Italy to Spain:

Redwings Round the World

Italy to Spain: Phase One Complete

1 September 1998 - 15 April 1999

Sept 1- Cagliari to Mahon

Colleen - Wind and swell have picked up from behind running dead down wind, wing and wing. I'm nervous about the sail plan. Wind 20-30 knots. We are teetering back and forth down waves. Redwings feels like a drunk lady swaying back and forth on high heels, ready for a spill. Awefully uncomfortable slosh back and forth. Same pattern of watch-sleep- watch sleep. Make sandwiches with nice italian coldcuts and cheese. Some pleasures afforded. Afternoon see a large vessel getting close, on collision course, way too close, will not respond to calls on VHF, so low in the water doesn't even look sea worthy. We change course and duck behind it. Dark night. No ships, but clouds racing by. On alert for squalls but never got hit. Unbeleivably humid. Everything is wet.

Sept 2- Mahon, Menorca

Colleen - Approach Mahon which is the main port on the Northern Spanish Balearic island of Menorca about noon. Wind has died by huge swell still there. Tuck in to the loveliest anchorage and breath one humongous sigh of relief. Its over. We've reached Spain. Theoretically don't have to do another overnighter for half a year. c.25 cruising boats in anchorage. Lovely, protected, peaceful, uninhabited. We rest. Stuart from "Annies Song" dingies over and invites us for cocktails. Says he recognizes the boat from the net. I awake and enjoy a lovely swim. We dingy over for drinks and swap stories with two other boats as well. Then who pulls in but Tango II. Aaron and I are so excited we wished we could just leave boat. But have to wait a polite 45minutes more and slide out. Jim and Anna don't recognize us at first, then they get excited too. We chat away. They express deep sympathy for Sybil missing. As we speak about it in pulls Missee Mollee. Aaron dingies over to ask about Sybil. They don't have her. That chapter is closed.

Jim and Anna have had a tough summer. Engine quit in Crete. Jim had to fly home to marthas vinyard and paint houses to make money for rebuild. Anna stayed and worked in crete depressed that they had to cancel their sail home to Sweden for her where there would be a family reunion and they planned to get married.

I invited them over for dinner and put together some artichoke risotto - all I had, no fresh food. We had a lovely evening catching up and sharing with someone else who's also been slogging across the med all summer.

Sept 3- Mahon, Menorca

Colleen - Dingy to town across bay. Real sweet, then dingy to Mahon. Try to find internet place, a waste of time. Go to shitty restraunt and have shockingly bad lunch. Not at all excited for Spanish food after that. Got badly needed haircuts. Aaron's hair is so short now he looks like bruce willis.

Back to boat. Bring basil ashore so he can run around. Make spinach soup. First time I've seen spinach since Hong Kong!

Sept 4- Mahon, Menorca

Colleen - Clean boat. I attack aft cabin and head, aaron main cabin. Wind has shifted around and we've dragged a wee bit. Must move boat to other side of bay by tango II. Aaron into to town to do e-mails. Nice dinner aboard Tango II. Watch viedo taken by friends of Jim during major hurricane in St. Martin that T2 was in. They were one on only 4 boats in the harbor out of 100 that survived. Also watched a few episodes of Sienfeld which was a nice diversion.

5 September, Mahon, Spain

Aaron - Awake at 0500 to sound of wind generator whizzing. Go up and look round and its blowing 25-30 from NW - opposite direction. Closer to boats that came in after us. All of sudden, we are heading towards one - I reach down to start engine and get it in gear and reverse away just in time. We drag back, must up anchor and move back to other side. At least 5 other boats must re-anchor. Some shouting heard between boats. At 0730ish hear Mayday over VHF. Listen blow by blow to nearby sinking sailboat request help, eventually get it, leave boat. Otherwise lazy day - for me anyway. Just felt like sleeping and reading. Colleen took Basil to beach and stopped by Tango II to get Anna on the way. Basil jumped on to Tango II and did a complete cirmumnav of boat and then jumped back in dingy. Colleen made yummie stew. Tango II joined us. I took Basil to the shore and he ran around ahead and behind me as I walked for a mile or so free range like a dog - lagging behind sniffng stuff, and then bounding by me with his tail in a kink only to lay in wait to ambush me further down the path..

7 September, Mahon, Spain

Aaron - Motored in to marina in town. I stripped the watermaker down completely and cleaned all of the components and changed hoses / fittings. Colleen and Tango II went to town to a major island festival. One of the highlights is they put sawdust down on all of the main roads and have these huge white horses that walk around on their hind legs - or something...... T2 left just in time to get back to the boat in the dingy. Wind to 30 konts. Nervy night.

8 September, Mahon, Spain

Aaron - Still blowing in the morning so we spend another day at the marina. Finished laundry, cleaned boat. Wind died at night. Fireworks, but too lazy to watch.

9 September, Mahon, Spain

Aaron - Leave in am after filling tanks, bit more cleaning for port 30 miles away on Minorca. Motor there - wind light and on nose. Iffy anchorage. We feel like moving on. Good wind angle to Barcelona. Sunny. Lets go. Great overnight sail towards Barcelona.

10 September, Barcelona, Spain

Aaron - Arrive at 1200 - we're here! Easy passage. Impressive harbour. Tie up at Marina Port Vell. Look at other marina options (Club Nautico, Puerto Olympico) but MPV seems to be the most secure, has the most space, and best location - right down in the middle of the old city. We'll have water, electricity, and a phone line right to the boat.

It's been exacly ten months since we left Hong Kong. Even though we spent a lot of time in Thailand, Isreal, and Turkey, we still have moved faster than any of our crusing counterparts. Most think we are crazy. Its been a great learning experience, a lot of fun, and sometimes hell, but now we can relax a bit and take a break. Originally we were planning to cross the Atlantic this November. It would be theorhetically possible, but no fun. We are not geared up mentally to keep pushing and pushing. Time to take a break or it will become only a job, and not an adventure. As we tie up the lines, we know we will be here for at least nine months.

Crash out at 7:00 pm which is "afternoon" here in Spain. The last thing Colleen sees before she closes her eyes is Basil's but dissapearing out the hatch (after a meow) as he leaves for a re-con mission.

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