Alcudia, NE MallorcaWednesday 1 Sept First impressions are not always correct. The sun is back out - it is slightly cooler than Barcelona - about 26-28 deg, with a cool breeze and cooler at night, which is welcome for sleeping. Port Alcudia is really rather nice. Only downside is Richard is sniffling and looking woebegone - has somehow caught a cold or flu. But we are rested and have examined all the superb chandleries this place has to offer - quite the best w...

39 50.1 N 003 07.8 E Alcudia, NE MallorcaMonday 30th August 2010Yuk! Well that was a crossing we did not want. Wind not as forecast. Started out with 2 reefs and lumpy, on nose, just about sailable about 20 deg off course. The wind dropped (that was forecast) but did not go E as planned so decided to motorsail after about 8 hours and get somewhat back on course. 60nm into journey, at 3am (isn't it always in the graveyard hours?) the engine suddenly stopped. O...

41 26.0 N 002 14.6 E Badalona, nr BarcelonaSun 29th August 2010 Time to go. We have had a good few days in Badalona. I have to say, Badalona itself is much as it sounds - pretty bad. The marina is great, clean, good facilities and secure, and there are excellent beaches within a stone's throw, but we are surrounded by industrial estates, falling down bits and graffiti. Fine to leave the boat, but to stay a long time?? That said, the transport links are super...

41 26.0 N 002 14.6 E Badalona, nr BarcelonaFri 27th August 2010We flew back to Barcelona on Wednesday to find the boat intact, the sun out and the temperature 30 deg C. Taken to Luton by Kate (big thank you!) at 9am we sailed through both airports (hand luggage only and pre checked in online), straight on to integrated transport system TMB (trains or trams, metro, bus plus funicular -we had 2 journeys left on a pre-paid pack of 10 from last time) to within 50 m...

End of Part 1 Summer 2010, resuming 26 August 2010 Badalona, Spain, Monday, 26th July 2010 We never made it to Formentor. The wind got up in the wrong direction and we could see breaking waves and white water at the harbour entrance and beyond. The various weather forecasts were giving us news of 2-3 metres of swell and gale warnings to the north and east into the Golfe de Leon and NE of Menorca. The corridor Mallorca to Barcelona was out of that, but swell w...