OUR BLOG
"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
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.
1 Comment
Adrian
16/8/2013 06:06:04 am
Glad you got into the marina pre storm.I had heard that the down side of the Balaeirics was not only cost of marinas but also possibly not getting a berth when the weather gets nasty/dangerous.Say hello to James.
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A FEW PICS OF COMINOClick 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.
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