So we bought new fenders for the boat

 

We hired a little matchbox car for the week - small with a dodgy fanbelt - but it gets us around. This particular day we had our French friends, Mary et Thierry with us, plus all the shopping. The only place for the new fenders? As you can see above we were thinking outside the box :O)

Worked a treat and we laughed until we cried...

Mary trapped inside the road boat...I've tried to upload the video of us driving along the only main road through Menorca, crying with laughter, but it is taking too long to upload on this signal. Naturally we attracted a great deal of positive attention - kids pointing and laughing, men doing double-takes, lorries flashing their lights and sounding their horns. English tourists overtaking and giving us the thumbs up and shouting things we couldn't hear. We realised they probably thought we were making a statement about the local driving conditions! In fact the driving in Menorca is very good. We were very pleased that everyone joined in the fun with us and that all fenders arrived on the boat safe and sound :O)

FIRST VISIT TO CUITADELLA MENORCA

I feel I would love living in this town - these old stone walls whisper : 'stay here.'

 Cool white walls and shades  relieve the heat. As does cold beer!

A  traditional Menorcan wooden fishing boat with sail and oars in Cuitadella harbour - more about the building in a future post.

Toni loves Myed

A shop selling Menorcan cheese - we bought a whole one. If you get a chance to try Menorcan cheese GO FOR IT without reservation!

When someone said I was delusional I almost fell off my unicorn :O)

First day at anchor Cala Galdana Menorca

We had good winds crossing from Mallorca to Menorca. Second half of passage the wind dropped off and we used our Code Zero to maintain five knots. The swell was just over a metre and dropping as we approached Cala Galdana. We found out later that the boats already at anchor had been bounced around in 2 metre swell the previous night. We used the kedge (Popeye) anchor again and have been sitting pretty. The main problem here is not the wind or swell; it's the charter boat 'sailors' and I use the term loosely. For the most part they are a nuisance, they have no clue what they are doing - this means everyone else has to be on constant alert because of their antics. The first morning three yachts dragged anchors and caused alarm to their neigbours. Just across from us we watched this debacle unfold between a French yacht ( anchored properly) and a charter 'sailor' with a Catamaran and a problem:

The dingy is acting as another fender! Eventually the french yacht had to up anchor and motored around the harbour while the Catamaran crew tried to untangle their anchor from another one. They came over to us and asked for bolt cutters saying they were going to cut the other anchor chain to free themselves ( can you believe this?). They asked Greg to help them : 'No way are you cutting someone elses chain,' says Greg. He then hops in the dingy to see if he can help free them.

Greg (in hat) and charter 'sailor '. Eventually the chains are unlocked, the Catamaran sails off to create havoc someplace else and the French yacht returns to re-anchor! At lunchtime the French couple, Thierry and Mary, invite us onboard for a good glass of French wine :O) Such fun communicating in pigeon French, but as you know - a smile and a good intentions go a long way :O)

Thierry et Mary on SY Anahita

Galdana bay on the south coast of Menorca.

Lerryn Lady at anchor in Cala Galdana ( on left picture) see the orange trip line buoy behind us for the kedge anchor. The main boom is out to Port to keep shadows off the solar panels. Greg has since rigged them up on top the Mizzen boom.

And just so you know I am not just sitting in the sun - I made these courtesy flags for the next two legs of our journey - Sardinia, Sicily and Greece :O)

Cuitedella Sant Joan Festival a MUST SEE!

 we did this yesterday - have taken loads of video and pics - cannot download so here's a youtube link in the meantime - please watch it is AMAZING!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TaJKqXdCusg

Techno Flop

Geez, sorry to tell you our Internet contract has gone AWOL for some weird reason - actually no 'reason' that we can make out. So until we get it sorted I cannot continue with the Blog. The great thing is this - we continue to see amazing things, meet lovely people and take lots of photgraphs - so, when the time comes, you will be inundated with more Blog updates than you probably care to shake a stick at. Hope it won't be too long - no promises. Lots of love in the meantime xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Figs are pretty

In my opinion the inside of a dried fig is really attractive :

Today we had local cheeses, figs and salad for lunch. I've just had a look in the fridge in order to give you the names of the cheeses - but can't find them, someone has been 'organising' again. Anyway, the cheese on the left is a delicious Menorcan Cheddary ensemble with a paprika skin, made in Mahon. The one on the right is lightweight in both taste and texture but has masses of oregano in it and is delicious also. The one at the back may remind you of those pineapple cream cheese rings you can buy in England - similar, except it's goat's cheese with crushed almonds - gorgeous - even Greg's coming round to goat's cheese with this one. In the middle I sliced the figs crosswise  to admire their design :O)

Lost oar - no laughing matter

By accident we lost an oar from the dingy - this is bad news. After searching with the dingy ( motor powered) we donned snorkels and fins VOILA it had sunk vertically, blade up. Jane dived for it, here's her triumphant salute!

Bless her!

BEWARE NUDITY!! COURTESY THE GERMANS - DO NOT LOOK IF EASILY OFFENDED!!

This is what the Germans offer to enhance the scenery and ambience! And I do realise that jokes about German sausages are the 'wurst'...

Apologies for not getting the flowers in focus! This one is special request for a girlfriend.

This guy came over from the beach, got his kit off, his Bratwurst out and posed this way and that for his girlfriend ( and us - yuk) for a good half hour. Great for weight loss - puts you off your food!

Lerryn Lady at Anchor Calle Molto Mallorca

 A friend, Jane from Blue Jay, took this photo yesterday. You can see the pine trees down to the water edge, the colour of the sea. The sun sails Greg and I designed and made from scratch - we made four so that we get all points covered when sitting in the cockpit ( or anywhere for that matter). it's difficult to shade a mizzen! Hey we cracked it, just in time as it's 36 degrees at midday and rising...

I was snorkelling somewhere but you can't see me. Been at anchor for three nights.

In fact we've been at 2 anchors. We have the bow anchor set and photo above shows our kedge anchor set behind the boat. This kedge is what I would describe as a 'Popeye' anchor. We take it out in the dingy and pull the boat round until she's at 90* to any swell, then set the anchor at that point. There has been a small swell but we hardly move an inch, it's comfortable this way for sleep. Some of the other yachts haven't bothered and they've been swinging like rocking horses. Tomorrow the swell increases - we're off to stay on a pontoon till it blows over :O)

Lerryn Lady attracts a crowd :O)

Minding our own business, moored alongside the quay in Porto Cristo - folk stroll past, stop, stare in at you, some call out 'Lerryn Lady'. Three people, more persistent than the others...

Mo, Christopher and Jeremy all from St Mawes, Cornwall. Ships that pass in the night - they are sailing homeward as we head East. The real reason they stopped was because they too owned a Super Sovereign 35 called ' Mayero' for eighteen years. They were delighted to come aboard for a glass of wine and re-aquaint themselves with happy memories.

Fish Spa Porto Cristo

 There are a lot of tourists in Porto Cristo - good to see that fish get a look in for pampering as well - perhaps a Scale and polish Sir?

And for something completely different, a quote I found yesterday:

“Once there were brook trout in the streams in the mountains. You could see them standing in the amber current where the white edges of their fins wimpled softly in the flow. They smelled of moss in your hand. Polished and muscular and torsional. On their backs were vermiculate patterns that were maps of the world in its becoming. Maps and mazes. Of a thing which could not be put back. Not be made right again. In the deep glens where they lived all things were older than man and they hummed of mystery.”
― Cormac McCarthy, The Road

Porto Petro Mallorca

 Three hour sail from San Jordi to Porto Petro. No anchorages in this harbour.  Pick up buoys at 15 Euros a night. We took the dingy ashore and found a Jazz night in full swing - sat in the dingy outside this Bar (above) and listened to a great rendition of 'Get yer kicks on route 66' by a Danish Jazz band.

 Recycling our onboard waste at the Marina.

The light at dusk was particulary beautiful here. We motored about quietly the first night and found the Club Nautique shower block which we used during our stay ssssshhhhhh don't tell. Our mooring was overlooked so we didn't feel free to use our Solar shower and upset the residents :O)

Bluer than blue, blue

The water beneath our boat.

The sea glass collected from the shore.

Shoes in Palma

 It never ceases to amaze me how the Spanish women get about on these 10 inch monsters.

 My choice - handstitched leather - made by a company in Menorca called Ria.

The sandals I chose for Greg :O)

A few hours in Soller

Soller bay - the only safe anchorage on theWest coast of Mallorca. We came by bus via Palma - will sail in one day.

Tram plies it trade around Soller Bay.

For all my Man U friends - spotted in a garden near the beach.

I've never seen Fig flowers before. You can put your head inside them!

Local 'wired' ants for sale.

First anchorage in Mallorca

Portales Vells SW corner of Palma bay where we stayed for three nights. At around midday the motorboats turned up, they leave again by 5pm. Only ourselves and five other yachts overnight, peace! The dark areas underwater are the Posidonia meadows that service the ecosystem by purifying the seawater ( absorbing pollutants for eg) and providing a habitat for a variety of sea creatures...and of course much more!

First outing for the RIB this season:

It's warm enough to do our bit for the Planet with this Solar shower in the cockpit!

It holds 10 litres of water which we leave on deck to absorb those rays It is enough for two showers and a hairwash for Greg :O) We bought two of them.

Off to Mallorca

We got up early to start for Mallorca - here are the stars that guided us  - a straight line all the way....thank you stars!

v

 

We were close reached for sixty miles east north east, had to reef the middle half of passage and were flying in 20 knots - what a feeling!

 Nine and a half hour crossing and we rocked up, covered in salt, to Calle Portals Vells, fabulous little anchorage near village called Sol de Mallorca  ( you know where that is Linda, Hi Colin ;O)). The day trippers and those wanting to be 'seen' buggered off before sunset and left us in peace to enjoy the setting sun and a cold beer after a long sail.

Our nearset neighbours, a young German couple,  hiring a Sun Charter yacht have set their anchor thus:

There are plenty of sand patches ( great holding). Here the anchor has been dropped on Posidonia grass (protected for it's importance in maintaining sea quality and marine life and advertised EVERYWHERE in EVERY language including German if I am not mistaken). You can see the anchor isn't even holding, it's lying, useless, on it's side, so, fingers crossed the wind stays light for the duration of their stay. How did I get this shot? Their anchor is immediately under our boat eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek - don't worry, we're watching them ;O)