Captains Log: Sardinia to Balearics

I will track our progress here. Please checkin each day if you are interested.

After 4 days the Mistral has stopped blowing and we have a window to do the crossing. Destination either Menorca or Majorca, depending on the winds.

10.30 Saturday, 5th October

Stephen and I cast of from the Marina in Porto Torres today. The Windy weather app said we should be 13 knots of wind out in the bay, when we went out we got 25 knots. There are two ways to get out to sea from Porto Torres, see the map below; There is a pass you can go through or you can go around the top. We elected to go around the top as taking that route meant that we could easily turn back if we did not like what we saw when we popped our nose around the corner. We are making our way slowly across the bay and the wind is dropping, it is now 12..30 and the wind has dropped to to 16 knots. We are going slowly as we want to give time for the swell time to settle down (we hope). If we do not like what we see we will just wait.

14.00 Saturday, 5th October

We rounded the point and immediately felt the large ocean swell. It was probably around two meters, but it had a long period, so there was no banging like you get with short chop. We had pulled up the main, but the wind was in our face, so we had to motor.

We passed another boat and were surprised to see it was a Canadian vessel. Their AIS indicated that they were heading to the Balearics. I tried to call them on VHF, but there was no answer, although we did manage to wave as we passed close by them. They were being tossed around much more than we were. It is always hard to capture the swell on camera, but the video below gives you an idea of the swell, as you can see the hull of the other boat disappear in the waves. MackenSea sailed on smoothly, and we were very comfortable.

As we continued around the point, we were able to turn the engine off and sail. The long rollers turned into a choppy swell, and the wind was coming from the west (where we wanted to go, of course), so we were headed south on a port tack with main and jib in 18 knots of wind. We were sailing SSW at around 6 knots.

At around 9:00 pm, as we were getting ready to settle in for the night watch, the wind dropped, so we furled the jib and started one of the engines. Stephen took the first shift from 9:30 pm to 1:30 am. I took the second shift from 1:30 am till 5:30 am.

Overnight, the swell eased. Around 8:00 am, the wind picked up; it was now coming from the south, much better. I unfurled the jib and stopped the engine, and we were making 7 knots in 16 knots true wind. I was tempted to pull out the code zero, but the swell was starting to build, so we opted for comfort over speed.

There has been very little traffic out here. The Canadian boat must have decided it was too rough and headed south, presumably waiting for the predicted wind shift. We saw quite a few other boats on AIS, but only two came within a mile of us.

**09:30 Sunday, 6th October**

Still under sail, the wind has dropped a little and is now a bit choppy, but we are making 5.5 knots in the right direction. Since turning the point at 2:00 pm yesterday, we have covered 100 nautical miles on course made good (we sailed significantly further with our detour south).

At this point, it looks like we will not stop in Menorca. If the winds hold, we will do another night sail and keep going to Menorca. That should allow us to rest up before picking David up on Tuesday afternoon. The new route:

We had a good sail for most of the journey, though we had to run the engine overnight as the wind dropped. Still, we were able to sail the majority of the time.

On Monday afternoon, we were about two hours out from our chosen anchorage on the north side of Majorca, happily sailing along in 16 to 18 knots of wind, close-hauled. The waves were pretty friendly too. There were no clouds, no fronts—everything was calm. Then, out of nowhere, the wind picked up, and we went from 15 knots to 38 knots in just a few minutes. To make things more interesting, a fish decided to join the party, and the reel was suddenly spinning out line. We headed downwind, got a couple of reefs in the main, and rolled up half the jib. This slowed us down enough to land the fish—a nice Mahi Mahi. The wind continued to howl until we dropped anchor under some cliffs. Finally, we could relax. We prepared the fish for dinner, pan-roasted on a bed of vegetables. It was delicious. Then, off to bed for a good night's sleep, as we had been doing four hours on, four hours off for the past two nights.

Overnight, the wind eased and turned, but the swell started rolling into our little cove. By 8:00 a.m., it was getting pretty uncomfortable, so we pulled up anchor and made our way to Palma, a short 30-mile sail.

Once we rounded the southern point of the island, we had a fast downwind sail to Palma. We anchored off a beach outside the city centre. It’s a nice spot, well-sheltered, and there’s a little marina where we can take the dinghy to shore.

Stephen and I went ashore to pick up some groceries, and by the time we finished, David's taxi had arrived. We jumped back in the dinghy and headed back to the boat. We got David settled in and fired up the oven for another delicious fresh fish dinner.

When we woke up this morning, we checked the weather, and it didn’t look good for a crossing—strong winds in our face and 3-meter swells. So, we decided to stay put for today. It looks like we can get out late tomorrow morning.