Then we had an easeful 2 night passage to the Spanish island of Mallorca. We stopped on the southeast corner to anchor and rest and once again get a feel for living on the ocean. The first night was splendid and calm, gracing us with a gorgeous sunset...
The Captain resting...
Then as always, Yemaya (the ocean) and Vayu (the wind) reminded us of the ever-changing, transient nature of life and kicked up quite a storm the next night. We woke at 2;00 am to the pounding wind and waves and knew we had to leave the anchorage because now we were on a lee shore. So after a stressful night of motoring and trying to find a safe anchorage to rest, we surrendered and motored into port in Palma. There is a good reason that many a poem and song refer to the safe harbor or port as a refuge in the storm--it is!!!
We find it somewhat amusing that every year that we come to live on the ocean, we have to relearn the "way it is". Living on land, we become somewhat comfortable or complacent and forget that everything is in constant change and motion, whether we feel (or notice) it or not. It is the way of Life and nowhere is it more apparent than on the constant moving waves of the ocean. And as always, we are thankful for the reminder and the learning that ocean living brings to us. Thank you Yemaya and Vayu.
We are happy to be back in the Med after our 2 seasons in the Caribbean. And especially happy to be back on Mallorca as it has always been a special place for us. Perhaps because this is where we started this ocean adventure 8 years ago. We are having fun as we reacquaint ourselves with the friends we have made here, with the special little coves we love to anchor in, and with the lively city of Palma. Also the great food and wine!!!
And we always have projects to start and finish while we are in port.
But after a few days, we are always ready to head back out to a quiet, calm anchorage to just "be"...
our "egos". So here we are again to examine and check in with ourselves...
And the Captain actually got into the cold water to swim before his usual debut in July:
We brought an inflatable kayak with us this year, thinking it might be good exercise for us and a fun way to explore some of the anchorages. Here it is inflated on the foredeck with Richard sitting in it and NOT getting much exercise! no really, we did put it in the water and we both paddled around--really!
So for now we are in and out of Palma (in port and out to anchorages), finding the balance between work (projects) and play. Life is a fine balance and we are once again exploring it with all of it's infinite possibilities.
We are here, we are now, and we are happy.
