Thursday, August 21, 2014
We actually have a wet !! day in Palma last Saturday and there was even a cool wind!! It is very unusual but we have had many hot and humid days so the rain is a relief in some ways. I cooked roast lamb and veges that night and we had Shepherd's Pie the next night, something we would not normally do in the summer, but it was such a treat after many salads. It was then warm and sunny for the next few days and we had a fabulous wind for sailing.
I am really progressing with my Spanish. David has been giving us lessons and I do Duolingo most days. People are actually remarking on my Spanish speaking being greatly improved but I still have a great deal more to learn.
Monday night we had dinner at Kao, the third of the restaurants in the Forn, Umbo group. We firstly shared two tapas - the lobster ceviche with avocado was outstanding as were the cod fish croquettes with honey aioli. Greg loved his roast baby goat with apple purée for the main course and my pork so spare ribs were exceptional - very tender and juicy but with no fat. Sides of grilled local vegetables and French fries (!). They have a changing menu and we will definitely be returning. It's a new restaurant with sophisticated decor and some of the best service we have had anywhere.
Yesterday we left Palma at about 9.30 AM and thoroughly enjoyed a motor-sail around the southeastern coast to Porto Colom, a natural large harbour on the east coast. We passed stretches of cliff faces then long sandy beaches and then cliffs again with several calas (coves) cut into them. Theses calas are very popular for their sandy beaches and protection from the wind for boats. The water along the shoreline was bright aqua in many places, but it's difficult to accurately capture the scenes in photos. We arrived in Porto Colom at about 4.00 PM, found a good spot to anchor for the night and relaxed before I cooked dinner.
Porto Colom is a an attractive town with good restaurants and palatial homes around the harbour. We were anchored near one of the sandy beaches in a spot where many day- trippers come in their boats to swim. It's fascinating to watch the change of boats in and out of the harbour at sunset, with the day-trippers going back to other ports and many local boats returning to Porto Colom for the night. They were probably visiting one of the many nearby calas for the day. We have visited Porto Colom by car a couple of times but this was the first time in our boat. Our night anchorage was extremely peaceful.
Today we are on our way to Cuidedala on the western end of Menorca. There is a swell but at least we have been able to sail most of the way so far. At one stage the wind was building so much we did wonder why we were out here if we didn't need to be uncomfortable, but it's OK now. The northern coast of Mallorca is fading as we head east-north-east for the harbour town of Cuidedala.