I can put my hand on my heart and report that there was a thunderstorm every single night of Tim and Annabelle’s stay with us! Fortunately the weather during the day wasn’t too bad, although it was a week of extremes; when it was sunny it was gorgeous but when it rained, it was monsoon season! We managed to make the best of the good days, and whilst they were with us, we almost circumnavigated Mallorca, starting from Andratx and heading east, finishing in Soller, which is an hour or so north of our starting point.
The trip from Andratx to Cala d’Or was not bad, we nosed into Portals Vells on the way and also into Mondrago, but by the time we got that far it was drizzling so we weren’t inclined to stop. Things were improving as we arrived in Cala d’Or, where we were given the best spot, right in front of the restaurants on the quay. By the time we were tied up, it was sunbathing weather again, and we made the most of it. With good weather the following morning, we put out to sea again, still heading north. This time conditions were brilliant, it just got calmer and calmer as we approached our destination, Formentor (not to be confused with Formentera), a beautiful, unspoilt bay where we dropped the anchor. It was such a delightful spot that we didn’t want to move, so we fired up the barbeque and had the night on the hook. Of course, we had our usual thunder and lightning through the evening and in the night the wind came up, slapping against the hull and making it a noisy night for all on board. Just before morning, the wind dropped off again and by the time we emerged, it was flat calm and bright sunshine. Tim dived straight off the back, frightening the fishes, which had gathered to enjoy the bread I had been throwing in for them. We took the dinghy over to the beach and went up to the Formentor Hotel for a full English. So engrossed were we with our food that we didn’t notice the wind rising again and our return journey to Zaffina resulted in a good soaking for all on board!
It stayed windy and choppy for most of the day and eventually we decided to head for port; Pollensa was just a short distance away and although there was some confusion about whether or not they had space for us, we ended up moored on an outside muelle, which turned out to be more sheltered than a position inside the marina. Once out of the wind, it was a sunbathing afternoon but I was feeling rough and cried off as the others went out for dinner at a quayside restaurant.
We decided to press on with our journey the next morning and slid off our mooring into a beautifully calm bay, ready to soak up the sun’s rays en route. Once we were round the northern tip of Mallorca, things changed! Clouds gathered, the wind rose and the swell was against us. Somehow the conditions matched the dramatic backdrop of the rugged cliffs of the north, towering majestically above us and making us feel very insignificant as we ploughed through the rough seas towards Soller. Frank pulled back the throttle as we approached a larger than average wave and a shriek came from Annabelle, who had been sitting reading in the cockpit. Apparently she cartwheeled overbackwards, landing on her butt in the shoebasket. Thereafter she was known as “Shoebox Annie”.
We were glad to get into port, all the more so when the sun popped out again, casting Soller in bright sunlight and raising our spirits accordingly. However, the forecast warned us that it wasn’t too last, and we knew we would be stuck in port for a few days. It wasn’t a bad place to be, the town was pretty with a selection of good restaurants nearby and a regular tram service to Soller town (Soller Town and Soller Port are a few miles apart but both are towns in their own right).
We were moored between several small ferries and the refuelling pontoon and were warned that one of the ferries needed to come alongside to refuel. They would warn us, they said, before they came into position the following morning. In the event, they didn’t bother, and before we could drop the bowline or get extra fenders ready, the ferry was up against us and trying to force itself into part of the space we already occupied. The result was a damaged bow rail on Zaffina and raised blood pressure for Frank! To cut a long story short, we’re making a claim on their insurance for the damage and Frank’s blood pressure eventually came down with a large glass of red wine.
Whilst in Soller, we popped up to La Residencia one evening and had a fabulous dinner there, and on the day of Tim and Annabelle’s departure, we opted for lunch at El Faro, a restaurant perched high on the cliffs above the entrance to the port. The rain was torrential and in the five yard run from the taxi to the door, all four of us got utterly soaked! A warm welcome and a great lunch made up for the weather – we couldn’t even see the view for the first half hour but when the rainclouds drew back, it took our breath away. As we watched, one of the day trip ferries wallowed from the port to the open sea, the waves buffeting and rocking the boat, giving its poor passengers a horrible ride; in the end, it gave up and returned to the harbour. For once we were glad to be on Terra Firma!
Tim and Annabelle left but forgot to take the rain with them! Frank whisked me back to La Residencia for our wedding anniversary, where we had lunch at the pool bar with thunder and lightning playing all around, then a lazy massage to the sound of rain cascading from the heavens! We stayed there for the night and awoke to the view of thunderclouds over the mountains but by the time we checked out and returned to Zaffina things were improving and with little wind around, we decided to make the run down to Palma. Coming out of Soller was quite hairy; at slow speed we were rolling around and wondering whether we had made the right decision to move at all, but as soon as we turned south and gave Zaffina her head she flew through the water effortlessly. Things got better and better and in addition to the seas improving, we also left the cloud behind, arriving in Palma under blue skies.
We then had two and a half glorious days of almost unbroken sunshine, and made a return visit to El Trenc, one of our favourite beaches (that’s the one with the naked sunbathers.) It was lovely to just chill out on the beach again (wearing our bathers by the way) and swim in the water which was slightly cooler than last time we were here but still very pleasant.
Last night we had another exceptional dinner on the terrace at Hotel Son Vida, overlooking the city of Palma and today we’re back on board and guess what? It’s raining and there’s thunder and lightning raging all around us…just for a change! As soon as things improve we’re hoping to head back to mainland Spain so, fingers crossed, Barcelona here we come!
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