15 April - Casablanca

Following a day at sea we arrived in the port at Casablanca. Now, I know the very name conjures up all kinds of thought associated with the movie, but the reality is so very different. For starters, the port is a modern container terminal, noisy, dusty, and all rather blah.

It’s also a very modern city, with traffic, high rise buildings and a busy commercial downtown.

But, beyond that, some of the magic can be recaptured by wandering the souk, the oldest part of the city, which probably hasn’t changed that much in a couple of centuries.

Bustling enough indeed to enjoy a return to the yacht for some lunch, and ponder the voyage to date.

Then, late in the day, waving farewell to the crowd at the end of the pier, we set sail for Lisbon, 350 nautical miles to the north, and 33 hours away. To round out the day, a celebratory bar-b-q on deck prepared by the crew, an excellent bunch, and top marks to them for taking such good care of us all.