Cruising again

Our active cruising season has finally started in earnest and it feels so good to be back on the water again, hopping from anchorage to anchorage, watching the weather, planning passages, and exploring new places. Since we left Sweden in July of 2021 we always followed the favorable weather and winds, so we never paused our active sailing. But once we arrived back in Europe we were suddenly faced with seasons again and, between the weather and off-boat travel plans, we ended up effectively pausing cruising for months. Now we're back at it and it is so good. (Pictures are completely out of chronological order.)

Our little hidey-hole between Formentera and Ibiza. The entrance was a little hairy with maybe 10cm under our keep at the bar, but once inside we had pond-like conditions during some nasty weather.

The kids took over this cave on the hillside and created their own domain, spending days there, including in the rain.

Sunshine is back and we moved down to the main anchorage.

Three other kid boats showed up a few days later and the fun began. Fleur and Anouk from s/v Empress joined us for a two hour sail to the other side of the island.

I’m starting to sound like a broken record since I keep saying that this is the best cruising we’ve had since we started sailing on Positive Waves nearly four years ago. We are loosely traveling in a group with six other kid boats (boats with kids aboard, other families doing the same thing) and there are at least four other kid boats in nearby anchorages we haven’t met yet. Cruising isn’t just sailing. We spend a large amount of our time on the mechanics of boat life—choosing good anchorages, analyzing the weather, maintaining systems, and actually sailing. Combined with the regular chores of daily life like schoolwork, cooking, and cleaning, we stay busy. But it can also be boring and lonely. Not so when you’re traveling in a flotilla!

Obligatory Captain Ron viewing on the beach.

We rented bikes with the family on s/v Kendra and biked across Formentara.

More girls than boys means everyone gets a turn at the hair salon, whether they want it or not. Jasper from s/v Rag Doll opted for some pink highlights.

Adults table!

Carpool.

The past four years have usually just been the four of us (thankfully we all like each other). We meet other boaters and families along the way, and, just like in land-based life, there are some we click with, some we like enough, and some that we’re happy to just have short conversations with. We’ve buddy-boated with a couple other boats for a few weeks here and there and we’ve leap-frogged with other friends through different cruising grounds (the Caribbean, Atlantic coasts of Spain and Portugal), but we’ve never been so intertwined with other boats as we are now. It could feel stifling, I suppose, but we have really clicked with the other boats in our flotilla and we're all consciously sticking together.

Ibiza town.

Hans found a buddy.

Bringing true cruiser style to Ibiza--flip flops, sweatpants, thrift store t-shirt and baseball cap. I haven't quite perfected the pose yet.

The flotilla has made all the difference. Our kids actually do their schoolwork efficiently because they want to hang out with their friends. They actually get off the boat every day because they want to go ashore with friends. They're still glued to screens but now it’s in a more social manner: sharing memes, making videos about each other, and the endless group chat. We’ve had sleepovers, other kids have been sailing with us, we share meals, and Freja told us that one of her friends gave a new kid a tour of Positive Waves. I guess he's been on our boat so much that he knows where everything is. What I like the most about these kids is the easy flow of friendships. Some of them are closer than others, but all ages play and work (and scheme) together. There are no cliques and so far it seems like no one is left out.

Goregous sunsets almost every night.

the kid crew on Jasper's birthday. He requested a proper beach party and Daria (mom) certainly delivered. We started around 2pm and the party continued until almost 2am. Solid work!

Other flotilla benefits not to be overshadowed by the (loud) children: traveling in a group provides security and support. It’s always good to have friends close at hand if something unforeseen happens like the need for a random boat part or help fixing something. Or help anchoring or sharing dinghy rides or schlepping groceries. Community is nearly always better than solitude, but it is particularly valuable on the water. The adults have also formed our own community--the kids aren't the only ones having fun around here! While the kids wreck havoc on one boat, the adults are having happy hour on a different boat. It’s a beautiful separation of church and state.

Hiking along the north coast of Ibiza.

There goes the carpool again.

Billy and Jake from s/v Kendra joined us for saturday morning pannkakor.

An impromptu visit from my cousin Sonia who was on vacation in Ibiza at the same time we were there. We happened to be anchored just a couple bays away from her hotel. So great to catch up after at least 15 years.

Girls sleepover on PW, crews from Positive Waves, Empress, and Revelation. All meals were eaten outside!

Crashing hard after all the partying, proper Ibiza-style. Sailing to a new anchorage, napping in the sun.

There is one problem that even being in a family-filled flotilla can’t solve: rolly anchorages. We have never had so many bad nights at anchor than we have had since we’ve been in the Balearics. It makes sense since the islands are basically plopped in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and there are few anchorages with all-around protection, but it seems that we just can’t win. We analyze the wind forecast and swell forecast and wind wave forecast, but we invariably seem to end up ro
lling beam to beam at some point in the middle of the night. Hans has been making valiant efforts at setting up bridles and throwing out stern anchors. This generally keeps us bow to the waves so we’re pitching instead of rolling, but it’s both unpredictable and a heck of a lot more effort than just dropping the hook in sand and staying flat calm all night. Rolly anchorages, unfortunately, seem to be the norm in the Mediterranean, so we either get a flopper-stopper (yikes, super expensive!) or just get used to it.

Happy Birthday Hans! Celebrated at sea between Gibraltar and Cartagena.

Paella!

Nature's symetry copied in a 14th century castle.

We stopped for a night at Cabrera, jsut south of Mallorca. A national park with an imposing castle, protected harbor, and a jagged coastline.

silly faces with the kids from s/v Esperance and s/v Kendra

So what have we been doing in this flotilla? Some sailing, a lot of beach hangs, hiking, sharing meals, grocery runs, giving and receiving advice. We left Gibraltar in the middle of April and sailed about 40 hours directly to Cartagena. From Cartagena, with its pedestrian streets and outstanding Roman ruins, we sailed up the coast to Torre Vieja where we reunited with old cruising friends from our time on Whisper. We met their friends, shared meals, and took everyone for a sunset sail. When the weather was right, we sailed and motored overnight to Formentera, the little Bahamian-esque island south of Ibiza. We waited for a little less than a week for the other kid boats to join and then the fun began. We’ve more or less stayed with the same boats the whole time, although we’ve currently split from the group since we had to get to Mallorca in time for Hans to catch his flight to work. We’ll hang out in Mallorca for the next three weeks while Hans works, then head up to Menorca, and then start looking east toward Sardinia.