A Family Affair

 

Our last blog was written from Palma on Friday 29^th June when brother-in-law Andrew & Sally had just left and son and daughter-in-law, Simon & Aurélie, had just arrived. The previous night was a bit cramped with six of us on board but an excellent cause for a family celebration over a drink or two. Moored right next to the clubhouse, a lazy day was spent dipping in and out of their pool.

 

Saturday’s forecast was fair, but by Sunday the wind was due to rapidly increase to NE6, i.e. right on the nose up the west coast of Mallorca. A longer day’s passage was therefore in order on the Saturday so that we could reach the only protected anchorage on that coast at Soller.

 

 

 

 

Having visited Soller previously, we stayed on board whilst Simon & Aurélie took the tram up the valley from the port to visit the town. Sure enough, as forecast, the breeze started to freshen and we moved a bit further out into the harbour to give us some more swinging room on 40m of chain. By 1530 when Simon & Aurélie returned, the breeze was no longer fresh but strong and an hour later the rain started. Not just rain – but then thunder and more wind! Boats started dragging everywhere and there was much activity as attempts were made to relay anchors or try to move to the extra shelter in the marina. One yacht’s foresail unfurled, thrashing wildly and ripping. With the wind touching 46 knots, we started the engine and tried to keep head to wind and reduce the strain on the chain, however this was made a bit tricky by the driving rain. However the blow didn’t last long and by 1800 the wind had dropped to 7 knots and we re-laid the anchor just to ensure we knew where it was.

 

With the swell rolling in, eating ashore promised to be more comfortable than cooking on board so we took a bumpy dinghy ride to our favourite tapas bar, the Albatros. This was nearly empty as it had no television (though it did have the excellent guitar-playing Dylan look-alike) and Spain were playing Italy in the final of the European Cup. Much hooting from cars and cheering from the other bars as Spain won in impressive fashion.

 

The next day was a bit of a failure sailing wise. After a lazy morning we decided that we would move on half a dozen miles up the coast, however looking in to both Cala Tuent and Cala Calobra we found swells of 1½m, so anchoring for the night in either cala would have been uncomfortable. With our tails somewhat between our legs we returned to Soller. However disappointment was mitigated on finding Scarlett at anchor there, so we could enjoy an evening can or three with Australians Shani & David.

 

 

 

 

With the swell reduced we made what was for us a very early start – i.e. before 1000 – to return to Cala Calobra and spend 24 hours at anchor there. A further bonus was finding our friends Phil & Jill there in their beautiful yawl Deliverance in which they had circumnavigated a few years previously.

 

 

 

 

Not only is the scenery spectacular in Calobra, but the swimming is superb too!

 

From Calobra it was on to Cala San Vicente, stopping for lunch and a swim in the pretty & remote Cala Castell. On our previous visit to San Vicente it had been overcast, rolling and Tony was stung by a jellyfish! This time however the sun shone, the water was clear and we enjoyed a swim before a brief excursion ashore to a bar.

 

Thursday 5^th saw the wind coming in from the east, giving us a good beat with a reef and a roll up to Cap Formentor. We had hoped to spend the night in Cala En Gossada, but the wind was blowing straight in, so we pushed on to pick up a mooring at Punta l’Avanzada, just short of Pollensa.

 

 

 

 

From the mooring it is only just over half a mile to the port of Pollensa, so the crew took off in the dinghy to explore and take a taxi to the old town, some 3 miles inland. It was a long, stiff climb up the steps to the chapel at the top, but the views made the effort well worthwhile.

 

The next day, Friday, Simon’s birthday, we sailed to the marina in Alcudia to enjoy supper at the Blau Maritim and several nightcaps on board thereafter.

 

Sadly the next day Simon and Aurélie had to leave at dawn to fly home to Palestine via Paris. Feeling slightly flat we busied ourselves with the domestics – 4 washing machine loads, 2 supermarket visits, much cleaning. By lunchtime we were exhausted and collapsed for a siesta but had a rude awakening when another yacht, the well-named Touch, (Royal Southampton Yacht Club) lost control coming into their mooring and caught their rudder on our anchor line. Much manoeuvring ensued until they ended up alongside us.

 

 

 

 

However the disturbance did wake us up sufficiently to take the bicycles from the port to the attractive old town of Alcudia, a mile or so away.

 

One of the joys of cruising is that one does not need to make fixed plans but can remain flexible. After some indecision on Sunday morning – whether to stay another day and visit the marshes and nature reserve, or whether to move on – we finally decided just before noon that we should take advantage of the NNE wind and head to Menorca.

 

 

 

 

Arriving off the SW corner of Menorca at 1745 we sailed close along the coast looking in at Calas Perojals, Son Saura, Talé and Turqueta to choose an anchorage for the night. Cala Talé seemed the most attractive and least crowded, so by 1845 we were anchored and swimming.

 

 

 

 

Cala Talé was so attractive that we spent two days there idling, sunning and swimming. On first night we were the only boat there and the beach deserted apart from one camping couple and even on the second night there were only a couple of other boats.

 

We had planned to arrive in Mahon on Wednesday 11^th, so on the Tuesday we decided to move further east along the coast and by 1130 were ready to go. However it was no go – the anchor windlass controller would only move the anchor down not up. Water had obviously got to the innards of the electrics somewhere. The next step was to dismantle the controller – but the cover of the beast was screwed down with obscure hexagonal screws with raised centres. Not a tool we carry. Amazingly the large catamaran ahead of us had not only been chartered by a Spaniard who had read nautical design at Southampton but the yacht’s tool kit included the relevant bit. Some juggling around, disconnecting one bit and reconnecting a spare switch, resolved the problem temporarily and with huge thanks to our Spanish friend we were on our way after only an hour’s delay.

 

 

 

 

Again it was a case of cala searching. Cala Covas, which we loved when it was empty on our last visit over a decade ago, was packed; Cala Biniparratx was so narrow as to give no anchoring space; Cala Binidali had swimming buoys right to the entrance; Cala Canutells looked a possibility but there we were met by a RIB and told we could either anchor at the very entrance or pay €40 for a mooring buoy. Finally we settled on Cala en Porter where there were only 3 or 4 other boats. This long cala is built up on the eastern shore but rugged and undeveloped to the west. The sandy beach stretches back a long way from the water’s edge, making it popular with families as a playground. By the beach are also a couple of bars which gave us an excuse to go ashore.

 

Heading towards Mahon we made an early 0730 start, close hauled in NE 15 knots. A wonderful sail, getting us to the spectacular harbour entrance by 1100. The last time we had sailed into Mahon together was in 1999 coming from Sardinia and we had both been keen to visit it again.

 

Mahon in July has a bad reputation with cruisers due to the ridiculously high prices being charged throughout the harbour. However we had our secret weapon – Tony’s one and only cousin, Dennis, who has lived on the island for decades and established much of the racing, not to mention a yacht services business. Dennis amazingly had arranged a berth for us in Marina Mahon at 15% below winter rates, so we are paying under €40/night rather than the €140 (yes – one hundred and forty) which it would otherwise have been.

 

 

 

 

From the marina it is a very steep climb into the main town but it was a worthwhile hike as not only were we able to recharge Sarah’s iPad SIM at the Orange Shop but also buy a new windlass controller at Pedro’s Boat Store.

 

But the main reason for visiting Mahon was seeing the cousins: a huge and delicious barbecue chez Dennis & Dereka together with Jason, Aisha and their three boys the first night; the next day a family sail around the harbour with Ben, aged 8, showing some real talent helming: a trip by car to Mercadona to stock up with liquids (yachties will understand the importance of this – non-yachties please ignore); and, as the piece de resistance, a meal at a Chinese-Japanese restaurant to hear Dennis entertaining the diners on the piano.

 

 

 

 

Today – Saturday 14^th July – we had intended to move on but for once the forecast is pretty foul for any attractive anchorages and indeed it rained with claps of thunder this afternoon. Thus we remain in Mahon, enjoying it so much that we feel in no hurry to move.

 

Our present plan is to head towards Valencia where we are booked in for a month from 24 July. We have flights to UK on 26^th and will return to Valencia on 21^st August for another 6-8 weeks or so. Winter lay up as yet undecided!

 

Sarah & Tony Boas

Ione – 14 July 2012

Mahon – Menorca