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09.02.2000
Web Message 2000/1
Limehouse,
London 17.50 p.m.
Wind SW/W 25 to 30knts
A new year a new journey begins.
From London back to Formentera.
Darkness has fallen on our last evening before we fly out from Luton tomorrow to rejoin Tirla. Our two-month visit to England is drawing to a close
We noticed the seeming faster rate of life ashore in a bustling London. Is it a rush to get all done before the next super volcano blows?
While in the UK we managed some notable country walks with friends, two that stand out were the North Norfolk coast and the Chiltern Hills. Both produced very different memories; one with barges dropping huge Norwegian granite blocks into the sea to slow erosion and the other of soaring "eagle like" Kites and a visit to the Vicar of Dibley's ancient village. (Refers to UK comedy programme)
Then there was the millennium evening .....
Palma
Mallorca
10.2.2000
13.10 hrs
No wind
19C
We left in the cold dawn and as the plane rocketed to 33,000ft we caught the glimmer of a weak sun on wet and frosty English fields. Then it was through the clouds and away. Naturally as good risk managers we sat at the rear of the aircraft (very few hit back end first!) and settled into the flight.
The pilot, or possibly the steward, had two goes at landing the aircraft! Down, down, down then full power UP,UP UP!! The captain explained we had been a "little high" but "wasn't the extra tour of Palma Bay from 200 ft a nice little bonus!"
However, once out of the aircraft it was like exiting a long tunnel into sunshine, real strong warm sunshine.
The taxi took us to our hotel. We had decided to have one night of luxury, possibly the last sleep ashore for many months, and have chosen the Palacio Ca Sa Galesa
(www.palaciocasagalesa.com) right in the heart of the Arab quarter of old town Palma. There are only a few bedrooms and the property had been a Welsh merchant's house. It had been fully restored. The ancient roof terrace had views of the sea and the famous Cathedral of Palma was almost alongside the building. The noise of a small fountain echoed from a walled patio through the first floor reception rooms and at night reflected light from it danced across the high ornate plaster ceilings. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, rather like being a houseguest.
Next morning we visited the cathedral. The foundations had been laid by James the First, known as the conqueror, in 1229. It is said that during a storm at sea he promised God that should he survive he would build a church here.
Work only really started after his death in 1306. As the Balearics changed hands a few times, and different administrations came and went, so did the builders until last major work finished in 1911!!
It is am immense building with flying buttresses that ensure a huge clear volume was created inside.
There is an abundance of beautiful carved stone and truly amazing piece of work by Gaudi who designed the baldachin over the high alter. Some of the religious treasures are on display and include a 3 meter high 2 meter wide silver candelabra.
After the visit Fae told me she thought her Spanish was still not a hundred percent. She bought some post cards at the cathedral shop and only said " 'Ola" to the woman serving and she immediately replied "Oh you are English" in a perfect accent!
Sabena
Formentera
14.2.2000
08.45 a.m.
13.6C
NE 10knts
69% Internal Humidity
Baro 1027
We arrived yesterday to meet Robert whom with Verena, had "boat sat" Tirla since the end of November. I'm at the chart table and as usual listening to BBC World Service. Robert left this morning to meet Verena on the Spanish mainland. They hope to be back here in a month ready to crew us to Minorca/Greece in mid March/April.
Our current "street" of boats is still the same.
The
above
photo
is
of
Tirla in a row of international boats wintering here from Holland, Germany, France, Britain and
Italy. Note the bike on our deck and the hotel having a extra floor
added.
Around Sabena we have noticed a few changes. One of the sea front hotels has been partly rebuilt and an extra floor added, two new bus shelters have appeared, the marina has continued to improve its facilities with more electrical points on the pontoons. Several shops have been gutted and are being refitted.
One of the harbour front restaurants put out its chairs and opened for the first time this year. The ferries are beginning to bring from Ibiza, not only locals, but day trippers as well.
The
photo
is
of
Sabena harbour and the three types of ferry. The white one, just discernable on the left is an 8,000 H.P. 26 knot fast ferry - only 30 minuets to Ibiza. Both the smaller blue and white as well as the largest on the right are car/passenger boats which take an hour to
Ibiza.
The mornings are still brisk but have been up to 20C, the wind is chill but the sun is deeply warming and a wonderful boost to moral. It's a hint of times to come later in the year.
14.2.2000
14.00 hrs
I biked up to Saint Francesc Xavier yet again and the morning was very sunny. The air was thick with almond scent from the orchards and the large supermarket was full of the fruits from the autumn harvests. The walnuts are so fresh.
Everywhere is the sounds of refurbishment and extensions being built. Several buildings in town are having the walls chipped off ready for re plastering and white paint.
No luck for my pump clips in the hardware store, garage or chandlers. I hope my fax got to the right people yesterday. The tobacos shop, where I went to buy some telephone cards, has also had a radical internal reorganisation and now boosts a fully humidity controlled glass walled room full of cigars.
Back at the harbour the small purple jellyfish (these ones sting like a small burn) had been quick to spot it was Valentines day today! Thousands of them have turned up, and are clumped together, presumably to ensure future generations. (By next morning only a few were left)
Work on the boat continues apace. I replaced one of the solar regulators that had failed. We have four, which control our solar panel output, so we don't fry our batteries! I ran the twin engines which will soon be serviced and replaced a plastic cover, supplied free by the makers when I saw them at the London boat show, on the wind generator.
17.2.2000
08.45
Sabena Harbour
13.7C
WNW 25 knts
Humidity 63%
Baro 1022
Awoke 06.00hrs with wind gusting over force 7. Listened to the various boat noises, the loudest of which was a loose main mast halyard so got up and winched it tighter. Now there is a clear blue sky and steady wind. Yesterday the first of the boats wintering here left for San Antonio in Ibiza. After visiting Sardinia they will be going through the Midi canal then up the French Atlantic coast to their home base of Calais and back to work after a years cruise. So our small village is one less already.
I read the Navtex that shows weather and nautical information relevant to the local area. I see a ship called Thor Emile has sent out a distress signal and is some 80 miles to the SSE of us. I hope they are O.K. by now.
19.2.2000
14.00
Sabena Harbour
18.5C
W 10 knts
Humidity 65%
Baro 1021
Sad to see on Navtex that Thor Emile sank and six crew are missing. I wonder what type of vessel she was. A search and rescue operation is in hand and we saw yesterday a Spanish military helicopter going in that direction. Over the last few days Fae and I have been working hard on the list of outstanding tasks. We have stitched part of the sail
covers
-
The
above
photo
is
of
Fae below in starboard hull sewing mainsail covers on the dinning area table. The opening behind her leads to a double sleeping cabin. Note the whale carving which is Tirla's logo"), painted the front beam by the anchor also some internal flooring and deck areas. Restowed sails bringing them on deck, reorganised the tools, had the drogue on deck and checked the fastenings rewired new sockets for GPS and new radio. Taken off the main and mizzen sprits ready to sand down and re-varnish them as well as a set of oars plus the dingy dagger plate.
Next will come a revue of all the safety equipment and replacing them back into the "ready to sail" mode.i.e. life jackets, dan bouys, life belts, flares, emergency containers, life raft, life lines etc etc. During the next two weeks a set of charts will be selected and routes plus waypoints programmed into our navigation equipment. Our pilot books will give us prior knowledge of which ports are safe to enter in storms and where shelter is best had in certain strong wind directions. Lastly we will choose what stores we need plus extra stocks of those things the Balearics can provide that our next area may not have.
20.2.2000
10.21
Sabena Harbour
Sunday
14.5C
NE 11 knts
Humidity 69%
Baro 1025
A day of rest from boat work.
Listening to BBC World service it was disappointing to hear that an American scientist speaking to a conference has predicted that the West Indies area will see increased hurricane activity both in numbers and strength. Good job we are going to the East Mediterranean!!
One of our regular walks takes us north of the harbour towards Espalmador, a separate island with a famous bay which, all summer, is full of yachts. We walk the beach side going out and the dusty road coming back. Today the sun brought out the lizards in their thousands. They can often be heard russling away even if not seen. Much work has been done to protect the dunes from the thousands that come during the high season. Wooden walkways stop erosion by walkers; posts and fences keep cars to the main tracks. In the center on this peninsular are the huge areas once used to produce salt from seawater. These stone walled mini dams were flooded and by September the sun had burnt off the sea water leaving hundred of tons of salt. This industry was once the mainstay of the island economy. By the early 60's it had closed.
The
above
photo
is
of
the old salt works and
flamingoes
-
The
photo
is a classic for showing the local artistic humor. Its not often you see flamingoes chained to stop them flying away!! These sit in an area normally cut off by the flooded salt pans so they are mostly seen at a distance. You often see people stop in their tracts and puzzle if they are real or not!
23.2.2000
10.28
Sabena Harbour
Wednesday
13.2C
ENE 10 knts
Humidity 61%
Baro 1028
When we are moored in marinas we have the benefit of two civilized facilities, mains power that "float" charges the 12-volt battery banks and a pipe out of which comes water. Due to shortage of such a precious thing as water on a small island in the Med, it is metered to each boat and charged for. In several places water quality can vary especially in high summer when the salt element rises as demand out strips the desalination equipment ashore. Tirla can make water, collect water from rain showers and hold a maximum total of 700 litres if required.
The shore mains electrical supply also runs the 220-volt sewing machine and two trickle heaters. This morning I noticed the charging unit lights were out, so no shore power. On my way to the marina showers I spoke to one of the marineros and he told me that Formentera power was off till 15.00hrs EVERYWHERE.
"Essential maintenance to the system." So that's that. The shower block was dark inside, the water cold, the lights out.
On my way back, joy of joys, I met the special delivery postman with a huge box for us. It contained the new fridge pump sent, very efficiently by Penguin Engineering Ltd from Hayling Island. It had been made in Italy, sent to Penguin in the UK, then on to us via a flight to Madrid and onto Mallorca. From there we suspect it went by boat to Ibiza then transferred to the Formentera ferries arriving from the UK in eight days. I will fit it tomorrow and we await the renewed luxury of the fridge. With mains power off, our solar panels are matching the ships use of power. Running the radio and laptop is using 2 amps and I see we are producing exactly that from the solar cells, voltage is 13.6. We can get up to 10 Amps per hour in full summer sun and we may add an extra capacity to take us up another 6 Amps. Wind generator gives a low 1 to 3 Amps per hour, but 24 hours a day if there is wind!
All varnish work now done and the gaffs (i.e. sprits) will be put back in place onto the main and mizzen sails. Fae has also made protective covers for the Hydrovane "sail" and the red cutters mast and sail. I've rigged a block and rope for lifting larger fish out of the water onto the starboard aft deck. Hope springs eternal! We will this year be using a "bird" rig, which splashes around on the surface and is supposed to attract large predator species like Tuna etc.
I am also beginning to set up my paper chart folio ready for the coming Greek trip. Also the waypoints are being input into the navigation system for the GPS and radar. In addition, this year we hope to get some practice with both the normal ships sextant and the Bris "glass" sextant. The latter was recently invented by Sven Lundin and is a tiny robust glass piece of equipment that, prior 20th Century navigation aids, would have made him a multi millionaire. It's so simple and effective. It's a wonderful example real lateral thinking.
27.2.2000
12.14am
Sabena Harbour
Sunday
15.3C
ENE 11 knts
Humidity 68%
Baro 1028
Yesterday was free of ships business as we were expecting to have a visit, and lunch ashore, with Jan who lives in Ibiza and sails a 17ft Wharram that he built several years ago. We first met him in July last year and on many occasions since then. We ate at a small restaurant behind one of the streets. It enjoys both an excellent Galician chef and a westerly view across the Estanque del Peix. The latter is a shallow but wide lagoon with a small entrance onto the sea. In this safe area moor numerous local boats up to about six meters. The location is both beautiful, the clear waters, and nautical, the variety of differing shapes of vessels from traditional fishing craft to modern beach catamarans.
Every summer Jan sails, nearly every other day, the eight miles from Salinas Bay in Ibiza to Formentera. He can average up to 12 knots in his boat. It's featured in a photograph on our chart page in the Falmouth to Formentera section. On this occasion, being still early spring, he joined us by fast ferry from Ibiza.
Before the meal we rejoined to Tirla's starboard dinning area and drank an appitiser. During the last year, Fae and I have been smitten by the series of books written by Patrick O'Brian featuring the exploits of Captain Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin. But be warned there are approximately twenty in the series and like us Jan became addicted, us having lent him "Master and Commander" the first of the series. They are historical novels of exceptional interest, to us due to the sailing, but also the clever insight O'Brian brings to life aboard and ashore in the Royal Navy of the early 1800's. His depiction of characters makes them become old friends about whom one knows so much, both good and bad!
We are delighted to be sailing to Port Mahon in Minorca as this is where Jack Aubrey takes command of his first ship the sloop "Sophie". Such is our strong indulgence in these matters we have identified several actual places, mentioned in the books, that we wish to find when we arrive in Mahon. Jan is of the same mind and has asked to sail with us, as well as our crew Robert and Verena, the 160 miles from Formentera to Menorca and Port Mahon.
Anyway Jan brought with him yesterday a remarkable diary. It was a trip taken in the Danish brig "Provedentia" from Europe to America in 1797/8 during the months of October to January by his ancestor Fredrick Wilhelm Hoeningaus. It is written in "old German" a language Jan is adept in. The voyage and its details are recorded in great detail including seeing the 38 gun Royal Navy Frigate Ceres overhaul and stop an American brigantine to search her. The Ceres fired across the other boats bow forcing her to hove to. They also fired in the direction of the "Provedentia" and a lieutenant and marines rowed over and boarded to check passports and cargo lists.
After all was seen to be correct Captain Ohtwick of the Ceres, seeing the cargo manifest, sent a boat over to buy cases of wine, which was the Danish boats main cargo, after which they were free to carry on towards Chesapeake Bay. The Ceres had a crew of 200 men and was operating from Halifax Nova Scotia.
The
"Provedentia" then ran into a huge storm lasting many days. The situation became drastic and the Danish Captain ordered axes to be made ready to cut down the masts if they had to reduce the horrendous rolling. At the height of the storm the rudder was lashed and the sails all taken in. Fredrick spent hours in his bunk cutting out silhouettes from a pack of playing cards! The Captain, worn and pale, read the "storm" prayer and they expected to be lost. However they eventually the winds abated and they duly arrived in port. Every detail was so similar to the fictional books O'Brian could have written the diary. It brought those events over two hundred years ago to life.
The cous cous ,Rioca and talk of times past made for a memorable meal. Jan only just made it to the 16.00hrs ferry!
In two weeks we ourselves will be shortly at sea bound for Mahon. The chartroom has everything laid out already, the GPS has now been programmed with the route, Tirla knows where she is about to go!!
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