Monday 6th December 2004
Met by Phil Harvey at the airport, Thanks again Phil, for everything you've done to help.
Arrived at boat and dumped all my luggage aboard, seemed like loads, but it is everything I have here, so I guess it wasn't too bad??
We put my pushbike back together, then started exploring the boat, flicking switches and working out the cooker etc. Nearly everything works! (Except fridge which we knew and repair man booked for tomorrow)
Met with James Walters (The Shore Captain) for a beer or two at the clubhouse. As it was his birthday, it seemed only right to have a couple of Guinness' with him ;-) Welcome to Mallorca!
First night
Absolutely Knackered after last week at work
First night alone on the Dolphin.... At last!
Which cabin shall I use? Chose port aft cabin as the aft cabins are larger and it had the best view in the current mooring.
Starboard aft cabin to be my permanent cabin, better storage in this hull due to galley being in port hull. I can spread out into starboard forward cabin for storage when alone.
Just crashed out about 8.30 totally knackered! Lay there listening to water lapping on hull, and creaks of mooring ropes as they stretched with the gentle rocking of the boat.
Tuesday 7th December 2004
Woke up far too early (6:45am) I'd forgotten to turn off my alarm on my phone after yesterday... DOH!
Had my first shower on the boat, can only be described as cosy for a man of my size! I guess since the head (name for bathroom on a boat) cant be made bigger I'll just have to get a bit smaller! The diet and health thing was part of the reason for this change of life anyway!
Sat outside with my first morning cup of tea, (No milk, haven't had time to go shopping yet! Tea bags were left by previous owner!)
Started a list of things to do, only a few items on it!!! Or was that 2 pages of A4 with tasks to keep me busy!
Rushed off to local shop in the marina, had to test the pushbike out! Bought the bare essentials, milk, sugar, bread, butter, ham, cheese etc. I can go out shopping later after the fridge man has been!
Plenty to do today, unpack some bags, check the condition of all bedding. It is mostly good condition, so will only buy a few things. Discovered that there was plenty of crockery, pots and pans, knives and forks, but absolutely no cooking utensils! More on the shopping list!
Fernando the fridge man didn't make it! Phoned Peter Green, as he'd booked Fernando, Peter will be chasing him tomorrow! Not a problem as weather isn't too hot anyway! If I'd known, I could've gone shopping!
Thinking of why I'm here and really glad I've done it. I know I'm going to miss my friends a lot, some of them were hard to say goodbye to! I know they'll come out to visit me when they can, so something to look forward to ;-)
.......
Had to stop there, thinking of friends wasn't the easiest at the moment. So decided to go out shopping again! I can only carry a small amount in my rucksack, so regular small trips look like the plan for now. Off to find the Carrefour supermarket which I've been told is just around the corner.
Found it, no problem, only 5 mins on the bike. Not just a supermarket, but a whole shopping centre, with Carrefour taking half the ground floor. They sell everything, just got to find what you want without trying to describe electrical wiring connectors to a local (That wasn't easy).
I picked up some more food, cleaning materials and kitchen utensils on this trip, but also planned another visit for some new pots and pans and a set of kitchen knives. Oh yeah and for a bit of wine I think!
Caught in the rain cycling back, it came, soaked me for a minute, then went away and sun came back out, I can cope with that!
Decided to fit the new stereo and DVD player in the boat, then I can sit back and watch a film tonight and relax! Removed the "dashboard" panel by the navigation desk and pulled it forward to expose the wiring. Not the prettiest installation from before, but easy to tidy up. Fitted a modern ISO connector to the boats wiring harness, so now any radio can be just plugged in. Tested it and worked first time ;-) Out with the TV next and wired it into new stereo, inserted DVD and hoorah! We have pictures and sound, movies play through the TV and use the boats 4 speakers, which sound great with a film. Just got to put the dashboard panel back in place, as I have no drill, I couldn't feed the TV wires out if I replaced the panel! Another job on the list! Sit back and relax to "Twin Town" My first film aboard and a reminder of Wales!
Wednesday 8th December 2004
Woke at a better time today, 8:30am, much more civilised and no alarms ringing, that's more like it. Lie there for a few minutes, just taking in the sounds from the boat, slept in the starboard aft cabin last night, exactly the same as the port one, but the view wasn't quite as nice, which encouraged me to get up!
Plans for today.... None! Actually that's not true, but it's how it will be soon ;-) Today I have James coming back to take me to meet the marina manager and agree my long term rates here. Time to plead poverty and explain how I have to move on as I can't afford his extortionate prices (nearly £1000 per month) But it is a nice place, very safe, secure fences and guards at the entrance. Thing is, I want to anchor in little towns, not in a berth next to billionaires! I hope to stay just to the end of the year, so I can sort out what I need to, then my friends arrive on 20th for Christmas.
I'm also going shopping with James today, to the local cheaper chandleries away from the marinas. He has saved me a lot of money already, I'm happy with what I'm paying him for his service, except I don't actually know what I owe him! Another task for today, find out and square up any money owed to James.
Time to shut down now, I think I'll enjoy the early morning sun, go outside and pump up the tender, maybe test the outboard? another job completed.
.......
Well half a job done, pumped up the tender and launched it from the trampoline, pulled it round the stern and lifted it up on the davits (Poles on the stern for holding the tender clear of the water). Didn't check the engine, but will do it tomorrow, maybe!
James came round to drop some paperwork off, went to Portals, which is not far down the coast. Lovely place, probably where I'll be for Christmas day. Must book Christmas dinner for 7 at "Wellies" Task for another day! I think I'm getting the hang of Spanish life, nothing is today, everything is mañana (tomorrow) but tomorrow is just another day, after today, but not necessarily tomorrow!
Phil popped round in the evening to say hello, his car broke down right by the boat, nasty burning smell and no electrics, so disconnected the battery and abandoned it! Put kettle on and had a cup of tea! Phil phoned home and the rescue party came out to get him! It was good to see Meg, Sarah and Adam again, they have been great, when I was out looking for the boat, they looked after me and I owe them a lot, thank you all.
Thursday 9th December 2004
Fernando arrived today, checked out the fridge and freezer, both are fine, just needed topping up on gas. He last did them over 2 years ago, so no surprise they needed it! Took about 40 minutes and cost 150€, not a bad hourly rate!
James arrived again, to take me to settle loads of bills, including his, Marina manager visited, gas bottles filled, brokers paid, pubs visited! It's amazing how quickly a day can go by!
James has loaned me some tools so I can finish off a few minor repairs. Working my way down the list of jobs at a leisurely pace! There is no hurry!
Peter the Surveyor popped in as he was in the area, great to see him again, already feel like part of the community.
Quiet night tonight, might watch a film, or might just have an early one, ready for the not very hard day tomorrow.
So much for a quiet night! Decided to cross something else of the list of jobs, so cleaned the cooker! Never a nice job at any time, but when it's old grime from the previous owner, not nice. I ended up totally stripping the cooker down, cleaned everything, using any cleaners I could find. All now fit for use, will have to think of something to cook in there now.
Fridge, freezer and oven all now usable, progress aboard is going well.
Friday 10th December 2004
I thought I deserved a day off today, so didn't do too much.
Weather was nice, so went cycling, up into town and found a web cafe. or more to the poiint, found 3 of them! the first one had no internet connection, but would be working next week! The second one was live, but spoke no English at all and couldn't support my USB memory stick, which had this website on! The third was fully functional, had no coffee, but did sell beer! I spent just over an hour there, had 1 can of beer, checked all emails and uploaded the website from USB. Total cost 2.40€ including beer and web! In the words of Arnie, I'll be back!
Saturday 11th December 2004
Decided I really have to do something productive today, so have decided I will repair the holes in the forward bulkheads, only 6 holes in total, shouldn't take too long! Off to Carrefour for a mains extension lead. I've borrowed a jigsaw, but want to use it on the dockside, not on the boat. Also picked up some other handy stuff whilst there, so back on the boat by about lunchtime! Not bad as it's only 5 minutes away! I guess I must've had a lie in today ;-)
I also met the new neighbours today, lovely couple from the USA. They've just bought their yacht this week and are planning on heading off to Croatia in it in a few weeks. A little bit more experienced than me, so I declined their offer to come with them! Especially as my friends are due to arrive next week, so thought I should stay around!
Spent the day making templates for the holes, cutting and trimming the plywood, then gluing it in place with West epoxy resin. All completed by about 5pm, so one day to repair 6 holes, I think I'm getting used to Spanish life!I've just checked the list of jobs to do, currently stands at 48 tasks, of which I've completed 13. I have completed a lot of tasks which weren't on the list, which makes me feel a little better. Also a lot of the tasks are just trips to the shops, so will do it when I have time. Then again, there's no hurry ;-)
Sunday 12th December 2004
Went to Carrefour to get some food and wine in..... Closed! They still have sundays over here!!!!!Ate out in the Tex Mex instead, first time eating out since I arrived, so don't feel too bad!
Watched the Arsenal Chelsea game with Mike (My american Neighbour) Awesome game, Chelsea deserved to win, but the result was probably the best for me (Being a Man Utd fan)
Early night again, in bed by 9pm, must be working too hard?
Monday 13th December 2004
Survived my first week, starting to relax a bit, and almost forgetting work! Have to email some visio diagrams and some invoices.......mañana! James picked me up about 10am, took me to collect my sails, also out to his place for breakfast, Thanks Anka! Bacon and eggs, lovely! Got my sails back at last, They look good after cleaning and repair, can't wait to get out and try them! We got them on the boat, but too windy to hoist them in the marina, another job for mañana!
Cooked my first ever Paella WOW! This one's for you "Philli Gran" Just need the recipe for Parisien Rice now? Any help Dad / Dave? or should I ask Blue Peter? (Family will understand!) OK I confess, it was from a packet and only needed reheating for 7 minutes in the pan, but it's a start and it did taste really good!
Think I'll watch another film this evening, Underworld looks promising! Bye for now!
Tuesday 14th December 2004
Woke up a bit late this morning, went upstairs and discovered 2 empty bottles of red wine... Strange, I can only remember the first one!
Met another neighbour today, Pete, who looks after the 50ft motorboat about 3 up from me. Whilst chatting, he mentions that it is actually only the tender to the superyacht further along the pier! Apparently it's now only the second biggest tender in Palma, so the owner is commisioning a bigger one! What a life?
Off up to the club for a coffee, ended up chatting there, next thing I know its 12:30 and I haven't done anything yet! Popped into the small chandlery on site, discovered that it has a huge basement area, so went down and just looked around. Came back upstairs to find I'd been locked in! Luckily the owner was only out for a few minutes, but it certainly confused him when he came back!
Went off cycling round town again, popped into the internet cafe to upload the website and check emails, left there nearly 2 hours later and 2€ poorer, great value!
Came back via Carrefour, becoming a bit of a regular in there now! bought a new duvet and another set of covers. Only problem is they seem to sell everything except pillows! Must be available somewhere near here! The ones onboard are really past their prime!
Decided to cook tea tonight and watch the rest of Underworld, as I couldn't remember it finishing last night! It's a good film, worth watching again! Thought I'll sit down and do some paperwork tonight without opening any of the red wine! That'll sort of make up for yesterday!
Wednesday 15th December 2004
Decided to achieve something today, I will get the sails fully on, I will go sailing, or at least move the boat out of the marina!
I did succeed in some ways! The sails are now ready to hoist, I actually had them mostly up in the marina, and they're looking OK.
Didn't get out sailing though, had an offer from Pete (skipper of the 50ft tender) He's free tomorrow afternoon, so we'll probably take the boat out then. I must admit, I'm happy sailing the cat, but not too confident about bringing it alongside afterwards! I'd rather not be alone the first time!
Did some basic maintenance, scrubbed the decks, filled the water tanks, generally tidied up around the place!
Looked at the generator, not starting, can't trace the fault quickly, it's not easy when you're in one hull and it's in the stern locker! Time to check the oven out, one chicken, 350' for about an hour and it's golden, lovely ;-) It's so nice to be home in time to cook for myself!
Thursday 16th December 2004
Have finally got in contact with Ocean Safety, everyone has recommended them for lifejackets, liferaft service etc. Arranged for a visit from their salesman with some sample lifejackets and fire extinguishers. He arrived at 4pm, just as I was thinking of going out for a cycle, saved me some energy at least!
Started feeling very guilty, my friends are coming out for Christmas and I haven't actually booked the table at Wellies for Christmas dinner yet! Better get cycling to Portals, only 12-15km and apparently mostly flat. Off I went at 5.30pm along the coast, through 3 seaside towns, up and down several very long hills, I'm sure they didn't mention those! Most of the journey was by cycle path, only using the orads through the towns, all very pleasant. It took just over an hour to get there, only stopped once to walk a short way up a hill, then finished it cycling. That's a lot better than I would have managed a month ago, must be getting fitter!
Found Wellies, went to the bar and booked a table for 7 Christmas day! Sorry, FULLY BOOKED!!!! I think I'm in trouble! Tried the restaurant 2 down from Wellies, Very friendly barmaid and no probloem with a table for christmas day! RESULT! Table booked, 2pm 5 course meal for 38€ each. 10€ deposit paid per head, lager ordered, and thought I'd better sample their food before bringing friends here, so Lamb Cutlets in a lovely sauce, delicious! Yet another mistake! Full stomach, food and beer, now just got to cycle 15km home over several hills! Starting with the big hill from the marina up to the main road, there was a little bit of walking involved here!
Got back to Palma, with enough energy to go shopping at Carrefour before going back to the boat, I'm actually feeling quite good after the cycling! Yet another balancing act with the bags on the handlebars, wine in the rucksack and another duvet balanced on the handlebars and between my legs, definitely cycling on the pavement time!
Friday 17th December 2004
Waiting for the delivery from Ocean Safety, 14 Flares, 4 quality lifejackets, 1 liferaft, 2 fire extinguishers. Strange how money seems to go so quickly here even when food and wine are so cheap!
Confession Time.......I've wimped
out! I'm coming home and I haven't even moved the boat from the marina yet!
It's a strategic decision, as my friends are coming out on Monday, I already
had the tickets due to a mistake when booking earlier flights, and the chandleries
in Mallorca are a lot more expensive than the ones in the UK. So go home and
go shopping, then return with my friends crew on Monday. Checked my post,
surprisingly few bills, but lots of packages from my Ebay shopping. More stuff
to carry out on Monday.
Had a quiet evening with Jason and Will, couple of beers and a curry, my first indian for 2 weeks and it did taste good ;-) I know this weekend isn't going to do my body any favours, but I've got plenty of time to sort that out when I get back home to my boat.
Saturday 18th December 2004
Shopping Day! Off to Bristol to visit a couple of chandleries and pick up a few items. Ended up spending another £400, but now have some quality Musto waterproofs, more books, waterproof binoculars with compass built in, a Portland plotter for navigation oh yeah and even more books.
Sunday 19th December 2004
Spent the morning doing emails and surfing the web looking for boat info etc.
Went and picked up Sue and took her to Cardiff for lunch and a stroll round Cardiff bay. It's a lovely place, but somehow didn't seem quite the same as Palma! Sue, I promise to take you somewhere warmer in the future!
Back to the house and realise that the pile of stuff in the office which I'm meant to be taking with me, probably won't fit into the rucksack and hand luggage I'd allocated! The crew have arrived and are over at Jason and Vicky's having a pre trip drink, better go and socialize, I can always pack later!
The crew for this xmas consist of Jason and Vic from Caldicot, Mick and Deb from Westbury and Wayne and Alix from Bristol. Due to lack of holidays and something to do with the time of year, Alix wasn't able to make the first few days, so we were setting off without here, then she joins us on xmas eve, hurrah another reason for celebrating! Alix has come over to stay Sunday night and see us all off, then she had to go to work for 4 days! Sorry Alix, we'll make sure everything is ready and wine is stocked up for your arrival!
Sent home to pack, so that everyone can work out what they need to squeeze into their bags when I've finished! Spanners and screwdrivers squeezed into the drill box, Books are heavy, so they go into small rucksacks as hand luggage. My bags are full to the brim, and weigh exactly 20kg which I think is the maximum weight on the flight. Time to start filling the crew's bags!
Monday 20th December 2004
Departure day, only I've ruined theri plans for taking one car, as it was supposed to be 5 people and luggage in a Passat estate, which would be cosy, now it's 6 and we probably won't fit! 7.30am and how big is that boot? All luggage fitted in and with the 2 biggest (me and Jason) in front, the other 4 somehow managed to fit in the rear! It was actually a very comfortable journey to Cardiff (for me and Jas anyway).
Thanks Wayne for lying to customs when they asked if anyone had given you anything to take! I know it was only clothes and an entire rucksack that you didn't even know what was in it!
Arrived in Palma early due to a tail wind, retrieved the luggage after the 10 mile walk from the gate to the luggage collection, time to either take a bus or a couple of taxis to the boat. The bus was ready to leave as we came out, so jumped aboard. 1.80€ per head, so much cheaper than the taxi and a bit of sight-seeing on the way! Sun was out and it was baking on the bus, this is what it's all about!
Short walk into the Club De Mar with our bags, I'm sure evereyone was glad I'd given them the extra luggage, sorry guys! Finally we're at the boat, welcome aboard shipmates! Some made it from land onto the boat, others seemed daunted by the 3ft gap! We passed Deb across with hands everywhere to help her! Promise to bring the boat a bit closer later! After the usual crew arrival procedure of exploring the boat and choosing cabins, it was time to relax for a moment and a beer on the deck. All agreed, this is the life!
First full crew and a trip to Carrefour is a must, for some it's the first chance of a comfortable toilet! The heads (toilets) onboard aren't exactly spacious for a big guy! Stocked up on some food and a bit of beer and wine, just to keep us going, then back to the boat to check that it's all ok. Jason and Wayne start their sampling to ensure that the poisoned peanuts aren't found by any others! (In other words they sat and ate the whole tin between them!)
Tuesday 21st December 2004
Today, we are finally taking the boat out! I have enough crew to fend the sides if there are any problems, let's do it! Unfortunately there were a few problems, having 2 engines 20ft apart means you can turn a catamaran in a really small space, but with an inexperienced skipper, it can be overlooked that the Port engine was revving happily in Neutral, hence not providing the turning effect I was expecting! A bit of work from the crew and we managed to avoid land! Once I'd noticed it was in neutral and decided to engage reverse instead, we were under much better control!
Out of the marina safely and into Palma bay, point the boat up into the wind and the crew were up front ready to hoist the mainsail. Considering nobody else had ever sailed and I hadn't been out much in the past 15 years, we did pretty well. Mainsail up and set in 3-4 minutes, jib unfurled in 1, crew doing as they were told and all aboard was well! Decided it was best to see how well she sails into the wind before taking her to our planned destination, so close hauled the sails and made good progress at about 40' to the wind. Not bad for a catamaran and we're doing about 8 knots in 15-20 knots of wind. We crossed most of the eastern bay of Palma, putting in a few tacks just for the practise and getting almost as far as Arenal, before going about and setting course on a broad reach towards Portals.
Head galley chef, Deb, set about in the Kitchen, knocking up a cooked breakfast as we made way across the bay. Thanks Deb!
We made it to Portals in good time, dropped the sails as we approached harbour, then Jas, Mick and Wayne are off up front to drop anchor. Anchor out, lots of chain let out and we're not moving. Time for a bit of relaxation, then up anchor and take her back out again. We only stopped for the practise and all was relatively slick. Close hauled back to Palma, a couple of tacks to get into the harbour area, sails down and motored alongside the mooring. fenders out and crew ready to jump ashore, all went well, nothing hit, boat made secure and ready for the night!
A lovely day, sunny, good wind and a crew learning the ropes, time for a beer.
Wednesday 22nd December 2004
The big voyage! We're off for a couple of days today, out of the marina, all the way to the western tip of the Palma bay, past a couple of peninsulars and round to Santa Ponsa, a natural cove which should provide a sheltered anchorage in most weather. We set out smoothly from the marina, Easterly winds taking us on at a steady pace across the bay. We passed the lighthouse at Pta. de Cala Figuera and took a course west towards El Toro, then on to Santa Ponsa. Just after passing Cala Figuera, we saw our first pod of dolphins, 4 or 5 of them off the stern, performing tricks just for us.... Life is great ;-)
Approaching Santa Ponsa the wind dropped and was coming straight out of the bay, so we tacked a couple of times, then decided to drop sail and motor the last 1/2 mile into the anchorage.
The slick crew dropped anchor in a quiet cove on the western side of the bay. Time to go swimming! We tested the water by hand and it felt ok, so swimming shorts on and in we go..... Test the water again by feet and suddenly it feels colder! Mick jumps in, so I couldn't back out.... Off the bow and swam back between the hulls, straight onto the swimming ladder and back out! It wasn't exactly warm, but had to be done.
Now time to check out the tender. We lowered it in and fitted the outboard, off I went, past the hotels and bars and down to the beach. I found a small bay just big enough to come ashore, so took the tender in for practise, then back to the blue dolphin. Camera passed down and I set off for a photo shoot of the boat at anchor, would've been ok if I hadn't stalled and flooded the outboard. Time to paddle just in case! Got back to the dolphin and restarted the motor and off I went, photos will be on the site at some point!
Our first night at anchor, peace... It was so quiet, with no creaking ropes, just the lapping of the waves on the hull. Watched The Italian Job (new version) and I had an early night. Wayne and Mick stayed up and were treated to a firework display at midnight from one of the hotels onshore.
Thursday 23rd December 2004
All woke up feeling good, agreed it was the best night so far. No morning fishing boats going past, no creaking ropes from being tied up alongside, just the gentle lapping of the waves on the hulls.
We decided to up anchor and head off fairly early, galley chef Deborah promising to cook breakfast on the way.
Vicky at the helm (still in her pyjamas) and we set off under power out of the bay. Not much wind, so we'll motor out a bit, then get the sails up. We noticed that both diesel tanks were running at about 1/4 so either turn back and refuel, or motor to Puerto Adriano just round the corner and fil up there... Adriano won the choice as it was forward on our journey back to Palma.
We pulled into Adriano, escorted in by a couple of locals in a rib. filled up with diesel and topped up the water tanks. We squeezed in about 140 litres of diesel for about 120€ which didn't seem too bad. I think it's about 50p per litre for the diesel.
Back out at sea again and sails up to head for home, the wind has shifted to a westerly, so behind us all the way back to Palma. Set the autopilot, sit back, relax and keep lookout for the dolphins. Spotted again, just past Pta. de Cala Figuera in the distance off the stern, then again half way between us and Magaluf.
The wind wasn't very strong, mostly less than 8 knots, but we were still making steady progress cruising at 4-5 knots across the bay. She seems to do about half the wind speed in most directions as a rough guide. Back in Palma in about 3 1/2 hours, back alongside with no problems at all.
Crew given shore leave and they're off for a stroll through town. We headed along the promenade for a bit of sightseeing before going up into town and back towards Carrefour! Deborah had made the list of provisions, ready for the big shop to get through the xmas weekend. 6 crates of beer, 20 bottles of red wine (1.20€ a bottle) some lemonade, water, a bit of food and a plunger to clear the blocked toilet on the port side!. Should get through a few days at sea!
I grabbed a taxi with Jason as there was no way we could carry all this beer, even with 7 of us! We were back at the boat, all loaded aboard and the plunger succesfuly tested before the others made it back to the boat. Jason is awarded the role of ships plumber after his succesful work!
Friday 24th December 2004
Not such a good night, creaking ropes and fishing boats are back. Not a problem for me, as I'm famous for sleeping through anything, but Vicky was found upstairs in the salon, having not slept too well! Plans for today included have a lie in, go for a walk around the old town, collect shipmate Alix from the airport
We left the boat about 11am, strolled along the promenade, then headed to a cafe for breakfast. On to the old town and Palma Cathedral. We split up here, with some doing the sightseeing and exploring, whilst I set off with Wayne to find a bus stop to get out to the airport. Alix was due to land at 2pm so loads of time.
We ended up walking another mile or so out to the end of Palma, where we saw a bus stop down a side street, we checked it out and sure enough, number 1 bus from port to airport stops here every 15 minutes or so. 5 minute wait and there it was, only 10 minutes to the airport by bus and head for arrivals over half an hour early, time for a coffee. Check out the arrivals board and there it is Cardiff flight, already landed... 20 minutes ago! I was just saying to Wayne that she'll be collecting her luggage any minute now, when she walked through the door, what perfect timing! Wayne held up the card with Alix - Blue Dolphin, just in case she'd forgotten what we looked like! Hugs all round and the crew are complete. Just missed the bus back to the port, so into a taxi and we're back onboard nearly an hour before the rest of the crew return from sightseeing. Wayne showed Alix around, whilst I sunbathed on the trampolines with a cold beer, this is the life!
The crew returned from sightseeing and after a quick refill of the water tanks, we're off for Portals, our destination for xmas day. Sails up as soon as we were out of the harbour and off we go, not much wind, but we're in no hurry, so steady progress at 3-5 knots across the bay.
We dropped anchor just outside Portals Marina entrance, protected by the breakwater from easterlies and by land from everything but a westerly. should be a calm night. Anchor down, we decided to test the tender and practise the runs ashore and check out the local pubs! Jason who doesn't exactly love the water somehow ended up first in the tender, so set off with Mick to check out the small landing jetty over by the beach. looks fine they say, perfect for us, so Mick becomes the tender captain and takes Vicky and Deborah across he returns soon after and we can see them on top of the jetty so all must be well. Unfortunately, they'v e discovered that whilst the ladders were good, the jetty didn't actually have any planks on it, so getting ashore was more of a case of walking along a thin metal support whilst holding onto the rails, all part of the adventure eh Debbie???
All onshore, tender tied up and we're off exploring. Portals is a lovely place, very exclusive marina, with lots of restaurants, bars and designer shops overlooking the boats. This is the image of life on the Med for the very rich. We're anchored 200m outside the marina for free and enjoying a sample of their life! We strolled along the front to see the town, then headed for Key West as that was where xmas dinner would be. Definitely an English style bar when you go upstairs, with a few large tv screens showing the golf on Sky Sports. Ordered a round of 7 drinks and they charged us 6€ must be a mistake? Next round, 4 San Miguels, 3€! We like this bar! Even with generous tips, we were hardly spending anything, so felt forced to have another round or 3. Due to a lack of food in Keyt West, we went to Wellies for something to eat, the food was ok but Jason wasn't impressed with his salad! More of a starter than a main meal for a lad of his size!
Back aboard, watch a film and settle in for the night not a bad way to spend xmas eve?
Saturday 25th December 2004
Xmas day and the weather has turned! Wind is now Westerly, the only direction from which we're not sheltered! This caused a bit more noise from the waves hitting the boat, which meant Vic hadn't slept too well again... Sorry Vic!
Everyone seemed a bit lethargic today, no rush to get up, no rush to do anything, especially Alix, who didn't appear until about 11:30. When we finally had a full complement of crew, time to open the presents! Some really cool and appropriate presents all round. I really hope I don't need the survival at sea chapters in the SAS book though Jas? I do promise to read it just in case I need to fend off sharks from my liferaft!
We've already decided that we're taking the boat alongside the visitors quay instead of using the tender to get ashore, so about 1pm we're all dressed up ready for xmas dinner and it's back to work, anchor up and motor her alongside. We're met by the harbour master, who helps to tie her up and asks how long we're staying, 2-3 hours I said, just long enough for xmas dinner and then we're off again. I had to take the ships papers, registration etc to be photocopied, then we were into town for our dinner at Key West.
5 course meal, excellent service, Spanish guitar and singing in the background (or serenading Jason) View out over the marina and the sun's started to cook Mick in the window seat! Not a bad way to spend xmas day, thanks again shipmates!
Back onboard and we decided to move to somewhere more sheltered for tonight, Portals Vells looks good in the pilot book. A combination of 3 coves all in a slightly larger bay. looks sheltered from everything except a south easterly wind, so off we go. I've got to practise sailing the boat single handed, so the crew aren't allowed to help this time. I motored out of the marina, set the course on autopilot and set about removing the ties from around the mainsail. Back to the helm, head up into the wind and set the autopilot again, then back up front to hoist the main. Much abuse from the crew, as I'm raising the mainsail, hauled up and winched the last bit to get the luff really tight. Back into the cockpit and take her round to 35' off the wind and we're almost dead on to Portals Vell. Set the autopilot again and I'm off to unfurl the jib, so easy from the starboard side, just uncleat the furling line and haul in on the jibsheet and out she comes. Set the traveller for the jib, tidy up the sheets and listen to the criticism from the crew. I didn't think I'd done too badly!
We made it almost to Portals Vells, when the sky started to darken up ahead and the threat of some rough weather was looming. Our current speed was only 2-3 knots in the falling wind and we were just 2 miles from Portals Vells, so time to start the engines and motor in the last bit. The crew watched as I furled the jib, took her up into the wind and set the autopilot, then lowered the main, tied the mainsail to the boom and got back on the helm. I have to agree with the crew, but it wasn't as tidy with me doing it alone as when the crew did their stuff, but I managed ok with no real problems, so for me that was a result!
We arrived in Portals Vells, headed for a quiet corner, well sheltered from the weather and dropped anchor. let out far too much chain, but we definitely wouldn't be dragging the anchor anywhere! The boat was almost still as we sat there in a beautiful setting, a few fisherman on the shore and a happy and contented crew.
We sat in and did the traditional xmas thing, ate chocolate and crisps, drank wine and beer, watched a couple of xmas films, "Elf" and "a Miracle on 34th street" by the end of the night, we did all believe in Santa and all was well on the Blue Dolphin!
Sunday 26th December 2004
What a lovely night, combination of quite a lot of wine and a really sheltered night and everyone slept well. Weather is lovely and now we can see the bottom as the sea is so clear, beautiful setting, you can imagine how busy it would be in the summer, I bet very few people get to see it as quiet as it is now!
We decided to do something usefull today and fix the starboard toilet! Blockage from Friday hadn't yet been investigated! Pump off, we found a metal plate which needed adjusting and put it all back together, no better! Take it apart again and decide the problem is in the pipe between the pump and the sea cock, opening the sea cock should let water rush into the boat, but nothing is coming through, remove the pipe from the valve before the sea cock and we now have both ends of the pipe open, run the shower head into it and sure enough, nothing out the other end, we have found the blockage! 1 hour later, we've rammed it with lengths of hose, dunked it in the sea, tried everything, to no avail! We still have a blockage! Time to give up and look for new pipe or a proper tool for clearing it at the next chandlery. Luckily the port head is working fine! Decide to investigate spare parts, or even a spare pump at the next chandlery!
The weather isn't so great today, not rough, just light drizzle for most of the day, not a problem, just stay here in our own little bay and watch a movie again in the afternoon, Van Helsig helps to pass the afternoon.
Evening tea consisted of sandwiches and cup a soups, no desire for anything heavy from anyone.
Monday 27th December 2004
Today, Jason is in charge of the boat, I'll just advise him, but not do too much! I'd earnt a rest having sailed it solo yesterday! We upped anchor fairly early and there wasn't much wind, so motored out of the bay and past the lighthouse before hoisting the sails! The main halyard caught round a stay, so slacken off and a bit of work to free it, then up they went. We had to beat to windward around the coast in light 5 - 10 knot winds.We sailed right round the coast and into Andratx harbour, before spinning up into the wind and dropping the main inside the harbour we almost looked professional!
Supermarket closes at 3pm so big shopping! Motored across to the mooring buoys and picked one near 2 other cats that were tied up to identical buoys. We tied up and let her come to rest, then checked for drift, but appeared to be staying firm. keep an eye on it for a while and all was good.
Mick is skipper of the tender, so he ferries us across to the jetty two at a time.Tie up the tender to the pontoon and padlock it for security. The outboard is padlocked to the tender, so all safe to leave.
Found the supermarket at 2.30 and it closes at 3pm, so time for more shopping. Bought more food and 4 different bottles of cheap wine, chance to sample them later then choose the best to restock before moving on!
Found a posh German restaurant, where the menu looked good, so in we go, shopping bags and all. I think we all had steaks, the lads on large Argentinian steaks, which were amongst the best I've ever tasted, really nice. Might have to come back here one day?
Back to the tender and out to the cat again, watch a film before heading for bed and an early night!
Tuesday 28th December 2004
Weather is lovely, baking sunshine, so decide to head into Andratx town, just 2.5 miles inland from Port Andratx.
Ashore and we pop into the harbour master's office, weather report is pinned to the wall, Gale warnings, 6-8 gusting 10. Same forecast for tomorrow, yet there's no wind now, all is calm!
We took the cat into Club De Vela to fill up with water, wrong pontoon first, didn't go alongside as it looked wrong! A man on the jetty pointed out where we should go and we came alongside smoothly. Filled up the water tanks almost empty, 500 litres took about 5 minutes and paid the sum of 3€ for the water, less than a penny a litre, bargain!!!
We reached the bus stop and the bus is already there, check with the driver and he doesn't leave for half an hour, so we decide to walk. An hour and a half later and we're in Andratx, I'm sure that wasn't 2.5 miles as the book said! maybe in a direct line, but not along the twisty road!
We stroll along the main road into Andratx, looking for a coffee shop, or even just anywhere for a rest! Nothing on the main road, but we spotted a square down a side street that looked promising. 3 cafe's and chairs out in the sunshine, lovely! Time for a couple of pints, then we're definitely getting the bus back. Not much to see in Andratx town, all agreed we preferred the Port. I might come back and explore further another day!
Over an hour waiting at the bust stop, then eventually a bus arrives going in the right direction (3 have gone towards Palma!)
Back in the port and we decide to stroll through the backstreets and find a restaurant for tea. Vic fancied Paella, so we hunted down a restaurant serving Paella, only for 3 of us to order it, and Vic had Lasagne!
The weather has picked up a bit now, looking a bit rough against the shore! So we stroll down to the supermarket and stock up on provisions (more wine, snacks and chocolate!).
We get round to the tender to discover that it is tied up still, but on a lee shore, the wind has picked up and could easily be the force 6-8 that was forecast! With the waves breaking onto the tender it's not looking good for the trip back aboard! A couple of attempts to dodge the waves and unlock the tender, and the general opinion is that it's not safe to try and get back to the boat, time to for a contingency plan?????
ABANDON SHIP!!!!!
We lifted the tender out and carried it right up the pontoon and up onto the concrete, tied and padlocked it, nice and secure.
Back into the harbour master to enquire about hotels in the area!
Booked into the Hotel Bismar, with only our shopping and the boat moored up across the harbour, just visible from the window! The crew headed for their rooms agreeing to meet in 10 minutes at the bar, half an hour later all crew had had showers or baths and headed for the bar! A few drinks and off to bed,
Wednesday 29th December 2004
Breakfast in the hotel, several crewmembers reported poor sleep in a room that was rocking! We need to get back aboard ship today! Stroll round the harbour, back to the tender and everything is looking calmer than yesterday. The tender has lost it's oar and been untied from the mooring hoop, luckily it was padlocked to another one and the outboard is padlocked on, so we still have transport! Back on the cat and everything is fine. Quick check around and no water anywhere, all is safe and sound aboard, she's survived her firast storm on a mooring with no problems at all. Fire up the generator to get some hot water and time to make plans for the day!
We have no plans! Wether forecast is more rough weather, so we decide not to leave Andratx as we have a safe mooring. We'll spend the night here again, but aboard this time and head back to Palma tomorrow when the weather should've passed.
Time to check the odd jobs list! Most of them are done, but still a few to do, so drill the salon door to give a really secure lock when inside. Crew agree that pirates won't get us whilst we sleep now! We rewired the new 12v lighter sockets so they are running off a dedicated 15A trip, tidied up the second anchor locker and chain. We actually achieved quite a bit today! Have a few drinks tonight and watch a film, then back to Palma tomorrow, ready for the crew to fly home on Friday.
Thursday 30th December 2004
Wake up to a sunny day, but still strong winds, time to rethink the plans for sailing back this morning, power up the wind instruments and we still have 20-25 knots of wind in the harbour, so that's force 5-6 in the shelter! We might not be sailing today! The wind calms down, weather is looking much better, a joint decision from the crew is that we should check the forecast then go for it, all hands are keen to sail! The barometer is looking fairly steady so the weather should stay constant!
Before heading ashore to check the weather forecast at the harbour masters office, we have a guest motor over in a tender. Robert Jensen actually owns the mooring we've tied up to. He is very friendly and has no problems with us using the buouy. He explains that they are all free to be used at this time of year, but not to trust some of them as the locals often only use small anchors. His have four anchors placed by divers and are very safe. Robert owns one of the cats moored nearby and looks after 4 others.
We asked about the tenders they have as they look exactly like what I'm after, short with centre consoles and outboards, but short enough to fit between the hulls. Does he know what make they are and where you can buy them? Yes, they are an Italian make, AB Something and he sells them locally! 3.80m with 40hp outboard for under 10k€ and they also make them at 3.20m which would fit onto mine, will get a price from him later on. I took his card and may be interested in a deal once I've strengthened the davits and fitted the solar panels!
We asked about the weather and he warned us that the wind had calmed down, but there were currently 45 knot winds over Minorca and they'd be here in a couple of hours, so best to stay here another day or two.So that's our day planned then, stay here, enjoy the sunshine and not do much! We have enough food aboard and enough wine and beer, so we're ok. Only problem might be getting everyone ashore in the morning if the weather is rough tomorrow.
Problem solved, the crew have been reading the pilot book and decided we should bring the cat into Club de Vela for the night, that way, we can go ashore for our last night together and everything is easy for the morning. I go ashore with Mick in the tender and check where we should berth, they point out the visitors quay on a map and we go back and prepare the boat. We take her in, powering against the wind, but still very easy to control. I was able to nose in towards the berth, then just spin her around on the engines and reverse up the last 10 feet, with the help of the marinero to catch our ropes, we were really pleased with how easy it was to go stern to the quay, even in the wind.Mooring lines tied up and we were ready for the night, just plug in the mains and top up the water, then into town for tea!
More problems! The berth had 3 different types of mains socket, but none the same as the one fitted to our power cable! We had some spare plugs aboard, so out with the screwdrivers and wire cutters and swap the plug for a 16A commando. We left enough lead on the original cable to allow me to make up an adapter cable for when I go back to Palma.
Out with the hose, but again, wrong fitment so need an adapter here! Buy one from the marinero for 6€ but still need another garden connector for the hose, so we improvise and hold the hose on the end, enough to fill the tanks and it'll be more to buy when the chandlery is open. At least this should leave me fairly well kitted out for other marinas!
We head into town and find a nice cafe full of locals for a couple of beers, then back to the boat in order to shower before going out for the evening. Into town and we fancy a chinese, there's one overlooking the harbour which looked good, so in we go! They do Chinese, Japanese and Thai, so plenty to choose from, probably the biggest menu I've seen! Service was great, food excellent, a good choice for the last night with the crew.One drink in the English bar (Spanish bar with English name "Tim's bar" showing Sky Sports) then back to the boat for some wine, a film then bed!
Friday 31st December 2004
They're off today, it'll be sad to see them go, but also quite nice to sort the boat out for me! I haven't really unpacked since coming over this time as I need to spread out into another cabin, even just to get sorted then put it all away!
Everyone's up fairly early today, we've got taxis booked for 11am to take them back to Palma, so time to get up, drink tea, pack bags, shower and into town for a little last minute shopping for some of the crew.
It was really strange when the taxi's arrived 20 minutes early, as I was on a phone call from a friend and even though I cut it short, I felt as though I hardly said goodbye. Oh well, they'll just have to come back out again later (when it's warmer).
All in all, I think everyone enjoyed themselves, the weather could've been a bit better, but we had some days of shorts and t-shirts, and only 3 days when we couldn't leave harbour due to gales! Even on the rough days, it was still quite warm and comfortable outside!
I've learnt a lot about the boat, having guests highlights things, like fresh water runs out very quickly (especially if one of the 250 litre tanks is switched off!), toilets do block easily (I need to create some guidelines for new crew members in future) and solar power will be necessary if I'm going to spend a lot of time at anchor and not have to run the generator every day!
From my side, it's been a brilliant 10 days, we've achieved so many things and shown my friends how easy sailing can be (in the right weather conditions). I couldn't have asked for a better group for my first Christmas aboard. Thanks Crew!
After the crew left, I did a bit more pottering about the boat, checked nothing had been left (Deb, I found your book, so I'll add it to the library until next time you're out!)
I hoovered the salon and mopped the decks down and just tidied up my own stuff, now I had space. For the first time in 2 weeks, my bed now had no extra baggage stacked up on the side!
The weather isn't bad, but there are some black clouds over the mountains, so I decide that I'm staying here tonight. I'll go to the British bar (Tim's Bar) and see in the New Year. I headed down there at 9pm and the town is almost dead! Lots of bars and restaurants are open, but there's nobody inside! I get to Tim's and it's a bit livelier, 3 locals, 3 Germans and a table with 6 English speakers (American, New Zealand and other Europeans I think). The table of six left about 5 minutes after I arrived, they were off for a meal. The locals had already gone and the Germans only stayed 20 minutes or so. At one time, it was the barman, one local and myself in the bar! Time to drink up, go for a walk, then back to the boat, It's going to be a quiet New Year!
I get back home and put on "The Italian Job 2" and settle down with abottle of red wine. All is going well and I'm enjoying the film, when all hell lets loose outside! It's midnight and every bar / house / person in town must have fireworks! It's like a competition to see who has the best! There are rockets shooting across the harbour from all directions. I just stood in the cockpit and enjoyed the show, it was a good way to see in the New Year!