5/1/23 Mahon, Menorca, Spain
May Day for us, Labor Day for the Spanish, either way it is
a holiday here. The day started out with rain predicted for the morning and
lots of wind. The marineros stopped by to get paid and we asked for two more
nights. They said no problem, but we would have to move to the other side of
the pontoon. That did not sound fun in this wind, but they agreed to a move by
1600. The wind came, but no rain so we headed out for a walk outside of the
city. The country side is beautiful with rolling hills and a wide variety of
evergreens. Suzette sampled a couple of plants along the way, the Anice was
plentiful and flavorful.
When we returned to the boat for lunch the marineros stopped by and asked if we could move now because they would be siesta time soon and they would not be able to help us until after 1600. Fortunately, I convinced them that it would be unsafe in this wind and we would be ready to go at 1600. The prediction was that the wind would die off around 1600. Unexpectedly it started raining and rained pretty good all afternoon. It was a good opportunity to catch up on writing and posting.
Miraculously at 1600 the rain had stopped and the wind had
dropped to a tolerable level. We readied the boat and made the move to the
windward side of the dock. It was like a ballet, we slipped out, another boat
slipped in and we slipped into our new spot. We secured the boat pretty quickly
and settled in as the rain started again.
5/2/23 Mahon, Menorca, Spain
Up to the sound of unloading ferries, guess it is back to
work in Spain. We extracted the bikes and headed inland for butane and groceries.
Google said mostly flat, but the initial hill was a pretty good climb. We found
the chandlery in an industrial area and exchanged our empty tank for a full
one. We are using about 1 tank per month. The tank holds about 2.75 kg compared
to my tank on Rascal that holds 9 kg and lasts me all year for stove and grill.
Next stop was the Lydl and Eroski for groceries. Lydl is sort of a discount
grocer and good for some things. Eroski is comparable to an Albertsons and has
most everything. With all four bike bags full and the butane strapped to the
rack we made our way back down the hill. The wind was really blowing by now and
it felt as though I might get blown off my bike, but we made it back safely.
After lunch and a proper siesta, we walked along the water
front to Koriguer Gin distillery. They make all their gins and liquors here in
Mohon since 1945. You have to love a SELF SERVICE liquor tasting bar with about
15 different flavors to try! We liked the Gin Beltran, it was similar in style
to Hendrich’s, our go to gin. The other item we could not resist was Licor de
Camomila, a delicious digestive. That probably should have counted as our
sundowner, but…
There were some new arrivals on the pontoon, new sailor
brains to pick. A pair from Denmark on a 54’ Hallberg Rassy were headed to Sardinia.
We talked sails and sail trim. He was having issues similar to mine, with his
roller furling mainsail. He had short vertical battens added by a sail maker
and he loves his sail now. I might have to check into that. He also had a slick
stern anchor holder roller that looked very practical. He confirmed my thoughts
on holding the boat into a swell with two anchors.
5/3/23 Mahon, Menorca, Spain
A lazy start waiting for the wind to come up for a sail up
the SW coast. Had the boat ready with the code zero in place and all items
below properly stowed. The neighbor flagged us down to see if we would talk to
his friends who were heading into Orca country on their way to Scotland. We
shared what our experiences were and made our suggestions for avoidance. They
were just finishing a two-year tour of the med and shared some recommendations
for places to stop.
We departed around noon with wind lighter then predicted.
Sailed a quiet broad reach NW along the coast under Main and code zero. We
found Cala Covas and motored in. It was like entering a fiord with a narrow
entrance and high rock walls on either side. Inside we found 5 boats anchored each
on a single hook, this was contrary to what the guide book suggested. The book
indicated that you would drop a hook and tie to the shore with a stern line. We
took a spot left by a departing boat and settled in between the rock walls. A
French boat came in and anchored with a line to shore showing us how it is
done. Another French boat arrived just before sundown and did the same. There
was no room for us at the shore with two other boats on a single hook so we
stayed on a single hook. The cala was Y shaped so we dinghied in and explored
both sections. They were very shallow with a beach at the end. All around us in
the rock walls were various caves dating back 4000 years when they were used as
tombs.
5/4/23 Cala Covas, Menorca, Spain
A quiet night on the hook. The two boats that were on one
hook left so we slipped in and tied to the wall. This was a little unnerving as
it is pretty shallow and I had never done this maneuver before. The difficult
part was getting enough scope on the bow hook without getting into the line of
sea grass or rock. I was not very satisfied with my scope, but we settled in as
it was calm.
We watched a group of youngsters off of a Catamaran doing
some serious rock climbing and cliff diving. I tried some climbing to get to
one of the interesting looking caves, but could not find a way over the shelf
in front of the cave. Further into the north section I was able to find my way
up and check out the caves.
We hiked the trail out of the cala towards the road, but never found the road, just beautiful flora and fauna. Doubled back and walked out on the high rock cliffs above the cala for a great view to sea. Evidently Menorca has the largest concentration of prehistoric sites of anywhere in the world. I am not sure what that really means, but there was certainly much to see here.
In the evening we readied the boat for an early morning
departure for the sail back to Mallorca.
5/5/23 Cala Covas, Menorca, Spain
It was a partly cloudy day with a light breeze coming from
the south. We departed about 0845 and set the main and code zero for a slow
sail away from Menorca. The course was nearly due east back to S’Estanyl
anchorage, our departure point from Mallorca a week or so ago. The wind filled
in, as predicted and we enjoyed a perfect sail all the way to Mallorca. The
wind peaked at 15 knots as we rounded Cap Ferratx and rolled in the sails. It
was a short motor to our anchorage. It is comforting to return to a place you
are familiar with. Dropped the hook in 4 m of water, squared the boat and settled
in for dinner. Always rewarding to get a full day of sailing in.
5/6/23 S’Estanyl, Mallorca, Spain
Up early under mostly cloudy skies and a breeze from the
south. Motored out around Cap Ferratx
and into the wind until we rounded Cap de Perro. With wind on the beam, we
unfurled the main and code zero for a slow sail along the south east coast of
Mallorca. It was a bit sloppy, or should I say slappy, with light wind and a
swell coming in on the broad side. The wind did fill in making it a bit more
comfortable.
We found the entrance to Porto Christo and we were happy to
motor in out of the sloppy sea. The swell was finding its way into the
anchorage so we tucked in as deep as we dared and dropped the hook. While we
were pondering our comfort level another boat pulled in and anchored. It did
not occur to me at first, but then it struck me that the other boat was a
Hunter 41, an American made production boat. It is odd to see an American made
light costal cruiser here across the pond. They quickly decided that this was
not going to work for them and they went into the marina.
With the boat secured we dinghied into the beach, it was a
surf ride landing, but all were dry as I pulled the boat up the beach and
locked it to a post. We walked through town to Cuavas de Drach, a series of
caves and an underground lake discovered in the late 1800. The caves were well
preserved with a variety of sized and shaped stalagmites and stalactites. The
underground river was an amazing shade of blue in spite of having no sky
reflected in it. The stillness of the water made it difficult to tell weather
you were seeing a reflection of the stalactites above or the stalagmites
growing up from bottom. 25 m down into the grotto was the lake. They had a set
up benches rising up next to the lake and we were ushered into a seat. The
lights dimmed and from off to the right 3 row boats appeared with music playing.
There was a harpsichordist, two violinists and a cellist (maybe a viola)
playing beautiful music. They paraded by, circled around in an area to our
left, stopped and serenaded us before heading off into the depth of the grotto.
Some people boarded the boats and made the short trip on the lake to rejoin the
group. All in all, a very moving experience.
Back in town Suzette found the Ras El Hanout seasoning she had been looking for since our delicious meal in Mahon. We will see if we can reproduce it. From the promenade above the marina, we could see that our boat was still rolling so we were in no hurry to get back on. We enjoyed a sangria at the quay side restaurant.
Back on the boat we were defiantly rolling making dinner a
challenge. I made a frittata with the stove gimbled and I tucked in against the
cabinets. At the dinner table no passing was necessary, just wait for the right
roll and the condiment jar would slide by you, but do not let go off your wine
glass.
We slept athwart ship as the boat bobbed and rolled all
night.
5/7/23 Porto Christi, Mallorca, Spain
Up early and out of the washing machine. The swell was 1 to
2 m broadside and the wind was light so we motored for a couple hours until the
wind picked up. With a turn to the west and 10 knots of breeze we unfurled the
code zero only and had a great downwind sail. It looked like a number of great
calas along the coast, but nothing to protect us from the swell. Rounding Punta
Salinas we gybed the code zero and, at last, we were out of the swell.
We sailed into Cala Galiota and anchored in 3.5 m of crystal clear water. There were 3 other boats in the small anchorage, so it was cozy, but calm. Enjoyed a swim and being able to relax for now. Another cat came in and anchored as we all settled in for an extremely quiet night.
5/8/23 Cala Galiota, Mallorca, Spain
A lazy warm morning. Enjoyed a swim and a dinghy exploration
along the coast. There were a number of what looked like World War II gun
emplacements. Lots of people on the beach and lots of boats anchored off the
beach. It looks and feels like summer!
Took a long walk along the coast around Colonia de Sant
Jordi. There was a nice sidewalk and lots of beautiful scenery along the coast;
tide pools, rock formation, some art work and beautiful beach front homes. We
made our way into the port and enjoyed a gelato by the marina. Never missing an
opportunity, we checked out the chandlery where I picked up a SS eye to splice
into my spare anchor road. The road is spliced on to the chain, but I want to
use a shackle instead. I came to this conclusion when we were using the bitter
end of the road to tie to shore back in Cala Covas.
Back on the boat it was plenty hot so another swim was in order. We readied the boat for a morning departure for Palma. We had to meet the Raymarine tech on Wednesday so it was back to Palma. Another quiet night on the hook.
5/9/23 Cala Galiota, Mallorca, Spain
Departed under a clear sky, but with the expectations of
building wind and rain in the evening. Motored out around the point, but the
wind never came, so it was a motor in to Palma. We had come full circle on
Mallorca! It was 12:30, time to hit the grocery stores and stock up the boat.
We walked with our wagon to the Santa Catalina Market. The lady at the
vegetable stand greeted us like long lost friends. She treated us to a peach
and some cherries and thru in a few extra avocados for us. Hugs good by as we
knew we would not be back. While at the cheese counter the vegetable lady
passed by and commented to the cheese lady what great customers we were. The
cheese lady’s demeanor totally changed and soon we were hearing about her
family and feeling like we were in the club.
For dinner we attempted to recreate the egg plant dish we had in Mohon. We managed to buy pomegranate and mint from the vegetable lady completing the recipe. Along with stuffed peppers, a baguette, guacamole and chips we had a fabulous tapas dinner. The rain came right on que probably messing up all my cleaning topsides earlier in the day. We are getting the red dust from the Sahara in the rain and trying not to let it stain the boat.
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