The trip to Sant Antoni started under sail which was lovely – there are a lot less boats on the water too. We enjoyed a good couple of hours with mainsail and genoa flying along towards Isla Vedra – a Jurassic looking rock Island.
As we went between the island and the shore we put the engine on for security in case we lost the wind – and that was it – we needed it for the rest of the trip ! The wind dropped, then gusted up to 27 knots – very odd weather and we were glad we had made the decision to move back to the marina. As we arrived back in Sant Antoni I took a couple of photos of the shoreline where I would be attempting a 10km run the following day.
Sunday morning came and I was happy to be back on solid ground for my attempt with Jo to run 10km as part of a world record attempt to get the most runners running a 10km within 24 hours – virtually – from all over the world. I was pleased with the cooler weather and went out fairly early – I managed to see the sun rise and run without stopping too much ! Overall a great start to our time here in Sant Antoni.
After I got back we had the enjoyment of watching the sailing school activities since they launch from the quayside opposite our mooring space. Great to see the children heading out in boats of various sizes – and even really little children too, very impressive. They have great confidence and throw themselves around the boats to keep the wind in the sails – even in the marina.
The next morning, we enjoyed our Australian coffee aboard and I went for a wander. We are always watching the weather on these trips and we could see very changeable conditions coming our way. It was looking like we should make the most of dry weather so I went off to the launderette whilst Skipper Nigel made sure the boat was prepped in case of storms – and strung up a washing line ready for my return.
Sure enough that afternoon and evening we watched the storm clouds forming. In actual fact although we did get heavy rain overnight it wasn’t as bad as we were expecting. Instead the storm warnings were extended and we knew we were likely to be here for the week.
The next day we had a rest day aboard kind of thinking it would rain at any moment …. I did manage a short afternoon wander and we spent the evening watching the amazing sky.
It is definitely a stormy time here and whilst we are weather watching we’re also more than happy to spend some holiday time here. The following morning after overnight rain I went for a stunning coastal walk whilst Skipper Nigel did a few more boat jobs. It feels a lot like the season is coming to an end here, lots less people and places with signs in the window saying “back in 2022”. The crane was even taking away the lifeguard station as I passed the beach on my walk. We went ashore for coffee but were disappointed when it didn’t match up to the Australian coffee that Jason makes us to take away.
The afternoon brought torrential rain – nothing for it but to relax aboard and watch tenable and tipping point.
By the evening the rain had passed over and we were enjoying stunning skies once again, we are really relaxing here and the weather forecast looks like we’ll have a few more days yet to enjoy stormy skies.
The next day offered a bit of morning excitement – best way to describe it is a copy of the message I sent Karen on Hoopla who are over the other side of the island.
Well, well, well, good morning from our new berth !!!! Amazingly they told us we couldn’t stay tomorrow ….. because there’s a regatta that’s booked all the berths 😮😮😮 I said we couldn’t leave in these conditions since we are trying to make the crossing to the mainland ( forecast tomorrow 20 knots and 1,9m swell !!) They got the boss – he said we would have to go to Santa Eulalia !!!! I said it wasn’t like we didn’t want to leave but we’re a small boat and we can’t risk the conditions ….. sure enough after a bit of to and fro they decided we could come onto the other side of the pontoon – as long as we moved immediately ! On that he made a good call because it’s super windy now …. so we’re here til Saturday 😁😁!!
So Gemini J has a new berth and apart from half an hour of slight stress all is good – time for an Australian coffee after that !!
The next day I decided to go on a mini adventure – on the bus !! Since we were not leaving until Saturday at the earliest I popped over to see Karen ahead of her birthday on Sunday. The bus (which was a luxury coach) journey was really straightforward and only took half an hour direct (I thought it would be much longer). When I got to the Santa Eulalia on the other side of the island it was really rough – I saw regatta boats sailing in the distance and thought they must be crazy – it was a couple of metres swell!!
I went to see Hoopla on her lovely berth – Santa Eulalia seems like a really nice marina. It was good to catch up with Karen once again and she was able to leave Jack with some schoolwork whilst we went for a wander.
Karen and I went out for a delicious early birthday lunch followed by a lovely coastal walk. Santa Eulalia really is a nice place and one we’d actively try to come back to next time we’re in the islands. You can see from the photos the very red sand/shore/rocks – this colour is all over the island and makes for stunning scenery.
I just made the bus back to Sant Antoni – and again it only took half an hour. When I arrived back the regatta boats were arriving on their berths too – sure enough they were the same ones I had seen that morning in Santa Eulalia. Their route was from Ibiza town to Sant Antoni on the Friday. Saturday Sant Antoni to Formentera then round the island of Formentera and back to Ibiza town on Sunday – it sounds fabulous but very hard going in these conditions. The evening was hazy as we watched them packing away their sails and preparing for the next day. We were preparing too as the next day was our day to cross back to the mainland.
The Adventures of Gemini J 