Ibiza & Mallorca 1st Visit

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 6^th 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 11^th 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 8^th 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

Total Distance: 2938Nm

Our Present Position: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=39.864828,3.139318&hl=en&sll=39.862993,3.13812&sspn=0.013094,0.029268&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=16&t=m&z=16

Started sailing for 2013

We have actually re started our travels and have arrived at San Antonio in Ibiza. We were the fourth couple to leave Cartagena after having said farewell to John and Sally, Marcel and Helen and Charlie and Alison.

Helen & Marcel leaving Cartagena

Charlie & Alison leaving Cartagena

 We left Cartagena on Wednesday 10^th April and headed to Cabo de Palos where we anchored for the night, the weather was a repeat of the last time we had made our way there “no wind” and so we had to motor all the way. The following day we made our way into the Mar Menor which is an inland sea accessible by a small channel and requires timing to go under a lifting bridge which only opens every two hours out of season.

Mar Menor lift bridge

 

We stayed in the Mar Menor for two nights, however we changed our anchorage site to ensure we had maximum shelter form the winds, although on the first night the sea state picked up and it was like being on a bucking bronco for several hours until it calmed down again. The following day the weather conditions were favourable for a good sail to our next anchorage, we set off navigating ourselves through the deeper areas of water as it can get quite shallow in some parts of the Mar Menor. However this did not stop us from running aground, the chart clearly showed we should have had four meters below us, but obviously the sands had shifted and we went from four meters to nothing in a matter of seconds. Kevin used the wind to heel the boat over thus lifting the keel enabling us to sail away to our next anchorage for the night.

The next day we set off to make our way to Torrevieja where the boat was to be lifted out of the water on the 15^th  for anti-fouling and change of sea cocks (valves). Within 30 minutes of setting off we were in thick fog, thank God for radar and a Fog Horn, as we came across several Spanish sailing vessels that did not have radar and were totally unaware we were in the vicinity until Kevin sounded the Fog Horn. The fog lifted just as approached the channel to exit the Mar Menor plus our timing was spot on for going under the bridge as it lifted at 1200hrs.

Again the weather conditions were favourable and we were able to sail all the way to Torrevieja and anchor just inside the harbour.

We spent two nights at anchor and then took the boat round to the marina be taken out of the water at 0900hrs as instructed, however it was 12:30 before we were actually lifted onto the hard standing. As we were not able to stay on the boat while the work was undertaken we had booked ourselves into a hotel for the week. The hotel was very clean and in a great position for us to be able to check on the work on the boat on a daily basis and was within easy reach of the seaside café bars and restaurants.

Torrevieja itself is a big tourist town and was obviously favourable with the Brits as we came across several, it also has a large population who get about on “Madge Mobiles” (reference to the TV programme Benidorm). You can sit in a café and buy nearly anything as the street sellers come peddling their wares. Whilst there we came across a really good restaurant where we ate most nights as the food was freshly prepared, the service was excellent and the price was very reasonable, we became very friendly with the waiters.

 

The town also staged a Ruta del a Tapas whilst we were there, you can sample a special tapas and have a drink for two euros, it’s a great way to eat and cheap too, after you have sampled the various Tapas bars you can then vote for your favourite one. By participating we came across some really good tapas bars along the back streets which we would not have tried otherwise, I think it will certainly make us more adventurous in trying out different places in the future.

Unfortunately we ended up staying in Torrevieja longer than expected as the work on the boat was not completed until almost a week later than envisaged. The day the boat was lifted back into the water it rained all day, and as it was not due to be lifted until 1600hrs we had to find somewhere to shelter as we had had to check out of the hotel. The sea state was very rough and the waves were crashing over the sea wall.

I just hoped it would have calmed down sufficiently for us to make our way to Alicante the following day.

The boat was eventually lifted back into the water at 1700hrs, and although we were pleased with the work undertaken we were disappointed in that we had to make daily checks to ensure they were actually doing what we had been quoted for.

Once in the water we then made our way back to the harbour anchorage where we had stayed on our arrival. That night it rained all night and there was lightening all around us, I just hoped we would be ok as we were the only boat at anchor, and we had a great lightening conductor with our 17.5 meter mast.

The following day we set off for Alicante, the sun was shining, the wind was in the right direction and the sea state had calmed somewhat, the waves now only being 1.5 to 2 meters high, which meant we had a great sail all the way to Alicante. Whilst there we bumped into Anita and Cliff another couple who had wintered in Cartagena and so they joined us for drinks on our boat and we had a great time catching up on what everybody had been doing.

The next day after checking the weather forecast Kevin thought it would be best if we made our way to Marina Greenwich where we had arranged for the delivery of a part for the oven as I had somehow managed to blow it up just before leaving Cartegena. We started out in fairly good conditions but about two hours into the journey the wind picked up considerably reaching 33 knots apparent at times which did not make for pleasant sailing, and required us to pull out the full wet weather gear.

 

The boat felt as if it was being tossed about all over the place as the waves were coming at us from all different directions, as the wind direction was bang on the nose Kevin decided to take in the Genoa and reef the main sail and motor sail the remainder of the journey whilst I was hung on for grim death.

We arrived in Greenwich marina, so named as it sits directly on the Greenwich Meridian line, at about 1600hrs, the winds were still quite strong and so we tied up to the fuel pontoon in the hope that they would eventually die down so that we could take up ore allocated berth. Unfortunately this was not the case and so at about 1730hrs with the help of the Marianaros we moored the boat bow to in a very tight space. This meant in order to get off the boat we had to climb over the guard rail onto the anchor and jump back onto the pontoon, this is something that should not be attempted after one too many alcoholic drinks, or without shoes which Kevin demonstrated on our last day. Taking into consideration that Kevin is very health and safety conscious he was attempting to get off the boat without shoes slipped lost his footing and ended up hanging off the bow holding on to the push pit rails, I don’t think I will ever forget his facial expression which said oh s….t now what, however he managed to pull himself up and so did not end up with an earlier than expected dip in the water.

Although the marina was expensive the staff could not do enough for you, they even gave us a lift to the supermarket and were willing to wait for us whilst we did our shopping but we told them we would walk back. On the Sunday they arranged for a taxi to take us into Altea where we spent the day, we strolled along the front and took a walk up to the old town which has fantastic views across to Benidorm.

We left Greenwich Marina on the 30^th April and made our way across to San Antonio in Ibiza, a journey that would take approximately eleven to twelve hours. We woke up to no strong winds, a first for several days, and it seemed eerily quiet.  As there was no wind at first we had to motor for the first two hours, then the wind picked up and were able to hoist the sails, the wind was just off our starboard stern quarter, and with the waves at approximately two meters pushing from behind we had a cracking several ours sailing until about 1600hrs when the wind died and we had to motor again. We were also fortunate to have a large pod of dolphins swim alongside us for about 30 minutes which was very entertaining and a first since coming into the Med.

We arrived in San Antonio at just gone six pm and found a good anchorage position, Helen and Marcel were still there and after making radio contact we were invited onto Dakini for dinner which was great as the thought of cooking after a long journey was not at all appealing to say the least.

 

Distance Travelled 2013: 197 Nm

Total Distance Travelled: 2668 Nm

Present Location: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=38.979195,1.306086&hl=en&sll=38.977277,1.304283&sspn=0.006255,0.009484&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=17&t=m&z=17

 

Start of a New Year

We are now back in Cartagena having spent three months back home, most of which was spent decorating Kevin’s house top to bottom in preparation for the rental market. We also helped David, Kevin’s son find his first house and decorate that ready for him to move in, so if I don’t see another paintbrush as long as I live it will be a day too soon.

 

Although it was full on decorating both houses we did manage to get away for a week in the lakes with Kevin’s brother and his family for the New Year. We stayed in a converted barn which had views across to Blencathera, and although it rained a lot we did manage to get out and about.

We also managed to catch up with our friends and family which was great especially seeing the kids and the grandchildren.

It seems we left England at the right time as we have heard about all the bad weather conditions, especially the snow that has hit Britain. The weather here is quite changeable some days are fairly warm with other days being very windy and chilly, still it’s better than being back home.

When we left England on the 12^th March it was snowing and our plane was delayed whilst they de-iced the wings before take-off. After arriving in Alicante I suggested catching the bus from the airport to Torrevieja and then a connection from there to Cartagena instead of catching a bus to the train station and then trying to get a train to Cartagena. As usual I made the wrong choice, the journey from Alicante to Torrevieja was straight forward, however as we unloaded our bags from the bus our connection pulled out of the station, so we had a two hour and thirty minute wait for the next bus. The journey from Torrevieja was a nightmare it took us along all the backstreets from there to Cartagena so a journey that should have taken approximately forty five minutes took over two hours, so never again, I have learnt my lesson and will listen to Kevin next time.

We have been back here for just over  two weeks now and we are preparing the boat ready to sail up the coast to Torrevieja to have her lifted out of the water in order to do the antifouling. All our sailing friends are also back and making similar preparations before they head of to their various destinations. Jana and James have already set off in Scrabbler, they are heading south back to the Algarve, whereas the majority of us are either heading to the Balearics or the Greek islands.

It hasn’t taken us long to get back into the live-aboard way of life, the pace is easy going, the men are all using their respective skills to  help each other with various tasks for example repairing generators, electrical faults and helping Marcel up the mast in order for him to clean it.

The women are also hard at work doing the shopping and going to yoga.

Holy week started here on the 22^nd March, the Easter processions here are great spectacles of light and colour that wind their way around the streets of Cartagena over a ten day period. There are a total of eleven processions which are organised by one of the four brotherhoods here, two of which date back to the 17^th century.

The first procession commenced at 3am on the Friday morning of the 22^nd  and was started with three blasts of gunfire, followed by another procession at 7am again commencing with three blasts of gunfire, so not much sleep was had that night.

On the evening of the 22^nd there was another procession which we went to watch, all the participants wore long robes with pointed hoods which cover their faces, (I was told they covered their faces in shame at what they had done to Christ, not sure if this is accurate though), the music was quite sombre and a bit spooky, it resembled something like the Klu Klux clan. There were also huge statues being carried which required large numbers of men to carry them along the streets and into the church.

 

On Palm Sunday it was the turn of the children who were all dressed as Hebrew children and gave away sweets to the people watching, there was obviously something sinister about Kevin as I kept getting handfuls of sweets and Kevin didn’t get any. Accompanying the children marching there were several bands these were mixed with both adults and children many of which looked bored with the whole proceedings and were gaily walking along not in time to the music at all, it was quite comical to watch.

 

The only other procession we went to see was the one on Easter Sunday, although we were kept awake through the early hours of Good Friday, by the sound of cannon fire which marked the start of each of the four processions.

 

On Monday this week Kevin took receipt of his new gadget (a water maker, which turns sea water to drinking water) at 4pm by 4:30 he had more or less dismantled the inside of the boat as he wanted to see if it would fit into area of the hold he had earmarked. He then decided that as he had everything apart he may as well start to fit it, I left him to it and went for a walk into the town, when I arrived back he was still hard at, he eventually called it a day at 8:30 in order for me to make dinner.

Today he was up early to continue fitting the water maker it looks as if this may take a few days, the idea once installed is that we should be able to anchor for more days without having to go into a marina to fill up with water thus in the long run saving us some money but also enabling us to have drinking water at all times.

The social life since we have been back has also been good, there was an event called Rue de la Tapas, which involved over seventy Tapas bars in the town each one doing its own signature dish and glass of wine or beer for 2.50 euros, which was a good cheap night out. We then had a night out which we called our farewell night as it was the last night all the live aboard’s would be together before we each set off for the summer. Another night was spent with Marcel and Helen which involved copious amounts of wine, and I have also taken my turn at playing hostess when Marcel, Helen, Charlie and Alison joined us for a night together. The weekly barbeques are also still going but the day often has to be changed due to the weather.

Once we have carried out all necessary jobs we will just be waiting for the right weather opportunity to say our goodbyes to all the new friends we have made and head of to Torrevieja. We hope to bump into (not literally) several of them on our travels over the summer.   

As our time here in Cartagena draws to a close I have to say we have had a great time here, there is always something going on in the town and there is plenty to do, all in all it has been a great place to stay over the winter.

 

 

Distance travelled this year: 0 Natical Miles

Our Location: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=37.597912,-0.981045&hl=en&sll=37.591519,-0.995293&sspn=0.106776,0.172863&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=13&t=m&z=13

 

David's visit

We are now back in Cartagena after travelling up to Alicante to spend a week with Kevin’s son David. We left Cartagena on the 7^th of October and we intended to anchor where possible on our way up the coast, our first anchorage was Cabo de Palos, approximately 20 Miles up the coast from Cartagena.  At first there was very little wind but as we had plenty of time to get there we decided to try and sail all the way, in all it took six hours to sail the 22 miles, the wind was not in the ideal direction which meant we had to tack several times. As we rounded Cabo de Palos the wind picked up along with the swell as per usual, we just hoped that the anchorage enabled us to tuck in behind the cliffs enough to get sufficient shelter from the swell.

As we entered the bay there were several fishing nets that we had to manoeuvre around before we could find our ideal spot and drop the anchor, we were well sheltered from the wind and swell. The anchorage itself is North East of Cabo de Palos and is at the south end of the Mar Menor which is an inland sea some 12 miles long and 6 miles wide and is separated from the Mediterranean by a narrow band of sand. The whole length of the strip of sand has been heavily developed, and La Manga is its most well-known holiday resort. However at night it looks as if most of the buildings are empty as there were no lights on at all in many of the buildings.

The anchorage was lovely and peaceful and so we decided to stay there for two nights, the following day we got up and rowed ashore and took a stroll up the light house which is huge and looks as if the square building at its base is lived in, the views from which must be fantastic.

After our two nights at Cabo de Palos we moved on to Pedro del Pinatar which is at the top end of the Mar Menor, there is a marina there but we decided to anchor in the bay just on its  north side. It had been a very hot day and the first thing we did once anchored was to dive into the sea to cool down. There were a couple of other boats also anchored in the bay but they didn’t stay the night and it was quite obvious when they passed us that their occupants had been swimming and sunbathing starker’s.

As we sat and ate our tea on deck we pontificated on how peaceful it was, that was until we went to bed, when the night shift started for a fork truck driver, all night you could hear the reversing beep of a fork lift truck and so not much sleep was gained that night. The following day as the wind was not supposed to pick up until the afternoon we decided to make our way further north after lunch as we only had about 9 miles to go to our next anchorage at Torrevieja. However as we approached Torrevieja it looked like a concrete jungle, all you could see was miles and miles of buildings and so we decided to give it a miss and continue further north until we found a place we liked the look of.

Unfortunately due to the increasing swell and nowhere along this stretch of coastline to tuck ourselves in we moved onto Puerto De Santa Pola, it was now getting late and we hoped that the marina office was open and that there would be someone there to help us moor up as there was no reception birth as at other marinas.

As luck had it we were fine and by 8pm we were moored up, we had a quick tea and then set off to have a look round. The place was much bigger that we had anticipated, the marina looked new and well maintained and the staff were very friendly. We found a bar near the marina and treated ourselves to a glass of wine each which cots us just 3 euros, back in England you wouldn’t get one glass for that price let alone two.

Whilst there we took the bikes and first cycled to see the salt mountains, which were not much to look at. We then went in search of the flamingos but they had obviously migrated for the winter, we cycled up to the headland. We took a track of the main road that seemed to go on for miles, eventually we came across a tarmacked track which looked to be going in the right direction. When we arrived at the headland the views were spectacular and we could see our final destination Alicante just further up the coast, and Benidorm further in the distance.

Later that evening the clouds closed in and we had the predicted thunderstorm along with the rain, we were just glad we were in the marina and not at anchor.

We liked Santa Pola so much we stayed there for 4 nights before making our way to Alicante. When we arrived the marina looked very busy, and the reception pontoon looked full, however the marianair shouted over to us and indicated where he wanted us to moor up on the reception pontoon. To say it was in a tight space was saying something, plus the wind was not in our favour and I must admit I thought we wouldn’t be able to get into such a tight spot, plus we had an audience, however hats off to Kevin he made it look like a piece of cake and the marianair congratulated him on a job well done.  

We had previously emailed the marina to check on availability of moorings, they had replied back that there should not be a problem, however on the day we arrived it was the start of the Spanish holiday week and there were very little spaces. They did however find us a mooring which by their accounts was not in an ideal place and would try and move us the following day if a berth became vacant. Our Mooring was against a concrete pontoon and was high enough for us to step of the boat easily for a change. It was also directly opposite a huge replica galleon, which looked as if it could be a night club it was certainly some sort of bar come restaurant, and was frequently being photographed with people posing in front of it and I mean posing, the Spanish seem to have it off to a fine art form.

On the Monday of David’s arrival it was all hands on deck to get the back cabin ready, bikes set up, washing and cleaning done plus the shopping. At 7:30pm we set off to catch the bus to the airport to meet David, to say the driver drove like a bat out of hell would be an understatement, however we did arrive in plenty of time.

On David’s first day with us we went up to the castle, again the views were spectacular and it was David’s job to take on the role of David Bailey and take lots of pictures which he did with great aplomb. While he was with us in Alicante David took every opportunity to keep fit.

On the Wednesday we sailed across to Isla De Tabarca, which was once an old pirate base, when they were finally driven out a small fortified village was built to prevent further occupation. The inhabitants of the island have for generations lived a very frugal and isolated existence. There is also a large area around the island that is a reserve where fishing and anchoring are forbidden, however there are a couple of small reas where anchorage is allowed.

As we aren’t allowed to use our barbeque in the marina at Alicante, we had bought some fish the day before to barbeque whilst at anchor just off the island which was scrumptious.

After lunch we took the dingy ashore and walked around the island, and once again David took on the role of David Bailey taking lots of pictures for our album.

Back at the boat it was time to have a swim, with both Kevin and David jumping off the back of the boat; however this wasn’t fun enough for either of them and so Kevin set to in attaching “The Plank” in such a way that they could use it as a diving platform. The funny thing was at first Kevin got “Plank Fright” and it took him ages before he plucked up the courage to finally dive off.

David using our "Plank" diving board

Unfortunately after David’s third day with us the weather changed and it started to rain on and off. On one of the rainy days we went to the Volvo yacht race museum, which I have to say was great and real good value for money, we actually spent two hours in there. It was then off to see a real tall ship replica which had actually travelled quite a few thousand miles, unlike the replica positioned opposite us at the marina.

Alas David’s time with us was soon over and on 22^nd October we waved him goodbye before we ourselves made our way back to Cartagena. As we set off the wind was in the right direction for a change and at a speed that ensured we could get between 6.5 to 7 knots, and so would make Cabo de Palos by 4:30pm. However the wind died just after lunch and changed direction and so we had to motor the remainder of the trip, eventually arriving at 6pm, unfortunately this time it was too cold to go swimming off the back of the boat.

The following day it was up at daybreak and off to Cartagena where we will now stay until we fly back to the UK on the 29^th November. Since arriving back here we have met several other people who are staying in Cartagena for the winter and apparently there is a weekly barbecue on a Sunday which we are looking forward to attending.

Unfortunately Kevin has not been feeling well it appears he has been bitten by something which has become infected and so he had to take a trip to the hospital to try and get some antibiotics. He was very pleased with the treatment he received and once he had found which part of the hospital he needed to be he was seen promptly and efficiently, he had nothing but praise for staff and service. Glad to say he is now back to his normal self, with his teasing and sarcky comments.

Our present position: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=37.5973,-0.982676&hl=en&sll=37.594852,-0.985165&sspn=0.038424,0.089951&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=14&t=m&z=14

Total distance travelled to date: 2471 nautical miles

 

 

 

Costa Blanca

We have now arrived in Cartagena on the Costa Brava (The White Coast), so called because of its white cliffs, and have decided that this is where we will stay for the winter.

Our last week on the Costa del Sol was spent in Aguadulce with Kevin’s daughter Rachel, husband Mike and the two granddaughters Summer and Taylor. They arrived on the 15^th September and we met them at the airport which meant an early start for us, which of late we are not used to. After their plane arrived it seemed ages before they appeared through the arrivals gate with both girls rushing to greet Kevin.

 

During their stay with us we took them out sailing on three occasions, with both girls having a go at the helm, whilst summer seemed to enjoy it Taylor was not so impressed and soon gave up.

On our first outing we anchored of a bay so that they could jump in the sea off the back of the boat, it didn’t appear to bother either Summer or Taylor that their feet could not touch the bottom.

Unfortunately on the other two occasions we took them out it was to choppy for them to jump off the back of the boat so we took them out to see if we could see any flying fish or dolphins, we did manage to see some flying fish and a turtle but both girls were asleep and so missed them both.

The other days were spent on the beach; making sandcastles or in Taylors case knocking them down, again both Summer and Taylor enjoyed playing in the sea either  on the surf board or jumping the waves.

Again it didn’t seem to faze either of them when a wave knocked them over and they went under the water they just came up laughing each time.

During their stay,  each morning we were woken up with two smiley faces appearing around our cabin door insisting it was time to get up, however on the day they were to go home it was us insisting they got up, much to their dismay. When the taxi arrived to take them to the airport Taylor flatly refused to get in and was eventually picked up by Rachel screaming and kicking and plonked in the back of the taxi.

peace & quite

It was so quiet after they had gone it seemed really strange, but we couldn’t dwell on this too much as we had jobs to get sorted before moving on the following day to our first port of call on the Costa Blanca.

We left Aguadulce on the 23 September and headed for a place called San Jose, the pilot book described it as an attractive small harbour, with an attractive village nearby with walks into the country side. What it didn’t indicate was that once you were in the harbour you would not get out without difficulty if there was any wind.  As there was quite a lot of wind on the 24^th we were stuck there for at least another day, and wished that we had anchored in the next bay.

The harbour fees were also one of the most costly considering the few facilities offered and Kevin nicknamed the place Costa Lot, and so would advise anybody going there to anchor in the next bay.

Form San Jose we headed to Aguilas, again the pilot book was misleading on its information in relation to anchoring in the marina as it was full of private mooring buoys, leaving very little room to anchor, especially as the wind and swell were quite high there was nowhere that provided any shelter. We made the decision to try anchoring in the next bay, by now the swell was high and the boat was being tossed about quite a bit so I was grateful when we entered the next bay, however our challenge wasn’t over as we had to maneuverer between fishing nets and lobster pots to actually get into the area where we could anchor with sufficient shelter from the wind and the swell.

When we first arrived in Aguilas or first impression was that it wasn’t up to much, but after going ashore the following day we were both pleasantly surprised on how nice it really is, just goes to show you should not base your opinion on first impressions.

As the weather forecast was predicting high winds with a great deal of rain on the Friday we decided to only stay in Aguilas for two nights before heading off to find safety in a marina. We initially intended to head for Mazzaron but as we made good time we headed straight to Cartagena which is a big commercial harbour and yacht marina offering good shelter no matter what the wind direction.

At the time of arriving at the marina there was no wind, however this all changed when we started to make our way to our mooring, typical, and as the bow of our boat is light it is easily blown off, we had to have a couple of attempts as we had to park it between two other boats, and there was very little room manoeuvre.

Once we arrived we were informed that it was festival week where the people of Cartagena were celebrating the Carthagineses versus the Roman invasion, when we headed into town we observed lots of men, women and children dressed up either as Carthagineans or Romans, and were also well placed at the restaurant we were eating in to observe the march through the main street depicting Hannibal’s march to Rome.

One regiment of the many marching Romans

Whilst sitting at the restaurant it started to rain and so we decided to head back to the boat before it got to heavy, it rained all through the night and the winds were quite strong so neither of us got much sleep. The following day as predicted the rain got heavier, we did attempt to go out at one point and got absolutely soaked. By lunch time it seemed to ease but that was just the lull before the storm, then the real downpour arrived along with the thunder and lightning and so we were confined to the boat for the rest of the day. We did at one point try to watch a DVD but noise of the rain on the boat made it impossible to hear anything.

The festivities were apparently to run to the Sunday and so we took a stroll to the festive camp on the final day, but there was not much to see there other than numerous make shift bars, we suspected that by the end of the night there would not be many sober people within the camp.

At 1800hrs there was to be the re-enactment of the great battle, and as we sat at a bar by the harbour we watched the Roman army land and march towards the battle ground, we did not go to watch. We did however watch the victory march of the Romans later that night, the atmosphere was fantastic, with everyone dressed up in the uniform of the different Roman regiments, and the sound of the bands marching behind each one.

Cartagena is a lovely city with a lot of history and well preserved old buildings, however some are just a façade as there is nothing behind the front wall, buts it’s still all very picturesque and vibrant and one of the reasons we have decided to moor our boat here for the winter.

Whilst here we took a train into Murcia, again a lovely old town with a lot of history, Kevin scored several brownie points as he accompanied me into the various shops without moaning or walking off once.

In a few days’ time however we will be moving north to Alicante to meet up with Kevin’s son David who is coming out to join us for a week before we make our final preparations to winterise the boat.

 

Distance travelled to date: 2286 Nm = 2630.6 Statute miles

 

Our present position:  https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=37.597436,-0.981002&hl=en&sll=37.593203,-0.981667&sspn=0.0135,0.033023&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=16&t=m&z=16

Costa del Sol

We are almost at the end of our trip along the Costa del Sol; we left Gibraltar on the 3^rd September the skies were clear blue and very little cloud; however it was a bit windy with gusts up to approximately 25 knots. As soon as we were out of the marina and in Gibraltar bay we put the sails up, keeping a reef in the sails, the wind seemed to be coming in all directions and at one point we were on a starboard tack and another sail yacht sailing parallel to us was on a port tack. As we rounded Europa point wouldn’t you know it the wind was now on the nose which meant tacking most of the way to our destination, not only that we had an westerly current when it’s usually a easterly one, this meant we were actually going backwards, so down came the sails and on went the motor.

Europa Point Gibraltar

Another challenge was the number of tankers at anchor that we needed to navigate around and keep a watchful eye on in case any off them decided to make way, there must have been over thirty.

Coupled with that we had to take action to avoid the numerous drift nets that had been set along our course, especially as they were difficult to see, the only clue was that there was usually a fishing boat at the start of the net, but this was not always the case. Each time we had to alter course we had to go quite a way to get around them, the whole journey from Gibraltar to Puerto de la Duqueasa which is just under twenty miles took six hours and forty minutes, we usually travel that distance in about three and a half to four hours, so it could be said that the whole trip was both challenging and frustrating.

The pilot book, which provides information on the various marinas in to aid us in making our decision on which marinas to go to did not give Puerto de la Duqueasa a very good write up but we thought the place was lovely.

The following day we were going to head off to Marina de Bajadilla, which is just east of Marbella, but when we arrived Marbella seems to merge both marinas so we decided to give it a miss and head of to the next marina along the coast which was Puerto Cabo Pino. The guide book stated the entrance was shallow but that a boat with a draft of two metres should make it through the entrance okay. When we radioed ahead to check we were informed that the entrance was only one point five meter and so it was on to the next marina at Puerto de Fuengirola. The marina looked as if it was in need of a lot of love and attention, there was no assistance provided with mooring and so this was our first attempt at mooring stern to on our own and I have to say we did a pretty good job, however we were packed very tightly between two other boats.

We decided to stay here for two nights as we had time to spare, and so I got to go shopping, have to say Kevin was very patient, while I browsed around usually he walks off. After a while I got to purchase two dresses which met with Kevin’s approval, so all in all a good days outing. Shopping done it was back to the boat and chores; I did the washing and cleaning whilst Kevin mended the Head (toilet) pipe and fitted non slip surface our plank so that it was no longer slippy.

High Tech boarding plank!

Our next stop was  Puerto Caleta de Valez, when we arrived the reception pontoon was festooned with seagulls and the whole pontoon was covered in guano. Whilst waiting to be allocated a birth the most dreadful noise of birds of prey could be heard all around the marina, apparently it’s supposed to frighten the seagulls away but it didn’t have much effect because all they did was look up at the loud speakers and took no notice.

Although the marina staff were lovely we decided to only stay one night in this very run down marina, the following day we got up fairly early had breakfast and then started to prepare the boat for casting of. When I popped my head outside the cockpit wouldn’t you know it the whole of the starboard side was covered in seagull poo and so Kevin had to give the boat a good wash before we could set sail.

Our next port of call was Marina del Este, a privately run marina which was absolutely beautiful, our mooring although tight between two other boats was right in front of two Restaurants.

Steps from the boat to the restaurants

At night the marina was lit up and it had a very romantic feel to it. Whilst there we met another couple making their way to the Med, Dave and Julie, they left England only a few days after us but apparently had awful weather for most of the way down France and across North Spain, so I think we obviously chose the right time to leave. Surprisingly when they arrived in La Rochelle they moored next to Joe and Yvonne, the Irish couple we met in La Rochelle.

We stayed in Marina del Este for three nights and spent one of the nights with Dave and Julie, the evening started at 19:00.  Dave and Julie weren’t able to gain access to their boat as they had been using the chap’s next doors dingy to get on their boat, and he had taken his boat out for the day, and so Kevin invited them on board for a drink. By 2200 we still hadn’t eaten so it was off the boat to one of the restaurants for a Pizza. At one point one of the waiters came to inform us that the restaurant was closing but we could stay at the table as long as we wanted, it was one o’clock before we went to bed, one of the latest nights we have had.

After Marina del Este we set of for Almerimar, where we had arranged for Kevin’s daughter Rachel and family to join us. The pilot book gives the place a good write up, and we were contemplating staying here for winter. However when we arrived the whole marina felt dead, most shops  were shut or empty and there didn’t seem to be much of a live-a-board community as described in the pilot book. When we looked at the beaches they didn’t look very nice and we felt were unsuitable for very small children, so we decided to stay for just three nights and move on to the next marina at Puerto Aguadulce to see if that was any better.

Dave and Julie had also headed down to Almirimar and on the night before we left we were invited on to their boat for drinks, this time it was a more respectable 23:30 when we left for bed.

We are now in Puerto Aguadulce, which we feel is better suited for two small children, yesterday we took the local bus into Almeria so that we could suss out the best way of getting Rachel Mike and the kids back to the marina.

When we arrived at the bus station in Almeria we asked at the information counter where we would need to catch the bus for the airport, we were informed we needed to catch a number 20 bus in Central Square and was pointed in the direction we needed to go. Well we couldn’t find where to catch the bus so decided to locate the tourist information office, that in itself was a feat and a half, the sign posts were sending us in all directions so in the end we asked at a hotel. It was a good job we did or we would never have found it, it took us nearly an hour to locate the tourist information office where they provided us with a map and indicated where we would be able to catch the bus to the airport. When we found the bus stop it was only a few hundred yards from the bus station so we had clearly been sent in totally the wrong direction.

After locating the bus stop we headed off for lunch and ended up at an American restaurant that served huge burgers, we settled for the medium sized one but even that was filling. After lunch Kevin agreed to look round the shops, I thought this was very amenable off him until I realised they were nearly all shut. So it was back to the marina where we spent the remainder of the day on the beach.

Today has been spent getting the boat ready for Rachel’s arrival tomorrow, it will be the first time on this trip that we have had more than one person staying with us for a week. This has meant both of us condensing our wardrobe down even further and looking for further places to stow various items.

This evening we plan to spend quietly on the boat in anticipation of early mornings, excited children and potential chaos, but were looking forward to it.

 

Distance travelled to date: 2129 nautical miles

Our present location: https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?saddr=36.815263,-2.560759&hl=en&sll=36.813099,-2.555823&sspn=0.026043,0.062742&mra=mift&mrsp=0&sz=15&t=m&z=15