We left Palma in the morning before 9am and had to trust our payment for the night to the security guy because the office only open at 9:00 – It is a fair distance to go and we want to get on with it. Leaving Palma for the last time was quite a spectacular sight. There was absolutely NO wind and the slick oil-like water made a beautiful picture with the Cathedral in the background. We left Palma but carried a load of fond memories with us as we left.

The dayshifts were hourly just to get some rest before night fall and the nightshifts were every 3 hours. Lientjie did the dayshift on her own but did the nightshift with me. Pretty nice to have company at night, I have to say! I almost forgot the excitement involved in doing the first nightshift and Lientjie was blurry eyed at first till the adrenaline kicked in! Traffic was minimal and with the almost full moon on the water, it was quite easy to see the smaller fishing boats that normally have no IAS and no idea about navigation lights! I am amazed at how few boats do have AIS (send and receive once) in the Med!
The next day was a pretty hot and muggy one and we missed having a quick swim in the ink blue inviting water … the captain was reluctant to waste time – so the best we could do is to sit on the back steps of the boat with feet dangling in the water – it took some holding on not to get washed off… but good fun!

Shortly after we left Palma we noticed (one of the few average sized yachts with AIS) one of the boats from the ARC – Annaria II sailing along the coast to Palma – we were all excited but sadly could not raise them on the VHF. A few hours later we noticed another well-known yacht coming straight at us … the yacht “ A” -that’s right – that is the name!

A Philippe Starck designed monstrosity! ?$300 million dollars … 394 foot yacht…the master suite is 2,589 square feet, the size of many homes…. 35 to 37 staff… fingerprint security system to the bomb-proof glass that protects the master suite from any invasion! That is quite something! 🙂

Arriving at Isla de Formentera that next morning was absolutely what we have hoped for – no wind, smooth blue and crystal clear water and we wasted no time to anchor and get into the water! We were amazed by how many yachts and super yachts were already anchored there as far as the eye could see! And fortunately some really fantastic ones as well!

In no time there were hardly place for a bird to sit as the amount of boats have increased. By sunset the big exodus started and most of the motor yachts are leaving the anchorage going back to Ibiza for the night! Suddenly the swells became waves and we were rocked from side to side for at least an hour before it calmed down! The beaches were packed with people transported by ferries and dumped to sun-soak the entire day (there is absolutely NO shade on that stretch of beach and some of those fair skins were pretty rosy by the end of day when loads full of rubber duck inflatables cart them back to the ferries!

We had a mooring booked for the next day at Espalmador – just around the corner from where we were on the most northern tip of Isla de Formentera. The wind has picked up slightly and the skies were mostly overcast (not good for photograph though). The mooring was supposed to give us all the security we need for the night until a big power yacht picked up the mooring behind us. She started sailing around her mooring – as they do – and never drifted in the same direction we were! At times her huge protruding anchor was only about inches away from our davits and the Spanish owner was not going to do anything about it … it was almost sunset, most boats that was not going to overnight has left and we spotted an open mooring very close to the beach and picked it up just to get away from the danger.

We were only a short dinghy ride (or as Lientjie has discovered – a stiff swim) away from the beach. We went ashore the next morning to the Mud Lake just a short walk form the beach to get a full body treatment! You cover yourself in the mud, wait for it to dry and then rinse it off in the sea. It leaves your skin feeling soft and is supposed to make you look at least a few years younger! HaHa! It was quite an experience! Often people will get naked doing it – coming out it looks like a body paint job badly done! We were warned that the sulphur smell is pretty revolting and lasts for hours after you have washed it off…but we had none of that!

The water here were not as blue (there is a lot of grass that makes it look green and too many boats coming and going stirred it up) but it is very clear and wonderful to swim in. There is no development on the island which makes it a real get-a-way place! It certainly is worth going there!

The next day ( in smooth blue unspoiled waters) at about 11am we head off to Ibiza – Cala Talamanca …in time for peak traffic … if you want to do that … leave before 9am or you will be hit by the massive influx of inconsiderate big power yachts charging (on testosterone) 3 meters pass you to leave you in a wake the size of a 2 meter swell! Johann had a few interesting suggestions for a few of them! ;-).

Talamanca – it is so good to be back!We will celebrate 28 years of happy marriage in Ibiza tomorrow… quite a day!

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