Thursday 16 May 2019

We woke to a very peaceful morning. We were anchored about half a mile off a long beach, which felt very open and unprotected. Usually we are tucked in somewhere behind cliffs or land of some sort, so this was very different.  I had felt slightly uneasy about this, and had woken at least once during the night and got up to check all was well. We certainly would not have been here if there had been any wind forecast.

After our recent challenges with anchoring, we were delighted that the bottom here was weed-free sand. The water was shallow and clear, and as we prepared to leave, I could actually see the anchor break free from the sand.

We headed back across the bay to Palma. The distance was short and there was so little wind that we did not even prepare the sails for use. George, the autohelm, did most of the work.

The view approaching Palma from the sea is dominated by the cathedral. The local authorities have done a great job in protecting the skyline from high rise buildings in the vicinity of the cathedral, so that it maintains its position of dominance.

We have been to Palma a couple of times before, once in fact while we were evaluating boats in the lead up to buying Equinox. However, we have never sailed into the harbour before. It is a very busy commercial harbour, with several large marinas and repair yards, a fishing fleet, ferries and today, 3 cruise ships. As we entered, we had to keep out of the way of boats leaving who were being forced to the wrong side of the channel by other boats entering. All quite complicated. We found our way to the reception pontoon, and while we waited, saw a group of children in canoes, being towed around by a rescue boat.  It seems odd to have cruise ships and 6-year olds in canoes in relatively close proximity. A marinaro in a rib led us to our spot and then helped with our lines.

We have been viewing the weather forecast for the next few days and are aware that there is a gale warning in place for tomorrow. As a result, we have been trying to work out where we can moor for the night, as when we asked the marina we were in previously, they had said that they could only accommodate us for 1 night. You can imagine our relief when we double checked this as we checked in and they said that we could stay the extra night. We were not relishing the prospect of anchoring somewhere while the wind came through in 35+ knot gusts.

Having not been in a marina for several days, the bulk of the day was taken with chores, clothes washing, shopping, cleaning etc. As we walked to the supermarket to buy food and arrange for it to be delivered, we spotted several windmills along the seafront. We had not been aware of these on our previous visits, and even having read about the historic importance of windmills in the islands, it still came as a surprise to spot 4 or 5 in a line.  We later came across another group in one of the side streets. Our predecessors obviously knew a thing or two about renewable energy sources.  

Once the chores were out of the way, our friends Sue and Dave arrived to be with us for the next week.  They have very happy associations with Mallorca from previous visits and were keen to come again.  They had had a good flight arriving a few minutes early, and then used the excellent bus service to get to us. The bus route goes right past the marina entrance, and once we heard that they were getting close, we walked out to the road to meet them. It was a beautiful evening, and we were able to sit on deck, with a drink in hand, catching up on all the news.

Distance covered today	6	nautical miles
Trip distance covered	472	nautical miles
Distance covered 2019	472	nautical miles
Steve (and Tricia)