We have been in Palma for a few days and will be departing Tuesday, in part because the slips in this marina are uber expensive, think $200 night. As you can imagine, that means SHORT VISIT. However, it is indeed a nice place and there seem to be a LOT of boats that have no problem with the cost as the place is packed.

The other reason the visit will be short is because we are down to the last two weeks before we head back to the US. Our fight is on June 2nd and we are still 300 miles from the Bosa.

I will admit that with the month long delay in departing Almerimar, we lost a lot of the time we would have spent to enjoy some real exploring. With the compressed timeframe, it has felt like a forced march much of the time.

However, along the way, we have really enjoyed the places that we have visited.

After departing Cartagena we stopped in Ibiza for a few days and visited a lovely tiny harbor, Cala Llonga. It was very picturesque, surrounded by cliffs and a few big resorts.

There was a nice beach and it surprised both of us to see how many swam in spite of the chilly water.

There was a small cement “dock” where we tied up our dink. It was pretty rough and a bit of a scramble to get up to the walkway.

We enjoyed putting around the harbor, enjoying the scenery including this arch. It was chilly much of the time so we bundled up to try and stay warm.

Hard to believe the color of the water when the light is just right.

We rented a car one day and toured the island.

As the last stop of the day we visited the western end of the island and enjoyed the view. Very dramatic.

And, we were there…

As we approached Palma we spent a night in a small cove. It was beautiful, with a spectacular sunset.

The cove was surrounded by cliffs and a number of caves. There were some intrepid teens jumping off of the point on the far left. I am guessing that the drop was nearly 100′ to the water. The perspective makes the mast look a lot taller but the boat was far from shore. Note the caves to the right.

When we anchored a huge school of fish showed up to look for handouts. It was great fun to toss bread over the side.

One of the highlights of Palma is the cross island antique electric train. It is housed in an old train station in the city. Very quaint. The train cars are beautifully restored.

All aboard, including Brenda looking like a little kid barely peaking over the window sill.

We rumbled across the countryside on the hour long ride. It was a lot of fun.

At the other end, we boarded a trolly for the final trip to the seaside as it wound it’s way through the tiny town square, honking it’s high pitched horn to clear the way.

There were vendors in stalls everywhere. I loved the flowers.

And the ever-present olives…

This cheese seller helped you know what his cheesed were based on. Sheep on top of some, cows on others. Some with multiple farm animals. Not so sure about the one with a dog.

Loved these unique umbrellas along the beach.

The waterfront is completely lined with homes on the hillside.

There is a traditional type of fishing boats that are now used as recreational fishing boats that are everywhere. They are called LLauts. They won’t win any races but are plenty sturdy offshore. Traditionally they were sail powered but now have engines, some inboards but many outboards as well.

There were dozens of them in the harbor.

And, on the subject of traditional fishing boats, this one was particularly beautiful. At 100 years old, she is in great shape. We saw her at a sardine festival. Lot’s of tiny fish being eaten. Teeny tiny bones too. Not my type.

Another beauty. Slightly larger than the many smaller ones we saw.

And speaking of old stuff, this olive tree has certainly seen it’s share of change in the square where it has grown for hundreds of years.

Well, that’s about it. We’ve been here for four days now, run up a pretty big marina bill, spent hours watching the world go by as we sipped cool drinks in the afternoon and enjoyed not doing a lot for a few hours. So now we head to the eastern most island of the Balearics, Minorca, where we will spend a few days while we wait for a weather window for our over-night run to Sardinia where Pandora will be hauled for the summer while we enjoy time at home in CT.

Tomorrow morning we will fuel up, no doubt at a horrific price, compliments of a little “excursion” in the Middle East. And we think that $5,50 a gallon for diesel is high in the US? I expect that it will cost nearly twice that here. The Europeans think Americans are a bunch of crybabies, complaining about how much we pay, a bargain compared to what they have paid for years and now it’s way worse.

It would have been fun to take a slower pace to get here but with all that happened to delay our departure from Almerimar, our leisurely two month run was compressed by half. All and all, it’s been a wonderful trip, well at least since we fixed everything that was broken at least. But hey, we are aboard in the Med…

Expensive or not, it’s been nice to be here for a few days with the “big kids”. Note this “dink” from a 60 meter yacht. It is longer than Pandora and has her own slip. The big boat is somewhere else in the marina. I can only imagine what it cost as it’s all carbon fiber.

The docks are built for boats that are a lot taller than Pandora. Note how sharp a downward angle our boarding ramp, passarelle, is. It’s a bit of a leap of faith to go up at low tide.

Hopefully our time aboard in September and October when we return will be less “exciting”.

That’s about it for now, it’s “opening time” and I think I will make a negroni (plural) for me and Brenda.

It’s hard to believe that we have been in Spain since late March and we have only been underway for a single 100 mile run.

We are heading into our second week here in Cartagena and while we are enjoying our time here, we are getting a bit anxious about getting to Sardinia to haul Pandora for the summer by late May, only three weeks away. We had planned on spending a month in the Balearics and now it’s going to be a rush job. That is a bummer as it’s one of the highlights of this part of the Med.

We would have moved on early this week, during a nice weather window, but were waiting for a new AIS to arrive. And, of course, when we realized that the unit was kaput, it was the beginning of yet another holiday in Spain. How about Labor Day, a celebration of when Spain drove out Napoleon and Mother’s Day to top it off. They do love their holidays in Spain and between the current trifecta and Easter in Almerimar, we’ve lost about two extra weeks due to gear delivery delays.

One way or the other, delays have been based on broken stuff, holidays and weather. I guess we should feel blessed that at least the broken stuff has not happened when we were underway. But, only being underway for a single day in all this time is a bit sobering. For now, we are now stuck in a beautiful place.

And, on top of the broken AIS, we discovered that the main halyard was seriously damaged. I have mentioned that already but it wasn’t until we had the new one that I realized that the damage was caused by it rubbing against the spreaders over the winter and that combined with the ever present Sahara dust, acting as an abrasive, chewed right through the covering. Well, a half of a “boat dollar” later for the new halyard we are ready to go. Well, as soon as the weather says ok.

The good news from all these delays is that we are seeing a lot more of the city than we had anticipated. And a lot of tapas and sangria 🙂

This harbor is one of the finest in the Med and it has been occupied for more than 3,000 years so in a single day you can see a Roman amphitheater and a modern navy ship only steps from each other. Such a contrast and a testament to a long and varied history.

How about a partially disassembled submarine?

I expect that there are some interesting ships in these sheds.

Immediately adjacent to the harbor is a very nice Naval history museum.

The museum isn’t very large but there are models and displays that represent the entire history of the Spanish navy.

Of course, not navy per se, but sort of close to home with the Santa Maria.

And a nice painting of the same. Not the sleekest of craft.

And, speaking about weather, which I was earlier in this post, I spoke with Chris Parker, the weather router, we have worked with for more than a decade, about the very strong winds and dead calms here. His comment was “Bob, have you noticed that the ancient Greek ships had tiny sails and a LOT of oars.” Well, there was a model of a ship of that period. Many oars.

And, one with somewhat fewer oars but with cannons.

And models through the ages. The newer they are, the more guns.

Lots of guns.

And then, the transition to steam and you can see the lean hull design, close to that of a sailing ship, to allow the relatively small engines of the time to drive the hull.

Love the detail in the bridge.

Another lovely model.

Some really nice detail.

A trio.

I guess I like details.

Over time man has found more and more efficent ways to kill each other. Thinking of what’s going on in The Strait of Homuz and the mines. Here’s a diorama of mines over time.

And when there is stuff going on underwater there is diving. And lots of ways to do it. Note the boxes with wheels to the left. These are primitive hand cranked compressors to supply air to hard hat divers.

And where there is diving there is the risk of the bends and the need for a decompression chamber. Pretty Medieval looking.

Beyond old stuff, there are plenty of excellent ship and yacht repair yards in the harbor. With my repair needs, I have had plenty of trips to buy stuff. Adjacent to the chandlery is a fish market. Very nice building.

And some pretty big ships. Not a lot of big yachts but one that stands out is Arctic. She’s a converted salvage ship, and at nearly 300′ long, she’s the largest explorer yacht available for charter in the world. I walked out on the dock last evening and took some photos. She’s really impressive.

Quite imposing from the dock.

A great view from the bridge I bet.

She can go anywhere an it seems that she has. And, with seven tenders, no shortage of options to explore once you get there. This video surely shows her in a way that makes me want to go for a ride. And, if you want to sign up, they are offering an option to head north to watch a solar eclipse in 2027. Don’t wait, book now. Check out this charter site for more details on this remarkable yacht.

Beyond Arctic, this is a salvage boat, and plenty tough she is.

Clearly set up to rescue the largest ships in need. Look at this crane on the aft deck. Note that the bridge has windows in front and back.

But, there are also plenty of small fishing boats in the harbor.

There is so much to see here in Cartagena but I’d say that we are ready to leave and move on to Ibiza, an overnight sail from here.

However, one key issue in picking a weather window is to look at two different models and see how many days out they look the same. That “congruence” is key in picking a window, otherwise you don’t know which model to trust. Normally, a day out they generally look pretty similar but in this case, even one day out, tomorrow, not the same at all. Note how different the lower model is. We are the white dot and our destination, 140 miles to the NE is the first island, Ibiza. The dark red is a LOT of wind.

However, the very next morning, a lot more benign. Somehow it seems that a departure is always a day away…

But for now, and I hope it’s only for one day more, Pandora snug in her berth. Pretty nice view of the mountains in the distance.

Weather or not, at least Pandora and her crew are ready. If it wasn’t for the wind.

It’s Sunday and we are in Cartagena, where we have been for a few days now. It is a lovely city and our timing could not have been better as there is a major festival going on here. Actually, it seems that there is just about ALWAYS a festival going on in Spain and this week is no different.

As festivals go, this one is a true “double header” as it is Spain’s Labor Day and also a date that commemorates an uprising against Napoleon in the 1800s. I have to say that to be here and see such a solemn event was very moving. We had a great spot to view the events but sadly, you can’t see us. We were right next to where they laid the wreath at the end of the video below. It’s a two minute piece and is worth seeing. I loved the cannons. I think we need one in Essex…

Here is what the local information says about that event.

“The traditional military parade pays homage to the heroes of the uprising against Napoleon and his troops, Artillery Captains Daoiz and Velarde, along with other military personnel and the people of Madrid in 1808. The ceremony included speeches commemorating the anniversary, a wreath-laying ceremony in memory of the fallen, and a striking and moving gun salute, which concluded with the march of the participating troops. The formation began its march from the old Artillery Park in Cartagena, proceeding to the port through the streets of the city’s historic center, watched by Cartagena residents and numerous cruise ship passengers.“

That event was separate from the Labor Day events and there has been a lot going on. Street performers, and a particularly big concert in the plaza, near the waterfront, by Maki & María Artés. It seems that they are a very big deal in Spain with billions of views. It was fun to watch and very polished. Also, crazy crowded. Most of all, fun.

All of the crowds, combined with a massive cruise ship disgorging thousands, added to the crush of people and with big crowds comes pickpockets and one found Brenda. We aren’t certain how it happened but somehow someone ended up with her wallet and within less than a half hour tried to charge several thousands to her two cards and debit card. Fortunately the banks caught them and texted us.

The big issue to us was that our BOA travel card has the same account number on both of our cards so when hers was canceled, so was mine. However, for safety reasons, we also have a travel card from Barclay bank and fortunately the numbers are different so my card is still ok. Getting cards hacked has happened to us many times over the years but this is the first time that someone was able to get the physical card. Until I knew that her card and mine had different numbers, I thought that we were in very tough shape. So much for Brenda’s wallet, drivers license, credit cards etc. Oh well, everything but the 100 euros she was carrying are recoverable.

But wait, there’s more. I can’t say that when we finally got everything fixed in Almerimar, that I was confident that “all was better” and I was right. The question in the back of my mind was “what would break next” and that turned out to be our AIS, a system that allows us to show our location to other boats and ships. It also allows them to see us and for us to gauge exactly where they are what the “closest point of approach” will be when someone is getting close. The unit failed in the middle of the night and to suddenly not be able to tell with certainty where the ships were going, light patterns aside, was unsettling. Being suddenly blind made the use of our radar suddenly super important.

As others aboard, Brenda and our friends Jon and Kate, weren’t very experienced with navigating at night meant that I had to stay up all night. I was tired for sure but with the added “excitement” of a failed AIS, I did pretty well. Part of what helped was an extended session with Chat GPT AI, trying to diagnose what was wrong with the unit kept me plenty awake. There were basically two options as to what had happened, a voltage drop at the electrical connection or something internal as it would turn on for a few minutes and then cut out. After a few hours of messing with things, I was able to narrow it down to an internal failure.

The good news is that I can order a new one and have it here on Tuesday. Had it not been for “Labor Day”, I would have had it on Friday but with everything closed, well another delay. What else is new?

I also discovered damage to my mainsail halyard but fortunately, it didn’t completely break, just the line cover was damaged. And, there is a rigger here so I will pick up the new halyard on Tuesday. For some reason my main halyard has chafed more than a few times. I will have to have a rigger look at the shiv, pully, at the top of the mast as well as the opening to see if it is rough. I’ve had it reviewed at least one other time…

It is indeed always something but at least we have been able to get things fixed and nothing major has put us at risk while being underway so far. But, I don’t want to jinx it…

Another issue face is that we will have about three weeks to make it from here to Sardinia and without a major push, something that we don’t want to do, it’s going to be hard to fly out as planned in late May. The problem is that it’s either blowing too hard or not at all and often from the wrong direction so adhering to a schedule isn’t all that easy, and a lot less predictable than the Caribbean.

But we are here and the city is quite beautiful and busy.

And even more amazing after dark.

The good news is that, being delayed, but this time in Cartagena, isn’t all that bad and we have enjoyed some really nice food and drink, can you say “two sangria please”. Somehow English gets the point across just fine. I do take good pictures of my sweetie, don’t I?

Or, and often, white wine and food! After struggling for weeks to adjust to the idea that dinner is after 8:00, we are in the groove. This dinner was at 11:00 pm.

Of course, holidays mean getting dressed up and everyone was in costume. Mothers and daughters, both happy to pose for the camera.

And a few in Victoria era costume. Also happy to mug for the camera and I wasn’t the only one to ask.

Pandora is right on the waterfront. Here with a full moon rising in the distance. Does the moon see me?

Quite a view of the mountains in the distance. This photo doesn’t do it justice

Along with everything else, this is a major naval port with drydocks all around. I’ll bet that they find a lot of broken stuff too.

And a few yachts in for refit.

As we approach the 250th anniversary in the US, I am struck by this sign, commemorating the history of Cartagena, spanning three thousand years. That’s a long time.

Well, that’s it for now. It’s nearly noon and we have to do a bit of strolling.

Sadly, even though I will have the current “issues” resolved as of late Tuesday, the window to get out of here actually opens Monday and closes Tuesday so that means we won’t have time to make the 36 hour run to Ibiza.

And, the next opening to get out of here isn’t until later in the week. Unlike the Caribbean, the weather changes nearly every day with a “long” window being no more than two to three days, so here we sit.

Perhaps I will close with a moment that particularly moved us, the laying of the wreath for those that defended Spain from Napoleon. Sadly, over the centuries, there have been many leaders that thought that they were smarter than they were. But, it’s good to know that more often than not, they don’t change things for ever. Having said that, it does seem that part of the human existence is that many forget.

Soon, I hope, we will be underway with stuff that’s thinking hard, I hope not, of breaking.

Wish us luck? If recent history is any guide, we need it.

In our experience, first in the Azores last summer and now in Spain, it seems that no good holiday opportunity is passed up and here in Almerimar it is no different.

Today, Sunday, and Monday most places are closed for what appears to be a very local, municipality only, festival.

Anyway, the key issue for us is that the plan was to do provisioning on Monday and cast off on Tuesday. Oops. Grocery stores all closed. Who knew?

There is a good little market that has some basic stuff so that will have to do. And, the good news is that they have excellent French baguettes that they bake there. With only one night underway before arriving in Cartagena I think we will survive.

With all the delays, our friends Jon and Kate decided to make the best of their time and decided to do a bit of exploring as they made their way here from Barcelona, stopping along the way. They are now in Grenada, no doubt enjoying some of the same places that we visited.

They will arrive Monday evening and we will shove off, weather permitting, on Tuesday morning for a straight overnight run to Cartagena.

Sadly, it looks like the run will be true to the “Motorterranean” as the forecast is for very light winds. As wind is generally from the east in this area and when it’s not, there’s no wind. I would prefer not to have our very first run of the season an overnight, but with all the delays we have to make some miles.

Yesterday I finally had the new winch installed. The rigger, Andy, has been great and I so wish that I had worked with him over the winter as many of the issues that didn’t get addressed, including measuring the sail correctly etc, etc, would have been done. Alas, at least I know who to recommend to keep an eye on boats for others. Live and learn.

After pulling off the top of the winch, the offending, and now broken, old winch.

The parts laid out for the new winch. Really shiny.

Andy fitting the new winch. Notice how shiny the interior parts are compared to the old one.

The new winch in place. Sadly, the electric motor is on back order so we will see where that ends up. Perhaps we can pick it up in Palma as that’s where the distributor is, I am told. Really shiny.

It is pretty amazing that the new winch is almost exactly the same size and shape as the original ones, now 20 years old. The only cosmetic difference is that the top of the old winch is black and the base is as well. Otherwise, they are the same. For now, I will use the winch as a manual one and when I have to hoist the mainsail, I will just route the line across the cockpit to the power winch. Not idea but will work fine.

The remaining winch that is still fine. Note the black disk on the top and the black base collar. Otherwise, the same.

I have also been talking about issues with my charger/inverter, which finally died completely two days ago. That meant, no battery charging or even shore power down below even when I am plugged in.

After a lot of back and forth with the electrician, who could not make time for me due to a very busy workload, to his credit, asked me to send photos and advised me on how to bypass shore power from the, now dead inverter, so that I could get shore power.

I sent this photo, along with details on what terminal was what, and he sent back details on what to do. To me, it just looked like a tangled mess and I was totally insecure about making the problem even worse.

Once I got his fairly clear instructions back, I was still unsure, given the possible damage if I did it wrong, so I went thru a lot of back and forth with Chat GPT, AI. I even shared the electrician’s instructions and got back from “they”, Chat GPT that is, that they also agreed with the electrician’s assessment.

However I was still unsure and asked to have a step by step schematic created by AI and this is what “they” came up with. Pretty remarkable and very easy to follow. I explained to “they” that I do better with visual instruction so that’s what I got.

The first part, what the goal was. And then how to confirm that the circuit was safe to work on.

Part two. The order and sequence of moving wires. Dead simple.

Part three. How to confirm that I had done it right and the process to power up the system.

I was still nervous but after asking “they” to compare the instructions from the electrician, confirming that they matched, I felt that I was on the right track and followed each step, held my breath and turned on the power. IT WORKED!!!

After all of the setbacks, I was really concerned that I would mess up but all and all, I DID IT.

Well, there’s only one day more for something to break before we leave. Dare I say that the “final touches” should run smoothly and we will be able to get out as planned?

Cartagena, here we come.

“Bob, don’t count your chickens before they hatch!”

I’m countin…

Months ago I wrote of our plan to spend a week getting Pandora ready to splash after about a week and then head north to Cartagena from Almerimar, where Pandora was stored for the winter. From there, on to the Balearics and then on to Sardinia where Pandora will be hauled for the summer while we enjoyed our time at home in CT. Returning in September for another two months of cruising.

Well, if you have been following my posts you will know that that is not what happened at all as it’s been a month and Pandora has gone a total of NOWHERE. We have suffered, or should I say, Pandora has suffered setback after setback with myriad issues, seemingly one on top of another that has kept us from departing.

I won’t list them all, as I have already done so, except to say that tomorrow morning the, dare I say, final item will be checked off of the list, the replacement of the failed winch. The new one is the same model as the one that came with the boat but after nearly 20 years, it does look a little different. And, OH BOY, it is a LOT more expensive. And, add the 21% VAT tax to the bill and it’s really, really expensive. Sadly, as the model is “improved” there is no way to use parts from the failed winch, like the motor, which is just fine. Well, now I have a spare… I also plan on saving a few of the gears, which are beautifully machined. Paperweights anyone?

Between the furler and the winch, with the latter failing after so much use in putting up the new furler, this has been crazy expensive.

And while the worse is over, there is still more that has to be done when Pandora is in Sardinia for the summer. Think Inverter/Charger, some minor welding, and paint scratch repairs. And, if the adage “everything is broken on your boat, you just don’t know it yet”, holds true, it’s only going to get worse.

Brenda is still in Italy at a weaving retreat and it’s clear that she is having a great time as when she calls she either says “I can only talk for a minute, as I have to head out to the studio in a few minutes”, or she says “I can only talk for a minute as I HAVE TO SLEEP!” Good for her.

True to form, she’s been very productive and sent photos of the three projects she completed already. They are beautiful and quite complex pieces done on an antique Jacquard loom that is hundreds of years old.

This piece is a reconstruction of a pattern copied from the table cloth pattern in the famous painting by da Vinci, the Last Supper.

Note the pattern on each end of the table cloth. I know that the loom is old. Wonder if it is the same loom that wove the one for Jesus? You see the resemblance? Me neither, well maybe. I guess it’s the diamond part, that is what I am told. Hmm…

Another very nice piece.

But wait, there’s more…

Today’s work.

All and all, I am very pleased for her and it does seem that she is having a great time. The class, which she is taking with three other weaver friends from her guild in CT, is over on Friday when she heads back to Rome to fly back to Almeria.

Will there be more product before she departs? I’m guessing yes. We will see…

And, speaking of Cartagena, which I was before I got sidetracked, it looks like we may be able to get underway, perhaps even with a nice favorable breeze, early on Wednesday.

Along with Brenda, our neighbors Jon and Kate, from CT will also be arriving to join us for a few days as we make our way up the coast but all the delays have cut into their time aboard but at least they have had a bit more time to do some exploring Spain as they made their way south from Barcelona. Unfortunately, they have to fly out late next week so it will be a bit of a rush to get to our destination, enjoy some time together and get them to their flight.

One side benefits of the delays is that I have had time to address a lot of little items that have gone un-addressed for a while including repairing some issues with the headliner. A constant issue, sadly as well as polishing stainless which always needs regular attention and there is a LOT of stainless on Pandora. At least dealing with that is less painful than varnish. With all the time on my hands, I have even resorted to using a toothbrush to polish some particularly stubborn tarnish (rust) on some areas.

Another issue that I’ve dealt with is what to do about propane for cooking. I was under the impression that while not easy, getting US canisters filled in the EU was possible and yet, here in Almerimar I have not been able to get a refill beyond “well, we can send it out and see what happens, and that will be a week”. Sure, I have been here plenty long enough but after a lot of back and forth, I looked into what would be required to just modify my system to handle EU gas containers and the appropriate regulator and fittings.

These tanks, the little blue one, are generally sold as a swap of an empty one for a full one. Not too big, I guess less than half of the volume of my 20lb US tanks. Note that the regulator is on top of the tank. It’s different than the one on the propane system and butane, is stored under less pressure than propane and has somewhat different characteristics than propane. However, I checked and learned that my Force 10 stove would be able to handle both types. Note that these tanks are actually designed for camping use and the regulator screws directly into the top of the tank. They have tanks that are large like the ones I have already but getting them filled means sending them out and waiting to get them back. With all of the complexity so far, I’m going for simple…

Well, it’s all hooked up now and seems to be working just fine. I plumbed the new hose, orange, directly to my shutoff solonoid valve so there is always a positive shutoff in the line when it’s not being used, a very important safety feature. I also left the US regulator in place, which I can swap back into service in about 30 minutes. that’s important as my second 20lb US tank is basically full so if I run out of the blue tank when I don’t have easy access to a new bottle, I can still reconnect my full US tank.

The full setup, tank, regulator, hose and connector to my shutoff solenoid was about 80 euros and when the tank is empty, a refill tank, swapped for the empty one, will be about 20 euros. All and all, a simple solution, I think. No need for cold coffee.

While I would have much preferred to be on my way already and meet Brenda in Cartagena, like we hAD planned during one of our “intermediate” plans, it’s nice to know that we will likely be underway soon with what I hope will be a good weather window late Tuesday or early Wednesday. With about 100 miles in total, between us and Cartagena, we may opt to stop somewhere along the way or push directly thru. With Jon and Kate flying out on the 1st, we don’t have a lot of time.

And, speaking of time, generally twice a day I walk around the marina and this morning I passed a newcomer, a beautiful ketch. She’s not likely to make any speed records but it is pretty clear that she is fresh, really fresh, from a major refit. Sadly, I wasn’t able to find any information online about her. She calls from Hamburg, Germany. What nice lines. Actually only 60′ long and yet looks a lot bigger. I stopped to see if I could get information from someone but nothing beyond confirming recent refit. The AIS track shows that she just got in from northern Europe, I think beginning in the Netherlands.

It’s hard to believe that Pandora has been sitting here for nearly a month but soon, I hope.

This marina is huge, with over 1,000 slips and is known as a good stopping point when entering the Med. At about $25/day on the dock, it is very inexpensive compared to marinas in the US. Actually, a mooring in the US is now about three times this.

Witness a very full marina.

But with some luck, there will be one less boat in the place come next week. I don’t want to jinx it but hopefully, Pandora will be moving on soon.

It’s about time. Well, that’s if we can actually leave as planned.

I’m counting on it. Really, trust me. I hope…