1st Oct 2008 - Port Colom to Cala Ratjada
Bali Hai
Neal Stow
Wed 1 Oct 2008 23:45
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It had been great staying in Port Colom for 5
nights, very relaxing and a chance to see some other parts of Majorca however it
was good to be heading out again. I was a little nervous as this is
yet another relatively inexperienced crew. Richard has only been on a
sailing boat once before; the leg from Gosport to Plymouth in very heavy
weather. Mo has been on Bali Hai a couple of times but not for two years
and is not really an experienced sailor, Emma has done quite a lot of crewing
but I have not sailed with her before. So first thing in the morning I
gave quite a detailed briefing on how to sail the boat as well as the rest of
safety briefing.
The crew is at least very enthusiastic, Richard was
up swimming across the bay at 7:30 in the morning. It was also fortunate
that there was only a gentle breeze. We eventually headed out at around 11
o'clock and the sails were raised without any great difficulty. With a 10
knot wind on our starboard quarter we headed up the coast to Cala Ratjada.
The sun was shining and we have a slow but pleasant sail that gave Richard the
opportunity to experience the helm and for us to enjoy a civilised
lunch.
We arrived in Cala Ratjada at around four in the
afternoon and moored alongside the breakwater outside the harbour. It is a
Port Authority harbour rather than a private marina, as is Port Colom, and
having registered once we did not have to waste time doing
it again. The mooring fee was also under 20 Euros including
electricity, water and showers so a very good deal. Cala Ratjada is
the closest port to Menorca, where we are heading tomorrow, and so is very
popular but now, at the end of the high season, there is plenty of
space. The town looks touristy but attractive and we will be exploring it
tonight.
After arrival, Mo and Richard decided to swim
across the harbour entrance to a beach. This was rather crazy as
there were plenty of fishing and other vessels coming in and out that would be
oblivious to mad swimmers. In the end, while they were able to avoid the
boats, both managed to get themselves stung by jellyfish. Richard was
the worse off and tried two different remedies for the pain. Needless
to say, one of them involved alcohol.
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