Log Ninety Two – Our Sailing Days are Over

1 July 2023

We have left the yacht and said our goodbyes to the Captain and First Mate. The yacht is moored and we are landlubbers again. A flight to Barcelona and its time for new adventures.

I thought a quick summary of the seafarers we met during our time in the Baleares islands would bring this leg of your journey to a meaningful conclusion.

There were the Old Salts who contract their services to yacht owners to sail their yachts all over the world. The people we met had just crossed the Atlantic and were planning on a circumnavigation of the world.

The philosopher had discovered the root of all that ails the world and had a strong desire to tell everyone. He was stuck on transmit, not receive if you get my meaning.

The Lone Yachts man was a very competent sailor who hired crew as needed and sailed all over the Caribbean, Atlantic and the Mediterranean. He was a great conversationalist and had a story to tell. He had no desire to return too quickly to Canada.

There were yacht owners who were contemplating some long passages maybe without a good understanding of what 6 weeks at sea might feel like. Travelling in confined spaces with an unknown crew for extended periods must be fun, not.

A common theme was people who left colder climes to spend weeks, months and years on the sea. Their time and money was spent in chandleries, constantly repairing and cleaning their yachts and sailing on to the next exotic location.

Adonises are everywhere on the Med. I’ll say no more and leave that comment for the contemplation of my female readers.

The restaurant waiting staff are from all over the world, predominantly from Mallorca, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and a few from Italy. It all makes for great banter at the table.

Tourists on Mallorca are from Spain, the UK and lots from Germany.

For those wondering, a replacement dingy has been found. It’s just a case of ordering the boat and having it delivered to the yacht. I did enjoy a 30km e-bike ride with the captain to view the replacement boat. We rode through the streets and back roads of Palma. Not a ride for the feint hearted. E-scooters, e-bikes, pedestrians, cars, busses and trucks filled the roads.

Something that truely amazed. I thought all the big couture brands sold their wares in high end stores. Not so. In Palma Lacoste, Louie Vuitton, Gucci, Hermes and Yves Saint Laurent are all sold on the footpath. No need for fancy shops here, just acres of concrete on which to lay your goods. I’m sure the products were all the genuine article.