The Rock of Gibraltar

[luvnorway]

Haven't seen much about "The Rock" (or the port) on this forum recently. I just posted this on a roll call, and because the "Search" function on the board isn't as easy to use as in the past, I thought I'd post it here as well in case anyone sailing in the Western Med this summer might be interested.

 

If you don't have a port call in Gibraltar, but are sailing through the Straits, a Med to Atlantic (= outbound from the Med) itinerary is likely to be best for seeing "The Rock" (unless you pass in the middle of the night - but, even if you do, it's illuminated, so worth getting up for a quick look).

 

There are 2 reasons travelling westbound is likely to give you a better view:

 

a) there is a traffic separation scheme in effect through the straits due to the narrow passageway and high volume of ships. The westbound ships stick to the north (European side) and the eastbound traverse on the south (African side). This means you will be closer to Gibraltar as you pass by than ships going the other direction.

 

b) When you approach Gibraltar from the west side, it's appearance is not what you'd expect. It's shape looks more like an elongated sphinx than the Prudential Insurance trademark we're used to seeing. BUT - when you approach it from the east side, that's when you can see the classic Gibraltar "Rock" shape.

 

We always enjoy our port calls there - usually (if it's not cloudy) we take the cable car up to the top of the rock and walk down to the town. The last time we were there we visited the WWII tunnels (not the Great Seige Tunnels) and found them amazing - you may be surprised, as I was, to learn that the Rock is honeycombed with a few hundred km of tunnels and, during the war, up to 10,000 troops could be housed in the underground chambers. They had kitchens, a hospital to treat troops wounded in Africa, and some of the tunnels are wide enough to drive trucks through. It's amazing to think of that as you cruise by.

 

http://www.gibraltar.gov.uk/hol/WhatToSee/tunnels.asp