Balearics - Mallorca

Ibiza to Mallorca

We left the Ibiza worrying that we were not going to get any wind but within 30 minutes of setting sail we had 10-15 knots of wind which stayed with us for the 60 miles to Mallorca.  The journey was a bit bumpy at it was all hard on the wind which was a bit of a wearing for the entire day (especially as I/Amanda was having a tired day) but at least we did not have to motor.  We also had a surprise and were surrounded by dolphins we think these were Bottlenose dolphin rather than the Common Dolphin we had been seeing in the Atlantic as they were much larger.  They passed to the bow and stern and then they were gone. J

Look how much Mark is enjoying himself

Magnum speeding along

Mallorca

We arrived in Santa Ponsa to a fiesta, there was a parade taking place through the streets which we could vaguely see but could hear for hours! There seemed to be a marching band and even bagpipes at one point! We were happy when this died off early evening but that was when the stage started up and the music went on to the early hours, it was a strange combination of dance music and all your favourites from Abba!

We dingyed into Santa Ponsa, it has a nice sandy beach which was still pretty packed with British and German tourists.  There is a nice little park behind the beach with parakeets making lots of noise in the trees.  There are lots of tat shops and huge number of restaurants but still seems like quite a nice tourist resort. 

Santa Ponsa Bay

Mark was pleased that we found somewhere to watch the Monza Grandprix, only the 2^nd one he has seen season.  That night there was also an amazing firework display to mark the end of the Fiesta, we dingyed out to the middle of the Bay to get the best view. 

We headed round to Palma Bay on route to Palma to pick Dan (Mark’s son) up.  Some really amazing rocks/islands along the way.

We anchored in Cala Portals a really busy Cala especially full of huge powerboats.  We were starting to notice that the powerboats in the Balearics (particularly around Palma) are in a league of there own, much larger than anything we see in the Solent.  Luckily the Cala emptied out as the evening went on and there were just 4 sailboats left by the time we went to bed.  The Cala was really lovely for snorkelling with lots of new fish but only any good in the morning before it overloads.  The Cala was not too pleasant in the afternoon, far too many boats anchored too close together.  We headed off in the evening to Las Illetas, which was just one step closer to Palma for the next morning.

Cala Portals

It felt quite special sailing in Palma when it is such a huge sailing destination and it was quite spectacular seeing the Cathedral from the sea.

Palma Cathedral

We only had a day in Palma and tried to pack in as much as possible but as we had not been in a marina for around 20 days, we needed to wash the boat, do some washing, shopping, go to chandlery and I wanted to do some sightseeing.

Palma is a beautiful city with lots of old buildings including the cathedral and city walls, it is also maintain really well so it lovely and green.

After hanging our washing out all around the boat we headed into town and just had a wander around.  We then went to see if we could locate the Volvo Global Racing area of the marina to find Nick, Phillipa and Di who we had met in Cartagena.  They were busy preparing the boat for their 2 handed World Race which commences on the 25^th September and they found time for a beer with us which was really nice.  I also had a chance to have a look on the boat, it was very professional/sparse/technical…. It was amazing! I couldn’t believe they were going to be living like that for the next year, wow!  I also had a chance to meet the third member of the crew Pippapotamus – yes I know I look a bit warm in the photo but their boat is soooooo hot!  Such lovely people we can’t wait to follow their progress and I am in ore of how brave they are.

Phillipa, Pippapotamus and mega hot Amanda!