Monday 2 September
With 3 days to pack before leaving the country the stop clock was on, we were so excited we were having trouble sleeping at night and then running round all day. I organised the packing with Matt's Dad who did a fine job of getting everything to fit and Matt's Mum doing everything else, we certainly couldn't have managed on our own.
On Wednesday Matt & I were dropped at the airport with all the bags and Matt's parents, Colin & Rhiannon, came in the second trip. With the four of us checked in and all 9 bags, free of charge! we were on our way. We eventually got to bed at 5am and made our way down to the Marina for lunch the following day, and there she was out the window, she looked beautiful, she still is beautiful. She seemed even bigger than before and still is huge now as I sit in one corner and look across the main saloon. It looked as though we would never be able to store all our kit aboard, but it has all just vanished and we are still finding more storage holes all the time. We had a week with Matt's parents just getting organised and buying the essential kettle and finding the store to get our PG Tips! Simon, the Broker, lent us a dinghy as we had to move her out of Portals Marina and into the anchorage outside. When pumping up the dinghy we then got a more realistic idea of its size, it was smaller than Burn Rubber. However, that night the four of us got in it and headed for the nearest piece of shore, well what a hoot! We were soaked before even leaving the Disco, Matt's mum and I sat at the back holding on to one another while the boys paddled us to shore. For our return journey Matt, Rhiannon and I went in the first trip and then Matt went back for Colin. A far safer and more comfortable option. The following morning we started the task of looking for a berth. We managed to rent one for the weekend and then heard of one available at Club de Mar.
We moved from Puerto Portals to Club de Mar in Palma, which makes us right in the center and makes getting around a lot easier. We put her sails up for the first time and had a short sail which was interrupted by the lack of wind but we all had a go at steering!
Then for the Bank Holiday Weekend we saw the arrival of Anna, Scotty, Marc & Naked, who stayed on the boat. Tasha, Lucy & Ben who were in a hotel in Palma. Phil and Vikki in a hotel in Portals. We were also graced with the presence of Charlie, Sara & his power boat and had a fleeting visit from Naked's girlfriend Sally and her 2 friends, Kate & Lucy. It was a highly entertaining weekend and that was with just the people, Disco Inferno2 they loved, the weekend was a great success although the hangovers weren't so welcome. Sightings of Anthea Turner & Boris Becker were among those amusing moments.
Anna, Scotty & Marc arrived on the Thursday and it was champagne for everyone when the boys arrived at 1AM. Friday morning the five of us headed out for the first real sail, it was mighty fine especially catching a quick glimpse of some dolphins. we anchored in a bay for lunch and had a refreshing swim. While waiting for the final arrivals we ventured to a Tapa's bar and met up with Lucy Tasha & Ben, where Anna was in charge of the Sangria, Tasha was holding court and Lucy and Marc argued over who did the best dog impressions, we then headed back to the Club ready to greet Naked, Phil & Vikki around 1.30AM, finally we headed for our beds around 3AM.
The following morning brought rain and lots of it, so much so we even thought our trip to Portals was going to be abandoned and we'd have to settle for another night in Palma. The cloud eventually lifted around 2PM and we motored round to save our berth for the night, Charlie and his Sunseeker turned up a little later and we had our Champagne Party with everyone aboard. Dinner Reservations were not being made as everyone was worried that that it would rain again and the outside seating could not be used. We scored ourselves a table in Wellies, a favourite eating spot of ours, and had a fantastic dinner, the wilder members went up to the bar for a few more drinks, which is where the first sighting of Anthea Turner occurred. Unfortunately there was a whole photography team with her who kept asking everyone to move, very frustrating for some...
Sunday morning and after being cooed at by some French woman on a boat we went for a Full Monty breakfast, then stocked up with supplies before heading to sea. We had a great sail, and anchored for lunch off Palma Nova beach and were joined by Charlie & Sara, it was all aboard the Disco for lunch.
The rest of the gang departed on the Sunseeker for a blast while Matt and I took Disco back to Palma. That night it was tapas again although myself, Tasha & Lucy headed off home while the others headed into the Old Town in search of a bar called A Baco, which Charlie had recommended as a bar that does champagne cocktails that blow your head off.....
I think some members of the team were relieved that sailing was cancelled on the Monday due to further fowl weather. At 1.30PM, Scotty, Marc & Naked departed. That evening we headed back to Portals and managed to get a table at Tahini's the sushi restaurant, we had read some great reviews and they were right. Anna having lived in Japan for 3 years was a real expert and taught us some Japanese customs, it was very entertaining.Anna left for the airport after dinner, and after a quick lunch on Tuesday and a dash back to their hotel to get Phil's passport, Vikki & Phil also left. Leaving us with the girls....
That afternoon they went to the mall and guess who was there, yes, Anthea Turner, she is everywhere!! We met them in Cappuccino that evening for a few wines and then they took us to Hogan's, we left them there, they arrived back at their hotel around 6AM after discovering a karaoke bar on their way home. Both deny ever doing karaoke before however they were both given cordless mikes and sung for hours....
The following night we took them to Portals, home of the rich, we wandered round the docks showing them some BIG boats, there was a particularly amazing super yacht on the end. We had dinner and then went for coffee, and who should walk in, yes, Boris Becker, with his bleached hair!! After attempting to discreetly take his picture which wasn't possible so we didn't, we said our goodbyes and once again it was just the two of us.
This week we're on the look out for the King of Spain who is in residence. Yesterday, Sunday, Matt and I went out for a cruise and dip and laughed at how we used to enjoy walking round the aquadrome in Ricky on a Sunday now we relax on 47ft of teak!!! Oh, and since they all left the weather has been fantastic, with only a sighting of a storm in the distance and a few drops of rain this morning, which had stopped by the time we had shut the hatches!
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