Palma all north for the Spanish Main 

Red box had signal 40 miles out!                             

Let’s go old school and open the windows for bedtime. We can get 320 miles at twenty knots.

Life in port Adriano. The new style red Box had been magic, mostly BAT aerial for wifi and used the phone signal for secured.

Shopping done, car hire returned, a day to chill out. Sunseeker broker Andrew phoned, back from England, I will see you at nine thirty. Saturday sunshine, no joy at all on the chartploter, the reader was in fault. Andrew on board for our first run on the water. Mastering the bow lazy line, drift a little, let the sterns go and easy out to miss the neighbours bow line lazy ropes, the art of Mediterranean. About 1500 litres filled the tanks to full. Bow thruster and return to our lazy lines, nicely done. Sat at the chart table, Andrew reviewed the weather, a big storm coming, you should go north in the morning. It was lunch time, it was time to go. Last stowing, cushions packed the lockers. Paper charts and a phone gps, compass, this was old school. Took the giant steel spring stern sets of Med fun, last things on deck, 2400 litres of gas oil on board, avoiding the cavalry charge of jet skis we exited Port Adriano.

Soft turn all West, 270 on the dial to clear the island. 1800 revs bow planes down, twenty knots, a flat ocean with light swell and blistering sunshine, cleared the light house, came about all north, autopilot set at zero, we were all north for the Spanish Main. Twenty knots, first leg 120 miles, that’s six hours then! Thirty-minute logs, paper chart notes, a few degrees of drift by the hour, wrote the oil pressures, steady around three bar each half hour with eighty degrees on the engine temperatures, fuel bowls checked every thirty mins, clear as you like. Very clear ocean, 60 miles out for a baguette snack and many bottles of water, in the 120 mile way point run there were just two sailing boats, surprising amount of vhf chatter at this range, a few dolphins, some plaid in the stern wave and one jumped clear into the air to say hello.

With the first 120 miles done the sun had set, it was nine pm local, we had the nav lights on, we turned in for coats water to make the 24-hour fuel pontoon at St Feliu de Gauixois. Paper charts in the dark, made the safe water buoy spot on and followed the red and green cans for entry. Swung starboard and could see the fuel pontoon all ahead, fenders and rope ahoy. We were tied up. 24-hour fuel but not manned, credit card in the machine, tried the code half a dozen times with six different cards, then without change it said ready to fuel. Maximum 999 litres, well that will top us up. We had run at 7.5 litres a mile for 20kts of speed.