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

 July 12, 2001 

In Ciudadela, Menorca with our new friend

We left Porto Cristo with a flat calm, but the wind soon built and we had another exquisite beam reach with 17 kts wind, so appreciated when so unexpected. The weather forecasting seems erratic here. The various reports differ for the same time period and none ever seem to be accurate. We have the best luck with the British Maritime Mobile Net on the shortwave radio at 10 AM and 8 PM our local time. They give us the Hamburg weather forecast, which actually sometimes correctly predicts what the weather will be.

We sailed for Porto Ciutadella, Menorca, another fjordlike harbor, on the west side of the island of. An ancient city, the port is very tiny and we rafted alongside the quay next to a Beneteau 44 skippered by a 78 year old Swiss, who singlehanded across the Atlantic in 1994, when he was only 70. The large powerboat behind us is from Iceland. Cruising is partaking of the culture of the country as well as all the fascinating other cruisers one meets.

We enjoyed Ciutadella so much that we stayed a second night and this time tied up to our big sister, a 1985(same age as we are) Halberg-Rassy 42 sailing under a German flag. Together with our new neighbors, we attended a concert of early music in the cloisters in the old city. Listening to 16th century music and viewing the musicians through the leaves and flowers of a hibiscus tree in the atrium with a star-studded sky above was a magical experience. We came to Europe for this. This and the ability to sail away the next day in company with our new German friends, to share with them the joys of a cala surrounded by caves (some inhabited by vacationers), two magnificent beaches, sparkling clear water and the azure blue sky.