The morning we planned to leave Altea (12th April) we were woken at 4am by torrential rain & winds. Breakfast radio's weather comment was that the sky looked like a scene from Lord of the Rings when things were not going well! Looking out of the hatch towards the mountains you could see what he meant - layers of thick black & grey clouds obliterating most of the view.


By 9 .00 it had stopped raining, the wind had died & it was only 12mls up the coast to Moraira, so off we set. We motored all the way as no wind. Moraira was quite expensive to stay the night (23euros) & it was pissing down. So Moraira was not one of our favourite places. We found an internet café to check the weather window was still there for getting to Ibiza the next day. It was still there but only till the following evening.


After a restless night we were up & away by 4.30am. It was cloudy but dry. We encountered the usual fishing boats around the headland. Loadsa lights in all directions.


When it did get light it was very dull, cloudy & cold enough for oilies & hats.
There was a glow on the horizon, suddenly the sun appeared under a cloud & sent a ribbon of light across the water. At almost the same moment, a pod of dolphins appeared by the boat & started playing around us (the band struck up and the dolphins started singing "always look on the bright side of life" - not really) . I think they were happy to see some sun at last too!!


For the last 4hrs of the 10 hr trip, we picked up a force 3-4 wind which gave us a lovely sail towards Ibiza.


We had 2 visitors on the trip. One tiny bird landed on the rails for a few minutes breather & headed off. Then a braver or more knackered wee bird, landed 6 inches away from Rob ,beside the wheel, & proceeded to sit there for over an hour.
At one point when I was on the helm he flew onto the wheel spoke, & sat there quite happily for his photo to be taken, before heading off for Ibiza.


As we turned past the headland into San Antonio Bay the wind lost its chill & we were madly pulling off layers of clothes. Ahead was the "Brit boozing & clubbing capital of Ibiza". Thank God it is out of season .


Rob went to book into the Marina expecting to take out a bank loan for payment, only to be told it was 15euros!! Cheaper than most of the marinas in Spain. He is still recovering from the shock. We took a wander into town as it was quite warm,(18dgs) & found it to be quite a pleasant town apart from the club & disco street. An early night was called for, we were shattered. We awoke at 5am to the boat being tossed around pretty cork-like, & torrential rain, and then went straight back to sleep. The forecast storm had arrived & lasted 36hrs! I loved our son & my sister when they texted the following day to say it was 25dgs in UK!!


The next day dawned bright & sunny, so we headed for the bus stop to get into Ibiza Town. By the time the bus arrived the queue was 200yds long; luckily we got on.


Having read our Rough Guide we headed straight for the Old Town , within the walls . The area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site , & you can see why. We entered via a tunnel in the thick walls & immediately had a steep climb up to the outer wall. The views across town were great straight away due to the height above the town & sea.
The walls seemed to climb forever skywards, giving glimpses of narrow streets & balconied houses on the way. They eventually led to the Cathedral Square which used to be the administrative hub of the town. The Medieval entrance was like a film set with its drawbridge, huge gates & cloistered walls. You could imagine a Shakespeare play being filmed here. We made our way down to the waterfront, feeling we had had a thoroughly impressive experience. Ibiza has a lot more to offer than noisy clubs & bars!


We are now sitting in San Antonio in glorious sunshine again waiting for the sodding Nor'Easterlies to go away. We will probably trundle up the coast on Thursday and await more favourable winds at one of the delightful anchorages up there. Once on Mallorca we will be heading for the East coast to get favourable weather for the 250 mile trip to Sardinia.