sailing – gobriantravel

Spain 16,

Oct. 5. 2026,

Hi Everyone,

My ferry boat from Ibiza arrived at 10:30. There was a long line up of about 20-30 motorcycles waiting to get off the boat. We all started up are engines together, you can imagine the noise, and proceeded in single file off the boat. Everyone nodded to each other and off we went, as if we had known each other for years and were in the same motorcycle gang.

My hotel, Juan Miro Museum is a 4* located 5km from downtown Palma, the major city in Majorca. It was impossible to find, and much too expensive to be in the old city. This hotel proved to be much less costly and has all the luxuries that one expects in a 4*.

I dropped off my luggage, parked my bike on the sidewalk which is apparently acceptable here and headed off for late night refreshments at 11:30. The manager gave me explicit directions, ride down the hill, turn right and you will find many small restaurants open at this late hour. I came upon 1 restaurant and had a few tapas. Somehow, I managed to head off in the wrong direction. Very soon I was on an autoroute going I am not sure where. Unfortunately, I had neglected to bring along my GPS and had a vague idea of the name of the hotel. It came across my mind that I may be obliged to sleep at another hotel along the way. Just in the nick of time, I spotted a sign for Palma. I followed the sign and arrived at a gas station. I asked directions from a young man filling up his tank who suggested that I consult the GPS on my phone. Why didn’t I think of that? The elderly should not be allowed to travel alone in a foreign country. I consulted my GPS and what to my surprise, my hotel was listed in living colour with the correct directions of how to get there. Off I went hoping to have enough battery life and 15 minutes later I was back at my 4*.

My 4* has a buffet with no fewer that 50 items to choose from. The cook, from Ghana prepared a 2 egg tortilla with an assortment of vegetables for me. I added another dish of fruits with yogurt and I was set for the day. I decided to take the bus to town instead of the bike. It is easy to park the bike but it means that I must carry around the heavy helmet. The bus trip took 20 minutes and passed through downtown. Palma is much bigger than Eivissa and shopping area id very well developed for the local population,

I got off the bus and wandered through the old, walled section of town. I was pretty much alone until mid day when the tourists woke up and flooded the streets. The old city has the usual narrow, windy streets with the usual shops dedicate to the tourist population. I eventually arrived at the cathedral but did not enter as I was unwilling to pay the 6Euro entrance fee. I settled for the basilica which was much more modest and probably at least as old.

I had a capuchino at the town square and walked along the waterfront. It is Sunday afternoon, sunny, 28C, not a cloud in the sky, blowing 10-12 knots and not a single boat out sailing. It is the same everywhere in Europe and North America. People buy boats, leave them in the harbour and never use them. It takes both time and knowledge of sailing to sail a boat or even to sail a motor yacht. People don’t have the time or energy to learn how to use their toys. Eventually the boats are sold at a loss.

I walked along the waterfront, eventually walking up the steep hill to my hotel. The journey took the better part of 2 hours. I spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool, swimming and reading my book.

Love,

Brian

Spain 8,

Oct. 22, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

The spring and summer of 2024 passed so quickly and now we are in the autumn. Although I accomplished many tasks, I failed to do others which turned out to be important as well. I left for Israel in mid March and returned 2 months later in mid May. It was an experience that I will never forget but it put me 2 months behind for my sailing season. This was a small price to pay. I have been an arm chair Zionist for my entire life except for the 3 months that I worked on a kibbutz in 1970. The ‘war’ as unfortunate as it could be, gave me the chance to offer my services to Israel. My contribution however small it was, was not negligible.

I sanded and stained our deck which took the greater part of 1 week. It was a beautiful job and should last at least 5 years.

My usual boat preparation of the J24 for racing season takes 1 week. This time it took 1 month. I sanded off the old bottom paint, a filthy job that was accomplished with the help of my crew friends. I then applied 5 coats of intratect 2000E, sanding in between each coat. This paint is like the original paint which goes onto the hull of the boat when it is first built. It lasted 40 years and needed to be redone. It should last another 40 years which hopefully will be longer than me. The job follows the usual time and cost estimate. A good job takes 4 times as long and costs 4 time as much. I was not far off in my estimate.

I also took 4 weeks to renovate my Laser and 29er that have not been sailed in many years. Many of the young sailors who sail 29ers complimented me on the job and helped me to set up the boat. When I told them that I would be sailing it next year, they cautioned me that no one over 25 ever sails a 29er. We’ll see next year. I finally started racing my J24 in mid July.

I trained for the triathlon enough to get me onto next years Canadian National Team for the Worlds in Australia, but not enough to do well in this years race. I took the swimming part of the race for granted which explains my results.

My motorcycle lay dormant all summer. After the triathlon, I rented a motorcycle to tour Andalusia. I picked up the Triumph 400 yesterday and rode from Malaga to Gibraltar. I planned out the route completely on my computer in Montreal, and then transferred the data to my TomTom motorcycle unit. A motorcycle GPS costs 4 times as much as a regular GPS but it is designed for use specifically for a bike. Vibrations do not affect its use. I ruined an i-phone by using it on my bike and destroyed the camera. The GPS also allows you to choose between primary, secondary and tertiary routes. When choosing a route you can choose between hilly, very hilly and very very hilly roads. You can also choose between windy, very windy and very very windy routes.

I forgot how much fun it is to ride a bike. I choose tertiary routes, very very hilly and very very windy roads. Well….I was not disappointed. For much of the route, I drove in 1st or 2nd gear, occasionally making it up to 3rd gear. There were miles and miles of hills and curves. I could only take many of the hair pin turns at 20-30k. I started off on the wrong route at the beginning , an error that cost me 3 hours in time. I didn’t mind as I really loved the ride and the scenery. I rode for 7 hours stopping for a cappuccino break in a beautiful small town called Ronda.

The scenery was spectacular. I passed through dry, rocky mountains that resemble a desert except for the sand. Small villages, impossible for me to reach due to the steep incline dotted the landscape and appeared to hang off the mountains. They are obviously very ancient and were built for protection.

I arrived in Gibraltar 8 hours later. It’s funny, that after travelling in Spain all day, I find myself in Gibraltar, an English part of continental Europe. In Spain the food was excellent. In many countries if you cannot find a good restaurant, look for an Italian one. last night I had supper in an Argentinian restaurant and the food was great. In Torremolinos I stayed at the Fénix Hotel. The buffet breakfast had 105 different items to choose from. The cappuccino machine had 12 settings. I am at the Bristol Hotel in Gibraltar. It is a 4* hotel, with 4* prices and 1* accommodations. The ‘continental’ breakfast had 9 items to choose from including ‘fresh’ croissants wrapped in cellophane. I don’t understand the phrase ‘continental breakfast’ . On the European continent I have always been served huge, fantastic s. The term ‘continental’ should be replaced with ‘small and cheap’.

Brian