| Past Updates |
| Page 20 |
| June 10, 2002, Update #31 |
| Finally to Italy. Once we left the mainland of Spain, we sailed 107 nautical miles overnight to Porto Pollenca, Mallorca. We arrived to the anchorage in the morning under sunny skies to find three other boats that we know from wintering stay in Barcelona. Unfortunately, Sophie (our kitten) had a bit of seasickness during this passage. We spent a few days sightseeing, enjoying the wonderful outdoor market that sold beautiful fruits, vegetables, plants, flowers and baskets. We also visited the old town of Pollenca. Our next sail was 62 nautical miles to Mahon, Menorca. We left under sunny skies but eventually ran into very lumpy seas, not necessarily a comfortable trip. Sophie slept most of the day, thank goodness! Once we entered the mouth of the Mahon harbor, we anchored in a lovely anchorage that was surrounded by walls, fortifications and towers. The anchorage was very protected and not crowded. The next day, our friends Susan and Bob on SV Meg, also a Hallberg Rassy, arrived. We met Susan and Bob when we wintered in the US Virgin Islands. Together we rented a car and explored the beautiful island of Menorca. We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful island--unusual rock formations, spectacular coastline and lovely towns. When we returned from a day of touring, we were happy to find Farr Niente, a sailboat from Germany that we spent time in Barcelona for a day or two (Klaus and Barbara). Meg, Farr Niente and Zelda were planning to leave together for a 256 nautical mile passage from Menorca to Caglieri, Sardenia. Klaus left a day before us with a fairly good weather window. Unfortunately, we were not ready to leave so Meg and Zelda left the following morning in overcast, windy conditions. The seas were lumpy but the wind was consistent so that we were able to maintain a speed of 7-9 kts. Before leaving Menorca, we found a vet to discuss options for a seasick kitty. He provided us with medication that thankfully worked, since the trip was another overnight and not particularly comfortable. At daybreak, we found that the boat had been COVERED with a reddish dust. Since the wind was from the southwest, we were covered with Sahara dust. Meg, our traveling boat companions had also been covered with it. None of us had ever experienced such a mess, we had this muddy substance everywhere, masts, booms, sails, liftlines, you name it. Even though quite anxious to relax after the uncomfortable overnight, when we anchored for the night, both boats spent quite a bit of time trying to clean off the mess. The anchorage was in a secluded bay with Meg and Zelda the only sailboats. The next morning, we left the anchorage under sunny skies and calm seas and a beautiful wind direction with 15-20 knots; we sailed the entire way to Caglieri, Sardenia. We arrived around 1:30 under skies that quickly turned to black clouds and high winds (we saw the wind go from 10 to 35 in a manner of minutes). We had expected our friends on Farr Niente to arrive in Caglieri before us and to make arrangements for us to pull into a marina. They, however, changed their plans and stopped at one of the islands off Sardinia before making it to Caglieri. Well, anyway, we circled around the Caglieri harbor calling the yacht club for permission to dock but never received a reply. When the winds picked up, we called for anyone in the harbor with information as to where else we could go. We luckily received a reply from another American who provided us with instructions as to where we could dock. By this time, the wind and waves were really honking, so we were thankful that we had some helpful boaters on the dock to help handle the lines as we pulled into the slip. Meg was also provided with a slip and received the much needed help of line handlers as they docked. We had planned to spend only a few days in Sardinia before leaving for Sicily, but the weather window will not open for about 5 days. So, Meg and Zelda rented a car and toured the island. We all agreed that this island is not as impressive as the Balearics. We all do agree, though, that we have enjoyed some fantastic Italian food. When the weather window opens for us to leave Sardinia, we will take another big hop, 200 nautical miles, and head to Sicily. We hope to rendezvous there with another sailboat, Equus (Steve and Pat), a boat we met two winters ago in the US Virgin Islands. |