Balearics and Beyond - News and Photos
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Balearics and Beyond – News and Photos
It has now been four weeks since we got back on board in Mahon and Ione has now left the Balearics for the first time in over a year. So it seems a good time to put up a few words and pictures on our blog.
After three weeks in England – or mostly in England, as we did spend a couple of nights in Paris to celebrate our 40th anniversary – we returned to Menorca with Alan and Pauline Turner who sailed with us for a week.
The social whirl started almost immediately. We were met at the airport by cousin Dennis, next to show were Bill and Vesna from Talisman with whom we dined before they departed for Alghero the following morning. Contemplating the world after breakfast, Phil and Jill from Deliverance appeared having dinghied in from the anchorage in Cala Taulera. Then walking into town we next bumped into Andy and Joyce from Oystercatcher of Dart. Someone did once ask us if we ever got lonely sailing!
Mahon was pretty busy with hordes of day trippers coming ashore from the MSV Sinfonia. However we did manage to get away that afternoon even though that was only as far as Cala Taulera where we could swim with the water temperature at 28º being noticeably warmer than the previous month.
From Mahon the weather forecast made it a toss up whether to circuit the island north or south about. We chose the anti-clockwise northern route and anchored in Cala Alguyerens in gentle conditions. Over the course of the night the predicted wind started to build and the swell grew giving increasing discomfort. By 0830 it was time to leave and we initially motored into a big sea to get a decent offing before sailing to Ciutadella with the wind NNE F6.
In Ciutadella the social whirl continued with Ray and Judy Steward, together with daughter Jenny, having just arrived on Start Again from Mallorca. The reunion was celebrated with the usual excellent ‘menu del dia’ in the Yacht Club.
From Ciutadella we continued our circuit of the island, stopping for the night in our favourite Cala Talé where we were entertained by a surfboarding dog! Thence to Cala Escorxada and back to Cala Taulera to lurk in the company of both Start Again and Deliverance and to shelter from a huge thunderstorm – rain, bangs and flashes overhead and the wind swinging in all directions.
Wednesday 18th was the last full day for Alan and Pauline. We had hoped to visit Cala Covas but it was packed so we went back round to Cala en Porter for lunch and a swim before returning to Cala Taulera for the night and dropping them in Mahon on the following day.
Friday night was spent with the Stewards in Way’s restaurant listening to Dennis on the piano!
After a couple of nights in Mahon it was back to cala hopping. First Cala de sa Olla and then anchored just inside Isla Colom where there are now quite a few visitors’ mooring buoys. Both spots we new to us and attractive.
Ashore on Isla Colom there were lizards in profusion.
After that we made a severe mistake. With a light northerly wind we made passage to the south coast to anchor for the night in Cala de Son Saura. However the wind backed and the swell started to come in earlier than we had thought and by 0100 life was getting uncomfortable. The anchor held well in the sand but with much rolling, rearing and plunging little sleep was had. We had reserved a berth for the next couple of nights in Ciutadella and by 1000 we thought that our berth should be free and with some relief pulled up the hook and set out.
By noon we were in Ciutadella to be met by Dori and Steve from The Henry Morgan whom we had last met there almost a year ago after our encounter with the rock.
Then mid-afternoon Gwen and Glenn arrived in Pardela. We had not seen them for a couple of years and had been trying to arrange for our paths to cross for some time. The event was celebrated with a very alcoholic plancha supper on Ione, joined later by Steve and Dori. An excellent evening – as far as we can remember it!
From Ciutadella we moved to Cala Alguyerens with Pardela where we spent a much more peaceful night than at the last visit. However stronger winds and more swell was forecast for the next day, Saturday 28th, so we set off towards Isla Colom. With the wind SE 4-5 we had an excellent beat with a reef and a roll going east along the coast until suddenly, with no warning, the genoa collapsed. Unlike a hanked genoa, a furling genoa comes straight off the forestay and can fall into the water in a moment. Tony experienced this several times in mid Atlantic! Luckily we were just able to grab it and prevent this before tying it firmly to the rail. On inspection the multiple rows of stitching on the loop at the head of the sail had failed – probably UV degradation. With Ione now restricted and a forecast of worsening conditions, it seemed sensible to head for shelter and be close to repairs so four hours motor-sailing took us back to anchor in Cala Teulera only a couple of miles from Mahon.
The next five nights were spent in Mahon on the Club Maritimo moorings with a mixture of socialising, repairs and maintenance. In April the Club took over the Sunseeker moorings which are much cheaper than either Marina Mahon or Marina Menorca and are now being efficiently run, in great part due to the marinero Bruno. The location on the Moll de Levant is also excellent for watching the world paseo’ing by.
Thanks to Dennis we got the genoa to Vivienne at Velas Fonduco, the Hood agent, who repaired the head of the sail, re-stitched all the sacrificial strip and gave a general check all for €75. The main additional work involved the heads! We had twice recently had blockages despite renewing one tube in April. To cut a long and smelly story short we managed to replace 2.5 metres of thick hose, squeezing it round all sorts of bends and also clear restrictions in the diverter valves which had been the main source of the problems. The time in Mahon also gave us the opportunity to stock up on provisions. After sailing in Spain for 5 years we know the brands we like and the wines we like and we were very unsure as to what we might find in Italy!
By Friday 4th July – a year and a day after hitting our rock – we could see a weather window emerging for Sardinia. There was still a huge swell running so we decided to delay our departure until the following morning and spend a last night in Cala Teulera at anchor.
On Saturday 5th the anchor came up at 0555 and we motored away from Menorca in the dawn. As predicted the wind was light to negligible but at least the swell was also minimal so we settled in for a long motor, initially heading due east to keep our options open for either Carloforte or Alghero, and then by evening turning a couple of points south towards Carloforte. The wind remained light for most of the time, shipping was negligible and the passage uneventful. We arrived at Marine Sifredi in Carloforte at 1530 having covered 207 miles with only 5 hours under sail and 28 under engine.
An uneventful passage it may have been – but we were glad of that. The French boat inside us in Carloforte had left Menorca 12 hours before us and had had a horrendous first night with a huge swell. The Henry Morgan who arrived the following morning from Ciutadella had also had a rough final night. Our passage was at least comfortable even at the expense of using some diesel!
We were last in Carloforte 15 years ago and some things have changed – there are now a couple of marinas and a new smart sea front promenade. However some things seem unchanged. The town square is populated by the elderly sitting on the circular benches under the four trees.
The houses are all painted in a variety of beautiful pastel shades, many looking as though they have seen better days – but they probably always looked that way. One does get the feeling that Sardinia was left behind the times and this island of San Pietro was left even further back.
The lagoons are no longer being worked for their salt but are home to flamingos, black winged stilts and little egrets.
Together with Steve and Dori we cycled out of the town and – with huge expenditure of energy – uphill to a view over the lagoon.
Overall Carloforte does have considerable charm and we are enjoying staying here. Winds over the next couple of days are forecast to be strong to gale so we will probably be here until Sunday or Monday. Our plan is then to head to Cagliari where we have booked into Marina Sant’Elmo for 5 weeks whilst we fly back to UK on 25 July.
Best wishes & fair winds to all Sarah & Tony Boas Carloforte - 10 July 2014
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