Off to the Balearics

Saturday 30^th March 2012 and our weather window to leave Almerimar finally arrives and we are ready to leave on what now seemed like an epic journey to get us to the Balearics with not too many stops but with no time pressures.  As often happens it was a journey of highs and lows:

Highs                                                              Lows

Perfect Wind                                                   No wind

Flat seas                                                          Unpredictable swell

Sunny skies                                                     Chilly nights in too many clothes

Dolphins playing on the bow                          Nothing to see for hours

Sleep like baby at anchor                                No sleep at anchor & feel seasick in bed

Along with this went our moods and energy levels!

Amanda already looking tired and windswept!!!

Goodbye Almerimar

We motored out of the marina and headed east towards Cabo Gata and we were already lucky to have a south westerly wind for 3-4 so sails were up and we sped along on a lovely flat sea, by just after 7.45pm we had sailed around 40 miles and rounded Cabo Gata as it we were starting to lose the light.

Approaching Cabo Gata

We had a lovely home cooked soup to warm us up just before it got dark and we prepared ourselves for the night ahead.  This routine involves us  was sorting out our life jackets, ollies, hats, gloves, supply of energy food, head torches, emergency responder, ipod and making sure that the bunk is all ready.  Mark headed down to try to nap for a couple of hours although this is always a challenge, after a few hours he was back up and I was in bed by around 1am.  Mark had a fantastic night sail with SW 4-5 for hour after hour, stunning clear night where he identified what seemed like the brightest sky in the sky as the Atlas star (using skyview app!) and then to top the night off a pod of dolphins joined him. The moon had just set at about 4am and it was quite dark but all of a sudden the boat targeted by white torpedo’s from all sides. It was an amazing sight as the dolphin’s glowed with phosphorescence and left “smoke” trails through the water it was like a red arrows display underwater as they surfed our bow wave in perfect synchronicity. 

I rolled and struggled to get sleep through to around 7.30 at which point we had sailed 100 miles (a good 40 miles whilst I slept, perfect) and then Mark headed down.  The wind continued and I had to do very little apart from look out for fishing boats, read my book and chat to the dolphins – fantastic

As we passed close to Cartegena where we had stopped last year we were chasing the rainbow with it’s pot of gold!

Chasing the rainbow

Not far from Cartegena

Around 1pm we rounded Cabo De Palo, yet another photo of a lighthouse and the wind picked up as it does at a headland but sun was shining and we nearly at our anchorage.

Cabo De Palo

Mark enjoying the sail at Cabo De Palo

By 2pm we knackered for 132 miles from our journey and were anchored at Mar Menor and were ready to sleep.

Anchored at Mar Menor overlooking Isla Graciosa

After a peaceful night we decided not to rush around the following day as no wind was forecasted but we would try to make some progress up the coast. We luckily had a Force 3 NNW which was perfect to make progress, this dropped over lunchtime and we motored for a couple of hours but then the wind returned and we sailed into our chosen anchorage. By late afternoon we anchored at Santa Polo, funny that we have visited here lots of time on holiday with the kids but never thought we would arrive in Magnum. 

Beach front at Santa Polo

It was a bit rolly but we hoped this would die with the wind, the wind died but the swell just got worse and worse!! Awful, awful, awful night! Both awake most the night and by 5am it had become dangerous to stay so both feeling sick and dizzy we struggled into our oilie’s and up anchor! Leaving the anchorage was a challenge as there were fishing boats everywhere and it is always difficult to judge distance and direction in the dark.  We set sail quickly to make the most of the early morning land breeze and continued to weave our way between the fishing fleet and the shallows between the mainland and Isla Tabarca.

It was an earlier start than planned, but at least we had wind and were off. Well actually I was then off back to sleep!

The wind held from the north until about 11 and then we motored ‘till just after 14.00 when the forecasted SW started to arrive. This built to about 20knts and our speed started to build meaning we had to start planning a night arrival in the Balearics.

We took turns trying to rest during the day, but we both find it difficult to switch off and sleep when we are being tossed around by steep short swells, the noise of each passing wave is like a train passing!

We altered course slightly and decided that Formentera would be the safest place to make landfall as it would give us shelter and the earliest chance to get to bed.

As the law of sod dictates the more tired we got the more the wind grew and the sea state deteriorated. Magnum took it all in her stride, as always, but we were both very glad to round the last, unlit, headland and into the shelter behind. Anchors away and bed in record time……ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzz

Our sheltered little anchorage