Saturday 24 May 2008

Here we go again


Right. Well. Been here a few days now. Went out for a speedy trip across the bay with our new-found friends, Carrie and Richard, for a lovely day out yesterday. Got up to an amazing 30knots on the way back to the berth. Averaging 5-7knots, as we do on Blue Crush, is a very different way to travel.,
Hired a car the day before and collected a serviced life-raft from Palma. £450!!!! And it’s supposed to be done again same time next year. No apologies, no grovelling, just a-very-matter-of-fact-that’ll be £450, senor!!!!! Then off to Alcampo superstore to stock up on provisions- so much easier in a hire-car than several trips to our friendly SYP up the street.
So now we’ve filled up with water, serviced the loos AGAIN, stocked up with beer ,water and wine, done a few last bits of washing, topped up with water again, made the compulsory visit to the bricolage (ironmongers), just in case there’s a few screws we might need, had a last drink with Carrie and Richard, with lots of envious remarks about our endless, sun-filled weeks languishing in the Mediterranean Sea, and tomorrow we would set sail for Soller on the North coast of Mallorca.
We get up early this morning ready to do some last-minute fresh meat shopping and check the forecast and top up with water again!! By now you’ll realise I’m really keen to have both water tanks full to max! We’d heard and decided to ignore some earlier long-range forecast of bad weather for the weekend, but unfortunately they were spot on. Low pressure over the western med, low pressure over Mallorca, with showers, occasional storms, and winds F3-4, increasing to 5, for Sat,Sun and into the beginning of next week*. Richard’s just been past. “Why are you still here?”!!! Ian’s sitting reading the log book –“Did you know that 10 years this week we went on our first journey from Alcudia in Coral Quay”. It was with Colin, who developed a nasty reaction to sun tan lotion and had to be brought back to port from Porto Colom for emergency treatment with steroids!! Remember that one, Col. (Wind outside is increasing steadily, howling in the rigging, and Ian’s gone up on deck to tighten halyards that are banging around in the wind). What a shame! Once again, sheltering down below with the wind screaming up top and the “showers” now changing to heavy rain! Oh Joy!!. At least we made the right decision to stay put. Would n’t want to have to use the expensively- serviced life-raft. Would probably cost a fortune to have it put back in its nice little box!!
No sign of improvement in the weather for a few days, so god knows when we’ll ever set off!! Hopefully when I’m next in touch, it will be from a place other than Port d’Alcudia, as much as I love it here!! Never mind, off for a walk this afternoon!!
Feel free to send in comments, but don’t forget to tell me who they’re from, if you can be bothered(Anj, Bea and Kate, and “the workers”), and if you can remember,(senior family members!!!).

Just a little re-cap on wind speeds-
F2-3 Hardly ever encountered outside the heady days of August. My favourite wind speed. Crap for sailing. Very conducive to reading, sun-bathing, drinking G&T……
F3-4 Still very pleasant. May have to put book/glass/suntan-lotion down to adjust sails. The best sailing wind. Encountered for about half an hour prior to wind picking up to…..
F4-5 Laura’s favourite wind speed. Exciting sailing. Crap for reading/drinking/sun-lounging
F5-6 “Where’s my walking boots? I need some exercise!”