Our onward passages have seemed rushed at times: leaving Almerimar we planned a passage to a harbour called Garrucha – a rather dull place we had visited before, but a useful stopover. The forecast was for light winds, and indeed we started motoring in calm seas. However, the winds and waves built, reaching gale force with 35Kt gusts and steep seas. About 30 minutes before our planned arrival we got a panicked call from the harbourmaster in Garrucha: the harbour was closed as entry in the conditions was too dangerous. We had no choice but to continue, redirecting our course to Cartagena, the only safe harbour. That was a further 45 NM away, after a passage that had already been more than 60 NM. We arrived in the dark – about 1am, and thankfully a marinero was on hand to help guide us in.
Fortunately, Cartagena is a lovely city, although we only had the one day to wander around, as the forecasts showed a narrow weather window for another overnight passage to Ibiza. We duly set off the next morning, this time with genuinely light winds, and enjoyed a rather more relaxing passage to the Balearics.
In Ibiza we picked an anchorage – Cala Blanco – on the north coast. A beautiful spot, but unfortunately crowded in August with holidaymakers. We spent some fun hours fending off boats that threatened to swing into us. Thankfully, in the evening the crowds departed leaving a beautiful, calm spot that was lovely for swimming.
From Ibiza we had another long passage, this time to Mallorca, where we spent a couple more nights at anchor in spots around the bay of Palma, with more boat gymnastics in the crowded calas. It was then time to head into the city of Palma itself, where we had a few nights booked into a marina to allow time for our fridge to be repaired.
Arriving in Palma, everything began to unravel! As we approached Palma I started to feel a bit dizzy, getting worse as we docked for a short while to refuel. By the time we were trying to get into our marina berth I was feeling dreadful: light-headed, everything was spinning, and I only just managed to tie up the boat before having to head into the cabin to lie down. Initially we thought I might have simply got dehydrated from the heat and sun, but rehydrating and staying in our air-conditioned berth did not help. By the evening I was vomiting, and I continued to feel worse and worse. It was clear that my symptoms were those of an acute labyrinthitis, and I felt dreadful. Fortunately, over the next few days things have slowly got better, though poor Cate has been left to do everything on board, from directing workmen, to shopping, cleaning, arranging to extend our marina stay, and looking after me.
I was desperately keen to see the solar eclipse on the 12th, and thankfully by then I had made a 90% recovery. Palma lies directly under the path of totality for the eclipse, and the best viewing spots were along the coast, some 45 minutes away by bike. It was worth the trip! The Palma beachfront was packed with crowds, all in great spirits in anticipation of the spectacle to come. We found ourselves next to the presenters of a Mallorcan radio show – Heat Mallorca – who kindly gave us a pair of viewing spectacles, and we settled down to watch. From the moment when a little sliver of sun was obscured by the moon (seen through the glasses) to totality itself, the whole thing was amazing. When totality ended, the crowds started cheering and clapping! We were so lucky that by sheer chance we happened to be in Palma on that day and were able to see the eclipse.
It is now the day after the eclipse, and our last day in Palma. On the plus side, I am continuing to recover and we are hoping to go out for a good meal in the city tonight. On the minus side, the problems with our fridge look much worse than we anticipated. The mechanic has replaced the compressor, but found leaks in a tiny pipe that cannot be repaired. A whole new unit will be required, and we suspect that will have to wait until it can be tackled in Sardinia over winter. Tomorrow we start our journey around the Mallorcan coast, aiming to get to Menorca in a couple of days, and then make the long passage to Sardinia.
