Captains Log: Majorca to Ibiza

8th October, 5:00 p.m.

After picking up David in the late afternoon, we spent the night at anchor. The next morning, the wind was still blowing hard (from the wrong direction), and there was a 2m swell. The forecast was supposed to improve by Thursday morning, so we decided to stay put at anchor for an extra day, waiting for the swell to settle down. We made good use of the time by refuelling, stocking up on food, and having dinner on shore.

When we awoke the next morning, the wind had turned, and the swell had settled. The Windy weather app still showed high winds and a large swell, but clearly, it was not accurate, so we headed out at 9:00 a.m.

Conditions were good— a nice 15-knot wind and a 2m swell. The swell was manageable since it had a longer period than what we’d experienced most of our time in the Med. With a 9-second period, the waves rolled gently under the boat rather than slamming, as happens with shorter periods. Remarkably, the wind direction was favorable, allowing us to set a course for Ibiza on a beam reach. We flew the mainsail and the Code Zero, moving along nicely at 6.8 to 8 knots.

Later in the day, the swell became more confused, and the winds were more variable, so we dropped the Code Zero and pulled out the jib. We were still making 6.5 knots, which remained our setup for the rest of the crossing. We hooked another Mahi Mahi along the way— one a day for the last three days of sailing!

We reached Ibiza at around 5:00 p.m. and headed down the south side. In the lee of the island, the swell calmed, and we were able to fly the Code Zero again. Conditions were perfect, and we were sailing at 7.5 to 9 knots on a close reach in 14 knots of wind.

The forecast predicted the winds would drop, so rather than continuing through the night, we decided to pull into Cala Roja for the night. If we had to motor, it would be more comfortable to wait for the swell to settle down.

We made a beef stir fry for dinner— the first red meat I’ve had since getting on the boat in April! Cala Roja is very pretty, with a nice sandy bottom at 5m— perfect! We were the only boat there, which was nice. However, it is on the flight path for Ibiza airport, so we had four planes fly over us in the early evening, but it was quiet after that. Stephen and David had a swim before dinner.