Balestrate 23/24 October 2021
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| Sundays' weather systems |
Saturday was a day for chores and preparation for the time with our son, Chris. We ultimately made three round trips into town, climbing the steps up the cliff side each time. We were first to arrive at the excellent laundry, so had our pick of the machines. It did not take too long, and we returned to the boat for coffee, before starting in the food shopping. We had to keep an eye on the weather, as we did not want to get caught in the open during one of the downpours that were forecast. Bread, fruit and vegetables, fish and then on the final trip, supermarket essentials were accumulated. And all without getting wet.
Our worries about the replacement of Alitalia with a new airline, ITA, proved to be unfounded, Chris’ flights all ran as expected and landed early. He did receive a text update saying that the time of his flight had been moved forward, but as he was sitting on the plane before the message was delivered, there was no problem. The taxi that was arranged to transport him from the airport was also ready and waiting when he arrived. Although it was late in the evening, he was on the boat with us a good half hour before we had expected.
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| Children having sailing lesson in the lull before the storm |
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| We had to wait at the level crossing for the local train to pass |
Sunday had storms forecast so after the late night, we had a lie in and stayed in port. The morning was dry and we went for a long walk out of town and along one of the beaches stretching to the north. There were still a few people on the beach despite the overcast weather, and plenty of folks fishing as normal.
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| The beach looking back towards the marina at Balestrate |
On the way back we stopped for a coffee in the main square of Balestrate, right outside one of the churches. People began coming out and we saw that there had been a confirmation service, as a young lad, dressed all in white robes was there with his extended family and friends. Congratulations were offered all round, and they posed for pictures in the same way as you would for a wedding.
In the afternoon we were able to sit on deck and watch the weather systems develop around us. We could see the lines of heavy cloud, with rain falling underneath, skirting the wide bay. The hills to the side were obscured from view and the first 2 or 3 of the systems managed to miss us. We could see frequent flashes of lightning, perhaps every minute. While we sat, there was the rather eerie sound of the springs on a nearby boat's mooring lines creaking, and then the insistent ringing of a bell. Presumably this was a church bell hurrying the congregation, but it sounded to us like a warning bell, and we speculated that folks would be shouting “ the British are coming” or “the storm is coming”. And then the storm did hit us. Torrential rain again, and strong winds raising white water in the marina. We were monitoring the changes of the wind direction and we’re glad to be safe, warm and dry below deck.
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