Lagos marina 

Friday morning we departed Cadiz for the 130 mile overnight passage to Lagos. As we could not have a berth until lunchtime, we didn't set off until 11.30, good not to have a very early start. A bright sunny day but a chilly breeze so we had lots of layers on again. The first 4 hours we motored, keeping within 20m depth and watching out for Orcas and lobster pots. Sally "hawk eye" wins the best "pot spotter" award, seeing them before anyone else. By 15.30, the wind had picked up in a direction which enabled us to sail, sadly only for a couple of hours but it saves us some fuel. The rest of the journey was under engine. We arrived at Lagos to find a large cabin cruiser on the fuel jetty with an engine problem. Luckily, he allowed us to tie up alongside and the fuel hose just about reached. He had 2 fuel tanks totalling 4800 litres, an expensive fuel guzzling boat! Our tank is a mere 235L. 

After the usual check in, we continued into the harbour. The marina area is connected to the town by a footbridge which has to be raised to allow yachts to pass under and we continued to the berth then safely moored for our stay. Tidy up time, hose down the decks, passage equipment put away, foul weather gear hung out to dry, 3 bags of laundry sorted and taken to the laundrette, much needed showers for us all and then lunch. It was one of those 'open the fridge and see what we have' meals - very tasty. Simon and Nigel needed to catch up on sleep after doing watches of 3 hrs on, 3 hrs off during the night, so both went to bed whilst Sally and I went to explore and treated ourselves to ice creams. 

After pre dinner drinks on board, we wandered around the marina and found a local restaurant where we had a delicious dinner. Simon enjoyed his choice but it was not for me - deep fried cuttlefish starter followed by octopus. I played safe with seabass which was very tasty. 

Yesterday, Sunday, we went out for breakfast. Simon and Nigel had enjoyed a full fried breakfast here last summer with the West/East Atlantic crew, so were keen to sample again. American pancakes with strawberries blueberries banana and maple syrup for Sally and I, scrumptious.  A lazy day with an ice cream late afternoon then tasty Ninja roast pork, roast potatoes and vegetables for dinner.

Today we have been exploring Lagos, a walk along the sea front avoiding all the tripper boat sellers then into the old town, narrow cobble streets, some quite steep slopes, cafes, bars and various shops to see. No shoe shops this time! 

Back to the boat for a jobs afternoon. Nigel has stripped down and cleaned 2 winches which were squeaking badly on our passage, Sally has been repairing some headlining above the windows which had fallen down, needle and thread and sticky back velcro solved the problem. Simon is tackling a leak on our toilet which is proving difficult but with his determination, I am confident Simon will fix it. I was on lunch and kitchen duty. 

It's sunny here but a chilly wind, if we can find shelter, it is glorious, if not, fleeces on. I think UK has generally had better weather than us. 

We will be here at least until Weds when the weather forecast will be reviewed and a decision made about leaving for our next stop. 

Tues morning update:
Success for Simon after about 3 hours and much gnashing of teeth and muttering, well done and thanks, it was not an easy or pleasant job. 
We will not be leaving on Weds, there is wind but 20 knots in totally the wrong direction which would make a very unpleasant sail.
Happy hour drinks ashore with a sharing platter of feta, olives, roast garlic and bread then we came back to the boat for Monday evening left overs dinner which was enjoyed by all. 

Catherine