Ibiza Island

Another overnight passage from Es Trenc Beach of Mallorca Island brought us to Ibiza Island (both islands of Spain).

Under a full moon, we motor-sailed for a few hours, then were able to sail the rest. However the winds kicked in a little too much, and when the waves built, they came at us at the uncomfortable angle on port quarter, rolling and rocking us a lot while double reefed.

The coastline again presented us with a variety of textured vertical cliffs spotted with homes of typical Mediterranean architecture. Cliffs were occasionally interrupted with coves and bays, a few with sandy beaches.

We found it difficult to find a suitable anchorage and skirted in and out of several coves until we finally decided on Cala Tarida. This cove provided good protection from the predicted winds for the next couple of days.

Under cloudy skies, we could spot a few beach restaurants so we went ashore for a break from Sea Turtle. The surf was coming in hard and I got wet as we landed the dinghy. But no problem; we had pizza and Jordan enjoyed Sex on the Beach - the drink, that is - outrageously priced at 12 Euros (about $18 CAD)!

Splurging for Sex on the Beach at shore restaurants

Returning to the dinghy after dinner, we discovered it swamped with water from the crashing surf. A quick bail out and we made it safely back to Sea Turtle.

Wishing to now check out of Spain and stop the Schengen clock, we next motored to a larger marina, Sant Antoni de Portmany, where we anchored outside of the breakwater. At the marina, we filled our tanks for the passage to Gibraltar and went to see the Harbour Master.

We were shocked when she told us that we could not check out of Spain unless we returned to the other side of the Island of Ibiza, a day's sail in the wrong direction!!

Then, to top it off, the port officials would not allow us to bring our dinghy into the marina so we could buy a few last minute groceries for our 3-day passage! This is not a marina, or port for that matter, which we would recommend as it seems their main concern is to cater to large luxury yachts, such as this...

Well, that is, except for this trimaran and dinghy near the marina. Zoom in for a closer look! Yes, this boat and dinghy are in actual usage...

We soon discovered from other boaters that we could find small supermarkets across the harbour from the dreaded marina and have no problem leaving the dinghy at the shore. So with tanks and larders full, Jordan quickly cleaned the prop and we were off.

Wind predictions were favourable for the next 3 days for the run to Gibraltar. Actually our next stop was to check out of Spain at La Linea de la Conception, which is right beside Gibraltar, and at that time our Schengan clock would stop. It just meant that we added 3 unnecessary days to our 90-cay Visa Limit.

(We as Canadians are only allowed 90 days in any 180-day period to spend in European countries that are members of Schengen Group.)

Passage from Mallorca to Ibiza Sep 24 to 25
N38°56.268' E001°14.053' Sep 25 Ibiza Island (Cala Tarida)
N38°58.690' E001°17.812' Sep 27 Ibiza Island (Sant Antoni de Portmany)

Figuera and Es Trenc

A delightful stop was at the charming port of Capo Figuera (Mallarca Spain) where life along the tight inner harbour seems lost in time. Anchoring was not allowed so we Med-moored to the small pier breakwater next to 2 large catamarans.

Small fishing boats bring in their daily bounty as they have for decades while men sit mending nets stretched out on shore. Quaint little houses built at water's edge lined the steep slopes, each with a boat shed underneath.

Picturesque Figuera

Knotting nets

We strolled the narrow walk in front around the harbour where it would be interrupted by small concrete ramps with a keel groove that ushered the traditional llaut boat into its boathouse through green painted doors.

On our walk, we came across a different style of llaut on the hard with a small cabin cruiser rather than just a canvas canopy. Llauts are apparently very stable in rough seas, making them excellent for fishermen.

Jordan and llaut boat on the hard

The newer homes and shops were mostly on top of the steep reddish cliffs leaving the quaintness of below intact.

Dramatic cliffs

Our last stop in Mallorca was around the point to a very long, sandy, and popular beach, Es Trenc, where we anchored for a short rest before the next passage.

The beach looked quite inviting but a little too far to swim to, so we launched the dinghy to go ashore, but we were quickly turned away by the watchful lifeguard. No dinghies allowed. Unfortunately, we found this to be true of most of the beaches in the areas we anchored.

We soon left for our overnight passage to Ibiza, another Spanish island...

Our anchorages:
N39°19.899' E003°10.219' Sep 23 Cala Figuera
N39°20.555' E002°58.922' Sep 24 Es Trenc Beach

Snorkelling at Mondrago

We hopped down the coast of Mallorca Island (Spain) finding nice coves to tuck into for the next few days. One popular cove where we stopped for a few hours was Cala Mondrago with 2 small sandy beaches in a Y-shaped cove and within the National Park.

But what drew us here were caves. The coastline is vertical cliffs dramatized by a variety of types of rocks and erosion over eons of time leaving caves and arches to explore. So that's what we did by dinghy, snorkelling into them or actually taking the dinghy right inside.

Caves everywhere

Judy in the blue

Above and below

From our dinghy, we had a chat with 2 lovely ladies swimming next to their traditional wooden boat. They told us all about these beautiful vessels unique to the Balearic Islands. The ancient technique is passed from generation to generation. The boats which we have been noticing are called llauts and are obviously nicely restored or replicated with pride.

Traditional old-style boat

Crowning touch

Also popular in the area is free climbing the craggy cliffs where it's safe to fall into the water below. Still too dangerous for me!

Our anchorage:
N39°21.000' E003°11.279' Sep 23 Cala Mondrago

3 coves of Mallorca

The best known of the 4 Balearic Islands of Spain is Mallorca (aka Majorca), the middle and largest 1. So that was our next destination after leaving Menorca, a half day sail away as we continued our westward travels. We anchored at Cala Sa Nau.

But just before arriving, Jordan landed a small tuna with his new rod that replaced the old one lost in the storm a couple of weeks ago. This was the first fish caught in the Med. Jordan had just about given up on fishing but now he and Chanty are reinvigorated!

She loves fresh fish and nothing gets her more excited when the jingle of the bell on the rod goes off and Jordan hollers "Fish, fish!" and away those 2 go with excitement to the stern to reel in their trophy.

Watching and waiting for the bell to ring

Well, trophy is a stretch for this 1, a small tuna rendering barely enough for the 3 of us. Anytime we even just say the word 'fish' in conversation, Chanty perks up and meows "Where?" So in conversation, we avoid the word, just spelling it, "Should we have f-i-s-h for dinner tonight?" So far she hasn't caught on.

But back to Sa Nau: This tiny cove lined with limestone cliffs soon became infested with numerous day-boats all coming to enjoy the scene and small beach area at the head of the head of the cove. The sandy beach was equipped with a small stand that served drinks and food, straw canopied tables and seats, foot shower, and muscled lifeguard. The atmosphere was filled with splashing water and raucous laughter but at night we had it all to ourselves.

Getting ready for the busy day

Two days later, we moved to Cala d'Or, only half an hour away. Here, surrounding the cove, the scene was all white, mostly million dollar mansions up on the low cliff sides where Sea Turtle nestled between them. The public sandy beach at the head of the cove was swarming with throngs of people beneath the pine trees.

Waterfront home

We took the dinghy around to the next inlet where the boats in the marina Med-moored in front of the cafes and shops occupied every available space. We stopped for dinghy fuel, coffee, and a few groceries at the little but well stocked market.

Half hour later, we continued down the coast of Mallorca and tied up to a mooring ball at Porto Petro with a few other boats at a secluded sandy beach.

At inlet by Porto Petro

Our anchorages:
N39°23.582' E003°14.939' Sep 20 Cala Sa Nau
N39°22.196' E003°13.869' Sep 22 Cala d'Or
N39°21.430' E003°12.661' Sep 22 Porto Petro

SPAIN - Menorca Island

This time we made a 2.5-day passage of, again, mostly motor-sailing where we arrived at the port of Mahon on the east coast of the Spanish Island of Menorca, This long, deep inlet was full of marinas and floating docks. We Med-moored to a floating detached dock (NOT connected to land) directly in front of small Isla del Rey inside the inlet.

Chanty loved the floating dock as she could at last run around freely off the boat, checking out other boats Med-moored and the fish in the water. Her cat memory was no doubt sparked from the time she grew up hanging around the boats and docks at a marina in Langkawi Malaysia where she adopted us.

Fishing on the floating dock

The capital of Menorca is Mahon (aka Mao) and has a long and interesting sea-going history. The streets of this quietly elegant town rose steeply up from the harbour where we found the town larger than it appeared from the waters below. Up we traversed to what appeared to be similar to many of the old towns we have seen in the Med, but slightly more modern looking. And a frequent stop for cruiseship passengers.

Steep road to Mahon

We even saw a beautiful mermaid at the harbour...

It poured hard off and on for a couple of days where we hid out beneath leaky umbrellas of outdoor cafes while Sea Turtle was getting some of the salt washed off.

Passage from Sardinia Italy to Spain Sep 14 to 17
N39°53.255' E004°17.108' Sep 17 Menorca Island ((Isla del Rey)

Sardinia

For our 3-day passage to Sardinia Island, we departed Syracuse (Sicily Island) on September 8th, then dropped down and around the SE tip of Sicily then westward along the south coast before heading to open sea. The prediction was for some good sailing winds but they didn't show up so it was mostly lonely sailing or motor-sailing without seeing much traffic, just a couple of fishing boats.

Most of the summer sailors have gone back home now. We were visited by a couple of dolphins though which is always a welcomed sight no matter how many times we have them.

We arrived at the SE tip of Sardinia and dropped the hook among a few others at Capo Carbonara, a large bay open to the south. It was a splendid setting where the emerald waters met sandy beaches backed by rolling hills painted a fresh green by the vegetation that was thirsty from the summer heat. It reminded us of some parts of southern California at certain times of the year.

There is also the nice large Marina di Villasimius with associated facilities, but the town of Villasimius is a couple of kilometres inland.

Until now we had developed a serious doubt about the Med having any real sandy beaches, but surprise surprise, there were a couple of pristine stretches that were obviously a cherished destination for sun worshipers.

We swam around Sea Turtle where we had a mischievous watcher sitting on the prop of the outboard engine affixed to the stern...

Chanty's perch

While at anchor, we had a ring side seat for the GC32 Racing Tour of 2018 where 9.75 m (32 ft) racing catamarans streaked across the water at about 40+ knots (74 km/hr; 46 mph), speeds enabled by foils that lifted them completely out of the water.

Lifted up high

After a couple of days of getting used to relaxation, we were caught a little off guard when a fresh wind from the south put us on a lee shore with some short steep waves bucking us up and down. So we quickly upped anchor, and after pounding head on into the waves for half an hour, we made it around the point to Porto Giunco and joined a few prudent other boats at the protected cove.

The next day the winds and seas abated so we returned to the marina for fuel before our escape and passage to Menorca Island of Spain. But before leaving, we had one last purchase. Prosciutto is a dry-cured ham of Italy, and even though we are vegetarians, we had to buy a small amount of this delicious treat while in Italy. Yum!!

Passage from Syracuse to Sardinia Sep 08 to 11
N39°07.700' E009°30.024' Sep 11 Capo Carbonara (Sardinia, Italy)
N39°07.110' E009°31.533' Sep 13 Porto Giunco
N39°07.475' E009°30.301' Sep 14 Return to Capo Carbonara

Syracuse

We arrived in Syracuse on the island of Sicily (Italy) after a very rough ride from Otrano Italy on August 29th. We anchored in the big protected bay (N37°03.573' E015°16.910') not far off the city and with the Old Town in plain sight.

Going ashore, our first walkabout was of course the Old Town which is actually an island called Ortigia and is connected to the mainland of Sicily by 2 short 1-way bridges. We thought it to be typical of previous old towns of which we have now seen scores of, but still they all have their unique charm.

There was the impressive fountain in the center of the roundabout with the ubiquitous cafes around the square. A great place for pastry and an Americano, Jordan's usual or, my favourite, an ice coffee, while people watching.

Fountain of Diana

Continuing the stroll through the narrow alleys, we came to the elaborate grand open Piazza Duoma surrounded with decorative architecture and the Cathedral of Syracuse with its elaborate baroque facade and ancient columns, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2005.

Cathedral of Syracuse

And of course the historic Venetian buildings in Old Town Ortigia.

Balconied buildings

We visited the Museum of Leonardo Da Vinci and Archimede. Interesting to discover that Da Vinci, besides being the famous painter, made detailed sketches and designs in a multitude of subjects well ahead of eventual modern applications of which included such things as the workings of gears, airplane wings, the drill, human anatomy, etc. Apparently he was inspired by Archimedes who lived centuries before in Syracuse. The interactive Museum displayed these sketches and working examples.

Samples and sketches (copied from internet)

We decided it was necessary to order a new dinghy as our old one kept leaking air even after several repair jobs. The chandlery gave us a deal on a new RIB they were able to locate only 3 delivery days away. We took the time to do a few boat jobs and make our daily visit to sidewalk cafes and even an excursion to the beautiful town of Noto (more about it below).

Boat jobs included repairing the broken running backstay, plumbing in a shower on the aft deck making our portable solar shower redundant, sewing a flag for Spain - our next country stop, and sewing new pillowcases and storage cases to match our new bedspread.

Wandering around Syracuse, many of the Venetian-style buildings were a bit run down, needing paint and/or repairs. Compared to other towns, the streets seemed to be littered with rubbish even though there are numerous trash bins about! Sadly, this displays an overall untidy appearance of a touristy town.

Old-style architecture

An odd modern structure that garnered a lot of controversy is the massive and conical concrete basilica that towers above all other buildings. This juxtaposed tower in an otherwise Venetian-style city pays homage to a bas-relief of a so-called "weeping Madonna" and is supposedly built in the shape of a tear.

New-style architecture

It was interesting to find that very few here spoke English and most menus were only in Italian. This of course made eating and purchasing items more adventurous. We thought it unusual that English was more prevalent in Croatian than Italy.

When our new dinghy arrived, we had to transport it to the water. So we got our trusty collapsible dolly, which no cruising sailor should be without, and walked it from the chandlery to a back alley boat lot for assembly and launch. We decided to forego the champagne as too hard to break on pvc!

From retailer to water

Pumping it up

Then, what to do with the old? It wasn't all that bad other than having to do a quick top-up pump each or every other day. It was 6 years old and we didn't want the worry of more seam leaks but it still had a use for someone. Jordan met Tom, a retired Brit living on his large power boat in a marina who was dinghy-less and so he said he would gladly accept our donation (which included a pump).

Tom, a friendly spirited and talkative man, with his favourite straw hat, invited us to go with him in his car to the hillside town of Noto, a UNESCO World Heritage Site about 40 km away. It is distinguished for its fine example of baroque architecture of golden sandstone. On the way back we got a tour of Tom's art studio at Cassibile where he had a number of projects on the go.

Entry arch to Noto

Samples of Noto's baroque architecture

When we got a favourable forecast, we decided it was time to make a run to Mallorca Spain with a day or 2 stop-over at the south end of Sardinia, the latter being about a 3-day passage. After a quick basic provisioning and fuel top-up, we made our escape leaving at 16:00 on September 8th.