38:56.78N 001:00.848E

San Antonio (Ibiza) to Denia (Spanish mainland)

Peter and Lorie left late at night then we set off at first light the following morning to meet Viv and Tim at Denia.  They were making a real trip of it and were driving to Denia in a motorhome which we had commandeered as a suitable conveyance to bring down our replacement cooker.  Time was tight though because we had a 60 mile crossing to make and so the only way to get the laundry done was during the crossing.  Out came the new cold box.  Position next to one of the showers and fill with hot water.  Add the sheets, mix around a bit and close the lid thereby keeping the water hot and allowing gentle agitation for an hour or so as the boat moved. 

Then came the cooker delivery which involved negotiating confusing roads to the marina and a jobsworth security chap whose rule book said no caravan’s.  Having arranged it all in advance with the office we ignored him and parked the motorhome at the end of the jetty while the 30kg new cooker was manoeuvred aboard and the old one taken off.  This was all a bit fraught so no photographs.

Next morning Mike and I shopped while Viv and Tim dealt with the motorhome and finally we were all on board having decided to stay put for the night and make the trip back to Ibiza the following morning.

Of course, this being a boat and that being the weather, the wind changed direction overnight so that having come all the way across into the wind we were going back all the way into the wind only this time with a big sea.  Viv and Tim were ‘mal de mer’ most horribly and spent the morning guzzling remedies and grunting having quickly given up on trying to keep their eye on the horizon and simply staying horizontal with their eyes closed.  It was a horrible start to their holiday.  14 ½ hour ‘sail’ most of which was foul for them.

Once we had dropped the anchor though morale was quickly restored and we had a lovely few days enjoying the clear waters and pretty bays of Ibiza.  Not much wind by this time so not a lot of sailing but quite a lot of holiday so honour was satisfied. 

Once again we were very happy to take advantage of Tim’s expertise with all things mechanical and yacht mechanicals in particular.  More time was spent head first in the engine giving advice and then further assistance topsides with some riveting.

The time passed too quickly before they needed to return to Denia for a, this time, more leisurely drive home.  They had planned to get the ferry back from Ibiza and their stomachs stayed in one place throughout.

Subsequent reports are that their return trip by motorhome went very well and added another proper holiday week to their time away.