September 16 , 2001 Gaeta, Italy September 3 , 2001 Stromboli: The Lighthouse Of The Mediterranean August 26 , 2001 Cefalu: Another Medieval Jewel August 23 , 2001 Sicily: Land of Lovely Desserts August 15 , 2001 En Route to North Africa August 10 , 2001 Ormeggiatori August 8, 2001 Supermarkets and Amphora August 6 , 2001 Sailing South in Sardinia August 2 , 2001 La Vie en Corsica July 30, 2001 Jonathan Joins Us July 27, 2001 One Sea, Seven Colors July 24, 2001 Say What? July 23, 2001 "Va Bene" July 21, 2001 Venturing Into Italy July 20, 2001 And The Mistral Blew July 18, 2001 The Spell Of Menorca July 12, 2001 Culture And Concerts July 7, 2001 Cha Chas July 6, 2001 Red Dust July 4, 2001 Rare Birds July 3, 2001 Clear Empty Water June 27 , 2001 Quick Friends June 22 , 2001 Reconnecting June 13, 2001 Eastern Hemisphere June 6, 2001 A Weekend in Cartegena May 30 , 2001 A Time Or A Place May 29 , 2001 Several Lovely Sails May 21 , 2001 Free At Last May 25, 2001 On The Hard May 18, 2001 A Boat Again May 14, 2001 Time Warp to Morocco May 03, 2001 Still On Stilts in Malaga

 June 13, 2001 

Baby Seagulls

We have made it to the Balearic Islands! This morning we informally raced our friends on their Westerly 32, across to the Balearic Islands to anchor off of Espalmador, a sand spit of an island just south of Ibiza and north of Formentera. We swam for the first time in the delicious, crystal clear water of the Mediterranean and toasted our arrival with excellent Cava (Spanish Champagne). There are two other American boats here. German, French and the Unionjack are the most common flags, with Swiss, Austrian, Danish and Swedish also frequently seen.

Enroute, we crossed the Greenwich meridian at 1509 (3:09 PM) on June 10th and are now in the eastern hemisphere. Our slip at the Real Club Nautico de Calpe (on the mainland coast) was located at Lattitude 38 20 North and Longitude 00 04.3 East, just south of Cabo de la Nao, the closest mainland point to the Balearics.

We waited for weather in Calpe to cross to the Balearics, made new friends and climbed a lovely pinnacle, Il Fache, which looms 1100 feet over the yacht club and the small resort town.

In Calpe, we actually revelled in a rainy morning - the first we have had since our return. Speaking of water, we have had a fascinating time with the water connectors in the different marinas. Each marina has its own type of connection for the water hose and often requires a deposit of up to $25 for the use of the appropriate adaptor. We now have a wonderful collection of all kinds of adaptors, clamps etc. and still often find the next marina uses yet another kind, which we do not have. The commonality of the common market has not yet extended to water-hose connections.