Crossing to Marseille

Our route from Enseñada sa Costera to the northern most tip of Mallorca the next day was again comprised of a long procession of dramatic, pale grey cliffs that plunged vertically from rocky heights into deep, blue waters.

Steep rock slopes as far as the eye could see.

More spectacular coastline

Between the bluffs and rock faces, steep valleys, dark ravines and rock-strewn slopes variously rose or fell vertiginously, the outline of their passage marked out by the thin forests and grassy slopes.

Green slopes and valleys.

Impressive rock formations along the way.

All the while, perched on the highest points, the old watch towers carefully noted our passage.

Spanish watch towers keeping an eye on proceedings.

Another 2-day crossing

Off a final flurry of massive and ominously saw-toothed offshore rocks, we turned away from the island and headed directly north towards Marseille for a two-day trip across a mirror smooth sea.

Our last views of Mallorca.

Hot-hot-hot-hot-hot

This was to be a an almost completely uneventful passage, done mostly on engine due to the lack of wind.

Gorgeous sunsets over the Mediterranean.

It was hot, very hot, it being the first heatwave of the season, so mid-passage we hopped in the water (one at a time) for a refreshing dip in bright blue water with a depth of over 2000m. Creepy!

The almost glass-out made for beautiful sparkling of sunlight on the water surface.

More sparkling.

Sirens of the sea

A couple of times we were joined by short-beaked common dolphins.

Short-beaked common dolphins looking for a bow-wave.

At one point, a massive splash erupted a couple of hundred metres off Yuma’s beam with a great spray of water reaching high up into the air.

The morning star, Venus, just before sunrise.

At first, I (D) thought it was an explosion but then I realised that there hadn’t been any sound other than the splash itself. And the splash was all there was, nothing before, nothing after.

Incredible colours.

A whale breaching perhaps before diving deeply? Who knows, strange things happen at sea.