Category: Ports of Call (Page 19 of 39)

It was time to move on, our Schengen clock was ticking. Once again, the forecasts were off, and the promised forecast of SW winds at 10 knots were diddly squat, and we had to motor up the coast. Luckily it was a beautiful coast to enjoy. Unfortunately, the swell had really begun to build at the end of the day from the northwest, and I was fearful for the anchorage I had picked. We had already passed a couple of options and decided to push on to get more miles and time under our belt.

We were nearly on top of the entrance to Cala Castell before we could even see a way in. It didn’t look promising with all the swell, but we decided to give it a chance and we would leave immediately if it didn’t work. What a surprise were we in for.

The swell dropped almost immediately, and as we entered we found only one other boat at anchor. You couldn’t fit many boats in as it was. We dropped the hook and breathed a sigh of relief. Of course it was so remote and the cliffs were so high there was no cell service, but we didn’t need it. We just breathed in the beauty. It was just us, the lone other boat, and the goats on shore. Breathtaking.

We knew that we wanted to see the town of Soller on the north coast, but unfortunately north winds were coming that would not make the port a good anchorage (it’s small to begin with and does not have good holding). We opted to stay in Santa Ponsa, and once again rely on the bus to Palma. This time, though, we switched to a charming old wooden train that takes you right to the village of Soller.

We took the tram down into the port of Soller first. It’s pretty, but not much more than a series of restaurants, shops, and hotels in a quaint little waterfront. We did splurge and have an amazing lunch by the water, though. I had no idea that the islands were famous for their salt, as we got to sample three varieties with our lunch.

After lunch we took the tram back up to the village, which was really charming. We wandered around, checked out the shops, had a drink or two, and then eventually caught the train back.

We had planned to take the bus into Palma, as it only takes 30 minutes, and the anchorage (free) is much cheaper than Palma marinas. We were on our way to the dinghy dock when we passed by Lagos boat neighbors Brendan and Brenda from s/v Lir. They were kind enough to offer us a drink, which led to another, which led to dinner, which became a very late night. So much for Palma, but it was fun to chat more with them!

The next day we finally made it into Palma. I was a little bit disappointed to be in mega yacht central, as Parsifal III from Below Deck (Reality TV) had just moved to Ibiza, and Jeff Bezos’ two yachts had also left port (after his proposal). I ogled the remainders half heartedly, while Trip shopped in some local chandleries.

You can tell by the photos from this post that the cathedral is what blew us away. We’ve seen forts and fortresses, and ruins everywhere, but this was something out of Pillars of the Earth! La Seu took 400 years to build and still stands out as a magnificent landmark. The interior is beautiful, if a little peculiar; over the altar hangs a crazy canopy designed by Gaudi, and the walls of a side chapel seem to have fish crawling out of them, as part of a 2013 modern art installation re-telling the parable of the fish and the loaves.

We wandered around town a bit more, had a drink or two, and then followed up on a tip from a fellow cruiser – there is an awesome second hand marine shop just outside the city. We got there with an hour until closing, and we pretty much used every minute. But I’m happy to say we have all the lines and snubbers needed for our winter berth at much less cost than we planned! The clerk helping us even threw in a Mediterranean fish guide (glad it lists all the animals with their scientific names, as I have to translate the Spanish to English).

With the forecasted winds and swell, I changed my mind on anchorages and we headed to Santa Ponsa. We had been warned that it was very touristy (and it was) and potentially crowded with boats (it wasn’t), but it’s also a great place to make a base. There’s grocery stores and laundry and buses all within quick reach. We used a combination of the new Donia app and Google maps and found a stretch of sand with no Posodonia and dropped the hook.

There was a small marina nearby, so Trip picked up extra fuel and water (it’s hot and sticky and we need showers!). I was able to get out the paddle board to explore a bit, and the waters seemed to be jellyfish free, so we could enjoy some swimming too.

I had seen them from the boat in the Xarraca anchorage, but the water was clear and there weren’t many swimming around. I decided to go for a swim. I scraped the boat at the water’s edge and cleaned the hull a bit, then decided to just swim around. There were plenty of jellies in the water, but they were easy to avoid. Until I tuned and apparently swam right into one. Wham, and I had a sudden pain around my neck and upper chest and then forearm and wrist – I knew immediately what it was.

It took a few minutes to swim back to the boat. Once onboard, I took a shower to rinse off, and slowly the pain started to build. Luckily we had cell service again and I started googling treatments. I knew that urine was a myth as a treatment, but was surprised to learn that vinegar is not recommended either. Instead, you submerse (or apply compresses) in as hot of water as you can tolerate without scalding yourself (exactly what Alejandro had told us back in Balandres). This denatures the protein of the jellyfish venom and slowly reduces the pain. After that it was a couple of ibuprofen followed by some cortisone cream and witch hazel wipes every few hours. The pain and swelling was gone by the time we went to bed, and I’m now left with red marks that hopefully disappear soon and do not scar. Lesson painfully learned.

It was on to Cala Xarraca for one final stop on Ibiza. We wound up doing another spinnaker run, this time along with fellow OCC members Gar and Orla. We typically never anchor in the shallows close to shore, and indeed stay further out, but the posodonia was thick further out, and we found a perfect spot close to shore all in sand which affords great holding for the anchor.

After an interrupted swim (more about that later), Gar and Orla came over for sundowners and we got to hear all about their circumnavigation that they did when they were young (incredibly unusual, as most people do it after decades of sailing and in retirement). They also had lots of recommendations for future anchorages and were loads of fun to have on board for a drink.

Northeastern winds were forecasted, and this side of Ibiza doesn’t have many good hidey holes. I consulted the charts, Navily, and NoForeignLand (apps where users post reviews of anchorages and marinas), and found one possible spot. Trip was skeptical, but agreed to check it out.

We wound up in one of the most spectacular, isolated anchorages of the season. There was only one other boat at anchor, and we tucked in nearby. It turned out to be very good protection, though the winds were not too strong.

The cliffs above us were absolutely breathtaking, and the geology was there to read with your eyes.

We went for a row the next morning to investigate the old fishermen’s huts that had been built at the edges of the water. Boat neighbors Maria Jose and Alejandro, who have been cruising the Med for 30 years, explained that the huts aren’t used much anymore, as tourism has become a much more lucrative prospect for income. Maria was a professor with the University in Madrid for thirty years , and has written books about political philosophers de Tocqueville and Rousseau. It was interesting to hear about how interpretations of history changes as time evolves. Maria was working on an updated version of a book she wrote thirty years earlier and it required significant changes to be updated with current thoughts.

At some point during the day, we were joined by the mega yacht Rising Sun, owned by David Geffen. I didn’t know it at the time (we had no cell service), but celebrities are usually on board. I had joked that I thought I saw Ellen Degeneres and her wife Portia DeRossi on jet skis by us, but who knows?

We managed a spinnaker run from the Talamanca anchorage up around the corner to Cala Escondido. It was a stunning sail, but a little hair raising with the gusts between the mainland and Es Vedra islands.

We dropped the anchor along with a dozen other boats and just relaxed and enjoyed the spot. We went for a swim, and then settled in with drinks and listened to the drums on shore. Apparently it’s one of ‘the’ sunset areas on the island, as some boats near us jockeyed for positions with front row views.

Trip wasn’t ready to move on yet, but our Schengen clock is ticking….we have 64 days to enjoy the Balaerics, Sardinia, and Sicily before we have to get out of EU waters. So off to Ibiza it was. Despite light winds (well under 10 knots), we had a glorious sail up to the island.

Ibiza has a reputation as the summer party capital of the world. We’re still a few weeks away from high season, but it’s gearing up hard and fast. We would never be able to afford a berth in a marina here, but there is a lovely cove around the corner. It you can find a bit of sand amongst the posidonia sea grass, you’re only a short dinghy ride, short walk, and a ferry trip across the harbor to the old town.

Upon first glance, I thought I was back in Tangiers. Fortresses plus dilapidated but charmingly crowded old white buildings. Then again, that pretty much describes everywhere in Europe with a good natural defense location that was inhabited by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Moors, etc. And Ibiza has had its share.

We had dinner at a restaurant outside of the crowded tourist zones featuring basque (northern Spain) cuisine that was so satisfying. We then spent the rest of the evening wandering around town. We spent most of our time up in the old town along the walls of the fortress. However, there is nothing I love more than people-watching and this is the place to do it. Ibiza is a place to see and be seen. Vacations are carefully planned and budgeted, it can be crazy expensive to come here. Outfits are very carefully planned as well – you have to look carefree and bohemian but in a chic expensive way. This is one of those places where you can never be too rich, thin, or young. The music is thumping from a DJ at an outdoor stage by 7 pm and apparently it goes till the wee hours of the morning. None of this describes much of anything we usually enjoy, but this town also oozes a charm that I never expected. Such a delight!

Welcome to the Balearics! The overnight run from Cartegena only got us 5 hours of sailing (wind coming exactly from the direction we were heading when there was wind), but they were fabulous hours and the wind vane worked perfectly. Once again, like the last anchorage before Cartegena, we found ourselves racing to drop anchor in a completely new spot at 10 pm with the last shreds of daylight.

We dropped the hook on a Friday night, knowing that Formentera comes to life on the weekends. Sure enough, at 10 am, the party boats came pouring over from Ibiza, with jet skis and a lot of loud music. Interestingly, everywhere we go in Europe, all the music is American stuff from the 80s and 90s, hmmmmm. I’m not complaining, but Trip is sick of ABBA.

Since we were on the outer edge of the anchorage, we got all the monster yachts anchored around us.

We had our first dragging incident of the season, with the lovely Lady Ann drifting slowly past us. Unlike most situations, it was not an emergency (no high winds), Lars, the owner, was onboard and could see what was happening. They never got close to us or caught our chain. They moved and reset cleanly, and later came over by dinghy to chat. Lars was kind enough to give us lots of information about Ibiza, where we were headed next.

We headed in to shore in the afternoon, enjoyed a beer at one of the local bars, and then took a walk along the cliff tops.

Once we were back on board, Trip went for a swim and I finally broke out my new (to me) inflatable paddle board. The board is small and light, and the anchorage was a bit rocky with boat wakes, so I stuck to paddling on my knees, but the goal is to get up onto my feet soon!