We waited till noon at Soller for the land breeze to pickup
and to sail west around the northern coast of Mallorca .
The breeze did turn up in the harbor, but it was deceiving. Once we exited the
harbor, the wind die down to a whisper, and we had to motor the entire 30 miles
to our next anchorage. We were in the wind shadow of the island which blocks
the prevalent southerly breezes. Around the Gulf
of Leon and in Corsica and Sardinia it is blowing at 20 to 30 knots, but here we get
nothing. Ah, too much, too little…
The bay at Sant Elm is the first secure anchorage on the
north-west side of the island. Sheltered on three sides by small islands, the
larger one being Isla Dragonera (use some imagination and you can see the
dragon’s head and tail), the bay is a lovely quiet little spot with good
holding. The white sandy bottom reflects the sun and turns the clear water into
a beautiful turquoise blue. Schools of small fish swim around. There are some
small beaches and resort hotels, a few boats anchored, people swimming in the
still cold water. The weather is gorgeous, around 25C in the day, with a light
breeze driving small, sparkling ripples in the sea, the blue sky shimmering.
There is a small swell coming into the bay, rocking the boat gently. We like it
here, doing some small chores, reading a book, watching boats coming and going,
listening to the rhythmic surfs on the beach.
One afternoon a messenger pigeon stopped by, either lost or on
his/her way to somewhere. It was a beautiful bird, with a blue patch on just
one shoulder. There were identification rings on both legs. She was clearly
looking for human company, and stayed at exactly touch distance from us. She
accepted some water, but declined our salted seeds. She slept at our cockpit in
the evening, and by next morning she was gone, hopefully on her way to her
destination.
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