17th July; Ibiza to Mallorca (!)
Our alarm was set for 8am. Whilst having breakfast, we saw others also leaving for Mallorca, so this confirmed for us that the weather reports still looks good. We pulled up our anchor at 9.30 and followed the yachts and the catamarans out of the bay. We finally got a signal along the coast, so the good weather report was confirmed. Phew! It was another motor journey, unfortunately, but we had our sails out to catch the little wind that there was. We averaged out at 6 knots with a nice, calm sea! A few hours into our crossing, Rob spotted a turtle! Wow! We turned and followed her to check that she was OK. We couldn’t see any ropes or fishing lines from her and she seemed to be swimming fine, so we left her and continued on our journey. How cool, though, to see her! A couple of hours from the island, Dominic said he was still in Santa Ponca, so we headed for there. This added an hour to our journey but it would be great to say hi again and for the boys to meet up.
We arrived 7pm and have anchored in front of Dominic. We had dinner and then rowed over for drinks with Dominic and Alex (and their friend Karen). It was great to see them again!
18th to 23rd July; Santa Ponca, Mallorca
What a wonderful anchorage Santa Ponca is! This is a huge anchorage with lots and lots of boats! But there is plenty of room for everyone. No nasty surprise roll either! Hurrah!
Rob rowed over to Dominic at around 10am to help with his engine, and then we explored the town in the afternoon. We found the perfect cafe! A good night was had by all and we all slept very, very well. Rob & I found the supermarket the next day, for supplies. A quick meal and then Dominic & family came over for drinks. It was another very nice evening
We are getting a bit of a pattern here! We are waking up at around 10am, with breakfast at 11! well, we are on holiday!
Rob stripped down our chart plotter today, as it had stopped working soon after leaving Cartagena. We have other chart plotters but this one includes the radar, which is rather useful to have! A few hours later, though, and it’s still not working. We all went to our cafe for lunch, then Rob took Jack back to Hoopla while we went to explore the town. It’s full of hotels, cafes and souvenir shops. We had early birthday cocktails before heading back onboard. Rob made a fantastic Cornish pasty out of gluten free pastry. HmmHmm delish!
Rob had a text msg conversation with Nick, the previous owner of Hoopla. Nick had some very good suggestions regarding the chart plotter! Dominic fitted a new fuel pump yesterday and left for Palma earlier, to test out his engine. He reported back that it worked brilliantly. Fab news. Rob and I went to shore at 6pm to empty our recycling which also, obviously, included a drink in our cafe! Back on board and the boys went for a quick swim. I put dinner on and then had a swim myself. The sea is just so lovely and cool! Just what I needed!
Another gorgeous sunny start to the day! I refer, of course, to waking up to Robert and not the weather…. honest!!
Rob had work to do during the morning and then he decided to have another look at our chart plotter. He got it working! Yay! Apparently the screen had become dislodged. He is very happy that it is working again and that he doesn’t have to try to source a replacement! Well done Rob and many thanks Nick.
The following day, we took the dinghy to shore at around 2pm as we were going to town. We caught a bus to Palma (an astounding €4.50 each! We are used to €1.50 each. Even the bus driver said “its Mallorca!” But we found our print cartridges (€80) in Corte de Ingles. What a pretty place Palma is! We found the chandleries (happy Rob) and then we caught the bus back. A successful but expensive day hahhaha!
We all immediately swam in the sea to cool down. It’s so warm at 35° but we’re not complaining hahhaha. A quick dip really helps
We needed the print cartridges because we all had received a letter/form each, asking us to confirm that we still wanted Padron in Cartagena. Rob printed out these Spanish forms and then it was a quick swim by all. I must sort Jack’s go-pro to film us all in the water. Rob & I also took dinghy ashore for a pint in a cafe. It’s so hot! I actually swam twice in the sea today, to cool down hahhaha. We are all looking forward to meeting up with the crew of Dranack sometime tomorrow (24th)
24th to 28th July; Santa Ponca, Mallorca
We walked to the Post office the next day, but it was closed, but it was a Sat. So we popped to the local supermarket for 5 days worth of supplies, followed by the cafe after! We received a text saying that Dranack has arrived. Whoop whoop! Back on board, both crews were all in the water for a swim before ‘Apero’ (pre-dinner drinks) at 6.30pm.
Next day, us adults went into town at around 2pm, leaving the 3 teenagers on Hoopla (for electronics!). We walked to the local marina and stopped for a beer! That evening, they took Jack out to dinner with them and we met them after dinner for a drink. Back at our dinghies on the beach, we discovered that Dranack’s oars have been stolen!!! We were all horrified! These are a very important backup to all dinghy users, in case anything happens to the outboard engine. Why would someone take these? We all looked around, hoping to find them left on the beach somewhere but we didn’t find them. It’s a slim chance, but we will have a look again tomorrow, in daylight. They have spare oars that they can use (from their kayak and paddle board) but these are far from ideal.
On Monday 26th, there was a rumour of a thunderstorm…..
Rob & I walked to the post office to find it was closed! It’s frustrating as it should be open according to the times on the door and we had that important letter to send recorded. We found a cafe to have a drink and a moan hahhaha! Walking back to our dinghy at around 2pm, we noticed that the clouds were looking quite thundery. We upped our pace and was aboard Hoopla just as big fat rain drops started falling from the sky. A quick batten down of hatches and the clearing down of the cockpit followed, then we put the kettle on to wait out the storm. What a show we had! Lots of lightning and looong, loud rumbles of thunder! It was great! It was all over by 4.30 and so us adults (again) went ashore and Hoopla was (again) the kids boat. We walked to the local marina and had a drink in their cafe. Very nice too. We walked back to the beach, which was followed by more drinks in a cafe. At 6.30pm we decided to have dinner out and so Philippe went and collected all the teenagers from Hoopla. The crew of Dranack leave early in the morning, heading back to Ibiza and then mainland Spain. The meal was full of laughter and a very nice end to a very nice day. We’ve been a group since October last year, as our neighbours in Cartagena. We were very sad as we said our farewells on the beach. We made promises of keeping in touch and meeting up next year!
*** Cap’t Robs Birthday ***
The day started with tea and biscuits in bed at 8.30am with the opening of cards and pressies – what a lucky boy he has been! A few phone calls later and we had breakfast at 11am. After, we decided to check out the skateboard park. As we go right past the post office, we thought 3rd time lucky! It was open! Yay! Our Padron letter was finally sent. Unfortunately, the skateboard park was closed – it opens at 6pm. Weird. A half hour walk back to Hoopla followed, via a cake cafe, then Rob took Jack back aboard. Rob & I strolled through the town with the official birthday cocktails, just before heading back for a swim. All in all, a very nice day! The crew of Dranack reported their arrival on Ibiza and had had a fab crossing
Our last day here was a lovely, sunny one! Rob worked most of the day, while I was on my kindle and Jack was on his new game on the TV. We had a swim at around 5pm and then Rob & I went ashore. Back on board at 7.30 for dinner at 10pm! I guess we are now officially on spanish times. After dinner, we made plans for our next journey to Port de Soller.
We had a fantastic looong stay here in Santa Ponca. Lots of diving in clear waters (and feeding the fish bread!). Lovely memories
29th July; Santa Ponca to Port de Soller, Mallorca
After a good nights sleep, we were up at 9.30. After breakfast, we prepared Hoopla for our onward travel. Rob hoisted up one of his birthday gifts, a Blue Peter flag and we lifted up our anchor at 11.30. Again, unfortunately, it was another motor. We saw 3/4 flying fish which was amazing. We followed the stunning coastline, which had lots of caves. We finally arrived at 5.45pm, after a 6 hour passage. This is a very busy anchorage! We found a space after going round and around in circles, but it’s a good one. Once we had settled, we all had a quick dip in the sea. We are quite disappointed as it’s a green sea and not very clear. We also struggled to see the fishes and we can’t see the bottom. Later, Rob and I sat in the cockpit and watched the yachts that were still arriving at 7.30pm!
30th July to 2nd Aug; Port de Soller, Mallorca
It was a lazy morning for myself and Jack while Rob emptied the water and fuel containers into their respective tanks.We then all took the dinghy ashore for lunch and, after a short walk, Jack was back aboard Hoopla. Rob & I then continued to walk around the town. But its very hot so it was more of a cafe to cafe!
After dinner, Rob took our empty water containers to the nearest pontoon and refilled em! This is one way to fill up the water tank!
Rob emptied the water containers into our water tank the following morning, topping up our water by 50 Litres. Yay! He did some work and then him and I took a bus to Soller, for food shopping. We used our cards on the bus, tapping in and out. We have only been charged a cent so far, so we have to wait to know how much we will actually be charged. Thunder bolt and lightening was forecasted for 11pm so, after dinner, we sat in the cockpit watching it arrive. You could hear the ooohs and the ahhhs from other the other boaties after the spectacular flashes. We quickly realised that our time would’ve been far better spent sorting out fleeces, waterproofs and life jackets hahhaha! Oh. My. Life! As the wind and the rain lashed Hoopla, we saw a yacht drag its anchor, go right past us into the ribs/small motor boats on bouys behind us! It looks like he has got tangled up in the lines of 3 small boats and now is not going anywhere! At least he had a soft impact. We saw at least three others drag too! Rob switched on our engine and stood at the wheel, just in case! It was dark, very windy, (30+ knots) pouring with rain and visibility was very poor. Hoopla was rocking and rolling around in the wind and, at 1am, I had to call it quits and go and lie down Rob managed to lift up our dinghy and he then secured Hoopla to a nearby bouy. Our anchor had held but this was for back up. Rob came to bed at 2am.
At 8.30am the following morning, we woke to what we thought was someone calling out Hoopla but it wasn’t. What we saw was absolute carnage! The poor Belgium yacht had managed to free himself from the pile of dinghies (one had a punctured front, the owner of which was already aboard) and he tried anchoring again. Unfortunately, it didn’t hold and he was blown into two nearby yachts. It was still quite windy with the occasional shower, so not pleasant to be out. We don’t think there was any damage as both crews were fending off! He then motored around for the next couple of hours before finding a good hold! Meanwhile, we saw two other yachts lifting their anchors to move to more secure holdings. The two boats that were in the Belgium kerfuffle appeared to have crossed their anchor chains. Lots of backwards and forwards (and sideways by the wind) later, they managed to separate and one anchored elsewhere. We decided to stay where we were until the weather calms down. Phew! Rob released us from the bouy a little while later and we drifted back onto our anchor, which had held well. It was good to be back on the anchor but we were then sideways onto the roll (which was awful). After making sure that Hoopla was OK, we all took the dinghy to shore for lunch (and to have a break from the roll) and we then explored the shore. We were back on board early evening and back on the roll. Ho hum. After supper, Rob took the dingy and filled up our two water Jerry cans from the marina again. I packed up Hoopla before we turned in, so we could have a good and undisturbed night!
And we did! A very good night was had by all! We woke to no swell at all (such a relief!) and more wonderful sunshine ! Hurrah! Rob had some work to do this morning but at 2pm, we all took the dinghy to shore and we caught the 2.30pm tram to Soller (7€ each). It was so lovely We went through the town, at times only a metre away from some shops and cafes. We had lunch in one of those cafes that was in a courtyard, full of trees. We stumbled across a main square and had a look around an amazing church! We explored for a while, taking in the very pretty town before catching the bus back to the port. Lots of yachts and catamarans have arrived so it’s quite busy here again. A quick swim was had before dinner and turning in. Rob had to pour away the water in the containers, as it looked as if they had bits of crud in them. Shame as its a waste but pleased he spotted it huh? We think that the heavy downpour may have affected the water supply somehow. But, by not using the water it has extended the life of our water filters hahhaha.
3rd to 7th Aug; Port de Soller, Mallorca
Rob & Jack sorted out the scuba equipment and they went for a dive near the rocks. It was a good dive. I had a quick tidy up and hoover while they were out. A second dive followed after lunch and this was even better than the first! A moray eel was even spotted looking out from under his rock.
Rob worked in the mornings and he is still topping up our water tanks from the marina, at 50L a day. We went and found the dive shop as the bottles now need refilling. They said 2/3 hours so we had a wander around the town, followed by a drink in a cafe. Back on board and yachts and catamarans are arriving here thick and fast! A motor boat has anchored close enough to swing over our anchor but it should be ok but then a 40’+ yacht attempted to anchor far too close to us – but moved after Rob took a couple of photos! Hahha. This place is now rammed! No more came over to us, though, and so we decided to turn in.
I was eventually charged €1.80 for my bus rides, much, much better than the €4.50 each way. We heard from Dominic and crew that they are heading our way. Yay! They arrived at 5.30 and by 6.30, we were having a beer while the children stayed on Hoopla. We watched lots of boats coming in and we all agreed that Dominic had arrived just in time!
Rob and I caught the bus to Soller for food supplies while Dominic and crew collected Jack for more swimming and then they all went for a walk to a water tower. Lucky lad as it was a lovely woodland walk and they had a pizza on the way home too! They all met Rob on the pontoon (around 11pm) when he was getting water. Good timing.
Rob couldn’t resist buying an anchor for the dinghy, out of his birthday money, to be used when him and Jack go scuba diving next.
On the 7th, we offered to dog sit while Dominic and crew went into Soller. Lily is a cockapoo and gorgeous! We took her to shore for her walk and she enjoyed a good sniff everywhere. We took her out again in the evening and went to our favourite cafe. Dominic and crew met up with us for a drink. We all decided to try the Indian restaurant that we’ve had our eye on – and it was just what we hoped it would be. Really really tasty! Feeling very stuffed, we made our way back to our boats.
Strong winds have been forecasted during the night (no pun intended ) so I prepared Hoopla before turning in, while Rob went and refilled our water containers (hopefully for the last time).
8th to 12th Aug; Port de Soller, Mallorca
The winds didn’t arrive but the swell has! It’s a tad rolly during our breakfast hahha!
Rob emptied one of the water containers and we now have a full water tank! Whoop whoop! It was a very yucky rolly day, so not much got done and the scuba diving has been postponed until tomorrow, because of the swell (its a tad dangerous).
Rob & I went ashore at around 5pm and at about 6.30pm, Jack went out with Dominic and crew and was treated to a pizza on way back! Lucky Jack!
Later, we saw a yacht being towed in alongside a Spanish RNLI boat! Both of its sails were ripped to shreds and he was taken into the marina. Poor sod!
Rob dropped me at the shore, as I had a date with the launderette, and then him and Jack went scuba diving. Later in the afternoon, Rob and I went in for a dip and I saw a jellyfish! I thought all would be ok but I got stung! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! On deck, we saw lots of the ‘orrible blighters!
Both the crews of Hoopla and Floss met ashore in the evening and all the boys went on the trampolines with the harnesses. They had great fun, with lots of somersaults ! My sting has calmed down and now has almost disappeared, thank goodness.
Rob and Jack went diving again while I was putting away the laundry. In the afternoon, we took the bottles to be refilled and we were in a cafe when the winds picked up. These were very strange, hot winds – as if someone had opened an oven door! We received a call from Jack – a Spanish boat has hit us! We returned immediately but, thankfully, there was no damage as Jack did a good job fending off! We cleared the decks (as it was windy) but unfortunately, one of Jack’s fins was blown overboard! Hopefully it’s sunk to the bottom so we can get it back
There was absolute pandemonium as all the yachts here were being blown each and every way! There were no boats that dragged but we saw two boats, twice, with tangled anchor chains! Our wonderful anchor did another good job! Yay!
First thing next morning, Rob snorkeled and then scuba-dived for Jack’s fin – but no success. We then walked the whole length of the beach, twice, but still no fin It was a long shot anyway but we were both disappointed. It was also so very, very hot! We were both melting! Early evening, Jack went to find the caves with the crew of Floss but the paths to them were closed off, which was a shame. Another pizza on way back, then Jack and boys asked if he could stay overnight again on Floss. He’s having a great time!
It was weird not having Jack at breakfast the next morning!
Apparently, they had fun sleeping out on deck! We picked up Jack mid-morning and took him to the dive shop. We bought him new fins (as he can’t dive with just one!). At €70, they weren’t cheap. It was only a small shop, so not much choice, but he was very pleased with them. Back aboard Hoopla, there was lots of swimming! The new fins are fab! The boys came aboard Hoopla after lunch and Rob went shopping. It’s so hot! hot! Hot!
13th Aug; Port de Soller to Sa Calobra, Mallorca
Our alarm woke us up at 8am! What a shock as we’re now used to waking up at 10! It’s nice, warm and sunny, but cloudy. Our battery is the lowest I’ve ever seen it, at 45%!!!! If we weren’t leaving today, we would have to dig out the generator. We lifted up the anchor at 10.30am and slowly motored past Floss & waved goodbye. We hope to meet up again in Menorca. We exited the anchorage and went straight into a 20kn headwind! Great! Not! But our engine was charging the battery at 35amps!
Two hours later, though, it’s still 20kn on the nose plus a tad uncomfortable, so we decided to stop in Sa Calobra and continue on early tomorrow.
It is still So Very Hot and this is a really nice anchorage to swim in and cool down! Finally we have a very clear, turquoise sea again! Rob & I snorkeled along the cliffs. It was stunning. We were in 10 meters and could see the bottom so clearly! We swam over the posidonia to the coral covered rocks, seeing lots of little fishes. We would have loved to have also walked along the beach and through the tunnel in the cliff, but we are not here long enough. We need to leave here tomorrow, to be in the south of Menorca as strong winds are forecasted to arrive on Tues (17th). It’s fairly rolly here, but manageable. Rob and Jack are currently on deck, watching the shooting stars! It’s so magical.
14th Aug; Sa Calobra to Cala Pi de la Posada, Mallorca
Our alarm woke us up at 7am (ouch!) and we pulled up our anchor at 8am, following a leisurely breakfast and a cuppa! Jack slept on, undisturbed hahaha!
We entered a very calm, flat sea which was lovely. Unfortunately, Tilly (our autohelm) has decided to not work! So Rob and I took half hour turns on helm duty – while Jack slept on. He’s not daft!
The wind was very fluky, which led to a game of the Hokey Pokey for the sails: sails in, out, in, out, then shaken all about!
We were sailing/motoring along, just spitting distance from the shore/cliffs – and its 65m deep! Still no dolphins though.
Well, we arrived here at 1.30, following a lovely 5.5 hour journey. We found a patch of sand amongst all of the posidonia and we dropped the anchor.
Next stop: Menorca! Whoop whoop!
2nd & 3rd Sept; Radjada Marina, Mallorca
Did you notice the jump in the dates? This is the point where we left for Menorca, before returning to Mallorca. Here, we continue our circumnavigation of Mallorca.
We all had a bit of a disturbed night but we did manage some shut eye, thankfully.
There is still a nasty swell and surge, which is not great, and the humidity is making it worse! Pete jumped ashore to explore the town just after breakfast, but I wasn’t brave enough to go ashore without the passerelle and Rob had some work to do. 20 mins or so later, the surge pushed our large ball fender under the quay, it snagged underneath and, as this was attached to our pushpit, it pulled it down and bent it out of shape! This now means that our navigation lights can’t be seen and there is no room to fit the passerelle. This all in about 5 seconds. Damnit!
We’re not sure how Pete is going to get back aboard later!
A little while later, I saw a yacht leaving the fuel berth next to us get one of his lines (ropes) caught on a quayside cleet. The crew managed to free it but then a surge pushed them right onto the corner of the quay! There was a loud crack before they managed to push themselves off. We were stuck on Hoopla so we couldn’t help but where were the fuel attendants? Nowhere in sight. They took their money quick enough though! Unbelievable! And we’re here until Saturday! Gulp!
Pete managed to get back aboard fine – with Rob pulling in the ropes a bit, so we were closer to the quayside. Later, all 3 male Agers decided to go to a cafe for a break from the motion. I wasn’t brave enough to disembark Hoopla – but I was happy to stay on board. Luckily I didn’t join them as, later, another strong surge snapped another one of our lines ashore! I managed to replace it with a passing strangers help! In one day, this marina has cost us a damaged push-pit, navigation lights that now need to be re-positioned and 3 good ropes! €€ !
After breakfast the following morning, Rob Pete & I discussed moving on but we decided to stay in the end. We needed supplies quite desperately, our water needs topping up and the sea state is not brilliant. The two very nice Fjord 42 Open motor boats next to us have moved on. They both had also suffered a fair bit yesterday too! The one nearest to us had his diving platform repeatedly snag under the quayside and it has been ruined! So sad.
Rob thinks we can leave our push-pit mostly as it is and it could possibly make getting on and off Hoopla a little bit easier. But we still have to work out how to rearrange the navigation lights. In the afternoon, Rob and Pete went to the supermarket to top up our supplies (via a coffee stop, of course). On board, Jack and I heard loud, long rumbles of thunder. We had some showers but nothing major but there was sand in that rain though, and I’ve left footprints all over the deck!
Early evening, we topped up our water and the swell and the surge seems to have finally gone down. I took a deep breath and managed to jump off of Hoopla and we had a nice meal out. We had a wander around the town and it is a very pretty place. There are lots of shops, restaurants and cafes. We would have enjoyed our stay a lot more if it wasn’t for the swell and the surge. Now, we’re all just looking forward to leaving here tomorrow and its such a shame.
4th Sept; Radjada Marina to Cala d'Or, Mallorca
We were all up at 8.30, had a quick breakfast and, at 11am, we slipped our lines. Not one of us are sorry to be leaving this place!
Almost immediately, our sails were out at 11.45. Lovely! We have sun, calm seas and sails. Even our spinnaker got an airing! Whoop whoop! It’s beautiful, sailing weather
The wind eventually died at around 2.30pm and so we switched the engine on. We are taking half hour turns at the helm and it’s a pleasant journey along the coast. Pete is surprised at how mountainous Mallorca is. It is a stunning coastline. We arrived at 4.30 and we dropped the anchor. Rob, Pete & I are straight into the water. It’s not quite turquoise but it is lovely, with lots of fishes; saddled seabream.
By 7pm, all the motor boats have left and its just us in the bay. Its so peaceful
5th Sept Cala d'Or to Es Carbo, Mallorca
We woke up at a very respectable 8.30 with our breakfast at 9. Rob & Jack are going for a quick swim before we leave. It’s a lovely, peaceful anchorage here. We pulled up the anchor at 11.15 and it looks like it will be a motor journey all the way. Ah well. Rob says our ETA is 2.30pm but the computer says 5pm! The proof will be in the pudding, as they say. Again, we are on half hour shifts on the helm as the auto helm is not working properly. We arrived here at 3pm – so Rob was right! We had a bit of down time before dinner – all in all, a good evening was had by all.
6th Sept; Es Carbo to Santa Ponca, Mallorca
This is such a peaceful anchorage and it’s a beautiful, sunny morning. We all had a swim after breakfast – well, it would be rude not to, wouldn’t it!
We finally sailed out (yes, you read that correctly; we sailed out) of the anchorage at 12.30. At 1.30 were sailing at 5 knots and we had the spinnaker out too! Rob made the call to change today’s destination. We are now heading straight for Santa Ponca instead of Torrent de Cala Pi, as it’s a great sailing opportunity and not to be missed! And lovely sailing it is too!
Rob decided to put an extra long line on the dinghy, as it kept dipping under Hoopla’s stern. Just at the wrong moment, Hoopla lurched and Rob lost his balance and fell into the dinghy! It was already quite full of water and so it quickly started to sink! Rob asked me to lower one of the davits so he could grab onto it and get aboard. This I did and Rob then took down the spinnaker. Pete (who was on helm duty) could then adjust the main sail and Hoopla stopped in the water! Well done Pete! But then, Rob had to get back in the dingy to attach the davit straps to its floor. We were getting quite worried by this time as the items actually in the dinghy (sails, ropes, etc) are floating around and could actually float away! Rob stood on our ladder to keep the dinghy away from the rudder and, between the two of us (Pete and myself), we managed to lift the dinghy (still full of sea water!) up on the davits! This was no mean feat as it was a TAD heavy! The water in the dinghy could now empty out of its drain. Back onboard, Rob put away the spinnaker and put out our genoa, and we continued on with our sail. The skipper owes his crew a good pint and a half!
After a while, the wind died and we completed the journey under engine and sail. We approached the large anchorage that is Santa Ponca at around 8pm and we dropped the hook at around 8.30pm. We had a quick tidy up before taking the (still damp) dinghy to shore. We soon found out that the only casualty of “dinghygate” was one of my flip-flops! That we can live with! We then made a beeline for our favourite restaurant from when we were here last. That very well deserved pint was soon served, followed by a very tasty meal.
We can relax now as we are here for a good few days, waiting for the strong winds to pass.
7th to 10th Sept; Santa Ponca, Mallorca
My first task was laundry! At 1pm, I was taken ashore to find a self service launderette. This turned into a bit of a mission and it was on the 4th try, we had success! The ones on Google maps were all service washes only and the first one said we could collect from 4pm tomorrow and costs €27! Eerremm… s’ok thanks! In the end, I had it all done by 5pm and at a cost of €13! That’s worth a sangria isn’t it! cheers!
The wind picked up and was howling through the rigging while I was cosy in bed the following morning. The 3 male Agers went for a swim after lunch. Rob and Pete swam to the east cardinal mark nearby and saw a cuttlefish! Apparently his name was Fred! Jack, meanwhile, got out as he got stung – again! He had two strange looking blisters, poor sod! He just needed the ice pack and we soon decided that he may have come into contact with loose jellyfish tentacles? Later, I swam from Hoopla to the shore, keeping a keen eye out for nasty, stingy things! I met Rob & Pete in the bar for a sangria. Very nice too.
I decided to spend a while on the beach the following day, actually using my beach chair! I set myself up with my phone, kindle, etc and settled down for the next couple of hours, having a dip to cool down, when needed. Jack stayed aboard Hoopla and Pete and Rob explored the local shops for bits and pieces for Tilly, the autohelm, and for the keel.
We met up for a cafe lunch and then we all went back on board Hoopla. That afternoon and early evening, Pete removed the controller for the rudder adjustment in Tilly, while Rob did some work.
Loud rumbles of thunder woke us up at 5am next morning, so Rob & I quickly cleared the decks but it didn’t get to us, thankfully. Pete managed to book his return flights and his PCR test (boo!) from Ibiza City. Rob worked most of the day but we all had time for a swim! The sea is lovely and cool after the hot sun!
It appears Pete is coming down with a cold! All that drinking out of wet glasses maybe….Rob & I popped to the supermarket and when back on board, Rob & Pete prepared the decks while I prepared dinner. We have a 10 hour journey tomorrow, so we want to be leaving early, at around 8am if possible.
** Tomorrow, we go to bed in Ibiza! **
