Cardiff to Cadiz

Readers’ cruising destinations, near and far

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“I suppose we could sail to Cadiz,” I said. I was in the pub enjoying a few pints in the company of my friend Nick. “I didn’t like to ask,” he said, smiling.

Now, Nick is an adventurous sort who retired early to go sailing. Heading for the Mediterranean he had got as far as Cadiz when the pandemic struck and the Spanish authorities confined him to his boat. He enjoyed the company of a few other liveaboards similarly imprisoned but after six months the restrictions were partially lifted and his boat could be taken ashore for safe-keeping and he was able to fly back to friends and family in Cardiff.

It was a further eight months before the vaccination programme allowed Nick to plan his return to Spain. Coincidentally, I was looking for a suitable destination for my customary summer cruise. Alcohol helped us to realise that both problems had the same solution.

Nick, being younger than me, was awaiting an appointment for his second jab, so the departure date was uncertain, as were the Government’s changeable foreign travel restrictions. Nevertheless, passage planning commenced.

New hurdle

This process usually consists of deciding which ports to visit followed by consideration of their associated hazards, tidal gates and possible alternatives for when the weather inevitably