David's Diary: Monday, February 11, 2002

Tarragona In The Fog

After enjoying carnival in Sitges it was time to head further south along the Spanish coast for the Roman city of Tarragona. We left at 10:30 and headed out into blue skies. There was still a little early morning mist, but it was starting to burn off.

By about 12:30 the mist had returned in the form of sea fog. Visibility was just under two nautical miles (about 3.5 kilometers) and things seemed okay. The closer we got to Tarragona the worse the fog became. One of the instruments on Dragonsinger new to Karalee and I is radar. Today, we got first-hand experience in just how valuable a tool it is. As we approached the yacht harbour we could see three freighters on radar. They were all anchored, but it was still disconcerting to us that we did not see the closest freighter until it was only a half mile away. We then used our GPS (Global Positioning System) to find out way to the harbour entrance which we only saw at the last minute.

Working Harbor

An hour after we arrived the fog disappeared and the sun came out. Tarragona is a major working harbour, with a large fishing fleet and extensive facilities for commercial shipping. Along one part of the waterfront are old cranes, no longer in service, but preserved as part of the history of the harbour. Old warehouses along that part of the waterfront have been converted to restaurants and a maritime museum. Together they make for a pleasant walk and introduction to Tarragona.