We are on anchor at the entrance to Puerto Portais, Mallorca. For a couple of hours,  already.

So, we — the boat and myself — have accomplished the first trip of the season from Almerimar to Mallorca.   

The interesting detail — the boat definitely remembers how to sail!   She was doing fantastically fine,  asking occasionally not to intervene… 

Myself, on another hand,  was not so good… Forgetting some stuff,  especially how to move on the boat… I thought it should be like a bicycle — learn once, and it is forever with you… The passage showed — it is not so, actually…  

Anyway, we managed. We are on Mallorca. 

There has been no really a lot of ’special’ moments.  Though I have been clumsy in my movements,  I managed to keep myself on the boat.  The boat did not  care too much, and was going nicely at good speed.  After initial test during the first day — when we made ~40 miles around Cabo Del Gata — the ‘diagonal’ to Mallorca — was kind of a sprint…. May be except the first half of a day… But then the wind picked up, and we were going!   Between 6.5 knots and 8.3 knots, most of the time. 

The really great and I’m sure — priceless — improvement on the boat, the Squid,  assemble of different weather models.  Every time the prediction proved to be right…  I was saying ‘ Thank you, Jean and Yolèlene, for introducing me for it ‘ !   Ironically, it was the big step forward!  But at the same time, for the first time I would say,  I was sailing without the wind indicator,  guessing the power of the wind by the waves, and after that — comparing my findings with the weather grib files, and weather overviews by the coast guards stations.  What a fun! 

Everything has a price. The model weather prediction — saved me yesterday from loosing the time in the hole, called ‘ no suitable wind for sailing’. 

I had to make a small detour  to avoid it, but was rewarded with the wonderful close hull beading all day today…  About 14-17 knots of wind,   plus our 7-8 knots against them… In short, it was about 20 - 25 knots of the wind into my face… from early morning  till the sails were dropped near the entry to the Puerto Portais…  For some reason, that wind is much worse then the wind in cold January day in freezing Montreal.  

My theory is that In Montreal, you are expecting it, and your body is triggering some ‘defence’ mechanism’.  Here,  the wind is blowing for a long time above 56F ( ~13C ) water body… And then hits you!  Without wind — nice, sunny day in its 68F (20C) degrees!  And then this wind… Somehow, it is chilling to the bones…  

To make the story short…  I’m arriving to the anchorage, dropping the anchor… Infront of the beach… 

I’m wearing — downhill skiing hat, yellow Gill jackets, 2 sweaters under,  jeans and Gill trousers, boots…

A lady on the beach — standing near the water ( thanks God, not swimming! ) in bikini… 

Something terribly wrong with that picture…  But I’m too tired to think about it… And before start to think, I have to get rid of the terrible migraine which was brought by the wind… ( Never  had it on the boat before… But the old adage is — ‘Everything happens the first time’!  The migraine has its positive moments too — if something causing it, then my head is not empty, right ?  Despite what I’ve heard from a lot of people…).

We are happy. It is nearly nine o’clock here. The darkness has nearly taken care about the sky… Gentle movements of the boat… Time to rest, to think about friends… 

We are good!  Everything is OK! 

Have a great time too !

Talk later, 

M.