Palma's Wonderful Cathedral from our anchorage
I awoke this morning at 4.30am (this is Mags, Steve doesn‘t do 4.30am unless on watch), anchored in the bay of Palma immediately in front of the magnificent cathedral, after a very pleasant evening with friends from the Yacht Pond life (Phillipa, Paul and young Oscar - 6 going on 30), and resolved to do something about the aforesaid lapses. I shall attempt in one effort to mop up the past six months and present the slops to you in the most palatable way I can.
Xmas and New Year came and went in the blink of an eye and presented us with a combination of frantic socialising, family visits and a plethora of life changing news and realisations. It was wonderful to see our friends and family and this came with the realisation that life goes on without us. We spent Xmas with Suzie, Ibi and Kate (Kate smuggled in the bacon wrapped sausages for Xmas dinner), and we realised that we couldn’t just go back to our place when it was done because we have no place on terra firma now, very discombobulating (that was to say discombooberating but Word changed it and I think I rather like it). New Year brought new family changes and we gained a son-in-law (Ibi) and learned we were to have our first grandchild in August, a status which took some adjusting to with the added emotional pressure of not being in the UK. No doubt this problem will be made redundant if Suzie joins Ibi in Germany before he returns to Iraq, which she probably will.
In January we took an extended trip (6 weeks) to Australia to see Matt, Mel and a little more of the Antipodes. Thanks Mum and Dad for the gift that made this possible. We had a great holiday spending a lot of time in Sydney, a week in Tasmania, a week in Victoria doing the Great Ocean Road, a weekend in Hunter Valley with Matt and Mel, and the privilege of being with the lovely Melinda to celebrate her 30th birthday and meet her family. Another boon was being in Sydney to watch Matt’s band perform several times, witness their CD rise to number 1 in the Australian internet charts and hear them in a long interview on Sydney radio.
We returned from Australia and, in the blink of an eye and a 17 point list (final number) of jobs to do for Suzie (we managed 16) - we were leaving again for Spain.
We were so glad to get back home - I was a little worried about that. I didn't know how I would feel coming back to the boat after being away for 3 months, but it truly felt like returning home and we slotted back into the life aboard with no problems.
The weather was lovely when we returned to Almerimar in March, and it not only had the yachtie's sorting their yachts out for the summer season, but the social calendar was pretty packed too. It was like being on a permanent 74 (International Round Table) jolly! HELP! We needed to slow down.
One of the events that the 'net' (Almerimar yachtie's collective name for those who get involved in the social side) were involved in was the local fiesta in El Ejido. There was a dog and owner look-alike competition which an American couple entered, duly supported by the net. Called team Danni, (the dog is called Danforth) we arrived to find no one at the appointed place for the competition. There is a typical Spanish habit of changing the time and not telling anyone, well anyone English anyway. Our American friend David was dressed to look like his dog Danni. In this regalia he stood trying to communicate with the Spanish guards, whilst looking like a poodle cross breed. The guards at this place knew nothing of the competition and were struggling to keep hysteria at bay whilst explaining in sign language that they ‘knew-a-nothing’. We left and had the after show party anyway on the yacht GwenL and the gathering put me in mind of a reception when the wedding never took place. However, David returned that night having learned of the new location and took the trophy from the local Spaniards. OLE! Another party followed - but we were elsewhere.
In April we did a shakedown sail with a small flotilla of 5 yachts to a fishing town called Adra about 10 miles away. This proved to be very useful and highlighted a number of issues that needed attention for all of us. It also gave us chance for a heads up and a reminder that we are here to sail not fix the boat all the time. The weather was lovely and the company good. One of the guys had organised for us to moor up free of charge in the fishing port for a day. We had a BBQ on the quayside when we arrived and tapas in the evening. The following day our neighbour dived and scrubbed both our props - very helpful that - put at least a knot on our speed on the return journey, though we could probably put several more knots on if we scrubbed our furry bottom!
When we returned from the UK the folding bikes we had ordered at the January Boat Show had arrived, but we couldn't use them because they were damaged in transit. Not a scrap of protective packing, just in a cardboard box - amazing So of course the boxes were punctured and ripped and the bikes and bags were damaged. They were duly returned and we explained the packing problem. We were sent replacements packed in exactly the same way, but with a thin layer of bubble wrap on the outside of the box, and although the boxes were again a bit bashed the bikes were OK. Rock on Bubble wrap. We took them for a test drive in the afternoon and I feel that I can honestly say that my bike seat and I are never going to be really good friends, in fact we don't get on at all. Quite incompatible actually. It's far too personal for a seat I've never met before!
We slipped into May being very busy with so many things just like the rest of the port. We must all be mad. Steve has fitted the new holding tank, the water maker and the central heating. He has strengthened the arch (holding solar panels, wind genny and ariels), re-sited the life-raft and the dinghy outboard. The rigging was replaced and our shakedown trip necessitated a few jobs in the engine that grew arms and legs and necessitated several new engine parts. Nothing new there then. My job has been to help or keep out of the way, to make new cushions and covers for the cockpit, a new spray hood and a bimini cover (awning for over the cockpit). So far I have been good at keeping out of the way, have cut the cushions and the covers but not sewn them, have repaired the old spray hood and bought the materials for the bimini. I keep telling Steve that I only have CSE Needlework but he just cracks the whip harder. I really am on the spot now though as he has fitted an invertor which allows me to use the sewing machine at any time and not just in marinas.
Suzie shortly before succumbing to sea sickness!
Suzie joined us for a few days in early May whilst she is still able to do air travel, and it was lovely to spend some time with her alone. We should have been en-route for France at this time but our 74 trip was scuppered due to a combination of bad weather and lack of engine parts, but mainly engine parts. They took a month to arrive, though to be fair they did send us an empty box once just to heighten the tension.
We left for Barcelona mid May to collect Matt, Melinda and Kate for a short holiday. Kate joined us for a good rest before her Help for Heroes Big Battlefield Bikeride, a 300 mile bike ride to raise money for the treatment of wounded servicemen. This she went on to do successfully and had the experience of a lifetime. We had a few days alone with Kate before Matt and Mel joined so we have been able to spend some quality time with all our children this year, a rare treat indeed.
This trip saw us replace the computer in our auto-pilot which crossed its legs and died at the beginning of the trip. Did you know that BOAT is an acronym for bring on another thousand!
No prizes for guessing who beat Chelsea on penalties as the Dewsnap's celebrate Manchester United's Champions League Win.
Matt joined us en-route back to Australia after being home for family visits, a wedding in a Scottish castle, a christening and a trip on Silver Fox. We were under strict instructions to provide a ‘passage’ to somewhere and arrive by Wednesday 23rd so that we did not miss the European Cup Final. This we did with time to spare and enjoyed the match in a lovely bar in Puerto de Soller on the Isle of Mallorca.
Once the family had returned to their respective lives, we were finally able to STOP and take a breather. We also had to re-focus on what we are doing and why we are doing it, and we find we’ve been doing it all wrong. This is a lifestyle, not a race or a sentence, and we are so used to punishing schedules and timetables we had lost sight of that fact. So we stopped, and a great depression came over the Balearics immediately, and it rained and stormed for a week, but luckily not only on us or we might have felt picked on.
We don’t miss the telly at all and each day is filled to capacity with so many things to do. We rarely set an alarm and get up when we wake up. I know also I speak for Steve when I say that so far this life is all we expected it to be and more. We are surrounded by people who are doing the same thing. Their personal experiences are mixed but in the main they feel the same as we do. To our surprise most are our age, though one couple set out last year to fulfil a lifelong ambition at the age of 72! They are an amazing pair from Yorkshire and they are the life and soul of the party. We all live on budgets so there is no ‘upper class’. The camaraderie is superb with everyone helping everyone else to keep the cost down and the sociability high.
......to be continued shortly ....with more photos and tales of derring-do
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