The time has finally come: the 100nautical mile (10 hour) crossing from Mallorca to Barcelona. Mercifully, the weather gods are kind to us and we cruise non-stop on a straight 345° course across a calm Balearic Sea, the monotony interrupted only by passing pods of dolphins and a German sailor who contacts us on the VHF to make sure we are still awake and don’t inadvertently collide with him!
For a short time we even have a mobile phone connection – in the middle of the Med 60nm from Barcelona and 40nm from Mallorca.
Usually, we lose reception at 20nm, if not earlier, and it remains unclear why things are different today. We take the chance to send a few texts and emails but when I try to make a call, the connection fails and doesn’t return until five hours later, 10 nm from Barcelona. We had a similar experience when crossing from Menorca to Mallorca, receiving clear AIS signals from ships in Tarragona – 107 nm away!
Cities always look different when approached from the sea rather than the land and Barcelona is no exception. At first, the outlines of the mountains emerge, which gradually change from light to dark grey. A little later white spots give the first indication of buildings, then the large container cranes and oil tanks marking the industrial port start to take shape before the city-scape become identifiable.
Our destination is Marina Port Vell, located right in the centre of Barcelona and best reached via the northern entrance, which is also used by commercial shipping. This involves passing through several harbour basins, a distance of more than 3nm, before arriving at the marina.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Lofoten or Bust- Part 4- Grandezza owner Per Harrtoft heads back to Sweden after an epic 3500nm adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to visit the mythical Lofoten islands
After ten memorable days in the Lofoten Islands in the far north of Norway, we are on our way back south towards Sweden. We have already made it as far as Trondheim, a charming place even if it was raining so hard we had to cycle round the city centre clutching umbrellas. But now we are back on board Deamare, our Grandezza 40 Fly, eating up the miles at a steady 31 knots.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT
As the name suggests it's a means of having your boat moved professionally from one location to another. It might be as simple as hiring someone to tow your RIB a few miles down the road or as complex as shipping a superyacht halfway around the world.
HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1
Single shaftdrive boats are relatively rare these days but the reduced costs of buying, servicing and fuelling such a simple but reliable drivetrain does mean they are making a bit of a comeback.
COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH
There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time.
INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT
Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot
GOOD AS NEW
Why fit a brand new engine when Volvo Penta's remanufacturing service can rebuild you an old one to the same standard for a fraction of the price?
BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54
Alex Smith heads to France's Beneteau HQ for a UK exclusive on what might just be the best Swift Trawler yet
ΧΟ EXPLR 44
Can XO's all-new aluminium flagship really make it big in the Med?
BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC
Instead of whiling away their retirement playing bowls, Rob and Shona Adams decided to invest their time and money in a classic Silver gentleman's yacht. Would the gamble pay off?
PRINCESS S65
Torn between the V and F Class flagships? The new S65 might be the boat you've been waiting for...
