Sailing on Mallorca: Trip report

I'm Juan Mi. My wife and I run a small sailing company in Portocolom, on the south-east coast of Mallorca.

We have two beautiful sailing yachts and offer sailing trips here off the coast all year round, which you can book via sunbonoo. For me, Mallorca's coast with its small "calas", small bays, which here on the east coast usually have a fine sandy beach and turquoise blue water, is one of the most beautiful sailing areas in the Mediterranean. I have been a skipper for over 25 years and love my job. What could be better than passing on a little of the fascination I feel for my boat, its sails, the sea and the wind to our guests every day off the coast of our favourite island?

It's just after 10 a.m. when I walk across the wooden jetty to my 49-foot sailing yacht in the natural harbour of Portocolom. Lorena, our employee, is still sprucing up the deck and we chat for a few minutes before I go below deck to prepare for today's trip: one last check to see if anything has changed in the wind and weather forecasts before the first guests arrive on board. Today I have a colourful group of guests on board: a German family with two small children, three young Italian women, a Swiss couple and a British regular who has been sailing with us on Mallorca so often that he's already part of the family.

When I check in on board, I start by writing down the names of all the guests so that I can memorise them better. After all, we will be spending the next 7 hours together. I explain to the guests that they are completely free to move around the ship and can sit anywhere they like from the bow to the stern. We also have a small wooden seat at the very front of the bow. When I mention this and point out that it is there to do the "Titanic plane", the three Italian girls giggle meaningfully and want to go straight back up on deck. But first I have to show the guests where the life jackets are and how the toilet works. Safety first! We also discuss the route I have planned for today in the large group. I ask the guests if anyone is very sensitive to travel sickness or seasickness so that they can take precautions now.

Now we can finally set off! I start the engine and two guests help me to untie the lines and cast off. We set course for the Faro (lighthouse) of Portocolom and start hoisting the mainsail. There isn't much wind today, but it will be enough to take us north to Cala Virgili / Cala Varques. As we hoist the sails, it becomes clear that the Swiss couple are very motivated to learn something during our sailing trip on Mallorca. My regular guest Ian knows the boat inside out. He is also always happy to lend a hand and lend a hand with the next manoeuvre. We have left the harbour bay of Portocolom and are now picking up speed off the rocky coast. The German family had been busy below deck a little longer than everyone else, but now they are also arriving with the two boys on deck. We put a children's lifejacket on the little one. That way, his parents are more relaxed and the little man can move around more freely on board. My eyes light up when I ask them who wants to steer the boat first. For the rest of the journey north, I have the two budding captains at my side.

I explain to them a few basics about the direction of the wind and sails and which point they should aim for when steering the ship. Their parents are now much more relaxed and have joined us. We talk about the coast, I point out a few prominent landmarks and we discuss which side of the island is really more beautiful. There are hardly any waves today, so the three Italians can sunbathe on the bow even at full speed. The sea air is salty but refreshing. Otherwise, the sun is already pretty hot for the beginning of June.

After sailing for just over 1.5 hours, we arrive at Cala Varques. We are lucky, there are not so many ships and boats in the bay today and we find a nice spot to anchor. After anchoring the boat with the help of a few guests, I get the cushions from the cabin below deck. I bring cool drinks, olives and a small snack as an aperitif up on deck to make ourselves comfortable. The three Italian girls have now made friends with the Swiss couple. They immediately decide to test the water. The family with the two boys come below deck with me. While I prepare lunch, the four of them get changed in their cabin. The boys also want to get into the water before lunch. I prepare the fresh salad and slice the bread. The first guests are already coming out of the water as I take the crockery, cutlery and salad up to the deck. Before I can go back down, I have to act as photographer - group photo!

The albondigas (meatballs) are now in the oven and there's a lively chat on deck. I serve another cool bottle of white wine before I serve the albondigas and put the pasta in the oven. Very tasty, the guests are, as always, delighted with our menu. Marie, the Swiss girl, even asks me for the recipe for the pasta and I tell her it's my wife's. She tells me to send her email address. She should write down her e-mail address and we'll send her the recipe later. Marie thinks that's great. After the meal, everyone helps to take the dishes back below deck and two of the Italians even help me with the washing up. The other guests enjoy the afternoon up on deck for a while before we take everything back below and get ready to cast off. After about 2 hours at anchor, we leave Cala Varques. I now have Marie at the helm of the boat and we head for Cala Virgili, a beautiful bay a few miles further south.

After about half an hour we enter the bay. Turquoise-coloured water and the seabed seems close enough to touch. There is a small cave here in Cala Virgili that you can dive into. I briefly explain how to get to the cave. After we have anchored the boat again, the snorkels and goggles are unpacked. All the guests jump into the water again, only Ian stays on board. In the meantime, I prepare coffee and cake. While we're drinking coffee, the two boys from the German family are busy luring fish with leftover bread from lunch. The adventure with the cave has put them in a pirate mood.

The way back to Portocolom fuels the pirate fever even more and as we sail past the lighthouse into the harbour bay of Portocolom just before six, I play a song from the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack. It's fantastic! The little pirates are on fire. We haul in the mainsail and tie down the fenders. When we dock at the jetty again, all the guests agree that this was the best day of their holiday! And for me, it was yet more proof that it's worth passing on my enthusiasm for sailing.