On the reef…..

Sunday 27th and Monday 28th July 2014

Every day is a new beginning for us. We never know from one day to the next what we will do and where the winds will blow us! It truly is an exciting adventure....new opportunities open up almost daily .... we have become very adept at change and going with the flow! Today is no exception....is it the day for sailing the ocean to ibiza or do we just trundle down the coast towards Palma? As we went ashore for basic supplies and coffee we were still unsure...it really didn’t matter to us, we were happy with whatever the day would bring!. Once we were back onboard we stowed everything away, pulled up the anchor and headed out to sea. before we knew it, Windekind was taking us out across the sea towards Ibiza...

[caption id="attachment_1568" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Leaving Mallorca in the distance[/caption]









We set the auto helm and settled in for the 65 mile crossing....as it happened it was a perfect ‘beam reach’ of about 10 to 15 knots and Windekind sailed along at a leisurely 5 knots. It was about midday when we left and we arrived at our destination at 4am. We watched huge ships pass us by making us feel incredibly small and vulnerable. BT is convinced that we heard a submarine motor underneath us...is this possible...to hear it on the surface? At dusk we sat together on the bow drinking peach liqueur, savouring the peace and tranquility, listening to the sea wash along the side of the boat, watching the sun disappear into the ocean...it was a magical moment.

[caption id="attachment_1574" align="aligncenter" width="640"] A toast to the sunset...[/caption]









 

[caption id="attachment_1577" align="aligncenter" width="427"] Passing ships[/caption]

BT managed a couple of hours sleep whilst Billy kept watch. The stars were so bright and the water so dark but it was a very special time. BT took over and at 4 am we ‘hove to’ outside Cala Mastella Ibiza as it was far too dangerous to enter and anchor sensibly in the dark. So, despite all his good intentions and perfect reasoning BT made the rash decision to enter the cala at 5am whilst it was still dark....only to then run us aground on a reef!!!  Broad side onto the wind and waves......PANIC!....

Knowing that time was off the essence we ran out the anchor (using Mango Tango) and managed to get Windekind head to the wind and waves and stabilise the situation whilst we prepared and laid out our huge kedge anchor a long way out into the bay.  With both anchors holding and stuck fast we could not believe it when the wind suddenly did a 180 degree change and we were able to run up the mainsail to assist. (this was just a very temporary change...a miracle we think!)  We had the engine on, the sail up, we hung off the end of the bowsprit and she still didn’t move!... time for more drastic action as BT jumped overboard (again) into water that was only chest height; more panic!  Windekind was 3 inches up on her waterline and things looked bad.  As a last ditch effort BT rocked the boat in time with Billy rocking the tiller with the engine on full power and then suddenly Windekind slid sideways off a ledge into tiny channel (no wider than the keel...who put that there?!!) and she started to move forward into slightly deeper water.

An hour and a half after the drama started we were safely anchored and partying on the deck...hugging and kissing out of sure relief. We had nearly lost our wonderful Windekind in a moment of madness and slip of concentration. It’s a stark reminder of how quickly things can change. It’s amazing what adrenalin and prayer can do!

Having got her safely anchored and despite the worsening weather we decided we would stay put for a while, sleep and recover! ....and all this because BT loves his Billy so much he wanted to take her to the fish restaurant in the cala....we went ashore later to find out that it was fully booked anyway!

[caption id="attachment_1582" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The fish restaurant[/caption]

Once we had had a couple of hours sleep we snorkelled the reef and we still can’t believe how this incident worked out....we really should have been lost...it really was a miracle!

[caption id="attachment_1583" align="aligncenter" width="640"] We so nearly ended up on this beach….you can just see the shadow of the reef![/caption]

As the wind dropped in the evening we moved onto Sant Eulalia and found a safe and sensible spot to anchor just outside the marina. We rapidly went ashore for some R&R and non moving ground!!! We went shopping and then found a fantastic restaurant overlooking the bay where Windekind was anchored. Scrumptious food was consumed and well deserved cocktails were slurped.....Billy was also asking for a 5 star hotel tonight...comfy, non moving bed, warm shower, proper toilet, clean sheets....no dramas... can you blame her??? Needless to say, we both put off returning to Windekind for as long as we could and it was with some reluctance that we returned to our gently rocking beds and slept soundly the whole night through!