A Circuit of the Balearics – News and Photos

 

We returned to Ione in Mahon on 15^th April, just 5 weeks after our previous visit for winter maintenance. The weather was still cool and we spent the first couple of days enjoying the town and the company of cousins Dennis and Dereka.

 

Thereafter, on the winds’ dictate, a northern circuit of the island stopping in Fornells and Cala Algayerens. Thence an excellent sail, encouraged by dolphins, to Alcudia to sort out the Orange SIM card for the iPad and enjoy the tapas at Ramons bar.

 

Again as dictated by the wind we chose a clockwise circuit of the island anchoring in Cala de Sa Font – attractive apart from a massive hotel – and Cala Magraner which has been a favourite of ours

 

 

We watched the mountain goats scrambling around on the impossibly steep cliffs and the cormorants coming home to roost.

 

With strong winds forecast we spent a couple of days lurking in the marina at La Rapita. Convenient and pleasant enough but not memorable apart from having an excellent chandler enabling Tony to do some work decalcifying the heads hoses – a delightful job!

 

La Rapita is also a good jumping off spot for Cabrera. This year the internet booking system has been made easier but a charge is now made. However this is only €7.5 per night off season and double that in season. One really cannot complain if this helps keep Cabrera so beautifully unspoilt.

 

 

And indeed Cabrera does remain beautiful and unspoilt. Being late April only a dozen or so of the moorings were taken.

 

 

We spent a couple of nights in Cabrera and strolled ashore, climbing to the very top of the castle. Two ospreys wheeling overhead provided another highlight.

 

 

Retracing our steps we found ourselves alone at anchor in Cala Mondrago.

 

Needing to shop, we headed for the harbour of Porto Colom and the Ports IB pontoons. Here again the booking procedure has been simplified, however unless registered three days notice must be given or just one day if previously registered. The electricity didn’t work, the water was not for drinking, but the cost was only €10 and the Llonja restaurant was excellent.

 

Thence some coast crawling – La Rapita, Cala Portalls, Cala Blanca, Santa Ponsa and thence to Palma where we arrived just as the QE2 was leaving.

 

 

We found that we had timed our arrival just at the end of the Palma Boat Show so the harbour was crowded and we could not find any space in the Real Club Nautico however we did manage to get into Naviera Balear on the front which was very convenient for supermarket shopping. Additionally the McMurdo EPIRB needed a 5-year battery replacement and one of the very few agents was in Palma – frighteningly expensive at €350 including reprogramming!

 

Sarah’s brother, Robert, joined us in Palma and treated us to a superb meal at Toque, a restaurant just uphill and back from the front run by a Belgian. This was an outstandingly excellent meal and not at a ruinous price. Highly recommended for anyone visiting Palma.

 

For the week when Robert was with us there was little wind but we completed our circuit of Mallorca, anchoring first in Santa Ponsa and then Soller.

 

 

The free exhibition of Miró paintings and Picasso ceramics in the Soller railway station never ceases to amaze.

 

 

And eating at the Albatross is always a part of our visits to Soller.

 

From Soller it is only half a dozen miles to Cala Colobra which is tourist ‘picture postcard’ image of Mallorca. Quite a number of people on the beach by day but only three other boats at anchor overnight.

 

Thence back to Alcudia via Cala Castells and Cala San Vicente, arriving a day earlier than planned as Sarah needed a tooth re-glueing, performed by an efficient and inexpensive German dentista.

 

A thoroughly social time was had in Alcudia, eating twice at Ramons, first with three English doctors on a charter boat and then with Bill and Vesna Bailey, Canadians, who had sailed across the pond in their Saga 42, Talisman – a very attractive and well equipped boat.

 

 

Robert left on Tuesday 13^th to fly home and we took the advantage of a near favourable breeze to cross back to Menorca and Ciutadella. There we were warmly greeted by Jaime Llompart, both father and son, and moored to their quay in the space where we had spent so much time last autumn and with lovely views of the town.

 

Ciutadella was also social and through Bill and Vesna we met more Canadians, Bryan and Patti Scott Moncrieff with crew Richard who were on their way to Sardinia in Adastral.

 

 

We have always loved the calas on the south coast of Menorca and were delighted to get back to Cala Talé.

 

 

In Cala Talé we were the only boat at anchor and by evening the beach was totally deserted.

 

We had planned a couple of nights in Cala Talé but a change in the wind meant that the swell rolled in so we moved to Cala Son Saura for one night and then to Cala Galdana for a wet Sunday.

 

 

On the way back to Mahon we stopped for lunch in Cala Covas. This was the cala where Dennis first anchored when he settled in Menorca and which we first visited in 1999 when delivering the Rival 34, Alynxa, from Greece to Mallorca, so many memories. Today the cala was empty apart from – surprise – Talisman who had been there overnight.

 

We spent the final three nights in Mahon on the Club Nautica de Mahon moorings on the front. This was enlivened by the Maxi regatta which was just starting with nine Wallys all around 100 feet long and three J-class yachts. There must have been 200 professional crew and huge amounts of gear on the waterfront – the cost does not bear consideration.

 

 

Mahon also allowed a further meeting with Talisman and Adastral before the latter set off for Sardinia.

 

We flew home on Thursday 22^nd May, arriving just in time to vote in the elections and are now in Winchester. We return to Ione on Thursday 12 June with friends Alan and Pauline Turner who will be with us for a week. After that the general plan is to head towards Sardinia sometime in the last week of June with the thought of leaving the boat in Cagliari at the end of July to return home for the month of August.

 

Best wishes to all.

Tony & Sarah Boas

30 May 2014