We're in the Balearics, Spain!
Palma, Mallorca at the Cathedral o la Seu
Cartagena, Spain - June 13th to 15th
We are now over 200 miles from the coast of Spain out in the midst of the Mediterranean.
The Balearics
FORMENTERRA - June 16 - 19
As we were headed into Formentara the other morning at
2AM after a 20 hour+ sail I brought the boat into the harbor and looked
around for the dock. 2 a.m. is not the ideal time to enter a port
which you have never set eyes on before. There was a guy motioning to
come into a slip stern too and the wind was blowing at about 15-20 across
the slip. I tried moving the boat into the
slip at a slow pace, and each time the bow was pushed off (we are purists,
and have no bow thruster!) and I had to turn the boat around (there was only
about 3 boat lengths to play with to make the turn, unless I got a running
start at the slow speed docking maneuver that I was contemplating.
On the last try I gave up on the slow approach and, having seen Leopard of
London (see yachts on the web site) put it into reverse from out in the
middle of the harbor and back it up at a steady but solid pace right to the
dock - and then pop it in forward... I thought, Right, brilliant, that's
how I'll do it!. In this case I needed to actually go into the 150 yard
channel alongside the boats that I was going to rest against, get some speed
up and do my maneuver.
Which works great unless, when you get about 75 yards into the harbor (that
you've never seen before and it's 2AM) throw the gear into reverse....and
....hummm....the engine decided to give us a coronary and, due to the
"Antigua" alternator configuration, it Quit?!!. It was a very very long 20
seconds and a few frustrating ignition key turns to no avail! Finally, as
you I'm sure anticipated, the silver glow kicked in and the engine started
with less than 3 boat lengths to go... but it wasn't pretty. The
nerves were a bit shot at that point and the girls managed to hold us off
the dock and the boat to starboard until we could get the bow line
taut....all I can say is the beer tasted especially fine!
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A Nantucket look-alike, Formenterra Island was crowded with bikes, scooters, and people on holiday. We did have a chance to rent some bicycles for a day and explore. Many sore muscles followed. Bill remarked that the beach gazing was quite interesting and quite unlike Crane beach.
IBIZA - June 19
Next stop Ibiza as we make our way to Palma. We anchored in a quiet secluded harbor, yet it only remained that way until 4 a.m. when the wind was gusting to 30+ knots and the shore seemed too close for comfort. Up the anchor came, and we headed out into it. This is adventure! Though we did give a thought of you all tucked-in and cozy in your beds. Bouncing along 4 hours later, we noticed that our dinghy was no longer behind us! Unfortunately, a recovery was a long shot (it was likely headed back to the Spanish continent!) so we continued on our 10 hour motoring expedition to Palma. Bill remarked again about the beautiful scenery.
PALMA MALLORCA - June 20 - still here as of July 8!!
We said goodbye to Pam who has been with us since we left Antigua! We will miss her wonderful cooking and her happy spirit and wish her good luck finding a position as a chef on a fantastic mega-yacht!
We won't bore you with the boat details as we sit at a marina having the alternator fixed and doing small repairs before we head further east where there won't be as many services. We have had a chance to explore a little of the island and eat some typical Spanish meals. The Spanish eat very late, so if we do venture out for an evening we often start to eat around 9 or 10. We've also run into Mats and some sailing friends and were kindly invited to a beautiful home in the mountains for an afternoon swim.
Cathedral o la Seu
Church on its head...
Bill on his head!
Looking at life from a different perspective...now ...how to get out!
Views of Palma
Crowded Beaches of Mallorca
WE FLEW THE CHUTE!
(notice Bill acting like he's got a clue - for those with limited sailing knowledge this is a joke ...for those of you that only know Bill....well...)
One night at Cabrerra a stunningly beautiful Marine Reserve waiting for the winds to change to carry us over to Sardinia.
View from the Fort
No anchoring and admittance by registration only make for a peaceful harbor Meghan on the Dinghy
Beautiful