Santa Ponsa to Portals - Friday 28th August 2009
We had intended to set off fairly early in the morning, but as so often happens, we got side tracked and it wasn't until nearly midday that we meandered over to the fuelling pontoon to fill up. It could have been an interesting refuel, as a sleepy Vish (he and Greg had got home after a night clubbing at 5am) wandered into the cockpit and immediately lit up a cigarette! A quiet word in his persuaded him that this wasn't the most sensible thing to do in our present position!! We managed to refuel without incident and eased out of Santa Ponsa and around the coast towards Palma. Our journey was only a little over half an hour, over a lovely sea and passing such enthralling resorts as Magaluf (we decided to give it a miss, having heard from Vish and Greg exactly how tacky it was).
Portals is another fab marina - large and chocabloc with megayachts, it is a very popular harbour with shops, bars and restaurants all around (no MacDonalds here). Christian, Adam and Leonie arrived about 15 minutes after we'd tied up, so Zaffina is full to the brim now with 7 of us on board. Adam has volunteered to be squashed into the crew cabin, no easy feat for someone with an ankle injury who is walking with a stick!
Dinner as under the stars at a restaurant a stone's throw from where we are moored and was followed by drinks on the terrace at Wellies, the most famous - or infamous - bar here.
Saturday, 29 August 2009
Puerto Andraxt to Santa Ponsa
Puerto Andraxt to Santa Ponsa – 27th August 2009
When eventually we managed to tear ourselves away from Puerto Andraxt it was just to move a very short distance down the coast. Yesterday we hired a car to pick Greg up from the airport and on our way to return it this morning (Thursday), we popped down to the port at Santa Ponsa – what a pleasant surprise! Although the town itself is busy and very touristy, the port is tiny, a natural inlet about a mile away from the centre of the resort. We thought we would be too big to get in, but when we enquired at the Capitania, we were told that we could go on the waiting pontoon. We headed back to Andraxt, cast off and meandered along the coast before dropping anchor in the bay of Santa Ponsa. The water was deliciously warm and the afternoon was spent diving off the bathing platform and relaxing. Greg’s friend, Vish, who has flown out here, joined us on board via the dinghy before we headed into port and tied up in a space only a fraction longer than Zaffina on the pontoon!
When eventually we managed to tear ourselves away from Puerto Andraxt it was just to move a very short distance down the coast. Yesterday we hired a car to pick Greg up from the airport and on our way to return it this morning (Thursday), we popped down to the port at Santa Ponsa – what a pleasant surprise! Although the town itself is busy and very touristy, the port is tiny, a natural inlet about a mile away from the centre of the resort. We thought we would be too big to get in, but when we enquired at the Capitania, we were told that we could go on the waiting pontoon. We headed back to Andraxt, cast off and meandered along the coast before dropping anchor in the bay of Santa Ponsa. The water was deliciously warm and the afternoon was spent diving off the bathing platform and relaxing. Greg’s friend, Vish, who has flown out here, joined us on board via the dinghy before we headed into port and tied up in a space only a fraction longer than Zaffina on the pontoon!
Ibiza to Majorca
Ibiza to Majorca – Monday 24th August 2009
I lied about the minimal rations (see 23rd August). We went and had a fabulous meal on the quayside and drowned our sorrows and then in the morning we stayed on the berth until the last possible moment in order to get the best value out of it. Mind you, we made sure we left before they could even think about charging us for another night!
Out at sea the conditions were reasonable as we set off, hugging the coast of Ibiza before striking out towards the larger island of Majorca. As so often happens, things got better as we went along, and although we had intended going into port at Palma, where we thought we had a berth booked, we decided instead to drop anchor in a sheltered cove. Our search for a suitably sheltered spot eventually took us to Puerto Andraxt, and instead of dropping the anchor, we booked in and went alongside in the early afternoon. Just as well really, cause when we called Palma to cancel our place we discovered they had no record of it. Andraxt is simply gorgeous, one of those picturesque places that you hope to find and so often don’t! It has a natural harbour which is far up an inlet and well sheltered and the facilities were ideal for us, even including a swimming pool where we headed immediately we were tied up in order to have a refreshing swim. Our one night in Andraxt became two, then three, it was such a good place to unwind (which of course we still need to do!) with great restaurants and delicious bars along the quayside.
I lied about the minimal rations (see 23rd August). We went and had a fabulous meal on the quayside and drowned our sorrows and then in the morning we stayed on the berth until the last possible moment in order to get the best value out of it. Mind you, we made sure we left before they could even think about charging us for another night!
Out at sea the conditions were reasonable as we set off, hugging the coast of Ibiza before striking out towards the larger island of Majorca. As so often happens, things got better as we went along, and although we had intended going into port at Palma, where we thought we had a berth booked, we decided instead to drop anchor in a sheltered cove. Our search for a suitably sheltered spot eventually took us to Puerto Andraxt, and instead of dropping the anchor, we booked in and went alongside in the early afternoon. Just as well really, cause when we called Palma to cancel our place we discovered they had no record of it. Andraxt is simply gorgeous, one of those picturesque places that you hope to find and so often don’t! It has a natural harbour which is far up an inlet and well sheltered and the facilities were ideal for us, even including a swimming pool where we headed immediately we were tied up in order to have a refreshing swim. Our one night in Andraxt became two, then three, it was such a good place to unwind (which of course we still need to do!) with great restaurants and delicious bars along the quayside.
Alicante to Ibiza
Alicante to Ibiza – Sunday 23rd August 2009
We are so glad to be back on board! Although it was fun to catch up with people back in Jersey, we missed our life on Zaffina and we had huge grins on our faces when we landed in Spain. We just spent one night in Alicante before heading out into a mixed sea early on Sunday morning. With the swell from the east and the wind from the west – or was it the other way around? – the surface was a bit bumpy but things evened out pretty quickly as we sped on our way, following the Spanish coast before branching out into open sea and towards the Balearics. A few flying fish accompanied us along the way and there were some ominous looking greeny-brown jellyfish in the water near Spain but fewer of them as we left the mainland behind.
The journey took around 5 hours but instead of going straight into port, we diverted to the beautiful beach at Espelmador, off Formentera where we anchored off then took the dinghy shore. It was just the most perfect beach: white, white soft sand, no litter, and clear, clean turquoise waters, gorgeous! It was with great reluctance that we dragged ourselves back to the boat and lifted the anchor in the late afternoon, before heading across the channel to Ibiza. We were booked into one of the town marinas but as we approached, we realised the space we had been allocated was horribly exposed and that we would have a bumpy and unpleasant night, so we turned tail and went instead into Botafoch Marina. Here everything went smoothly, until Frank got the bill for our stay. Suffice to say, we assumed that we had bought a timeshare not simply paid for one night. We’ll have to be on minimal rations for at least the next fortnight to recoup the charge!
We are so glad to be back on board! Although it was fun to catch up with people back in Jersey, we missed our life on Zaffina and we had huge grins on our faces when we landed in Spain. We just spent one night in Alicante before heading out into a mixed sea early on Sunday morning. With the swell from the east and the wind from the west – or was it the other way around? – the surface was a bit bumpy but things evened out pretty quickly as we sped on our way, following the Spanish coast before branching out into open sea and towards the Balearics. A few flying fish accompanied us along the way and there were some ominous looking greeny-brown jellyfish in the water near Spain but fewer of them as we left the mainland behind.
The journey took around 5 hours but instead of going straight into port, we diverted to the beautiful beach at Espelmador, off Formentera where we anchored off then took the dinghy shore. It was just the most perfect beach: white, white soft sand, no litter, and clear, clean turquoise waters, gorgeous! It was with great reluctance that we dragged ourselves back to the boat and lifted the anchor in the late afternoon, before heading across the channel to Ibiza. We were booked into one of the town marinas but as we approached, we realised the space we had been allocated was horribly exposed and that we would have a bumpy and unpleasant night, so we turned tail and went instead into Botafoch Marina. Here everything went smoothly, until Frank got the bill for our stay. Suffice to say, we assumed that we had bought a timeshare not simply paid for one night. We’ll have to be on minimal rations for at least the next fortnight to recoup the charge!
Sunday, 2 August 2009
Cartagena to Alicante - 1st August 2009
Got up this morning to discover that someone had vomited on the pontoon alongside Zaffina - delightful. What was worse was that some b******* had thrown a cigarette butt on board and burnt a hole in the seating. We were livid, especially as there was no security at the marina and they had put us on a totally exposed mooring, so we went up to the marina office to complain. Eventually they agreed to cover the cost of repairs although whether we ever see the money or not is another matter. So for those of you who may be considering going into Cartagena on your travels, don't bother is our advice. It's been our least favourite port so far. Annoyingly, we discovered there was another marina backing onto the one we were in, where we would have been much better protected.
We were glad to set off to sea again, although we weren't sure what sort of a crossing we were in for as the wind was up to a good 5 and the sea looked quite lumpy. However, with the wind behind us we sped down the coast and Zaffina took it all in her stride giving us a great trip.
An hour out of Cartagena we suddenly found ourselves alongside Miami Beach, which was a bit of a shock! Actually, it wasn't the real Miami Beach (honest) but it sure looked like it, a long strip of white sand with stacks of high rise buildings towering over it. This was the land dividing the Mar Menor (an inland sea) from the Med so we decided to have a nose in. The entrance was a long, narrow canal and scarily shallow in places so we had to feel our way through. At one point we slipped under a bridge which gave us only inches to spare overhead and then we came out into a large marina which led in turn into the Mar Menor itself. Had it been less windy we would probably have explored further, but we wanted to press on to Alicante whilst the conditions were still ok, so just had a brief gander before we turned round again and headed out.
The rest of the crossing was uneventful. Zaffina was her usual fantastic self and our only problem was a difficult mooring in Alicante with a strong wind trying to push her every which way. It was a relief to finally be tied up with a refreshing vodka and tonic in hand! We'll be here until Wednesday when we fly home for a couple of weeks before pushing on to the Balearics.
We were glad to set off to sea again, although we weren't sure what sort of a crossing we were in for as the wind was up to a good 5 and the sea looked quite lumpy. However, with the wind behind us we sped down the coast and Zaffina took it all in her stride giving us a great trip.
An hour out of Cartagena we suddenly found ourselves alongside Miami Beach, which was a bit of a shock! Actually, it wasn't the real Miami Beach (honest) but it sure looked like it, a long strip of white sand with stacks of high rise buildings towering over it. This was the land dividing the Mar Menor (an inland sea) from the Med so we decided to have a nose in. The entrance was a long, narrow canal and scarily shallow in places so we had to feel our way through. At one point we slipped under a bridge which gave us only inches to spare overhead and then we came out into a large marina which led in turn into the Mar Menor itself. Had it been less windy we would probably have explored further, but we wanted to press on to Alicante whilst the conditions were still ok, so just had a brief gander before we turned round again and headed out.
The rest of the crossing was uneventful. Zaffina was her usual fantastic self and our only problem was a difficult mooring in Alicante with a strong wind trying to push her every which way. It was a relief to finally be tied up with a refreshing vodka and tonic in hand! We'll be here until Wednesday when we fly home for a couple of weeks before pushing on to the Balearics.
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