On a bright Saturday morning, we left the Varadero boat yard
where we had hauled out Three Rivers and painted her bottom. We swung by Port Olympic,
about 2 miles away, to get diesel and also to see the pretty Barcelona waterfront one more time. Then we
headed south towards the Balearic Islands , a
hundred miles away, into the prevailing SWS wind which seems to be dominant
around this time of the year. A wind direction that’s behind our back would be
nice, but one cannot wait forever especially since the marina tab is running;
and as nice as Barcelona
is, it is time to move on and start our cruising season.
So contrary to what we said we would not do again when we
did it last time, we are once again bashing into wind and wave for the long
overnight slog. We don’t mind sailing close-haul; love it, actually, if the sea
is flat. But the sea doesn’t stay flat for long in 15-20 knot winds, so by late
afternoon while the boat is happily heeling and making good progress on a lumpy
sea, the crews are trying to convince their stomachs that it’s ok to keep the
breakfast. A school of dolphins stay with us for a while, showing off that they
can swim faster than our 6 knots and leaping off our bow waves. The fresh
breeze continues through the night, which is somewhat unusual. A full moon
lights up the semi-overcast sky; the sea is bright as Barcelona ’s lively back streets. Once we went
beyond the busy shipping lane near the mainland, we encountered not a single
boat or ship, just the AIS displaying one or two solitary dots passing in the
distance. A solitary night sail is not a bad way to start a cruising season.
The Islas Balearic consist of four main islands and a number
of small islets, and form one of the most attractive and varied cruising
grounds in the western Mediterranean. We are now anchored in Port Soller, a
‘beautiful, almost circular bay lying in the midst of spectacular mountainous
scenery’, according to the pilotage guide. The water is a beautiful turquoise
blue under the sun, and at least for now the beaches are still quiet and the
hordes of charter boats with naked (male) sailors are not here yet. Yes, we
will enjoy doing boat maintenance in these exotic locales...
No comments:
Post a Comment