One might think that the Dock Master or Marinero as he is called locally had a vested interest in keeping us in his marina at Puerto Almerimar because each time I asked about the weather he would say it was too bad too leave, despite any number of sailing boats arriving!  My weather sources said it was OK, so after a sad farewell to Laura and Jon on Saturday morning we cast off and headed up into the unrelenting easterlies, determined to make it round the last headland of the narrow section of the Med. before it opens out into a massive inland ocean. 

It was an uncomfortable few hours alternately thinking that we could beat round the headland and then losing confidence and motoring into the chop and swell.  But as ever, we eventually rounded the corner into softer water and a sailable wind direction.  YES!  We have escaped the straits and it’s plain sailing or so we hope.  The night watches settled in – four hours on, four hours off, in pairs, with the sails hard in, taking us north of our intended path to Ibiza but still a good path given the likelihood that the wind would veer as the night gave way to dawn treating us to the easting we felt we deserved.

Full sail, hard on became the order of the day, healed hard over, spray occasionally reminding us that sailing is a water sport after all.  Some were exhilarated, others stressed but with Ibiza emerging from the mist, all were quietly excited to be sailing again among islands – reminiscent of the Caribbean actually.

Arriving in Marina Botafoch in the heart of Ibiza town shortly after 0100 hours on the Sunday, we parked up on the fuel berth for the want of an assigned berth and were all asleep and in my case, snoring contentedly within minutes.  Nearly two days passed, as we chilled out in marina coffee shops or trecked in the heat of the day to the top of the citadel that is the real old Ibiza, with its spectacular 360 degree views out as far as Majorca, 70 miles away.

For the first time we realized that the Mediterranean attracts the beautiful people in their extravagant motor yachts, with uniformed, ever attentive young crew, Italian, Spanish, French, English used interchangeably by waiters and waitresses never giving away their true nationality – pretty impressive and perhaps an indication of the integrated Europe of the future?

Right now, a few hours from Ibiza town, we are anchored off a beach a few miles from San Antonio.  The water is shallow and azure blue and warm and the beach bar beckons for a nightcap, before an early start for Mallorca tomorrow morning.

Follow our progress here:

http://blog.mailasail.com/oboe, where you can see our daily progress on Google Earth.  Email us at: oboe {CHANGE TO AT} mailasail {DOT} com any time you like.  Phone us on +881 631 669 194 and we’ll pick up via Iridium satellite.

Fair winds to you all.

Nigel

Gill

Josef

Tereza