Although we found ourselves wanting more time to explore Ciudadella, Mallorca was calling us. Garth and Peter headed uptown along the waterway boardwalk to find an ATM early next morning and encouraged Sue and Ros to do likewise after breakfast, while the boys prepared Trilogy for sailing. The harbour was truly picturesque and so was the city centre, so a quick lap of the waterfront and up into the narrow streets and plazas of Ciudadella was very enjoyable. Back on board, the paseralle was raised and we cast off, with the challenge of a strong crosswind and a tight space to ease Trilogy out of. We bid farewell to this beautiful haven and readied ourselves for the 40NM passage to Mallorca.
However, we were not ready for what we encountered! I'm sure I noted recently that we were now in cruising mode and we'd all be relaxing....not quite yet. The wind strength was around 18 knots from the northeast and we set a course on a beam reach, which lifted Trilogy's speed to a magnificent 10.5 knots at her peak. All this was expected, but it was the 5-6 metre waves and the occasional 8 metre wave that had not been anticipated. Garth and Peter relished the challenge of helming in these conditions, really using their whole body to sense the path through the waves and ensuring Trilogy did not broach. We all wore our safety vests and remained clipped to the lazy jacks in the cockpit. The waves seemed to rise high above us on the starboard quarter and many a time we steered up and across the face of the wave to avoid taking too much water across the bow. What a ride for three hours! The wind slowly died out and the seas abated somewhat as we neared Mallorca, but it was with some relief that we reached the protection of a wide open bay on the north east coast, called Cala Formentor. The wind was still up and the water choppy, but to be moored in a beautiful wide bay with steep and dramatic mountains as a backdrop, was comfort enough. Needless to say, we all slept well after a simple evening meal.
The new day bought decreased wind and the boys set off for a long swim around the bay, while the girls opted for several laps around Trilogy. It was agreed we'd all go ashore for brunch and coffee, which was really pleasant after yesterday's challenges. The waterfront was already alive with people enjoying the azure blue clear water, swimming and sun baking on the plush beach chairs (15 euros a day to hire) or perching on flat rocks that jutted into the water. Tall pine trees provided shade across the sand right along the shore and nestled in amongst the pines was a lovely restaurant. This is where we whiled away an hour or two, enjoying the happy atmosphere that prevailed. A large hotel with magnificent grounds was tucked up behind the beach and this was probably where all these people were staying for holidays.
Back on board, we sailed out of the bay and turned north, passing dramatic cliffs and another lighthouse clinging to the highest peak on Cabo de Formentor. Passing a few bays we entered Cala Figuera, a stunningly beautiful and deserted bay, surrounded by rugged hills and soaring rocky cliffs. Trilogy anchored in a patch of sand but we rode the swell as we enjoyed the vista. Snorkelling was for the brave, as there were stinging jellyfish mixed with the myriad of fish. The other couple of boats left on nightfall and we felt privileged to be there all by ourselves. However, the swell continued to bump us around all night and the promised wind change at 20:30 did not arrive until much later. Galley duty was indeed unpleasant and sleeping had it's own issues, but somehow it all seemed worthwhile for the beauty we had imbibed.
Next morning the jellyfish were somewhat reduced and more snorkelling was enjoyed, while Peter and Ros opted to take the tender to the small stony beach at the top of the bay, to explore the cliff pathways we'd spotted when the goats had come down to drink at sunset. A roadway was cut high into the cliffs which lead to the lighthouse and a few people had walked down to the beach for a swim, but in our view, the beach was quite rough and unpleasant. A couple of young men were roughing it among the rocks, fishing and swimming from dawn til dusk. A few stick tepees were abandoned on the beach. We made our way back to Trilogy and once more we were underway.
Heading south now along the east coast we visited a few bays but decided to settle in Cala del Pinar, a bay that was well protected from the southeasterly wind that was expected to arrive later. This was a popular beach visited by day trippers and is adjacent to Zona Militar, which forbid anchoring or swimming to the beach beyond a line of red buoys stretched across the exclusion zone. It was at this point that we realised there was a serious problem developing in the bilges, with the automatic bilge pump kicking in very frequently. Never a dull moment on a yacht!
Garth and Peter lifted many floorboards to investigate the bilges but we're still uncertain where the water was coming from. To cut a long story short, next morning they took the tender to the closest marina a couple of miles away, but as it was Sunday, no help was available for a further 24 hours. They returned to Trilogy and toiled away in the engine compartment. They solved several problems including replacing a damaged Impeller, which required making a special tool to remove. A repair was also made to the muffler and a significant split in the exhaust pipe, both of which will require replacement when possible. All this took a full day in very awkward and difficult parts of the bilges and engine space, so it was truly a valiant effort!
Meanwhile, John did some repairs to the dodger zipper which had split away and otherwise Sue, Ros and John whiled away the day, swimming multiple times and enjoying observation of families around us in all manner of craft. It was a really hot day and it was easy to spend hours in the cooling water. There was plenty of topless young women to observe but keeping the skimpy bottoms on seemed compulsory. Sue and Ros were unique in their one piece swimwear!
When Trilogy was finally restored to tidy, GNTs were served on the foredeck in the cooling breeze. Dinner of spaghetti bolognaise was devoured once more, followed by Baileys and we all were ready for sleep.