See what we did with it on board!!
Some stretching is required... Fortunately I had my two cars to help me do it!
Set the sails as fast as you can...
Make the spinnaker work as if it were a Code Zero, yeah!
This is her running up the line in the Carnaval Race, Águilas, 2007. We came second in our class, fifth in the overall of classes out of forty boats! Thanks to Antonio's fab work on both hull and keel...
See what he and his boys did on her...
While Micoloco was a Jenneau Selection 37, our new boat Alhena is a Wauquiez Centurion 37S. Micoloco proudly sailed around the world on a solo race in hands of a frenchman skipper. She was a good and efficient boat which allow us quite a lot of good positions, cups and prizes around our Mediterranean waters.
You maight think: what's all this about marine paintings? How bizarre! Well, I started to sail when I was very little as many other children in Águilas, through the Yachting Club programs for Primary Schools in town. In fact, we are proud of having a World Champion in Optimist Class! 
I wasn't that good, of course, but I managed to sail in Optimist, Vaurien, 420 and 470 classes for nearly thirty years! I also do winsurfing, bodyboarding, and lately I'm part of the crew of the Skipper Íñigo Anza, having sailed on board of Micoloco, and now on Alhena.
Aquí con José Abelleira ("Abe"), en el triatlón de Blanca del 2006. ¿Dónde estaba el agua del río? Más de uno salió con el pecho amoratado y arañado, pero un diez a la aficción! Claro, en especial a mis alumnos del colegio Antonio Molina González, que me animaron y no perdieron las ganas a pesar de que vieron desde muy pronto que "el teacher" no iba a ganar... Una vez más!
Menudo frío en Torre Pacheco 2007. Me rompí fibras de la pierna derecha y desde entonces me duele. Tanto sufrir para que te llegue el subidón de endorfinas a la pata coja. Estuvo bien empezar el año, pero qué mala suerte, ya iba a 3.50'/km, y nada, a aflojar. Pero divertido de vernos la gente del triatlón otro año más.
En Águilas, igual, pinchazo en la parte posterior de la pierna derecha, y a conservar lo que quedaba de ella el resto del duatlón. No siempre se gana, bueno, casi nunca o nunca. Tampoco vamos todos a eso.
Como siempre, buen circuito de bici y carrera a pie, no extraña que tanta gente venga por aquí a entrenar en cuanto pueden, y a competir por el disfrute de hacerlo en la cuna del triatlón en España.
Boats on ruffled water (c. 1650), by Jan van de Cappelle, one of the most celebrated painters of seascapes (Ducht Baroque Era). Van de Cappelle painted this scene off the shores of his native Holland. In the 17th century the Dutch took pride in their power over the waters both by controlling them inland and by trading overseas. Van de Cappelle suggests the airiness and immensity of the seascape by stretching the horizon far into the distance, painting two thirds of the work as sky and clouds. This emphasis on sky can also be seen in works by Koninck and Ruisdael.
A first rate Man-of-war driven onto a reef of rocks, floundering in a gale (c.1826), by George Philip Reinagle. Reinagle came from a large family of painters and trained with his father, Ramsay Richard. He specialised in marine painting and learnt by copying the works of Dutch painters such as Willem van de Velde. He travelled widely, sailing to destinations including Greece and Portugal, and used his experiences of battles and marine landings as subjects for his paintings.
I'm a lucky person as I was born there, in the South East of Spain. Nice place to spend you childhood, doing sports, by the Mediterranean Sea. Nice people there, too. I still have most of my school mates there, and from time to time we meet in front of a good meal and couple of drinks to talk about the crazy things we used to do when little!
Superb skies down there in Aguilas! I have always liked those windy skies at dusk. In fact, I love paintings inspired by the soon coming of storms or gales, which when it comes to ships sailing the coast, might end in a wreck. I'll show you some by famous British and Dutch painters. But now...
The lighthouse, lovely, isn`t it? My Dad's factory and my grandparents tavern are close to this symbol of those times when sailing was even more subject to the force of nature, and very little technology was provided to fishermen and sailors.
