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18th – 28th September 2004
diversion to the ‘hard miles’ sailing in the Atlantic from the UK to the Canary Islands. Our plan
was to spend a month cruising gently around the Balearic Islands, with various friends joining us
for a taste of the ‘good life’.
Hence our arrival in Ibiza heralded the beginning of a new chapter in the journey, with the pace
shifted down a couple of gears. First of the visitors awaiting our arrival on the first night were
David Ruiz and Alice Sagar-Musgrave, both out from London for the week. We swiftly headed to
a fav restaurant in the local cala for a few bottles of chilled wine and the finest seafood paella.
David had just taken ownership of an elegant penthouse pad in a beautiful secluded spot on the
south-west side of the island, done throughout in minimalist marble – a perfect film set…in
practiced Scando’ acting style Troels swiftly acquired the nickname ‘The Hammer’ for his mock-
acting abilities.
The following day was wind-down time; chilling out in the cala (cove), lazing about on deck, and
swimming in the invitingly clear water. Alice did a good job entertaining the boys and kindly
donated the first bikini to be hoisted up the flagstaff, and we finally commissioned ‘Spike’, our very
effective speargun. That evening we created a legend, concocting the ‘Skardu’ cocktail in a
moment of inspiration. This is definitely NOT a sundowner: large, potent, and with a kick that is
guaranteed to fuel a hedonistic night through till dawn, it has never failed to deliver memorable
results…as if to prove the point, we headed straight on out for a large night at the very cool Space
Nightclub.
The more energetic amongst us managed a game of tennis the next morning, after which we
cruised around the coast to Cala Yondal, for our first taste of the Ibiza beach bar scene. Here
Mark realized a long-term dream of waking up, diving overboard, and catching dinner. Armed
with Spike, he returned triumphant with ‘Oscar’ the Octopus, who provided a feast for all 4 of us
that evening. A short day-sail – with impromptu man-overboard drill when Q spontaneously
jumped over the rails – took us to the adjacent island of Formentera, to discover it’s famed
aquamarine waters and white sandy beaches. Ashore was distinctly clothes-optional (and a few
too many unsightly Germans amongst them!), but Alice raised the standards by donning a
perfect Bond-girl white bikini, and then posing for the requisite photo-shoot. After a delightful
evening’s anchorage we returned to the infamous Salinas beach on Ibiza, anchoring 50 yards
off the very hip Jockey Club, where we played beach volleyball in the surf, and became ‘locals’
over the following few days. The beach club scene at Salinas is the heartbeat of Ibiza, and we
soon acquired free tickets to the massive closing-party at Amnesia nightclub. This was the huge
thumping Ibiza scene; replete with dancing queens in suspended cages, Egyptian pharoes on
stage, incredible collective energy, a vibrant gay scene, and adrenalin-pumping dancing till dawn.
With Alice returned to normality in London, we took the opportunity for an overdue day of
maintenance and repairs in Ibiza marina, before her spot was swiftly replaced by our old friend
Jim Sciutto – taking a brief break from covering the chaos in Iraq – and his girlfriend Gloria, who
had admirably flown in from New York for the weekend! A couple of hours after arrival all were to
be found in the trendy halls and chill lounges of Pacha Nightclub, returning to the yacht once
more with the rising sun. The next evening we were joined by David and Margaritte, making
seven aboard for a night of entertainment to remember: champagne to start, Havana cigars and
fine port to finish, and skinny-dipping in the moonlight to freshen up! In a moment of hilarity, the
blindfolded girls unanimously judged Troels the owner of the finest ‘buns’ aboard – not surprising
seeing as he was the sole entrant, five times in a row!
Our final evening in Ibiza saw us participating in the most hallowed of Ibiza legends: sipping
cocktails while watching sunset at Café del Mar, and it lived up to even Troel’s high expectations
for that ‘special’ atmosphere. After tapas dinner in the delightful Ibiza old town, David, Jim, Gloria
& Margaritte had planes to catch, while we had a final night on anchorage under the old city
walls, before departing pre-dawn for the sail to Mallorca.
