I am still in Mayon waiting for the wind to be strong enough in the right direction to cross to Sardinia. I moved the boat to a marina for three nights mainly to pick up some spare parts for the dinghy engine and to get a passport exit stamp. Today I moved back to the anchorage.
The dinghy engine has been unreliable since I left the UK. It has suffered from various fuel problems. I have stripped and cleaned the carburettor numerous times and eventually decided a complete rebuild was needed. I did that yesterday with parts i got in Mahon and so far, 🤞 all looks good. She fires on the first pull and doesn’t hesitate on acceleration any more. Next door to the chandlery was a gin distillery so I have stocked up ready for a future tasting session.
The forecast is little to no wind Thursday and Friday but it starts to pick up on Saturday when I hope to start the 50 to 60 hour crossing.
I have sailed from Mallorca to Menorca and currently anchored in what to me is heaven. I am just outside the port of Mahon at a sheltered bay surrounded by post Napoleonic fortifications (1848). The bay is protected on all sides from the wind.
Anchorage below the fortress of Isabel II on La Mola in Mahon harbour
I arrived yesterday and went out on the dinghy this morning to explore and take Dotty for a walk. I was thinking I could come back to the fort later without Dotty to explore. No need, dogs are allowed in 🤗. It was fascinating and another example of humans spending huge amounts if money, time and effort in building weapons and defences that barely saw a shot fired in anger. It was built to house massive front loading cannons, just before breach loaded guns were invented with greater accuracy and range, making the whole place obsolete. It did continue as a defensive position but never as it was designed for.
Mayonnaise I hear you ask? Or did you not read the title of this post? Well a French guy named a sauce after Mahon when he returned to Paris. The same sauce we now call Mayonnaise. I love these little social facts you pick up in strange places.
Mayonnaise History
I am in no rush to leave here, I want to go and explore the town while I’m here. I may use the dinghy for that, or I may go to the marina next week. The winds are in the wrong direction to sail to Sardinia until at least the middle of next week.
I have been on an expensive Royal Yacht Association sailing course to learn how to sail 😳. Why? To get a bit of paper that says I am competent 🙄. The last time I was checked by the police I was hassled because I did not have a captains license, in Spain and many other countries, you need a license or certificate of competence to be in charge of a boat. However, a foreign flagged boat with a foreign captain comes under international law, not national law. This states that home port rules apply, in my case UK which does not require a captains license. But you try explaining that to the police who want to enforce national laws on you. 😲. I have heard that in Italy, the police are even worse. So, to avoid future hassle, I decided to get my International Certificate of Competance (ICC) and the simplest way to get that was by taking the RYA day skipper course. I did this in Palma last week, I passed the course and my ICC should arrive in the next few weeks.
On the plus side, I did learn a few things, practiced some manoeuvres like man overboard, I got to sail a bigger boat (a Bavaria 46) and met some new people.
It’s going to be a busy month. Next week a friend flies in to spend a week in Alcudia and we will spend a lot of time together. I will continue working on somebody else’s boat and, spolier alert… I am planning a road trip.. but not in Spain 🤔. More on that another time.
From Altea I sailed up the coast and anchored overnight. The next evening I set off for a night sale to Ibiza. The seas were rough with a 4m swell and strong winds but we made very good progress and arrived in the early morning. I anchored overnight and the next morning I moved to Ibiza Marina where I resupplied with food and stayed 2 nights.
The next day I sailed along the South coast of Ibiza to an anchorage just at the tip of the island ready for the crossing to Majorca. On the way I passed 2 coastal towns one called Cala Longa the other Es Carna, the last time I was here was about 30 years ago on two seperate family holidays. My youngest daughter Lucy was still in a pushchair.
It was another rough crossing to Majorca and found a beautiful anchorage in a small bay and stayed there 2 nights. I am now motor sailing along the South coast of Majorca making my way up to the Marina where I’ll stay for up to 2 months.
I have not blogged for a while so there’s a lot to catch up on. This will be a longer blog including carnivals and possible romance. How’s that for an attention grabbing opening 😉
Carnivals
From Garrucha I sailed to Aguilas, my mum had told me about carnivals there and the timing was perfect for getting to see some of it. I booked into the Marina for 5 nights and while there managed to see 3 carnivals in total. One night was a party night where everybody dressed up in different costumes and just went out for a drink at the bars and the restaurants, the place was buzzing and although I went back to the boat at around 11pm, I could hear the partying going on until the early hours. I really need company to share this with.. more on that later.
Aguilas Carnivals
From Aguilas I sailed up to Mazarone, my mum used to live there, And then up past Alicante and Benidorm to Altia. I’m here for 2 nights to refuel and resupply ready to cross to Ibiza.
And now the bit that I’m sure my mum is dying to know more about. Last November I went on some dating sites and I’ve been quite successful. I’ve got several new female friends who I chat to online and may progress further, but time will tell. It takes a very brave and adventurous woman to come out and meet me on the boat having never met me ashore. But those are the qualities I like so it’s a good filter for the people that may be suitable for me. Two ladies have booked flights to come out and meet me in the next 2 months, both of them coming out as friends and they may leave as friends, we don’t know, They do know about each other, I am very honest and open with them and we are mature enough to understand what is going on. And in case you hadn’t already guessed Marina is a lady I met on a dating site, she came out as a friend in Gibraltar. We agreed we’re not compatible and that’s OK, we still enjoyed our time together doing some sightseeing and sailing.
Tomorrow I hope to sail to Ibiza I could write a song about that.. “Hey, I’m going to Ibiza 🎵”. Its 12 hours away roughly depending on the weather, the forecast looks good though. I will check the forecast again tonight and tomorrow morning but it’s likely I’m gonna do it as a night sail so I can arrive in Ibiza during daylight. That means leaving late tomorrow afternoon.
It’s been two years now since I moved aboard my 32 foot sail boat. I have had good times, bad times great times, sad times but I know it was the best decision I have ever made for myself.
In that time I have travelled to West Wales and back, crossed the English Channel and Biscay alone, sailed with crew, sailed with friends, met new friends, seen hundreds of Dolphins, dodged Orcas, been frustrated, happy, sad, excited, proud, ashamed and every other emotion. But I feel alive, I am enjoying life, I like me.
My journey so far
So what’s next? I will continue up the Spanish coast over the next week or so then cross to Ibiza. Plans are underway for a friend to join me there to sail to Alcudia in Majorca. I will be spending up to two months there working on another boat before sailing to Corsica, Sardinia and the Italian West Coast. I then hope to sail all the way around Italy to Venis over the Summer. I have no definite plans for beyond that.
A cold Mistral wind has been prevailing along this coast all week and is set to continue for another week. It has meant tacking into strong headwinds with 1-2 meter waves and rolly anchorages. I am sheltering in a marina at Garrucha.
While anchored I had a visit from the National police to inspect the boat and check my documents. They went away happy 🤗 My Facebook post at the time was..
Lady Cindy has been violated!!! A big boat came alongside while we are anchored, it’s night and the first I knew was flashing torches at the window. Their boat had no lights on 😳. Two boarded my boat Lady Cindy and one searched inside, the other got his pen and pad and demanded my documents 😳😳 I handed them over…. Two forms later, they were satisfied and called back their ship.. which bumped into mine quite hard 😳😳😳 the two men jumped over and they were gone. The Spanish police are actually really friendly 🤣🤣🤗🤗
As soon as I get a weather window I plan to day sail to Aguilas where there is a week long festival of carnivals starting on the 16th.
The Spanish Costa del Sol coastal towns have held little interest to me being full of hotels, bars and clubs. I am glad to be passing out of season when they are quiet. The scenery on the other hand is stunning with mountains right up to the coast.
I am currently anchored in the harbour at Motril. I will stay here for a few days exploring and move on next week, weather permitting. I think I have found a vet willing to issue a pet passport for Dotty, I need to go to the clinic on Monday, cross fingers on that.
Loneliness has crept in a little bit again. I am determined to be positive though. I am taking steps to fight it, friends should expect a barrage of ” How are you?” messages soon 🤣 and those of you thinking of holidays this year, check out cheap flights to the med to join me for a week or two 🤗
Now this could be confusing so bear with me. Marina is a good friend who flew to Gibraltar to spend a week with me on Lady Cindy, who is in Gibraltar at a marina. As I explained to my mum…
Yes, it’s Marina. I am going to a marina to meet Marina and will stay with Marina at the marina for a couple of nights at least to walk from the marina with Marina up the rock. Then Marina and I may leave the marina to go to a marina at Cueta to stay a couple of nights and Marina and I may get a bus into Morocco. Then return to the marina. Then Marina and I will sail back to the marina in Gibraltar to stay another night or two before Marina flys back from the airport near the marina. Come on mum, keep up 🤣
And that is exactly what we did 🤗 for once, everything went as planned and we had a great time.
Tetouan in Morocco
But, all good things come to an end eventually and my time with Marina in Gibraltar is one of them. Yesterday she flew home but as the marina is right next door to the airport, I got some video of her leaving..
I plan to spend a couple of days in Gibraltar, there is a Yanmar dealer here where I can get engine parts so I will service the engine, do a few maintenance jobs and then sail into the med and up the Spanish coast. I am in exploring mode now so although I have a rough idea of direction (Italy) I can wander to get there. The weather forecast shows a windy week of 20 knots or more so I will wait till that blows away.
