Saturday 1st January 2005
I am alone! My friends have gone and it's reality time now! I'm planning on sailing solo back to Palma today, the weather is looking nice, but there's no wind!
A chance to go shopping first and pick up some essentials before setting out! That would've worked if any shops had been open, but time doesn;t seem to matter so much any more and I hadn't clicked that they would be closed on New Years Day!
I seem to waste time, not sure what I was doing, but it is 11:45 before I finally left Andratx. Leaving the quay from a stern to mooring was simple, and I would've looked quite professional if I hadn't left the swimming ladder down until about half an hour into the journey!
I motored out, put on the autopilot and pulled in the fenders. Powered out of the harbour and pointed into the wind, set auto again and went up front to hoist the mainsail. All quite smooth, but I was a bit nervous! Last time I did it alone, I still had 6 friends to watch me!
I unfurled the jib, turned off the autopilot and put her onto a reach, then shut off the engines and I was away! Only 6-8 knots of wind, but I was clearly making progress. The next 4 hours weren't that interesting, light winds, hot sunshine meant shorts only and set the autopilot whilst laying back and enjoying the sun! Spotted a dolphin only 20ft off the stern as I passed Magalluf. That's the third time we've seen them in that area! What do dolphins see in Magalluf???
Arriving back in Palma and the wind was down to 4 knots, so easy to round the pier before furling the jib. Head up into the wind and hit the autopilot again. Run up front and lower the mainsail, only takes 1 minute, then get a couplke of ties on to stop it blowing away as I come into harbour. Check around me and all is clear, so tie the fenders on, ready to drop them over the side as I come in close, then back to the helm. Bow and stern lines are ready for mooring, I guess this is as ready as I can be?
Gently into the harbour and spin her round just passed my berth, then forwards gently into the spot. It's looking pretty good, nudging the bow in gently with the stern only 6 feet from the shore. Someone on the quay is ready to take my ropes, only problem is I'm still at the helm! Stop the boat, run forwards and throw the bow rope. Back to the helm and a bit more reverse on the port engine to bring the stern in. Back over to the starboard side and throw the stern line. That's caught and round the bollard, so tie her up loosely, then make good with all mooring lines to pull her off the quay and attach the spring lines to stop her going forward or back. I'm home and all in one piece, a good day's sailing! All the shops in Palma are also closed, so a quiet night in the boat sounds like a plan for me. I've some lasagne and canneloni left and enough beer for several days, but a shortage of wine, I'll be ok!
Sunday 2nd January 2005
Wake up feeling awful, I think I've caught whatever Alix had last week, she did suffer and now I think it's my turn! Sit in the saloon doing the website, promised to update it when I get a chance and this seems like a good time!
After lunch I started feeling a bit better, so I decided to clean the decks and put the mainsail cover back on. I'm not planning to take her out for a few days, so better to look tidy in the marina!
Washing Day! We bought a washing machine in Carrefour last week (Plastic box with lid) and tested it on Mick's jeans, but I waited for everyone to leave before doing my washing. Here goes, half a cap of washing liquid, fill one third with hot water (Supplied by shower head) insert clothes and soak up the liquid. Add water to cover clothes and give it a bit of a stir around, then leave to stand in the sunlight for a few hours. Instructuions followed from a cruising sailors book! After 3 hours or so, the water was still warm but needed to be rinsed, so 3 lots of fresh water run through the clothes and the water is now staying clear. Too late to hang them out tonight, so leave them in the water and hang them out to dry in the morning! I will be very interested to see how they look tomorrow!
Monday 3rd January 2005
Feeling a bit better today, still not 100% but I'm determinded to achieve a bit more today!
Start the day off with bacon sandwiches, there were a few packets left over from the crew, so might as well use them! Only problem is we discovered that they weren't the same packets as we'd had earlier in the week and they were so thin, that as soon as they hit the pan they were cooked! Oh well, better just put lots of them in to get the flavour!
Lovely and sunny outside, so time to rinse the washing out and hang it out to dry! I now look like a true "liveaboard" with everything on the line, next door to multi million pound yachts! Must remember to buy some more pegs at Carrefour!
I'm expecting guests this afternoon, Phil, Meg, Sarah and Adam are popping in to visit, also James should be back from Germany and said he would pop in. I'd better get everything done this morning!
I leave the boat at 10.30 and get as far as Pete, 3 boats down, chat for half an hour, then carry on cycling about 100 yards and remember I didn't pick up my wallet! Back to the boat, get wallet, come outside again and Mike and Mary Lee are sat outside, so a quick chat with them! Half an hour later and I finally leave on the bike, I must check my post and really want to get my emails and upload the website! I get as far as the Wildcat 350 (another similar cat in the marina) and I stop to say hello to Paul, who has just completed his purchase a few weeks earlier! His children had seen me aboard mine yesterday and told me to pop round! I refused a beer, as I had so much to do before Phil arrived about 2pm, only to accept one half hour later as we were still chatting! It was really great chatting to Paul, we've got different plans, but so much in common. We were still chatting when a shout of "Steve" from the quay meant that Phil, Meg and co were now here, so time to say goodbye to Paul and return to the boat! I had succeeded in achieving nothing again!
It was good to see Phil and the family again, they were so good to me when I was out looking for the boat and I felt a bit guilty as I've been so busy since arriving out here that I hadn't seen them. I must try harder in future! We sat drinking coffee, catching up on Christmas and New Year and yet again, time just passed by, I'm getting to enjoy this life! They had to leave at 3.30 ish, so I walked with them to the gate and was determined to do something, so would cycle to the chandlery, Internet cafe and Carrefour. I achieved the chandlery and Carrefour, but again no Internet, so no emails or web access for about 2 weeks now! I'm getting withdrawal symptoms!
Back at the boat and I decide to give the sewage pipe another go at clearing it! I managed to buy a drain clearing wire from Carrefour, you just push it in and wind it when it gets stuck. After a bit of effort, this came out the far end, so I had made progress, but it wasn't easy! Mike and Mary Lee sailed back in mid job, so I gave them a hand mooring up and Mike suggested that my pipe could be blocked with calcium, had I tried swinging it against the Quay? I did this and huge lumps of dried calcium started falling out! What we'd thought was an inner pipe was actually calcium deposits stuck inside the pipe. After much swinging, the pipe was a lot lighter and made a different noise and the offending blockage was cleared! Now I've just got to refit the pipe, but that should be much easier now the pipe bends!
Tuesday 4th January 2005
Today I will do things! I get up fairly early, about 9.30, do a bit of tidying up, cup of coffee and chat to Pete as he's preparing to take his tender to Portals in a few days to be lifted out and have the props removed. I offer a hand, but he explains that the crew of the owners ship are all available to help him. Instead, he invites me as a guest on the trip, so I reluctantly agree;-) Whilst chatting he said that the tender has twin V12 turbo diesel engines, each capable of 6000hp! He reckons the run to Portals will use about 600€ of diesel, OUCH! Our entire week's cruising, we had filled up with 120€ or so and the needles hadn't left the full mark yet!
James arrives, so back on with the kettle and a cup of tea this time, we have a chat about Christmas and New Year again, then he invites em out for breakfast. He'll show me a nice cafe in Cala Major, just 5 minutes from me in Palma. We get there, park up, walk down to the cafe and it's closed! Oh well, have a look at the beach, which is really nice, so worth the trip. On to Portals instead, it's now 11ish, so by the time we get there, it's into the Titanic bar for a small beer, then another, then into Key West for a beer and lunch! I know that yet again nothing will get done today!
Eventually back in Club De Mar and I stroll past the club bar to see Patrick waving through the window, it would be rude not to stop, so in I go for a chat! They are just about to replace the computers on their yacht, so I get interrogated about my career! I explain that I didn't really work on small systems, trying to work my way out of it, but end up discussing benefits of wireless against wired networks! I recommend running the wiring through the boat, as they have so many electrical systems onboard and huge engines that they are likely to run into lots of interference. They then acknowledge that the wires only have to go from the bridge to the owners cabin which is immediately below and they have a cabling run, so agree with me! Luckily they can do this themselves so I'm not needed! I do however get an invite aboard for 20th January, when there is some sort of festival and lots of fireworks across Palma bay, plus free drinks onboard!
It's gone 5pm when I eventually get back to the boat and definitely time for a siesta! I wake up about 6.30 having slept very well for an hour and time to cook tea, or should I say reheat yesterday's tea of Chicken in tomato, mushroom, peppers and onion sauce on a bed of fresh rice, not bad!
It is now 7.35 and I've typed up the latest for the website so I'm going out for a walk now to try and upload it at the web cafe! It'll probably be closed!
Wednesday 5th January 2005
Wake up, decide to refit the pipe to the toilet this morning, shouldn't be too bad a job as it now bends without all the calcium inside! I'll have coffee first and a bit of breakfast maybe? Then my phone beeps, I have a text from Vicky. Happy Birthday Mate! I hadn't realised yet that it was my birthday, cool! I phoned Vic back for a quick chat, then open some cards and presents. A call from Sue later, then mum and I know I haven't been forgotten ;-)
I decide to do the pipe straight away, it should be a cleanish job now, but I want a shower afterwards regardless! It actually goes in pretty easily, so job done and tested in less than 10 minutes! Time for that shower!
I bump into Paul again as I'm cycling to Carrefour, we stop for a chat, end up looking at things on his boat together and yet again I've not made it out to the shops! I check my watch, its 2pm and I was cycling past here at 12:30! There goes another trip out as I'm expecting Phil, Meg and co again some time after 2! Back to the boat and quick tidy up before they get here. I have time to do some maintenance tasks, cleaning water filters etc. I'm just finishing these when they arrive. They've brought a huge chocolate birthday cake, and a bottle of bubbly!
Watch 3 kings arrive eat Italian pizza choccy cake back at boat THANK YOU AGAIN!
Thursday 6th January 2005
Take Paul sailing in Blue Dolphin, He's been out here for 3 weeks, but unable to take his cat out as he's had problems with the starter motor on one of the engines. He mentioned that he wanted to just go out and if I was up for it, to give him a shout, so let's do it!
We motored out and hoisted the main, there was a steady 6-8 knots of wind, not heavy, but enough to make progress. Sails set, we headed towards Arenal and saw a fleet of Swedish Lasers racing around buoys. We spotted some dolphins and I finally managed to get a few pictures of them, so have decided that dolphins deserve a page in the gallery to themselves. We managed 2-3 hours out
We go out in the evening to show Paul the web cafe and go for a quiet beer in Sindys, turns into a good night! We're entertained by an 84 year old brit lady who gets her top out!!! Sharon (landlady at Sindys) gets chatting to us and buys us a drink, we end up going out for a quiet night and I stagger home barely able to remember the end of the night!
Friday 7th January 2005
James turns up and offers to take Paul and Myself out for the day. We pile into his 4wd Mitsubishi and head off to the mountain above Alora. Awesome views and I've left my camera behind! We stop in the restaurant half way up and have some lamb cooked in a clay oven overnight! We drive as far as we can, then walk to the top! Yet more beautiful views and no camera!
I removed the sensor for the ships log to free the wheel, the water shoots out, I have a 2 inch hole in my boat and it's gushing in! I have the plug ready to block it off, and luckily it goes in easily!
We go out for a beer and James promises to show us the old town. He arranges to meet us in the coffee shop at Club De Mar and when we arrive, he has already bumped into 4 Brit girls on a hen weekend, so he introduces us and we have a laugh. They head back to their apartment for food and we head off to town for a drink!
I end up falling asleep in a bar, nothing unusual there! We get a taxi back and James stays over aboard the Doplphin.
Saturday 8th January 2005
Phone call from James, he's in the other hull and wondered what time we were getting up! Now seems like a good time as we're both awake! cup of tea, checked the log was working and it spins freely and was showing a speed on the display at the helm, so let it soak in some cleaner and put it back in later.
Go for a sail with Paul, he's had his boat 3 weeks and been unable to take it out as he has only 1 engine working and is in a very tight mooring. We have a bit of fun getting her out, but get clear ok. We take her round to the fuel station and fill her tanks with 100€ of diesel, that should last a while! I stubbed my toe on some concrete, leapt about a bit, looked down and the toenail was hanging right off! I managed to cover Paul's decks with spots of blood everywhere, whilst trying to get the toe clean and get a plaster on!
We got her out of the harbour and prepared to hoist the sails. We nearly gave up with them half way as they've not been used for some time and something was definitely sticking! After a serious amount of effort, freeing up other lines and yet more effort, we got the main to the top. Only problem now was that there was no wind! We knew this when we went out, but expected there to be a little bit! Oh well, engine is off, sails are up, we're going nowhere, so time for a beer! We manage to sail the boat a little, but as the wind is showing 2-3 knots maximum, then it drops, we decided to take her back home under engine power.
We agree that we're going to have a quiet night, after spending the last 2 out on the beer! I cook a lasagne (heat it in the oven) and we go to the web cafe to check email, then down to Sindy's just for one! We manage 2 or 3 in Sindy's then agree to call it quits and go home early!
Sunday 9th January 2005
Paul has a few tasks to complete on his boat, so I gave him a hand taking off the Port starter motor. It's not easy to get at, but we manage and it's ready to take to be repaired! He's keen to take his boat out again, as there's a bit more wind than yesterday. I grab some kit from mine and we set off out. By the time we're out of the harbour and have hoisted the sails, the wind is almost as light as yesterday! There's just enough to make progress, so we head to Les Illettes which is a group of small islands which provide a good anchorage in most winds. We drop anchor and test his windlass, all is working fine and we put down loads of chain to help the anchor hold.
Out with the fishing rods, crack open a beer and settle down ready to put the tea on. Paul has promised to do a full roast pork dinner using his microwave/combi oven and the hob. He switches on the grill and microwave, then suddenly he has no mains power! He gets 220v power from an inverter, which can produce 2000W of power, but the grill uses 1800W and the Microwave another 900W so running them together for the combi oven was enough to trip the inverter! We decide to leave the pork joint until we are back in the marina and cook some pasta instead!
We had a quiet night, sitting chatting, then went to bed at about 10:30.
Monday 10th January 2005
We got up quite early at 8.30, had a cup of tea and prepared to take the boat out again. There was definitely some wind today, we were in the lee of the cliffs, yet the anenometer was still showing 6-8 knots of wind. We knew it would be better once we got out.
We motored a little way out of the anchorage, then hoisted the sails and instantly the wind stopped! I now know that Paul's boat is jinxed for light winds! It does pick up again, enough for us to actually sail properly, but still less than 10 knots of wind all day. We get back to Palma for about 2pm and tie her up alongside.
Paul discovers he has no mains electricity at his mooring any more, he's been cut off! I go to the clubhouse and pay for my mooring, whilst Paul discusses his electric bill. It turns out that the previous owner owes a lot of money, so they won't allow Paul to have electricity until the bill is paid! Paul has to get it touch with the seller and try and persuade them to pay up! We agree to go shopping and we'll cook the pork round mine tonight!
Tuesday 11th January 2005
I can't remember!!!!
Not because I was drunk, but I didn't update the diary for a while and I've forgotten!
Wednesday 12th January 2005
Helped James to paint the Godfather's "Bloody Mary"!
The Godfather is an old Irishman called Kevin, he's 80 this March and still living aboard his yacht the "Bloody Mary" with his parrot "Snowy". I gave James a hand sanding and preparing the boat to help keep Kev's costs down.
James offered to buy me a pint of Guinnes on the way back, so we stopped off for one and ended up having a few more! We met Carolina, a girl from Columbia, in Molly Malones and ended up chatting and going to an American Diner?????
Thursday 13th January 2005
We finished all the preparation on "Bloody Mary" and masked her up ready for painting the first coats. She's bright red, with a thin yellow stripe and will look so much better when we've finished.
We get a coat of red on before lunchtime and manage 3 coats before calling it a day and James taking me back to Palma. I meet up with Paul in Club De Mar and he's keen to check emails etc. so he cooks tea whilst I go and shower, then off to the internet cafe for the evening. We pop into Sindy's bar for a quick one before going back and end up chatting and having another late night!
Friday 14th January 2005
Paul doesn't get up until midday! I think we had a few more than planned again! We decide to go sailing again, so it's off to Carrefour to stock up on provisions, then we set off late in the "Blue Dolphin".
There's good wind, so we manage 7 knots across Palma bay, but it's just too close for us to make our destination on one tack, so we sail as close as we can, then as the wind drops, we motor the last mile just before it gets dark. Drop anchor in Portals Vells and get the tea going and the beers out!
I'm beginning to think this healthy lifestyle might not be so healthy! I was definitely drinking less before I met Paul!
Saturday 15th January 2005
Wake up fairly early and the sun is out again, but the wind has spun nearly 180 degrees, so to go home will be dead into the wind. We have to get back early, so on with the engines and we motor back across the bay at 5 knots. Set the autopilot, check the GPS is heading directly for Palma and out onto the trampolines to sunbathe and watch the bay go by! Stand up every so often and check nothing is coming towards us from behind, then back to chilling out, not a bad life!
Quiet day, then party on Paul's boat in the evening! Card games and more drinking! I need some time off!!!!!
Sunday 16th January 2005
OK it's Sunday, I'm not religious, but I'm having a day off drink! Today is just having a lie in, then chilling out on the boat, maybe do some washing, but nothing too strenuous!
Monday 17th - Friday 28th January 2005
Confession time!
I really have had a quiet couple of weeks, I've had a few drinks with Paul, but far less than previous weeks!
I've also let the diary go by the wayside for 2 weeks and now I really can't remember much of what I've been up to! Mostly just helping Paul get his boat ready as he's had a few problems, but nearly everything is now sorted.
I'll try and keep the diary up to date for a bit longer, but if it becomes a pain, I might just do the highlights instead!