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"There's always a plan, but unexpected things happen and we just go with the flow. Though I do believe that fate and destiny often play their part"
sailing blog
Sadly, Nicki's father passed away. I'm so glad we hugged each other so heartily when we departed the UK back in April.
I flew home for a week to reunite with Nicki and attend the funeral. The people at San Antonio Marina had understood my predicament and kindly found me a place. Nicki and I then returned to Ibiza on the same day the delivery crew arrived from Malta. We did the full handover the next day and Comino was now in the capable hands of Kenneth and Ramon, both very experienced skippers. Nevertheless, it was a sad moment walking away from our precious boat. On Sunday we jumped on the fast cat ferry to Valencia, where we had a relaxing two days in a lovely hotel right in the heart of the old city. We really needed some peaceful time together. This morning we flew from Valencia to Malta, to be met at the airport by our dear friend Jane. Within an hour we were lounging around on her rooftop terrace, enjoying the pool and sipping a glass of chilled vino. It's obviously a time of mixed emotions, but the plan is to settle here for a year or so, although obviously there'll be regular trips back to the UK. The immediate priority now is to wait patiently for Comino to arrive, probably in around ten days time. The weather forecast is very mixed around Sardinia, where she's are currently heading, so the guys may be holed up in a safe harbour for a day or so. Their route will then take them straight to Sicily, then Malta. All I can say is it's a bloody long way and I wish Kenneth and Ramon a safe passage. I can't wait to greet them at Manoel Island Marina, some time soon.
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On Friday, the news about Nicki's father was not good at all. There was only one thing to do - get her on the first available flight home. Easyjet came up trumps and after some hasty packing we zoomed off to the airport for a departure to Gatwick at 01:10 am local time, arriving at a rather unsociable 02:35 am UK time.
Em's fiancé, Will, was there to meet her and take her back to their flat in London. Without delay, she set off again for the journey to Cheltenham with Em in the car for company. Nicki's Mini was stored in their garage - just as well. Having not driven for five months, it was a bit nerve racking. The decision to motor through the night was partly made to avoid the Bank Holiday traffic, but mostly because time was of the essence. Thankfully Nicki was home safe and sound within a few hours. Needless to say, being reunited with the rest of her family after so long away, in such circumstances, was emotional. I'm holding the fort on the boat and sadly Em and Will have had to cancel their holiday here, which was due to start tomorrow. What makes it doubly hard is that it would have been the first time seeing Em in five months. I'm anxious to get home myself now, once I can get Comino booked into the marina in San Antonio. That's always a challenge. As I mentioned before, we've got ferry tickets to Valencia and flights to Malta coming up soon, so you can see how these are certainly challenging times. Mind you, the only thing that really matters is that Nicki's father pulls through. Although we've recently ventured out to idyllic anchorages for a few days here and there, we're mainly staying put in San Antonio now due to the very worrying situation with Nicki's father. Things have taken a turn for the worse much quicker than expected. Daily medical reports from family keep us fully updated, but the news is very stressful. With Em arriving on Monday, and no permanent marina berth, it makes it difficult for us to jump on a plane home, which is, of course, our natural inclination. Life on the ocean waves is not all plain sailing at the moment. However, to brighten things up, we did have a lovely visit aboard Comino from Rhiannon, one of my management team from work days......what are work days I ask myself! She's in Ibiza with a friend on a short party, party, party holiday. Knowing we were here, she wanted to say hello before a visit to an exclusive beach club nearby and then Pasha for a night of clubbing. A few glasses of fizz and a good old catch up made for a really uplifting time. Just what we needed. Nicki particularly enjoyed some girlie company for a change. Today has been a busy day making travel arrangements. Our delivery crew fly in from Malta on the 6th September. Well run through the in's and out's of the boat and do the formal handover on the 7th. We then jump on the fast Catamaran to Valencia on the 8th, having stayed in a hotel overnight. On the 10th we fly from Valencia to Malta, where we'll await (anxiously) Comino's arrival, probably about ten days later. Next job is to find a hotel in Valencia and look up things to do whilst we're there. Here we are back in the marina in San Antonio a few days after James has departed. Comino is clean and tidy again and miraculously no smelly underwear has been left behind. His time with us was, however, very precious and we'll not leave it so long again. A lot of his holiday was spent bombing around in the dinghy, using so much petrol he caused a severe shortage throughout Ibiza, or lounging around on a lilo or making himself cheese, tomato and chorizo baguettes. He must have consumed at least a hundred in seven days. Next week Em and Will arrive, so more fun and frolics will ensue. In the meantime, plans for our re-location to Malta are progressing and after a nerve racking few days waiting, we've finally had confirmation of a berth at Manoel Island Marina. It's right in the heart of bustling Sliema, giving us access to a lively town right on our doorstep. I have kept quiet about one issue that's been troubling us for quite some time. We've been getting constant updates on Nicki's father's health, which is sadly deteriorating. It's very upsetting. It's also the real reason why we want to settle in Malta for a while. We'll have easy access to daily flights, so I can stay behind in a safe marina with friends on hand, while she pops home from time to time to see him. I should also mention that the prospect of sailing Comino into the Blue Lagoon, on the island of Comino (which is why we named her that), is very exciting. It's just a couple hours away from our new berth. We first sailed there on yacht with Jane many moons ago and we made ourselves a promise to go back one day in our own boat. Not long now we hope - get the bubbly in the fridge Jane - a toast to "achieving a big ambition" will be in order. This weekend we're back in the marina (hot showers and posh bogs). Then we plan to set sail around Ibiza again to visit more of the beautiful Calas we didn't call into first time round. There's a big fiesta here on Saturday - loads of fireworks I hear. Our time recently has been spent between the anchorage in San Antonio Bay and the Marina in San Antonio. I guess we just wanted to settle for a bit, relax in the slightly oppressive heat and brace ourselves for the arrival of young James. The calm before the storm as it were - he's not the tidiest of lads. My storm reference has a double meaning, as I'll explain. On Wednesday, the day of his arrival, I tried to book into the marina for three reasons. Firstly, it would be a whole lot easier getting him on-board, rather than having to dinghy across the bay in darkness.....we'd probably suffer from "wet bum" syndrome. Secondly, we had a horrible swelly previous night with virtually no sleep. Tiredness makes us rather irritable - it's the combination of feeling rough and the energy sapping heat. Thirdly, the worst storm of our adventure so far was being forecast for Wednesday night. It's not nice being battered at anchor in fiercely strong winds; poor James would have an absolutely terrible first night. Much to our annoyance, the marina didn't confirm we could have a spot by the two o'clock deadline and we feared the worst. Luckily, at ten past five, we got a call to say there was a place after all. What a relief! We praised our good fortune, quickly upped anchor and whizzed over to the safety of the marina. Getting James from the airport leads to another fascinating story. The day before, I was stood looking out of the back of the boat when two people in Kayaks came paddling by. One of them spoke and I instantly recognised the voice. It was only Tony, one of my long term colleagues from work days, with his son. We knew he had a timeshare on the Island and had joked previously that we might bump into him. And there he was - how weird is that. Anyway, after a quick catch up chat he invited us to join him and his family for dinner at a restaurant that night. It was his sons birthday treat. My word it was very posh.....way beyond our budget. After a truly exquisite gourmet dining experience, we then drove on to one of Ibiza's premier lounge/dining venues for more drinks. The KM5 Club was the very essence of Ibiza cool. Sumptuous decor, hypnotic music, very beautiful (rich) people with prices to make your eyes water, but Tony very generously funded both the meal and the club. Thank you. He also offered to take me to the airport in his hire car the next evening to pick up James, which saved us a lengthy bus ride. Thanks again. To repay his generosity, we took him, Sharon (wife), Luke and Sarah (his kids) out for a day out on the boat. We anchored in the crystal clear water at Cala Tarida. He only went and treated us to very fine seafood lunch in a restaurant overlooking the bay, making the day extra special. Thanks yet again. It was great for James to catch up with Luke as they'd met some years before. After swimming, snorkelling and generally lounging about, we sailed back in the evening to watch a breathtakingly spectacular sunset out at sea, in front of the infamous Cafe' Del Mar. Seeing it from the water was something they hadn't done in all the 26 years they'd been coming to Ibiza on holiday. At least we were able to reciprocate their generosity, in part, with a truly awesome experience. The storm on that Wednesday night was horrendous. Many boats anchored in the bay ripped free, causing chaos. There's no doubt we would have had a terrifying experience had we not managed to get into the marina. Many others tried and failed and that's really my beef. We want to be able to get into a marina as and when we want, whether it's because bad weather is approaching or because friends and relatives are coming to stay. We might even just fancy the luxury of posh showers and toilets for a change. It's simply not acceptable to us to be at the mercy of a daily waiting list because the capacity can't meet demand. It's for this reason that we've been in daily contact with our dear friend Jane in Malta, to make arrangements to get Comino taken over there in September. We know it means missing out on Menorca, Majorca, Corsica, Sardinia and Sicily, but we're really keen on the idea of spending a couple of years with our many friends in Malta, most of whom have boats. We could brave a few very long passages ourselves, including many nights at sea, but I'm afraid we just can't muster the enthusiasm for weeks of constant travelling. We're not home and dry just yet, but hopefully I'll be able to confirm shortly that a delivery crew are on their way here to sail Comino back to a marina berth in Malta. As you can see, it's all happening. When the delivery crew arrive, we've got to find a way to get ourselves to Malta and await the boats arrival. Phew, feels like all work and no play at the moment - only kidding - it's very exciting really. In the meantime, the reunion with James continues to be wonderful. Lots to do and see over the coming days, then we'll look forward to Em and Will visiting us soon. This episode has been a bit wordy so here's a few pics for good measure. Some people circumnavigate the globe. Our achievement is slightly less adventurous but nevertheless going right round Ibiza was quite an experience. It wasn't all plain sailing either, we had a few sticky moments along the way. After leaving the luxury of Marina Ibiza on 22nd July we sailed up the east coast to anchor in a spectacular little place called Cala Llonga. Steep pine carpeted hills either side of this long inlet, leading to a sandy beach, made it an ideal place to chill for a while. The picture below is the view from Comino anchored safely in the middle of the Cala in crystal clear water and not a jellyfish in sight. We swam all day, ate a hearty dinner and retired to bed feeling pretty damm lucky to be where we were. Sadly, during the night an annoying swell rolled in which made it difficult to sleep. There's a fine line between a soothing gentle rocking motion and something akin to being constantly rolled from one side of the bed to the other. Anyway, it was a sleepless night and in the morning we decided that we should move on. A short hop up the coast was Cala Pada. We dropped anchor off the beach thinking this would be an ideal place to spend a few days. Then the wind started to blow quite hard from the south. Guess which direction we were facing - south. Again, the swell kicked up and my instincts told me we should find a more sheltered place, preferably north facing. Up came the anchor, on went the engine and we steamed further up the cost with a beautiful little island called Tagomago a few miles off the mainland in our sights. In the most spectacular location, under dramatic cliffs and clear water like I've never seen before, we settled down once again. The wind grew much stronger, my nerves jangled, another sleepless night was on the cards. Up came the anchor, on went the engine. This time we crossed back to a very north facing small bay and as soon as we tucked in under the cliffs the world went completely calm......aaahhh......this would do nicely. In Cala del Lleo that night we were treated to an awesome sunset plus a good uninterrupted sleep. In the morning, feeling very refreshed, we decided to press on with our circumnavigation. As the electric motor whirred into action to bring up the anchor there was a horrible clunk. I looked down to see the anchor wedged between two rocks and clearly nothing short of a JCB was going to bring it up. On went the goggles and flippers for an urgent rescue mission whilst Nicky looked on nervously. Down I went into 15 feet of water and with one almighty yank out she came....£350 worth of anchor was saved. In brilliant early morning sunchine we travelled on round the north of Ibiza where the terrain looked like the scenery from Jurassic Park. Massive jagged cliffs, rolling pine forests and practically deserted. We passed Pta Moscarte, the northern most tip of the island, which has a lighthouse (see below) painted like a stick of candy. Our destination was Cala Portinatx, another beauty spot if ever there was one. Apart from a great beach and turquoise water we tend to choose Calas that have a bit of life in them. A few hotels, bars and restaurants mean there's plenty of people providing a bit of hustle and bustle. We've done isolated remote nooks and crannies but after a while you get bored of the nothingness. Are we philistines....probably. That said, Cala Portinatx was our home for a few days and we loved it. In the picture below, somewhere amongst the boats, is Comino bobbing about merrily. After a while at anchor there are certain necessities that run out. Water and battery power to name but two. Not the drinking stuff, bottled water is always on hand in little shops and cafe's but you do need to wash up the dishes now and then. Batteries can also be re-charged by running the engine for a while, but it's not ideal. So, onwards and upwards we decided to travel for a few hours back to San Antonio Bay where we could stock up. Sailing down the west cost of Ibiza the landscape was even more dramatic and totally uninhabited due to the towering rocky mountains that plunge vertically into the sea.
We anchored for a few more days in the bay first before coming into the marina for some luxury, which is where we are now. One thing that has been bugging us all the time is the lack of internet access as and when we want it. Therefore, I finally got off my backside and braved a trip to a Spanish mobile phone shop to seek a solution. Two hours later and Comino now has her very own mobile router......we are, in the eyes of the world, a floating Wifi hotspot.....about bloody time too Nicky exclaimed. Our next adventure involves the kids coming to see us, which after nearly five months apart is going to be an emotional welcoming. James arrives next Wednesday for a week and Emily-Jane and her fiancee come at the end of August. Our plan now is to stay in Ibiza till the end of the summer. Things like the hippy markets, a night in Pasha, more trips to unexplored Calas mean ther's plent of new stuff to experience before we put Comino to bed for winter. Where that might be is emerging as an interesting story in it's own right.....more news on that front to follow. In the meantime the pic below sums up one of the things we both like to do most........get up and dive in. On 15th we lifted our anchor in San Antonio Bay and set off for a holiday around Ibiza. First stop was Cala Tarida, just a couple of hours away. The beach was wonderful, the water crystal clear and a few restaurants and bars on the shore made short hops in the dinghy an absolute must. I even found a place up the hill that specialised in take-away spit roasted chickens. I got them to pop one in a bag for me and quickly returned to give Nicky a surprise slap up lunch on-board, washed down with a chilled bottle of Vino Blanco. Absolute heaven I must say. Swimming off the boat is now routine but you can imagine my surprise when I got up early one morning for a quick dunk and found Comino completely surrounded by jelly fish. I had contemplated a skinny dip but something told me it could get a bit painful round the nether regions!!! After a few days we decided it was time to move on again and find another Cala. We poked our nose into a couple just to have a look but they were all choka. Not enough room to swing a cat let alone a 30 ft yacht. High season here is crowded with many boats from England, France, Italy, Belgium and Holland, not to mention the Spanish on their home turf. They range from little tiddlers like us, all the way up to 300ft super yachts costing £25 million plus. We're all trying to squeeze into the same idyllic little bays but luckily for us we can usually find a spot in shallow water unsuitable for the big boys.Travelling anti-clockwise round the island we eventually dropped the hook in Cala Yondel. More swimming and more chilling but later we had a rolly poly night with an irritating swell all night. Tired, we set off again with our sights on Ibiza Town and some home comforts in a marina for the first time in two weeks. This involved some tricky navigation through rocks, reefs and small islands all waiting to trip up the unprepared sailor. A few uncomfortable hours in very choppy seas later, we arrived in the capital and rocked up boldly to Marina Ibiza amongst the biggest boats you've ever seen. Sorry sir, no room at the inn was the initial response but the head honcho of the place came out of his office and took pity on me. He made a dozen phone calls to birth holders to see who was away for the weekend. Eventually, after a tense half an hour wait, he found us a place for three nights in the farthest corner of the marina amongst the small speedboats.....Phew!!! This marina is geared up for the worlds richest people. There are immaculately uniformed staff on hand to do everything for you if you can afford it. Fetch n carry, cook, clean, polish your Rolls Royce (there are plenty of them). Everywhere you look very stylish looking couples ooze money out of every orriface.....but I'm sure they're really nice people at heart!!! One of the VIP services here is completely free and I've used it mercilessly. Rich and famous people are not expected to walk anywhere in this heat so a fleet of gleaming white golf buggies patrol the marina picking you up the minute you step off your boat. How cool is that? Yesterday we took the ferry over to the old town for a good old mooch around. Very attractive place full of shops selling outrageous clothing designed mainly for hedonistic types looking to adopt a designer hippy lifestyle. If you wore the stuff on Cheltenham Promenade you'd be arrested I'm sure. Anyway, here's a few pics of our stay.....tomorrow we sail and that means saying goodbye to the luxury showers and toilets and hello again to our solar bags. Actually, they do just fine, plus you don't pay 94 euros a night for them!!! Hello again. We've travelled so far lately with so much to tell, but firstly I'm pleased to confirm that our destination for this summer has been reached - we're in Ibiza, with Majorca and Minorca in our sights. The journey here was via Alicante, Calpe, Morayara and Denia, followed by a calm thirteen hour crossing from the mainland over to the nearest of the Balearic Islands. We've had to pinch ourselves just to make sure we're not dreaming. For the past five nights Comino has been comfortably settled at anchor in San Antonio Bay, a safe distance I hasten to add from the town where they made Ibiza Uncut, a documentary about the outrageous behaviour of the youth of today whilst on holiday. More of that later. It's probably best to use pictures to catch up on our adventure over the past couple of weeks, pretty well all of it without wifi, hence the lack of communication with the outside world. AlicanteCalpe
MorayraIbizaAs I said, we've been chilling out nicely for five days before we start exploring the beautiful Calas around the Island over the next month or so. We'll anchor most of the time with occasional visits to a marina to top up with water and fresh supplies. Where we are now is just a short dingy hop to a fantastic little beach complete with bar/restaurant actually sitting in the water on a concrete plinth. A Spa supermarket (small by our usual standards) is just a short walk away so everything we need to survive is on hand. For purely research purposes, we have ventured into San Antonio during the daytime to see if it's as bad as they say, but really it's fine just as long as you depart before dark when the carnage commences. You notice that there are thousands of bewildered souls sitting around eating all-day English breakfasts trying to fathom out what they did last night. There's no doubt this is party town personified. To fit in properly you also have to have at least 50% of your body tattooed, with a few piercing thrown in for good measure. Oh well......it's just kids enjoying themselves isn't it?
Next time we log on hopefully we'll have tales (and pictures) of the more remote parts of Ibiza, which I'm lead to believe will take our breath away. Catch up again soon. |
A FEW PICS OF COMINO Click a photo to enlarge and use side arrows to scroll through. COMINO IS CURRENTLY HEREDID SOMEONE SAY SEAFOODOn our journey from Portugal to Greece we enjoyed amazing seafood almost everywhere we stopped. Finding the local fish market was always a priority because seafood was so plentiful and so reasonably priced. And, the displays were a feast for your eyes.
Locating a market sometimes meant pounding the pavements in searing heat, but if you kept your eyes peeled, you often came across a little clue. The pic below was a rather less than subtle advert for a fish market - it was eight feet tall.
Freshly cooked onboard, a plateful of giant prawns, baked in wine and garlic, washed down with a few glasses of local vino, was like heaven. Watching the sunset on the boat eating a meal like that was the epitome of "living the dream".
Now we're in Greece we've another favourite to savour. I'm talking about fried Calamari. It's usually good, but every now and then it's off-the-scale fantastic. At Natalie's Taverna on Kontokali Beach in Corfu, it was nothing short of epic.
We're based in Lefkas now and It's been a bit of a mission to find somewhere just as good. And we have. Rakias is a mere ten minute walk from the marina and this little fish market, with its very own taverna attached, is quite sensational.
Oh...and it's also worth mentioning that, on occasions, a bit of barbequed Octopus is on the menu at some of the tavernas we frequent. Can I resist....no. SUNSETS AND DRAMATIC SKIESNo filters, or any other monkey business, have been used to enhance these images.
OUR ADVENTURES FROM THE BEGINNING CATEGORIES
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