Dinghy troubles in Majorca

Porto Colom in Majorca

27^th June After a very pleasant three weeks in the UK we flew back to Cagliari in Sardinia where we had left Sandpiper while we went home for our son Chris’s wedding. We now have an extra crew member as our good friend Derek has joined us for two weeks. We always enjoy his company, and it will be great having an extra person to share the night watches.

29^th June We left Cagliari at sunrise this morning and by 4pm we were tied up in the marina at Carlo Forte, a pretty town on the island of San Pietro, just off the south west corner of Sardinia. Today is the festival of San Pietro and tonight we had a grandstand view of the spectacular firework display around  the walls of the harbour.

We had hoped to have more time to explore this little island, but the weather forecast shows that the wind direction is perfect for our two day crossing to Majorca, so we will be heading out to sea again tomorrow.

Cliff and Derek at Porto Colom

2^nd July We had an uneventful crossing, once again the winds were lighter than predicted, so after a few good hours sailing we were back on the motor. We are now tied up to a buoy in Porto Colom on the south east coast of Majorca, it’s a lovely, sheltered bay that’s bordered by sandy beaches and pine trees.

After lunch and a celebratory beer we decided to go ashore to explore. Our dinghy has been rolled up under a cover on the foredeck and this was the first time we have used it this year.  As we inflated it one of the rowlocks (the attachments that hold the oars) literally peeled off, and when we pulled the other rowlock it peeled away too. Then we saw that some of the retainers for the grab ropes were starting to fall off. Not good news. But the dinghy itself appeared seaworthy, so we fitted the outboard engine and jumped in to go ashore.  The outboard refused to start, but, not one to be defeated, Cliff told Derek to grab an oar and together they paddled the boat ashore.
 

The rowlocks peeled off....



...and then the seams started to come apart

By the time we returned to the town jetty the dinghy had begun to deflate and it was a real struggle to paddle it back to the boat. We hauled it on deck and a closer inspection revealed that the seams of the dinghy were now beginning to come apart. The adhesive used to glue the dinghy together is clearly no match for the Mediterranean sun,  so it looks as though we will have to manage without a dinghy for the rest of our trip.

This crewing business is hard work

11^th July We made good progress sailing from Majorca to the Spanish mainland and then spent a couple of days in Denia on the Costa Blanca while some strong winds passed through. Yesterday we sailed down to Santa Pola, a small port and holiday resort that’s handy for the airport. We will stay here until tomorrow when Derek leaves us to fly back from Alicante to the UK.