Sollér
Red Skies
David Alexander
Sun 25 May 2014 14:47
| 39:47.74N 2:41.68E As every sailor knows, the wind gods read the weather forecast and decide to tweak it. Our predicted 3 to 4 occasionally 5 from the south-west, decreasing 2 to 3 overnight, becoming easterly 4 by dawn was more or less OK except that the occasional 5 became a constant 5, gusting 6 and the slight seas became an all-over the place moderate+. Just getting about the boat was difficult as Red Skies lurched from wave crest to trough and back. Two cups of coffee were thrown across the galley and our crispbread lunch was served in pieces. All in all the journey to Sollér took 22 hours, which was 3 hours longer than previous crossings. Normally we anchor here but, feeling that the boat deserved a good wash down to remove the copious salt deposits, we tied up to the visitors’ quay at around 10 am on Saturday 25th May. However, water and electricity were unavailable as the Ports Authority had only just installed the pontoon for the Summer and the services were not yet connected. The daily charge of 9.20 euros was not extortionate, especially as they had a facility for taking our out-of-date flares, of which we had many! The rest of Saturday 24th May was taken up with relaxing and a meal ashore. Sollér Sunday 25th May We have decided to spend one more day in Sollér as the wind was supposed to be unfavourable for our next stop. So, as is often our practice we walked to the lighthouse on the point, where we observed that the sea was nearly flat calm with very little wind from any direction but lovely sunshine. Cap Gros Lighthouse We were amused to note that when the lighthouse was first built by the local Council in 1849, without the benefit of either an engineer or an architect, it remained unused for 10 years before being taken over by the national authority. Even then it took another 7 years to commission, as they had failed to provide accommodation for the folk tending the light. Another attraction of Sollér is the tramway that links the port with the town of the same name inland, which in turn is linked to Palma by a delightful Victorian railway running through the mountains. Having on previous occasions used both the trams and the local buses to make that trip, we chose to give it a miss this time. |