Mazarron to Formentera, Balearic Islands. 9th to 13th September. 38:44.57N 00:25.56E
Tioram 4
Tina & Tony
Tue 14 Sep 2010 10:00
We left Mazarron at 11.30 am on 9th Sept for an
overnight sail to Formentera. The wind was light and after a few hours came onto
the nose/ bow and we lost the battle to the engine.
We motored throughout the day past the Mar Menor, La
Manga then headed off further east and could still see the coastal lights
30 miles away as darkness fell. We dodged a few unlit fishing boats which
showed on radar and passed 3 cruise liners and 4 tankers. One tanker
showed a close CPA of 0.4 NM --for 30 mins later (closest point of
approach)---- basically how close it gets!! So we radioed ahead, made
course changes and passed at a safe distance.
We shared watches, Tony and myself plus our new crew
member Ian, a friend and neighbour of my parents in Mazarron. Everyone managed
to get a few hours sleep before arriving at 2pm fri 10th in Formentera. We
were looking forward to a nice swim but we arrived under a series of dark clouds
and light drizzle---- a bit of a shock to the system !!
The 11th saw us in lovely sunshine, crystal water not
unlike the Caribbean, no buildings on the shore in a marine reserve, just a
beach bar. We woke to see our friends boat 'Thindra' anchored a short
distance from us.
Well, you guys who sailed either of our
Atlantic crossings will remember the Thindra boys and no further description is
necessary. However, for the remaining uninitiated, the Thindra boys kindly took
our warps/lines when we arrived from across the Atlantic into St Lucia. As
you can imagine there was a fair amount of partying when we arrived and most of
the day was shared with the Thindra boys from Sweden. Later that day in a jolly
state of intoxication we asked the Thindra boys how many hours they had arrived
before us that day---- the answer came---' two days ago'---- they hadn't
surfaced from their jolly state for 48 hours!!!
Well the Atlantic Thindra boys got off the boat in St
Lucia a week later but their Skipper, Lars continued his trip around the
Caribbean and back to the Med like ourselves.
We last saw Lars in Antigua, Jolly Harbour and he left for
the Azores two days ahead of us.
On the 11th Sept he diverted a little to
Formentera and we stayed a little longer to meet up on the island.
We had a great couple of days with Lars and crew mate,
Alfie--- lots of laughs, stories shared from the Caribbean---oh and just a few
beers---honestly!!
Photographs below of the Thindra and Tioram boys and
'girl'.
On the 13th we set sail to Ibiza a nice, simple 12 miles
away.
Love to all Tina,Tony and Ian x x x
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