Blogs from Balearic Islands, Spain, Europe - page 7

Minorca or Menorca (official name) is the second largest of the Balearic Islands, located to the northeast of Mallorca and is the least overrun and most tranquil of the Balearics. Due to its unspoilt beauty, it allows the more adventerous the opportunity to discover new charms and experiences. Despite its smaller size among other Spanish islands, the number of beaches that Menorca has equals the number of beaches that can be found in Mallorca and Ibiza combined. The possibility of having a beautiful beach largely to yourself in the summer, combined with alfresco dining and peaceful holiday resorts, makes Minorca a highly desirable place to visit. The peak season in Minorca is from end of June until the beginning of September, being the first two weeks of August the most crowded time. However, the touristic season, ... read more

Total distance travelled from Santos: 5837 nautical miles We had made an executive decision to stay on board and mind the ship!! It was hot. 36 degrees C. Peace at last!! Roisin and I have both visited Valencia before and all we'd be doing is the 'same old, same old' walking around the gothic quarter and paying $19.90 each for the privilege of being taken in to the city centre. It made a pleasant change to walk around the ship and not have to negotiate over-keen and over-enthusiastic Brazilians!! Stick a few Goths in the Safari lounge and the ship would even have its very own Gothic quarter!! The air temperature was in the mid-30s (centigrade) which is not ideal for city sightseeing. We have been ashore at a different port for the last six days ... read more

First sailing blog of the year! It seems ages ago that we were giving Disco Volante her winter make-over in Malta. Since then we have sailed from Malta all the way to our present location in Palma Mallorca, sailing 708nm in a month. The sailing has certainly been a mixed bag – sometimes motoring into headwinds (not fun) for 12hrs, other times ripping along at 9kts in almost perfect sailing conditions. We have had sleet, rain, brilliant sunshine, cloudy days and even a gale. I am definitely getting a sailors tan – brown face and hands! Admittedly we have been quite adventurous setting out on our long sail back to the UK in February. Most sailors don’t set off until late April. But we have been careful and left lots of weather margins, so even when ... read more

How time flies, another month has gone by with no blog. We have been busy though, our busiest month for visitors since we set sail back in June. We have really enjoyed seeing our sailing life through others’ eyes. Sailing is certainly highs and lows in the Med. A lot of motoring when there is no wind and we potter along, drink in hand, then other days, out of nowhere the winds pick up and we have a spritely glorious sail. But there are also some rough days with buckets of water hitting us in the face, lunch at 35degrees and the odd green faced friend. Luckily regardless of the winds, most days are sunny and hot – which helps. Being cold and wet sucks on a 12hr sail. It’s fair to say we have had ... read more

Palma de Mallorca 2014 This trip was something different for me, I went on it with just my dad, that wasn't the original plan, he was meant to go with his partner but in the end she couldnt make it and the place was offered to me ;) and who could say no to that? We hired a car, so pretty much travelled all the island in the week. Driving on the other side of the road was fine but going around a round-a-bout the wrong way is very strange! haha ~ its like your brain tells you not to do it :p We got used to it after a few days, though I still often opened the wrong door and accidently sat behind the wheel lol oops ;) We stayed in a lovely hotel in ... read more