Summer 2014 Mallorca cruise

What a great trip! Nothing short of inspiring - makes me want to work harder to achieve that kind of summer trip.

I remember admiring JW in Cala D'or marina whilst on holiday in August. Our starting point most evenings was the Smugglers for a cold beer or mojito and wandered around the marina, had some great meals on the opposite side from the Yacht club, Acquarius in particular.

I'm only just looking for my first small motor cruiser so no ICC yet to charter anything, but hired a rib with skipper for a great afternoon in and out of the Cala's and memorably anchored up at Mondrago for a picnic, and great fun for my youngest being towed on the donut - amazing memories which has inspired us to enter the boating world.
 
Thanks Mike for posting all that. Was fun to read, and very nice pictures. Many of them were nice reminders of places I've anchored but I've never been to Cabrera and your pictures definitely make me want to visit. It looked beautiful. Next year maybe

Like you, I really like cala d'or. I've only been a couple of times but I found it a nice base to explore from. The yacht club had a nice vibe and everyone was very helpful and friendly. It would definitely be my choice ( over Palma) if I moved to Mallorca. The channel feels quite tight in a boat JW's size. You have to put your gin and tonic down for a moment and concentrate on the driving if there is any cross wind and big boats going the other way. All good though. We parked at the yacht club end and used to do the morning shopping in the tender at the shops halfway along the channel

Jenny Wren is looking fab. Ref the other thread I can see why you want to keep her

Blimey your jet ski is fast! How do you like the Jobe sofa? Do you tow it with the walker bay or the jet ski? Some boat guests recently bought me one - the three seater version- and I'm looking forward to trying it out. Also I have just got a sea bob. I'll make a post about that soon

Thanks again
 
Last edited:
jfm said:
Thanks Mike for posting all that. Was fun to read, and very nice pictures. Many of them were nice reminders of places I've anchored but I've never been to Cabrera and your pictures definitely make me want to visit. It looked beautiful. Next year maybe

Like you, I really like cala d'or. I've only been a couple of times but I found it a nice base to explore from. The yacht club had a nice vibe and everyone was very helpful and friendly. It would definitely be my choice ( over Palma) if I moved to Mallorca. The channel feels quite tight in a boat JW's size. You have to put your gin and tonic down for a moment and concentrate on the driving if there is any cross wind and big boats going the other way. All good though. We parked at the yacht club end and used to do the morning shopping in the tender at the shops halfway along the channel

Jenny Wren is looking fab. Ref the other thread I can see why you want to keep her

Blimey your jet ski is fast! How do you like the Jobe sofa? Do you tow it with the walker bay or the jet ski? Some boat guests recently bought me one - the three seater version- and I'm looking forward to trying it out. Also I have just got a sea bob. I'll make a post about that soon

Thanks again
Click to expand...

We bought the sofa last year after the success of those cheap Ebay ones that we all seemed to buy
(BTW our cheap Ebay one was still working when it went in the Sant Carles boat jumble earlier this year - I've no idea who bought it - we just donated it)

We bought the Jobe 4 man one at LIBS two years ago.
Spent quite a long time deciding whether to go for the 3 or 4 man one.
The 4 man one is quite large to store so you may find the three man one easier from that respect.
We don't regret buying it at all.
Funny, it has only been used once for fast towing which I did behind the Walker Bay - bit scary turning corners - worried about flipping the Rib.
Really useful in a busy anchorage - just let it out on a long line and it keeps other boats from anchoring immediately behind you.
Good as a safety platform for swimmers.

EDIT: - a couple of pics from last year in north Mallorca - Cala Figuera
Keeps other boats away from anchoring behind

IMG_3671_Small_zpsc4b6a8ba.jpg


And acts as a safety swimming platform

IMG_3676_Small_zpsac899563.jpg


But mostly, it gets used more as a "kind of" Gin and Tonic platform.
I often find visitors just sitting on it behind the boat so I just chuck them a can of cool beer - a really relaxing experience for them.

IMG_5486_Small_zpsb612e151.jpg


Most of the time, we tie it up against the back of the transom where the boat name is (this year it fitted nicely behing the Jetski.

But sometimes, it goes on the bow as a sort of poor mans "Portuguese Bow Deck"

IMG_5476_Small_zps951c6f1f.jpg


But mostly, people just "crash out" on it - in the sun - when life gets "just too much"

IMG_5382e_Small_zps291466ba.jpg



In Cabrera, we towed it slowly with the Walker Bay as a means of transferring more people over to the Blue Cave
When inside the cave, it worked as a social platform for everyone.
(PS - that pesky Penguin got into the shot as well - maybe I will explain the penguin story sometime)

GOPR0087_Small_zpsd5c99e52.jpg


EDIT:
And another with that penguin
S10a_Small_zps2d8e56d6.jpg


Anyway, this sofa has earned its place on the boat.
Deflated, we keep it in the crews quarters in a duffel bag that we bought specifically for it.
Most of the stuff we buy end up in our shore side store at Sant Carles but the sofa stays on board - just in case we need it out.
Definitely the best inflatable that we have.
 
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Ah good to hear all that! 101 uses for an inflatable sofa :). Thanks for the inspiration! Yes it is quite big when deflated so I'm relieved to have the 3-man not 4 version, but no worries as you say because the thing will earn its place on the boat in terms of fun it provides. Do you have a 230v compressor installed? I put one in last year - a briefcase sized thing from a DIY store with a small air bank "tank", and it makes light work of inflating toys. The compressor lives in the engine room and I just pull the air hose out to the swim platform and have a bag of click on attachments to suit the varied valves you get on inflatable toys
 
jfm said:
Ah good to hear all that! 101 uses for an inflatable sofa :). Thanks for the inspiration! Yes it is quite big when deflated so I'm relieved to have the 3-man not 4 version, but no worries as you say because the thing will earn its place on the boat in terms of fun it provides. Do you have a 230v compressor installed? I put one in last year - a briefcase sized thing from a DIY store with a small air bank "tank", and it makes light work of inflating toys. The compressor lives in the engine room and I just pull the air hose out to the swim platform and have a bag of click on attachments to suit the varied valves you get on inflatable toys
Click to expand...

IMO, Inflating the sofa with a compressor would take ages.
When we bought the sofa we invested in one of the Jobe inflators which have a 2" hose to transfer the air.

EDIT
Actually, I don't think it was from Jobe
Mains powered - so we run the generator when using it.
This is the one we have
ba1a4359-5625-4503-bb9e-99181eb4c30bpupm%20heavy.jpg

These people are selling it
http://www.absolute-snow.co.uk/V/Jo...2014-(81994)?gclid=CLL56MfN5cACFVDKtAodKygAXw

Even then, it gets very hot and can cut out - there is lots of air to shift.
 
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Hurricane said:
IMO, Inflating the sofa with a compressor would take ages.
When we bought the sofa we invested in one of the Jobe inflators which have a 2" hose to transfer the air.

EDIT
Actually, I don't think it was from Jobe
Mains powered - so we run the generator when using it.
This is the one we have...

Even then, it gets very hot and can cut out - there is lots of air to shift.
Click to expand...

Definitely not gadget enough...

Perhaps an air multiplier is needed... think airliner escape slide...
http://www.gyroscope.com/d.asp?product=AIRAMPLIFIER
 
jfm said:
Ooh thanks. Nice gadget - haven't seen one of those before. I just ordered one and will report back
Click to expand...

Haha, no idea if that one would have enough blow!
Just thought the principal was a genius way of inflating escape slides without carrying all the required compressed gas.

Sorry if you just bought an expensive F1 style cool air blower!

There do seem to be other similarly principled devices out there for inflation:
http://www.litco.com/dunnage-airbags/inflation-tools/turbo-flow-plastic-inflator-tool.html
http://www.princessauto.com/pal/en/...Air-Blow-Gun-with-Turbo-Venturi-Tip/8459091.p
 
No worries. I'll try it and report back, this weekend if it comes in time. It could be perfect for what I want. A compressor is handy on the boat but of course they tend to be built to make pressure not volume. I could get a bigger tank but don't want to devote the space to it. My 10 litres or so tank (at say 60psi) delivers a good fill for an inflatable toy (at 3psi) but the tank empties before a big inflatable is filled, and then there is a slower slog to finish the inflation job. This gadget of yours could revolutionise that and give me the effect of a 3x bigger tank, so it is worth a shot and I'm grateful for the pointer, thanks. I'll let you know how it goes!
 
jfm said:
No worries. I'll try it and report back, this weekend if it comes in time. It could be perfect for what I want. A compressor is handy on the boat but of course they tend to be built to make pressure not volume. I could get a bigger tank but don't want to devote the space to it. My 10 litres or so tank (at say 60psi) delivers a good fill for an inflatable toy (at 3psi) but the tank empties before a big inflatable is filled, and then there is a slower slog to finish the inflation job. This gadget of yours could revolutionise that and give me the effect of a 3x bigger tank, so it is worth a shot and I'm grateful for the pointer, thanks. I'll let you know how it goes!
Click to expand...

Last week, I saw a dockmaster in our marina blowing up an inflatable about the size of your sofa using a cheap compressor.
It did work but it took a long time.
I was going to offer him my blower but by the time I would have got it out he had done the job.
 
I also vote for the jobe mains powered blower.
Don't think anything of it now it the kids want to inflate a toy for a few hours.
Whole different league than the 12V ones.
 
Once again I find myself hating you with every fibre of my being :) :)

You are truly living my dream.

I still haven't forgiven you for doing the Grand Prix and now you post up these images :)

I suppose we will be having the rather sunny winter trips out for a bite to eat lunchtime shots soon when we are all freezing our plums off !!!

Jealous? Me? Never :)


Henry :)
 
henryf said:
Once again I find myself hating you with every fibre of my being :) :)

You are truly living my dream.

I still haven't forgiven you for doing the Grand Prix and now you post up these images :)

I suppose we will be having the rather sunny winter trips out for a bite to eat lunchtime shots soon when we are all freezing our plums off !!!

Jealous? Me? Never :)


Henry :)
Click to expand...

Well - you know what to do
Save yourself a whole lot of money and move the boat to Sant Carles
 
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