The End of the Ballearics

There are a whole bunch of things we are finding out about cruising the Med which is different to the Caribbean.   One of them is the gas situation.  Before we left Palma we tried to get our propane bottles filled and found out that it is impossible in Spain to refill propane tanks.  Here they use exchangeable bottles of butane i.e. you take your old one in and exchange it for a new one.  That system is fine if you live in the country but for us is no good and of course the bottles in Spain are different from the ones on France or other European countries.  So presently we are down to the dregs of our second bottle and hope it will last until we get to Corsica where we believe we can get the propane tanks filled.  If not it will be cold drinks and sandwiches and looking at a conversion of some sort.

Its a hard life for the kids

Secondly the extent of the mooring rates are beginning to make themselves felt.  We pulled into one place and were quoted 260 Euros for one nights stay!  And that was tied up stern to at a quayside and not in some swanky marina.  Admittedly it was a local public holiday but that is before the high season has kicked in which starts tomorrow.  Researching forward we have seen that some of the popular places in Italy are charging ridiculous amounts for berthing which would add up to hundreds of dollars a night for Dulcinea and in some places anchoring is forbidden so you are caught no matter which way you go.  Luckily we are kitted out to stay out of marinas as much as we like but Europe is a lot about seeing the onshore side of things so if you are leaving the boat for any period of time you need to be in a marina.  In addition some of the coasts are pretty exposed and if the weather kicks up we may need to seek refuge.  We will just have to see how things go and plan well ahead.

Since Palma we have moved along the North coast of Mallorca, crossed to Menorca and then along its north coast to Mahon where we have been for a couple of days now.  The islands have been fantastic.  The coastlines are full of lovely deserted bays in amazing settings and with the occasional towns and sights which you can anchor off and visit.  The Mallorcan coastline was very rugged and we saw from the water a lot of the same terrain we had travelled through when we hired the car.  We are finally getting used to swimming in the water.  The weather has been great and the lack of wind when we are moving between anchorages is more than compensated for by the incredible still evenings we get.

Dulcinea off Torrente de Pareis 

Our last port of call in Mallorca was place called Alcudia.  Scott and Calley made a dash overland back to Palma to pick up a replacement hatch which had  arrived just after we left.  We also stayed overnight so we could watch the Australia vs Spain game in the world cup.

Everyone is still smiling

Menorca is similar to Mallorca in many ways but the terrain is less rugged.  We crossed to a place called Ciutadella on the North West corner and anchored off the entrance to the harbour.  In the town we discovered that it was the middle of an annual holiday called the festival of St Joan.  There were crowds of people thronging the place and the main activity was horse races in the town in the evenings.  As we walked around the horses and riders were walking the streets on display for the public, and people were lining the streets to see them and touch them.  The horses were all simply decorated and the riders wore formal black suits with black hats and each carried some sort of palm frond.  The town itself was a typical old city built around a picturesque and very narrow harbour.  The streets were narrow and dusty which all added to the spectacle.  We had arrived on the last day of the celebrations but unfortunately we could not stay to watch the racing in the evening as the weather forecast was for westerly winds which would have meant we were totally exposed in the anchorage.

Ciutadella Horseman

We moved to a beautiful place called Fornells halfway along the north coast to seek refuge and found it so nice that we stayed for a couple of days.  It was a very attractive small town set on a totally enclosed bay.  There was a small harbour lined with restaurants, cafes and shops and then the rest of the town comprising of white houses.  Very peaceful and relaxing.  

The anchorage at Fornells

Traditional Menorcan boat

Our last destination on the Ballearics was Mahon the capital of Menorca and famous some say for the invention of Mayonnaise.  Mahon is based at the head of a natural harbour and as such has been an important strategic location in the Mediterranean over the years.  For a long time in the 1800’s it was under British control.  The harbour has a narrow entrance guarded by an impressive fortification which then opens up into larger body of water with small bays off each side and a couple of islands in the middle.  The main channel slowly narrows to the head where the commercial docks are.  The town of Mahon is on one side of the harbour and sits on a plateau about 70m above the water.  

We managed to get a great spot to moor Dulcinea.  We are tied up alongside a moored pontoon on the west side of one of the islands (Isla del Rey) facing the town.  There are only two other boats here so its nice and quiet.

The Waterfront at Mahon

The quayside runs along the base of the town and has the usual eating places, shops and houses along a narrow strip following the waters edge but the main town is above.  From the water you cannot see too much of the town but once ashore and having climbed up the steps you are immersed in another delightful old Spanish town.  No matter how many of these places we visit we are always captivated by the old buildings, the narrow streets, the placas and the general feel of the town and it is enjoyable just to wander around, soak up the atmosphere and taste the local food and drink.

Siesta time in the streets of Mahon

The weather tomorrow is looking good for the 230NM crossing to Corsica so we will leave in the morning and hope to be anchored off Ajaccio before midnight on Wednesday.  We have all really enjoyed Spain and the Balearics and will be sorry to say goodbye.  Its a marvellous, diverse country with beautiful friendly people and certainly worth visiting many times.  After a quick survey of the ship's company the highlights of Spain (in no particular order) have been tapas, Zara, the Roman ruins, friendly people, cheap wine, paella, calm secluded anchorages, interesting hill towns, different flavoured ice cream, sangria and ensaimadas.

Leaving Palma

Just a quick update as we are leaving Palma today.  Plan to head around the north side of the island stopping at a few bays and then head over to Menorca which is about 30miles from the east coast of Mallorca.

Palma has been great but pretty expensive for us what with the things we have had to get done to the boat so we are looking forward to getting back to some anchoring.  We spent another day inland and saw some of the other side of the island which is very flat.  The most impressive sight was an amazing cave system on the coast called Cuevas del Drach.  Its a huge system full of impressive formations with stalagmites and stalactites everywhere and then at the bottom of the cave is a huge lake.  At the lake they put on a show with boats on the water and classical music playing which is pretty awesome.  All in all we are really enjoying the Balearic Isles.

We have all been following the world cup here the last few days and managed to watch a few of the games at a street cafe across the road from the marina.  Saw Spain loose to Holland which did not go down well here and also saw the Australians almost beat Holland.  Kids love being able to see the soccer.  Hopefully we will make it somewhere with a TV for the finals.

Just have to pay a final, painful visit to the refuelling berth and then we are away.

Mallorca by Angry Panda

Have been in Port de Mallorca Marina for the past week and will be here for another few days primarily to await a couple of spare parts which are being couriered in.  Apart from the shockwaves being felt from the dreadful World Cup opener for Spain things are normal.

Skipper in training

We sailed into Palma harbour on Monday and berthed stern too - as usual here.  Luckily there was absolutely no wind and so things went smoothly.  The City of Palma lies at the northern end of a very large bay on the southern side of Mallorca.  The harbour area stretches around the bay for close to two miles and the entire length is taken up with yacht moorings and marinas on one side and a broad walk and bike path on the land side.  The city comes right down to the waterfront so almost all the berths are essentially downtown.   There are all types of boats here from small dinghies moored directly to the quayside lining the harbour to the mega yachts floating along the marina pontoons and owned by the rich and famous.  Then there is a lot of boats in-between and quite a few similar to us.  Palma’s location, climate and development have made this the premier yachting centre in the Med.

Palma itself is a really nice place.  Nic and Scott were here almost three years ago when they were looking at a couple of potential boats prior to buying Dulcinea but that was a lightening quick trip with no real time for sightseeing.  This time they have time and have looked around a bit more.  The city is dominated by a huge gothic cathedral at one end and a charming old town spreads out from there.  There are beautiful old pedestrian shopping streets, plenty of cafes and restaurants and enough old buildings and history to make it interesting when strolling around. 

We had two main reasons for coming to Palma - one to meet with Sue Grant, the lady from Berthon, the yacht brokers, who are selling Dulcines and two to install a new set of house batteries.  Needless to say as soon as you look at coming into a marina there are other jobs which can be done also and so the To Do list just expands.  Luckily in Palma it seems that components and bits and pieces are readily available.  

The big job for us was the batteries.  Scott had ordered the batteries in St Maarten in March and they were ready upon our arrival in Palma.  It was while talking with the dealer to organise delivery that it suddenly became apparent how heavy these batteries were.  There are 12 of them and they each weight 80kg so a total of nearly one ton of batteries - or the weight of a small car as Dave would say.   Handling onboard was not such an issue as they can be lifted using the winches but they had to be manhandled across a gap of about five feet between the quayside and the stern of the vessel.  Also there were 12 old batteries to come off - so another ton to move.  In addition the batteries are located under the saloon sole (floor) so that had to be completely pulled apart first.

This is what one ton of batteries looks like

In the end Scott managed to persuade (with the help of some beer) one of the marina guys to help lift the batteries across the passerelle onto the boat.  Then what should have been the easy part turned out to be more difficult as our powered winches were reduced to manual because their power comes from the batteries we were changing out.  In the end it was a real family affair with Sam doing all the grunt work on the winch, Nic guiding the batteries on deck, Scott installing and removing the batteries below and Calley being the gofer.  It was a very long and very exhausting day but eventually we got it finished, the power back on and the boat looking good for the visit of the broker.

Scott and Sam replacing batteries

Apart from the boat we have managed some time to look around Palma and Mallorca and, as with Ibiza, there are some surprises in store.  The cathedral in Palma is just awesome.  Its very difficult to describe the impact of the building.  We have seen a few of these now in the last month but each time you see one it just leaves you speechless.  Then you go inside and its equally awesome.  We hope the kids are getting some small amount of appreciation of the history and architecture.

Street Performer in Palma

We hired a car for a few days and today drove around the Serra de Tramuntana, the mountainous western side of the island.  The car we ended up with was a Fiat Panda which Nic had to constantly over rev to get it up the hills and so the kids christened it the Angry Panda.  

The Angry Panda

The Tramuntana region is stunning with high mountains between 3000ft and 4000ft high plunging towards the coast.  The mountain roads weave around the wooded slopes and provide a new breathtaking view around every bend.   Every so often along the route a town of terra cotta coloured houses with clay roof tiles materialise in a valley or clinging to the mountainside.  Splashes of colour from the local flowering bushes like bouganvillia stand out among the buildings.  At other places the road cuts down to the coast to a picturesque port or beach.  The road is a motorcyclists dream and provides fantastic cycling for those who are fit enough.  The air is clear and fresh and smells of flowers and pine trees.  We had a fantastic day out enjoying the views, the local food and the cooling Mediterannean in the heat of the day.

Valldemossa in the Tramuntana

Nic and Kids Enjoying the Views

We hope to do some more looking around in the next few days before we leave.

Surprising Ibiza

We have had a fantastic last few days.  We made the crossing to Ibiza (pronounced Ibetha) as scheduled on the 1st June and ended up on the north western side of the island late in the afternoon after a terrific sail across from the mainland - nothing broken either which was a bonus.  At one point we had a pod of about six dolphins leaping around the boat and surfing the bow wave.  They stayed with us for about an hour and mesmerised Nic.

So I guess everyone has heard of Ibiza and its reputation as a mass tourist party island for the young.  We had also heard the stories but figured its never to late to enjoy a foam party, a Red Bull and voddy and some E when things start to slow down….. no actually we had also heard it was really nice once you get away from the main party towns and popular beaches and as we found out that was about right.  We only stayed a few nights but seem to have got a good all round intro to the island by anchoring off in some secluded spots and visiting one of the towns.

We arrived in a small bay (known as callas in Spanish) called Calla Bassa just west of a major town called San Antonio.  Calla Bassa is short inlet surrounded by rugged, steep but low cliffs on three sides with a small beach at the head.  There are cliffs along most of the shoreline on this side of the island.  The cliff faces have amazing patterns and features from the weathering and erosion that has occurred over god knows how many years.  In this calla there are a few caves which you can get a boat (dingy) into and innumerable massive fissures which create huge boulders at the base or deeps scars along the rock face. The cliffs are all different shades of yellow, orange and brown which continuously change as the sun moves across the sky.   Behind the cliffs the land rises steeply and is green from a thick covering of pine trees - the short Mediterranean kind not the tall Norwegian kind - or yellow scrub.  .  The island as a whole is very green from the preponderance of the trees.  The water everywhere is crystal clear and a beautiful blue colour.  In the calm of the bays the water blue changes shade depending on the seabed. 

The rocks at Calla Bassa

There were already a few boats anchored at Calla Bassa , about a dozen, and we picked a spot out of the fray near the southern rocks.  It was a beautiful location.  There was a bit of traffic going back and forth to the beach which looked quite busy and some tourist boats from nearby San Antonio visiting the caves but apart from that it was idyllic.  We were completely protected from any weather and in the evening the water just glassed off and stayed calm for the next couple of days.  We stayed here for two days doing school, visiting the caves and the beach.  

The anchorage at Calla Bassa

The beach was interesting - absolutely mobbed with tourists and completely taken up by a beach club just behind and fringing the entire beach consisting of a couple of open bars and restaurants.  It looked like your typical European beach - umbrellas and towels everywhere, people sitting or standing very close together and of every conceivable colour from ghost white to mediterranean brown to lobster red and, of course, many of the females topless.  There was chillaxing music from the beach club playing over the entire beach and jet skis buzzed in and out intermittently at one end.  It just seemed a bit to busy and organised for us.  We had lunch and then retired to the boat for a swim.

The beach

This was the first swim in the Mediterranean.  None of us had dared venture in yet but we saw lots of other people swimming.  In fact, no one had been swimming since the Caribbean and compared to that the Med felt a bit cold.  Sam was in first and the water was certainly a lot colder than the Caribbean but once you had got over the first shock that hits you and your body instinctively directs all blood flow away from your outer layers it becomes bearable, even enjoyable.  The plus is that it should only be getting warmer for us from now on.

The next day a swell had crept into the calla and so we moved to the protected bay in San Antonio and anchored off the town.  This is only two or three miles from Calla Bassa but seemed a world away.  We were opposite the town centre and the marina and surrounded by hotels and apartment buildings built just in from the beaches of the bay.  Its not that its particularly ugly its just very built up and is geared to just one thing - mass tourism.  Ashore its definitely a tourist town.  The quayside is lined with local boats doing day trips to the beach clubs in nearby callas, there are bars, cafes and restaurants lining the waterfront and adverts for various parties happening on the island.  There is no real “old town’ anywhere.  We stayed long enough to have a wander around and get dinner away from the main drag.  As we were leaving you could tell that the party atmosphere was starting to get into gear. 

We left San Antonio the next day and spent the next couple of days anchored in remote callas off the north of the island.  The coastline here is remote and spectacular - high sheer cliffs with the same amazing fractured patterns and colour schemes, high hillside behind covered with trees and a blue blue sea all around. Those were just superb anchorages, with no other boats around and perfect weather.  Many of the callas, especially the ones with beaches have been developed to a more or lesser extent but there are still plenty of spots to anchor away from the maddening crowds and the views are very rewarding.

One of the more secluded anchorages

Stunning rock formations......

......everywhere

We would have liked to get off the boat and tour the interior of the island but unfortunately we had to be in Palma for the 9th and we have decided to do a road trip around Mallorca instead.  Ibiza has been a real joy to visit and a bit of an eye opener as far as the scenery.  Am sure the towns and resorts are pretty average but its more than compensated by the spectacular coastal scenery.

The secret as to the reason we never catch any fish could be in this picture

We left the island on the 8th June bound for Mallorca only 60 miles away.  Little wind but we did manage a few hours of sailing.  Still haven’t got a handle on the weather patterns here yet.  Seems that there is either too little wind or its from the wrong direction.  When it comes in strong its a full blown Levanter or Mistral which you don’t want to be caught out in.  The forecasts are fine but the coastal effects alter these significantly.  People we met who have cruised the Med did warn us that we would be doing a lot more motoring.

We anchored just south off Palma for a night before berthing at the Port de Palma Marina on the 9th June.  We have a week here now where we have to get the boat cleaned and a couple of things fixed and re-certified.  We also have the Berthon Yacht Broker visiting on Thursday to have a look at the boat to help them sell it for us.

School continues……

Into the Eastern Hemisphere

Have been enjoying more of Spain over the last week but realising that this is a huge place and we are only just scratching the surface.  We have spent almost three weeks here now.  Yesterday we sailed through the prime meridian and are officially now in the eastern hemisphere.  Scott was most excited and tried to enthuse the kids but they were over it pretty quickly.

We said goodbye to Heather in Granada during a two day trip up there.  We drove up from the coast through some amazing countryside and stayed in the city for a couple of nights.  The main reason for the trip was to see the Alhambra Palace but as it turned out we never got the opportunity due to a lack of organisation with ticket reservations and a lack of time.  Instead we wandered around the old city looking at the sights.  We had just been in the Alcazar in Seville also and so not sure everyone was up for another old palace.  That is one of the problems with hitting all the sights  - you need space between the visits to appreciate them all.  Hope we will come back some time to look at the Alhambra though.  We did enjoy Granada though.  Heather took off on the second day by train to Madrid for her flight to Bangkok.  The rest of us returned to the boat at Almunecar.

We stayed in the marina for a couple of days and then headed east towards Cartegena.  From here on we were going to try and anchor off where ever possible.  The problem is that the coast is pretty exposed all the way up the Mediterranean side.  There are bays and nooks and crannies you can hide in which is fine in good conditions but if the weather turns  you need to be really careful.  We anchored off for four or five nights before reaching Cartegena in a number of different spots along the coast.  In all the anchorages we saw only three other boats anchored.  Even sailing, there were not more than a handful of boats out on the water.  Not sure where the cruisers are.  Maybe come July everyone hits the water in their boats.  The interesting thing is that the marinas are pretty full with boats just sitting there.

One of the anchorages - Puerto Genoves at Cabo de Gata

The coastline on the way up has been pretty dramatic.  The massive development of the Malaga Torremolinos area reduces.  There is still a lot of building on the coast just not to the same scale.  All along the coast the mountains rise behind creating a spectacular vista.  Towns are clustered around beaches or ancient strategic points where medieval forts sit atop isolated rock outcrops.  In places the terrain gets very rugged with steep cliffs falling into the sea.  Other times the coastal plain flattens out and in these areas the land is almost completely covered in plastic sheeting.  This is for the growing of fruit and vegetables.  The whole area looks pretty dry from the water but when you are ashore it seems lush enough.

The plastic hillsides

We reached Cartegena and decided to stay for a couple of days to have a look around.  Cartegena has just about as much history as you can stuff into one place due to its natural harbour and location on the Mediterranean.  It was built up by the Cathagenians over 2000yrs ago and became their major city in Spain.  It was from here that Hannibal left to march over the alps with his elephants and teach the Romans a lesson.  After Rome eventually won the Punic wars they sacked the place but then built it up into a major trading hub.  From there it went to the Huns and Vandals for a few years who did little of any value before the arabs moved in for a few hundred years.  Finally the Europeans took over when the moors were expelled from Spain and the town has had its ups and downs.  Given all that there is a tremendous wealth of artefacts around the town.

Sam still needs a haircut

The town itself is not particularly pretty and there are all types of buildings lying beside each other and a lot being renovated.  There are beautiful art nouveau buildings from a grand period at the turn of the century next to horrible 60’s type blocks of apartments which in turn are next to Roman or Medieval ruins.  Saying that though, the town has a great feel, is very interesting and a joy to walk around and explore.  There is a lot of work being put into the preservation and display of the historical heritage and we saw some great exhibits.

One of the beautiful typical streets in Cartegena

There is a Roman amphitheatre right in the centre of town in amazing condition.  We  spent a couple of hours looking around it.  Mashed up against one side is an old church which was partially destroyed during the civil war.  The whole scene is just amazing.  The best display we saw was a Roman house.  You enter a non descript modern building and there preserved is a Roman house - there are still some mosaics on the floors and walls.  You walk through the house and out the back onto a Roman street - still within the modern house.  It is a fantastic display.  Anyone who gets the chance to spend a couple of days in Cartegena should grab the opportunity.  It is not as grand or well known as Seville or Granada but a really interesting place.

The Amphitheatre right in the middle of town

The Roman Amphitheatre

We departed Cartegena to head up to a place called Calpe which is the jumping off point for the Balearic Islands.  Had just about the worst couple of days.  Anything that could go wrong seemed to go wrong:

• We came out of Cartegena with a moderate breeze which built to 27kts and then found that we had a problem with the furler on the genoa.  Eventually we had to manually furl the sail.
• We lost one winch handle over the side and another the following day
• We lost the MPS over the side.  It was stored on the foredeck but had not been tied down securely for the trip.  As we heeled it went over the side and we only just managed to retrieve it after a lot of sweating and pulling.
• A shackle on one of the liferaft frames worked itself loose deploying one of the rafts into the water.  This was just as we were coming into Alicante marina and we had visions of the thing inflating and us arriving towing a life raft.  Luckily we managed to get it back onboard intact.

We made it up to Calpe after a stopover at an anchorage and then a night in the marina at Alicante.  We are due to head over to the Balearic Islands today and will make a landfall on either Ibiza or Formentera depending upon the wind.  We are all looking forward to the islands.  We will only have a few days in Ibiza though as we have to get to Palma by the 9th June.