After several weeks in the La Maddalena Park on the NE corner of Sardinia. It was time to move on. We took the bus in to the grocery store several times and enjoyed walking onshore amidst the pristine natural environment of the park. We were there for about 12 days, and it was very well protected from the storms that passed over.
Our first leg West took us to La Colma. This was a very good anchorage, just in front of a beach while facing into steady East winds.
Our second leg took us to Cala Grande Isola Piano, on the NW corner of Sardinia. Here we rested one night, before setting out on the final leg to Menorca (the first of the Spanish islands that make up the Balearic Islands) , a passage of 192.5nm. This passage was undertaken just after some very strong winds, but there was quite a residual side swell present, so it was a lumpy motor-sail, for most of the way.
At Menorca, we first anchored at Cala Teulera, just on the outskirts of the capital Mahon. This is a very, very well protected and popular anchorage. It is nearly always FULL with sailboats at anchor, and then 3X full when you add in all the local boats “day trippers” who come out for a few hours at a time to enjoy the calm, shallow waters and the tranquility.
At Cala Teulera, we walked up the hill to the nearby ancient fort of La Mola – dating back to the 16th century. The English, and then the Spanish took more than a century to build this fort, and there was never a shot fired in anger.
Kevin and Sandy rented a car to do some errands, and we tagged along with them.
One afternoon we treated ourselves to a very tasty tapas lunch, with 8 different tapas dishes and 2 rice paella dishes. We were stuffed!
We drove to the West side of the island, and visited the city of Ciutadella. First off, we visited the Cathedral Basilica of Ciutadella de Menorca. Construction started in 1300 and was finished in 1362, creating a building of the Catalan Gothic style.
Then, across the street we visited the home of a former rich family – the Oliver House. This is a view of their wine cellar.
Later on, we stopped in at Lidl for some cheap European groceries, and even bought some of this “vino blanco” for 0.89 euros (1 Litre). You can’t beat that…..
Here is a typical street view of the downtown of Ciutadella.
While in Mahon, we went to several chandleries and hardware stores, and it was wonderful to be back in a country where “things are on the shelves” and you are free to browse around looking.
On 18 July, we made it to the island of Mallorca, anchoring first at Cala Varques and secondly at Isla Gavina – where I am writing this blog entry. At Gavina, we are still “repairing our dinghy”. I have made several “Sikaflex” fixes, but they do not seem to be holding up and water is still leaking in at the stern. So, this time – we hoisted the dinghy on the foredeck “again” and made a determined repair, and are allowing the Sikaflex to cure for a full 4 days.
With our dinghy “out of commission”, we invited Sandy and Kevin over for lunch and to get water from us. With their outboard “out of commission”, and us unable to offer a ride – they are paddling.
