Crossing the Med from Gandia to Palma - any hints, tips or crew offers!

  • Thread starter Thread starter PEJ
  • Start date Start date
Boat due in 9pm tonight.

If unloaded an early start Tuesday with the option to stop in Ibiza ( and the fly home ) looks plausible but Wednesday is on the forecast a no go.

San Antonio would be a cheaper place to leave the boat.

What about a plan to run to Denia?
The swell may not be too bad closer to the mainland.
Much nicer place to leave the boat until the weather breaks.
 
PEJ, the last minute changes of plan is common to all of the shipping companies I think, I had similar with Peters and May a few years ago when I shipped my boat to SoF (although they were otherwise excellent to deal with). Mike's plan of moving the boat to Denia now sounds a good one, then use your next visit to deliver to Cala d'Or and enjoy the trip.

The delivery hassles with soon be forgotten when you're sipping a G&T in the sun on the aft deck of your boat.
 
If you find yourself stuck in either Gandia or Denia for a week or more (hopefully you won't!) I will be in our apartment nearby later next week so may be able to crew for you if you need some company.
 
What about a plan to run to Denia?
The swell may not be too bad closer to the mainland.

Mmm having spent the best part of a season in Denia I wouldn't be too sure about that! That area does seem to have its own little microclimate. Even the locals acknowledged that. We did the trip from Denia to Ibiza and return a few times and it always seemed to be windier close to the mainland than further offshore and there were often very confused seas close to the shore too. FWIW early mornings always seemed to be better than late afternoon. Having said that it looks like a trip from Gandia to Denia would have the forecast wind/swell on the beam or even quartering so it wouldn't be too uncomfortable

Looking at PassageWeather I certainly wouldn't want to be crossing to Ibiza from the mainland late on Tues or on Wed
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. Got me worried now! The boat will take an English channel F5/6 I know that much. The crew may not like that too much though. I might try and get to Palma in one go. I'd rather know I have made it to the island because I can always get it from there when I am over next or get BCU to fetch it over to CD.
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. Got me worried now! The boat will take an English channel F5/6 I know that much. The crew may not like that too much though. I might try and get to Palma in one go. I'd rather know I have made it to the island because I can always get it from there when I am over next or get BCU to fetch it over to CD.

I've posted this a few times before but I find it very useful and accurate and worth using along side passageweather.
http://www.puertos.es/en-us/oceanografia/AccesoSimplificado/Pages/Tablas.aspx
Click on the weather buoy between the Denia peninsular and Ibiza, you will get a detailed table including wind speed, direction and most importantly swell.
As you can see, it's currently 0.25m rising to 1.5m by midday on Wednesday.
 
I've posted this a few times before but I find it very useful and accurate and worth using along side passageweather.
http://www.puertos.es/en-us/oceanografia/AccesoSimplificado/Pages/Tablas.aspx
Click on the weather buoy between the Denia peninsular and Ibiza, you will get a detailed table including wind speed, direction and most importantly swell.
As you can see, it's currently 0.25m rising to 1.5m by midday on Wednesday.

Thank for this. is the swell in the "Mar Total" column under Hs(m)? e.g. 1.45 for
2016-09-28 12:00:00
 
Thank for this. is the swell in the "Mar Total" column under Hs(m)? e.g. 1.45 for
2016-09-28 12:00:00

that's correct, worth noting that it is slightly in conflict with passageweather who have 2m+, I've been in similar, not at all pleasant, especially as wind/swell appear to be on your beam
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. Got me worried now! The boat will take an English channel F5/6 I know that much. The crew may not like that too much though. I might try and get to Palma in one go. I'd rather know I have made it to the island because I can always get it from there when I am over next or get BCU to fetch it over to CD.

Having been in F5/6 E Channel conditions myself on a few occasions, if you're happy to go, then I suspect you wont find conditions any worse than that and at least the spray coming over the top will be 10deg warmer! Its simply the fact that in the Med conditions invariably improve a couple of days later
 
I don't go unless passage weather is blue and preferably light blue. It gets very green on Wednesday and there is no way I would do it. Tuesday with an early start assuming the forecast does not change I would do as there is a half way option
 
The latest is that the ship will discharge at 7.00am if it does then I might make a dash for it and go straight there. Maybe go to Palma to shorten the journey a bit.

Set off on Wednesday to CD in the predicted bad weather. But since I am just going around the coast, a mile off shore will the sea conditions be more benign? I am thinking of the Solent compared to the English Channel in a F5.
 
The boat will take an English channel F5/6 I know that much.

And more!!

How about another cheaper plan.
We should still be in Santa Ponsa on Tuesday night.
Join us on the anchor - there are good restaurants here and it is "as flat as a flat thing in flatland" at the moment.
Good sandy bottom and plenty of space - Give me a couple of mins and I'll post a quick video of the anchorage taken from the drone yesterday.

EDIT

Here's the video
Sorry - thread drift a bit of water skiing that we were actually filming yesterday has crept in.
But the second half of the clip shows Santa Ponsa yesterday afternoon.



Or the full youtube link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAedkprwz5k

Mike
 
Last edited:
Weather looking better this morning.
Still lots of swell in the next few days.
We have decided to run back to SC today.

Good luck with your delivery trip.
Whatever you decide, the old girl will cope.
Please report back here and let us know when you are safe.
 
Well I made it to Cala D'Or in one go. Offloaded at 07:30 but had to wait until the customs office opened to have permission to leave port. Got going at 10:20.


The seas were pretty calm on the first part of the passage and I headed south of Ibiza. Looking out I could see the horizon clearly all around but not dead ahead. What's going on here then? Then on the radar came the yellow blobs of thunder storms. Drove between two but then they closed in on me. Got wet before going to the downstairs helm for a few miles. Calm water though.


Stopped for fuel at St Eulalia and set off for Mallorca at 14:30. The next part of the journey was great. Flat calm, dolphins jumping right out of the water in our wake, truly wonderful. Then the horizon disappeared again. Drove around another thunderstorm. F4 the other side but soon went flat again. The on the last few miles up the coast to CD it was quite nasty, F4/5 wind and swell. Made it to CD by 18.00.


Picked the only day that the all the staff were not at work. I am not sure if our permanent berth is empty. They have stuck us on the visitors pontoon (third from the end) next to a load of noisy Germans.


Anyway got here in one piece and avoided the bad weather. It had better be bad tomorrow or I'll be cross because after a 6.00am start I an bloody knackered now!
 
Well I made it to Cala D'Or in one go. Offloaded at 07:30 but had to wait until the customs office opened to have permission to leave port. Got going at 10:20.


The seas were pretty calm on the first part of the passage and I headed south of Ibiza. Looking out I could see the horizon clearly all around but not dead ahead. What's going on here then? Then on the radar came the yellow blobs of thunder storms. Drove between two but then they closed in on me. Got wet before going to the downstairs helm for a few miles. Calm water though.


Stopped for fuel at St Eulalia and set off for Mallorca at 14:30. The next part of the journey was great. Flat calm, dolphins jumping right out of the water in our wake, truly wonderful. Then the horizon disappeared again. Drove around another thunderstorm. F4 the other side but soon went flat again. The on the last few miles up the coast to CD it was quite nasty, F4/5 wind and swell. Made it to CD by 18.00.


Picked the only day that the all the staff were not at work. I am not sure if our permanent berth is empty. They have stuck us on the visitors pontoon (third from the end) next to a load of noisy Germans.


Anyway got here in one piece and avoided the bad weather. It had better be bad tomorrow or I'll be cross because after a 6.00am start I an bloody knackered now!

Been following this thread with interest, great to hear you had a successful passage and congratulations on a an eventual job well done....and breath.
 
It had better be bad tomorrow or I'll be cross
Well done!
And fwiw, based on the latest forecast which I just checked, nobody in his right mind would think to get out of bed tomorrow morning to jump on a boat and head towards the Baldricks from mainland Spain...
Of course I can't tell for sure if that will actually materialize, but you made the right call regardless! :encouragement:
 
Top