Frances Garland

Strong winds overnight impeded the Dawn Princess's arrival time to the port of Gibraltar adjacent to the Rock. There must have been 30 ships anchored in the bay. Most of them oil tankers waiting to unload their cargo of crude at the massive oil refinery in Gibraltar.

Although it is less than three square miles in area, the Rock of Gibraltar has become a symbol of durability and permanence. With its strategic location at the western entrance of the Mediterranean, the rock offers great value as a military strong point. Europe is only eight miles from Africa at this point and the straits are 36 miles long. Whoever controls Gibraltar and the harbour at its base is in a good position to control the passage between Atlantic and Mediterranean waters.

The rock itself is a natural fortress 1,396 feet high, with a sheer vertical face to the east. Gibraltar's population is 30,000 with an ethnic mix reflecting the history of this strategic crossroad: Spaniards, Moors, Arabs and British. Gibraltar is also the site of the Ape's Den, home of the famous Barbary Apes, tailless monkeys which have inhabited the rock for centuries. Legend has it that Britain will retain the Rock as long as the Apes live there. Migratory birds also find Gibraltar a convenient stop on their way between Europe and Africa. Commonly seen are honey buzzards, griffons, black storks and the unique short-toed eagles.