Sant Antoni nach Andratx, Mallorca

We set off early for the crossing to Mallorca. I think we cast off at 7:00, the journey time was 8-9 hours. At our cruising speed, the current quickly makes a difference and over this distance it can take an hour more or less.

Today we had good conditions. Although contrary to the forecast, 3-4 hours of clear sunshine, the sky was mostly cloudy or partly cloudy, the temperatures were very pleasant. The wind and waves were in line with Windy's forecast.

There are 85 km of open sea between the two islands and it took a long time before we could see Mallorca in the haze. During the crossing we always have visual contact with the shore, but it is still not easy for us landlubbers, we simply don't have the ground beneath our feet, we are getting better and better at dealing with that, we just shouldn't forget it.

Our schedule is 2 hours, my first officer and I take turns at the helm. Heike can easily disappear below deck while I'm on duty, but it's completely different for me. Since everything I experience here is new, I simply can't withdraw. There's so much to observe.

On the crossing, two sailors passed us in the opposite direction. Despite the wind speed being 20-25 km/h, which was indicated on the anemometer, both were using their motors. Perhaps a sailor can explain this to me. Along the coast of Ibiza, two sailors were on the same course as us, and we quickly left both of them behind.

On the way to Andratx we tried to compare our nautical chart with the original relief. It took a while until we realised that we had to set our course a little more to port. Finally we had to sail around the Sa Mola to the north in order to enter the harbour.

We had identified our mooring place on the quay in the entrance alongside. We arrived, there was room there, so we tied up Gustav and walked to the captain's office on foot. Halfway there, my first officer whistled me back. We had already made the acquaintance of the harbour captain, he was the wild one in the rubber dinghy who cruised in front of the individual jetties in his rubber dinghy and gave his instructions to the incoming ships.

So we knew the area of our pier, we set off, drove around the corner twice and you could tell from the hustle and bustle that we had to go there. We weren't the only ones but we were probably the only ones who hadn't registered. Everything happened very quickly, Gustav was booked, the marinero pressed a sheet of paper into our hands and when we asked where we had to complete the formalities, the short answer was: fill it out, I'll be over in half an hour and then everything will be sorted out.

Marinero 5+ stars!

So we were soon alone and since we were still somewhat stocked with provisions, my first officer, in his second job, quickly conjured up a delicious meal on the table.

I spent a little more time on the balcony, the faint sounds of guitars reached my ears from the opposite bank, Spanish folklore, otherwise it was quiet, the difference to Ibiza was clearly noticeable. Almost a little paradise.