Greetings from Mallorca!

Well, well, here we are now, at the hotel lobby in Palma. We’ve already checked out and wait for the taxi to drive us to the airport! Our flight will leave 13.30h to Barcelona, and at 17.55h to Zurich – arrival is scheduled for 19.50h

For a start, I never thought actually, I would set a foot onto Spain’s soil to be honest. My conviction is, as long as Spain celebrates bull fighting, I’ll avoid that country. Yes, I know, Mallorca and many other parts of Spain, said “no” to this bloody and cruel tradition. But for me, it’s still the same country, nevertheless. A shame really, because it’s supposed to be a beautiful part of the world, with rich history, fantastic architecture and tasty food!

Anyway, this trip to Mallorca was a bit involuntarily, and unavoidable, as you know.

Was it worth it?

Not for the weathers sake! While Switzerland started to be sunny and sunnier towards the weekend, with temperatures up to 20 degrees C, the forecast for Mallorca was around 14 deg. C and rain….. SUPER! Of course, of the odd 28 days without sun and warmth, Patrik and I choose one of those…

But you know what? It had one big plus: We just had to pack warm clothes and (I) didn’t have to think about a skirt/tops/dress/fittings shoes/…. No trouble!

As it turned out, I should have packed my winter pullover and some wellingtons as well!

Friday morning, 7 o’clock , when we got up, it was raining, grey and (for my taste) chilly outside! Nothing we could do about it, as we had our appointment with Michael, the yacht broker, at nine at his office.

With a few minutes delay (we are in Spain, after all) Michael turned up and we had a short chat. After that we went the few minutes walk (in the increasing rainfall) to the marina, where Ian, the surveyor, was already waiting for us…a bit grumpy though…..

I have to admit, I wasn’t in a giggly mood as well. From the hem of my jacket downwards I was wet to my bones and cold! Luckily, one of the first things we checked on DORAH (the Bavaria 42 we were looking at) was the heating, which turned out to work perfectly!

Ian started his work immediately, checking each square centimeter very thoroughly. We didn’t dare interrupting him, so just watched, looked around by ourselves and tried not be in his way. Unfortunately, it was still raining, which meant, we couldn’t sit outside. Michael went back to his office a couple of times.

The time at the wharf, from 12.30h-14h to lift DORAH out of the water in order to check her hull, was already booked. Then a sea trial should be next and at around five we should be finished with everything.

Just after 11h an upset Michael rushed to us with bad news: Apparently, the yacht owner hasn’t paid the marina fee for the last two months. Therefor, we were not allowed to leave the marina whatsoever! He already tried to contact the owner, but he sat in a meeting and was only able to communicate by SMS. According to him, the fee was paid, but maybe not yet for April. He would do it after one o’clock, when he was at home.

The problem was that this was far too late of course……Michael looked very unhappy and apologised over and over again. He also tried everything to persuade the marina to make an exception, promising that we wouldn’t bunk off…. But no, they were strict, which was also understandable.

In the end we made the best of it: Ian and Michael decided to open the sails to check them. Since there was very little wind and no rain for the moment, it was possible.

The two of them agreed then to meet again next Wednesday morning for the haul out and sea trial, in order to finish the inspection properly. After that we would receive the written report from Ian by email.

So around two o’clock, Ian said good bye and – since the sun was showing itself suddenly – we sat with Michael in the cockpit and had a little chat.

About half an our later we locked up and left DORAH. Michael had to go back to the office and Patrik and I headed for a comfy bar, feeling it was time for a nice glass of white wine.

Well, our impression of the boat? Not knowing yet, what Ian’s judgement will be, in our eyes DORAH would be the perfect yacht for us and our plans. Although, we are still catamaran enthusiasts, this Bavaria 42 is very  spacy, bright, well maintained and very comfortable to spend your holidays in – for sure!

For Patrik and me it was very important, to find a boat where we could imagine ourselves to spend some time on. So at least searching for the right model has come to an end. We do hope that Ian’s opinion isn’t too bad, although, he mentioned a couple of things while inspecting, which he wasn’t so happy with.

But according to Michael, the owner wants to sell fast and the price is negotiable! There you go!

The evening wasn’t spectacular: Back to the hotel, had a nice shower and a glass of wine (yes, another one), and then we went out to find a nice restaurant. A lovely pizzeria it was in the end and we didn’t regret it!

It was around eleven thirty, when we came back to the hotel, very tired and ready to dive into the world of dreams!

Today, the morning woke us with the familiar sound of rain…..yeah well, why change something, we already got used to, eh?!

So now we can hardly wait for Ian’s report, which we should receive within a week. Meanwhile, we will enjoy the promised sunshine and 20 deg. C, when we come home. That will make the waiting more bearable, I guess!

So long!