Festival del Carmen, Puerto Mogan

The Fiesta del Carmen day had arrived, we weren’t sure what to expect but Bill and Jean had managed to find out from the rep at their hotel that it should kick off around 3pm. We’d arranged for them to meet up at 2pm and said we’d cook lunch. So we head off to the Spar for some essentials as soon as we were up.
Kevin then prepared the paella, a meal that he has definitely perfected now whilst I cleaned the boat. There were extremely loud banger fireworks going off regularly now as they awaited the Virgin Mary. As I was on the front deck gingerly wiping off footmarks despite my pulled stomach muscles (pilates!), boats started to arrive dressed in bunting and invariably with music on at full blast. One managed to find a gap where there wasn’t one between Mike and Nylor and the broken boat. Meanwhile the usual Salmon Line Day Ferry service boats arrived full loaded, not with tourists it seemed but locals and moored within the harbour on the wall opposite, they were all dancing on deck.



Boats continued to arrive all with completing music systems much good will and lots of dancing on the bows and side decks for the benefit of the onlookers. Next there were people diving in the water for a swim, much to the stress and aggravation of the two poor marina attendants in their skiff trying to convince them to get back onboard due to the volume of little power boats, yachts, jet skis etc arriving.
Kevin came to join me on deck at the fishing boats started to arrive from Arguineguin who were the centre of the attention, the first of which was carrying the Virgin Mary from their church, which would be joining the Mogan Virgin Mary (ready in the fish docks for a tour of the town). The fishing boats were highly decorated and with at least two amplifiers a piece lashed to the wheelhouse roof they created quite an entrance as they all started to raft up alongside each other on the fish docks. They seemed to lead the main arrival of boats from Arguineguin and they kept on arriving for about another 30mins. It seemed from our perspective as though you could walk from one end of the fish docks to the other on the decks of the boats rafted together. Some of the boats arriving with amps had set up a microphone and were on the bow either singing or generally getting the crowd going with more chanting, including one small powerboat with two amps as big again as the wheelhouse coming in steadily with a low waterline. The noise was amazing by this point as they all had various Spanish party tracks going on in competition not to mentioned the fog horn etc.



Almost without anyone noticing with all the hubbub, the Virgin Mary was unloaded from the lead Arguiniun fishing boat and led ashore. The Mogan Virgin Mary followed held aloft on a wooden platform carried in the sweltering heat by 6 men a piece. The icons were at quite a height and I felt for the responsibility of those men and the consequences of a trip or slip as they started the procession. They were lead by a priest and followed by a smaller group of elder locals and a brass band, whilst everyone else carried on the party in the fish docks.



Bill and Jean arrived as the boats continued to arrive and by now there were people in the water all over swimming round as we stood on deck amazed by the atmosphere and the volume. It was really exciting to see it all from our bird’s eye view right in the middle of the marina and only one boat along from the fish docks.





After about another 40 minutes where the party continued unabated, with people even arriving on the jet ski where you are towed behind, I’m not sure from how far away they come as Arguineguin is a few miles along the coast. There were rescue boats with a crew all dressed in matching wetsuits ready and various other official boats. The Virgin Mary’s returned and we watched the Arguineguin one be returned to the lead fishing boat. There was then quite an impressive bit of boat manoeuvring as they managed to slip from a raft of about 10 boats and lead the procession back out. It took probably another 30 minutes for all the boats to leave whilst we sat down in the shade to enjoy Kevin’s excellent Paella.



Bill and Jean left about 6.30 pm and we were in the now eerily quiet marina. I am not sure if the party continued elsewhere, I am fairly sure Arguineguin was swinging that night. Though after a couple of beers at lunch in the sun, all we were fit for was a DVD and bed!



Arguinegiun Virgin Mary departs