock at right

Looking North: the Andalusian Sierras