Since our last blog we seemed to have been very busy meeting up with friends and relatives, and moving about to try and shelter from the wind and swell.
We stayed in San Antonio Ibiza for a few days and accompanied Helen and Marcel visiting places on the island in their hire car over a two day period. On the first day we went to Ibiza, which included a climb up the hill to the old town, the view from the top was amazing, we could see Formentera in the distance and could look down onto the marina with all its expensive yachts and cruise ships.
The old town with its narrow streets was very quaint and we stopped just outside the city wall for lunch. Both Kevin and Marcel were playing David Bailey for the day and taking lots of pictures, not to mention the girls posing!
On the second day, which was Marcel’s birthday, we drove to Puerto De Santa Eulalia where we stayed for lunch and then inland before heading back to our respective boats to get ready for Marcels birthday bash at a lovely restaurant which looked as if it had been an old church at some time. The waiters at the restaurant informed us that it had been originally built as a church but never used for that purpose, the restaurant itself has been going for 36 years and has seen a few celebrities over the years as the waiters were keen to show us pictures of Sting and Bruce Springsteen to name just two.
The meal I have to say was one of the best I have ever had, after the meal the waiters brought out a form of cake with a sparkler on and singing happy birthday to Marcel along with the other diners, unfortunately Marcel had gone outside to take a call and missed the performance in his honour. As Kevin was the only male at our table the waiters assumed it was his birthday and presented him with the so called cake, it was all quite amusing.
We made a couple of moves to beautiful Cala’s in making our preparations to sail across to Mallorca, Cala Clot D’es LLamp our final stay in Ibiza contained some amazing rock formations and a large stalactite cave, unfortunately try as he might Kevin couldn’t find it.
We arrived in Porta Nova Mallorca at 1800 hours on the 6th May where we were meeting up with Kevin’s son David and his friend Nathanial who were staying with us for five days. When we arrived in Porto Nova David and his friend were already there so Kevin set off in the dingy to pick them up, before we all boarded Dakini for a chicken pie meal which Helen had prepared on the crossing over.
Although the weather was not as warm as the boys would have liked they did manage to get a tan before leaving, as well as catching a couple of fish which were inedible and so were thrown back in the sea.
The day the boys left (Saturday 11th May) the sun was shining and the sea was calm and so we left the boat anchored opposite the cathedral in Palma, waved the boys off and set off to find Carfoure which was at the far end of the marina. I don’t think either of us realised how far away it actually was, and I didn’t really fancy the journey back with all the shopping even if we were intending on catching a bus. With all the sopping purchased the bags were really heavy, (must have been the twenty eight cans of beer that Kevin bought as it was on offer), I was relieved when Kevin relented and said we could get a taxi back to where we had left the dingy on the beach.
When we got back to the dingy and saw the sea state neither of us looked forward to the journey back to the boat, Kevin announced that we were more than likely going to get wet, that turned out to be the understatement of the year. The dingy rode the waves well and we did truly get soaked, the exchange of persons, shopping and outboard from the dingy back onto Miss Lilly required precision timing if we were to ensure nothing ended up in the water as the waves crashed the dingy into the back of the boat. This achieved we hastily pulled up the anchor and made our way across the bay to El Arenal where we hoped the sea state would be calmer as it was sheltered from the prevailing wind. On the way across the bay we spied Dakini also heading in the same direction, they had been staying in Cala Nova, it turned out they had also returned from Carefoure to find their boat bouncing about in the swell and they too were making a hasty retreat for some shelter.
That night Helen and Marcel who were feeling a little dejected due to the problems they were experiencing with their engine and AIS joined us for drinks, we had a thoroughly good time. The intention was to stay in El Arenal for another night, as we had been invited back onto Dakini for a meal, however the weather and sea state had other ideas and at 1800 hours were once again heading across the bay to Palma Nova to find some shelter.
The following day Helen and Marcel were taking Dakini into a marina at Palma for some repair work on their engine which they thought had been fixed when she had been taken out of the water in Alicante, and so we said our goodbyes as we headed across the bay to start our journey east to meet up with my daughter Claire and her family in Puerto Pollensa.
Our first stop off was Ensenada De La Rapita, we managed to manoeuvre around the rocks and tuck ourselves in just in front of the large hotel there, the sea was crystal clear which enabled us to drop the anchor over sand to ensure a good hold.
The following day after looking at the weather forecast we decided to move to Cala Mitjana a pretty little Cala which offered good protection from the prevailing winds and swell, as it was quite narrow we decided to attach a stern line to stop us from swinging. The setting was very peaceful with a huge house positioned on the opposite shore, there were also numerous birds nesting in the trees and we even caught site of a couple of peregrine falcons on the cliff.
In the morning we decided to move further up the coast, after checking the weather we decided Cala Marsal would offer the best protection. After leaving the security of Cala Mitjana we were surprised at actually how much protection we had had, the sea state was quite rough and so we had a bumpy ride all the way to our next resting place, with Kevin stating that people paid good money for a ride like this at Alton Towers, I certainly wouldn’t be one of them
After setting the anchor and ensuring we had a firm hold we settled down, no sooner had we settled the weather decided to show us just how unpredictable it could be. The rain came down in torrents and Kevin decided to wash the deck in the rain so as to conserve water.
Later in the night a thunder storm started with fork lightening directly above of us the light show was amazing, but with our very own lightening conductor (mast) also above us we just prayed we wouldn’t get hit. The sea state was like a witches cauldron and the boat was tossed about all over the place, you could constantly hear the anchor chain as the boat moved about, at one stage we thought we heard it dragging and so at 0400 hours we donned our wet weather gear and set about strengthening our position. We had originally secured the stern with a stern line to the rocks and so the first job was to release this, Kevin jumped into the dingy and rowed across to the rocks, being careful not to get the dingy punctured as the waves slammed him against the sharp rocks, he was constantly shouting instructions at me which I couldn’t hear over the roar of the waves. Once the stern line was released the bow of the boat started to turn and so I took the wheel increased the revs on the engine and started to turn the boat, the next minute Kevin was screeching at the top of his lungs asking me to put the boat in neutral.
The next job was to set a second anchor and so with chain and anchor transferred to the dingy Kevin rowed at a 45 degree angle to the boat (well he thought he had) and dropped the second anchor. Back on board we tried to get some sleep to no avail and we were both up a few hours later.
After scrutinising the weather again it was forecast for a further two nights of rough weather and so we decided to throw caution to the wind and move into the next bay in Puerto Colom and pay to pick up a mooring buoy. The pilot book had indicated that all mooring buoys were private and full, but when we entered the bay there were more mooring buoys empty than occupied.
Puerto Colom is a large natural harbour and has not been overdeveloped for tourism and has therefore managed to maintain its beauty.
After two nights in Puerto Colom we set off again up the coast to Porto Cristo, although the sea state was again quite rough we did manage to get a good sail. On arriving in the bay of Puerto Cristo we agreed on our anchorage spot and started preparations for anchoring, as Kevin circled the area to ensure we had the necessary depth, a small boat with a young Spanish couple backed into our desired anchorage position thus preventing us dropping our anchor and forcing us to move to a different spot. Unfortunately after dropping our anchor Miss Lilly swung towards the small Spanish boat and before Kevin had chance to fasten a stern line the young Spanish lad gave us some verbal, upped his anchor and moved to a shallower area. Must say don’t know why he hadn’t gone there in the first place, I think he thought if he went in our desired spot we would not anchor in the bay and he would have it all to himself.
Whilst in the Balearics we have noticed that anchoring overnight is not encouraged therefore making landing a dingy a little difficult as was the case in Puerto Cristo, and so we had to row the full length of the Marina and find a spot on the corner of the key between two old fishing boats and just hoped no official would confiscate the dingy, ( we didn’t attach the outboard as we would have lost that too if the dingy had been confiscated).
On our full first day in Puerto Cristo we caught the bus to Manacor in the hope that we could top up our internet SIM card, this for some reason nearly always turns out to be a major chore. Unlike England where having a pay as you go SIM is easy to top up either on line or in a shop it’s not the case in Spain. Here you have to wait until the time on the SIM card has expired before you can top up, then you have to find an Orange shop that has the necessary software on their computer to top you up, it also helps if you can communicate with them. Not all Orange shops have the necessary software and we have found that the younger the assistant the less likely they are to be very helpful especially if you don’t speak Spanish.
We arrived at the bus stop in good time and were the first in the queue but somehow ended up being one of the last on the bus, the locals seemed to manage to get on before us!. Once in Manacor we found a tourist information bureau that was actually open, most of them are usually shut when you need them, the attendant spoke very good English and directed us exactly to where the Orange shop was. At the Orange shop, even though the assistant didn’t speak English she understood what we wanted and quickly topped up our SIM card we couldn’t believe how easy it had all been.
Whilst in Manacor we had arranged to meet up Steve and Chris Wilshaw friends of ours who were staying in Alcudia in Mallorca on a cycling week in preparation for a charity cycle event from London to Paris in July.
In true fashion they arrived forty five minutes late and as Kevin had predicted in full lycra gear, with Steve wearing a replica yellow jersey as that worn by Bradley Wiggins. After an enjoyable lunch we set off to catch the bus back to Puerto Cristo, once again we were one of the first at the bus stop, then as the bus arrived it was as if every man and his dog appeared out of their hiding place, and descended on the bus stop and once again got to the front of the queue, and once again we were one of the last on the bus. Two poor English families who had been waiting for some time didn’t even make it onto the bus and had to wait for the next one which was in two hours
Whilst in Puerto Cristo we took the opportunity to visit the Caves of Drach, we had been told that they were well worth seeing, so we duly paid our €14 and headed to the entrance. When we got arrived we were two out of hundreds queuing to get in. Both Kevin and I agreed that the caves were very amazing but not €14 worth.
After three nights in Puerto Cristo we decided to move further north to Cala Guya, we took in the stern line and noticed it had become all green where it had been in the water and so we decided to fill our large bucket and put the rope in soapy water to soak whilst we sailed north. Once out of the bay we hoisted the sails and set course with the wind at a steady 12 knots and Kevin indicating joyously that we were “Flying”. The next minute the wind increased rapidly and everything went flying, the bucket of soapy water shot across the back of the deck and the stern line started disappearing out of the back of the boat. Kevin seems to have this knack of saying something and either the opposite happens or all hell sets in. With stern line retrieved and the gib reefed we set course for our next destination unfortunately the wind was on the nose which meant bumpy seas and tacking to get to where we wanted to be. After several hours we decided to go to plan B and head for a Cala nearer to where we were, and so decided that Cala Moll would offer the best protection from the wind. How wrong can you be, it may have offered protection from the wind, but the swell was another thing, we ended up having another night rolling from side to side.
The next morning we decided to head to Alcudia and anchor just outside the marina, as we headed out of the bay the swell started to get bigger and bigger and I swear the waves were three meters plus high, although Kevin disputed this. As we passed the anchorage we had originally planned to stay in the night before we were very glad that we went to plan B as the swell entering the Cala would have made getting out pretty difficult.
Once in the bay of Alcudia the sea swell started to calm down and when we arrived at our destination it was hard to believe that outside of the bay the waves were as big as they were. We found our spot and dropped anchor, Kevin did the usual check to ensure we were secure and not to near other boats if we swung on the anchor. All checks completed and Kevin satisfied that we were secure we settled down for a quiet afternoon, or so we thought. Shortly after arriving the wind started gusting and we noticed the catamaran next to us quickly pull up his anchor and move off, at the same time we also noted that we had got awfully close to a small sail boat moored to our stern. We then realised that our anchor was dragging and we needed to move fast, I tried to put my deck shoes on (I had bare feet not good when running about on deck) but was told in no uncertain terms I hadn’t got time for that and to get up front and lift the anchor, thus I duly did as I was told. With the anchor up it was clear to see why it had dragged it was full of weed.
Kevin decided that in order to get shelter from the predicted winds and be confident that our anchor wouldn’t drag that we would go into the marina for the three nights of predicted bad weather and pay for a berth, it seemed that all the other sail boats at anchor around the bay also had the same idea as each of them lifted their anchor and headed to the marina.
I have to say it was great to once again be in a marina with all its facilities, we had been at anchor for 24 days and the opportunity to have long hot showers without having to think of conserving water was sheer luxury. Also to have access to a laundry service so near to hand without having to traipse the streets looking for one was great, you don’t know how much you take things like this for granted until you don’t have them.
Once safely moored up we decided to wander into the town to have a look around, at one point the Wilshaw’s in their full vibrant lycra gear whizzed past us at full speed, they were going so fast (with Chris leading the way) we hadn’t got time to cheer them on.
Whilst in Alcudia we took the opportunity to take a walk along the coast before heading inland through the woods back into town.
On our third night in Alcudia we had agreed to meet the Wilshaw’s for dinner as it was their last night before heading off home. Unusual for me I was running late in getting ready, but as Chris and Steve are always fashionably late I wasn’t too worried, the next minute we had a text saying they were on their way and shortly after they were standing on the pontoon by the boat, another lesson in not taking things for granted.
We had a lovely evening with drinks sitting in the sun overlooking the bay and then sat under a heater with blankets at the restaurant.
Well the predicted strong winds for the three nights we were in the marina did not occur, wouldn’t you just know it, it seems that in the Balearics if the weather forecast says one thing that the opposite usually happens, and if it predicts winds of say 10 knots then you can add another 5 to that prediction. On one day we observed the wind coming from the east the waves from the north and the clouds coming from the west.
After our third night in the marina we decided to head round to the bay of Pollensa , and for once a much pleasanter sail was had. We are now anchored just outside Marina Bonaire, and although we are sheltered from the wind we are still experiencing some swell and so our rolling from side to side continues, at times when in bed I have to hang on to the side shelf to stop myself rolling across the bed.
We are not sure what amenities are on shore until we have done a rekey so I decided to have a go at making bread, although I have done this before at home I have never done it on the boat and as the oven doesn’t have temperature gauge I wasn’t sure how it would turn out but for a first attempt I think it went pretty well.
We plan to spend the next two weeks around this side of the island until my daughter and her family arrive on the 8th June, we just hope the weather improves by the time they get here, even the locals are getting fed up with it, the prediction for the next week is rain and more rain, I bet they forecasters don’t get that wrong.
We now connect to ships AIS database so for those who are interested you can see our present position on a Marine Tracking web site such as Marine Ttraffic.com, Shipfinder.com or Fleetmon.com
Search for "Miss Lilly" MMSI2350224444 and it should show our position.
Distance Travelled 2012: 2471Nm
Distance Travelled 2013: 467Nm
