Sunday 29 September

A day of pure indulgence of all kinds.  Up fairly late.  Managed to get just enough free WIFI to download the main parts of the Sunday Times.  So spent the morning reading the paper and just mooching about.  At about midday all hell broke loose weather wise.  The forecast was for thunderstorms and indeed that is what we got.  Over an hour of torrential rain, and constant thunder and lightning.  At one stage the lightning was just overhead and kept making the lights blink.  I was sure we were going to be struck by a bolt of the stuff.  Richard calm as usual pointed out that our mast was smaller than most, so the higher ones were much more likely to get hit then us.  Anyway, nothing untoward happened except that we found a leak.  Water started to drip from the place where the wires come down the mast and into the boat – a leftover from when we put the mast back up, showing that the weather since mid July really hasn’t been so bad. It was pouring down through the wiring.  We did think that the wiring to the mast needed sealing after it was put back up.  We have not had such heavy rain (which is good) to prove that there is a problem.  Richard can’t find any sealant, but we will need to do it after the rain stops in any event. 

With the terrible weather we stay in and have a light lunch.  We then get ready to go to the Thalasso.  Luckily the rain stops and the sun actually comes out and we set off.  The treatments are fun.  We each have a bath with different additions which is sort of like a jacuzzi, but instead of bubbling all the time it works its way around the body sort of massaging you.  Then we each have a wrap.  It was somewhat different from wraps I had before in that you rested on a water bed that was collapsed about your to form the wrap.  Last Thalasso treatment was for me a funny massage lying on a water bed that had pressure put through it to form a massage.  Richard had the jets of water sprayed on him.  Then we each had gentle massages under a spray of sea water.  All very relaxing and very wet!  After our treatments we went into their Thalasso pool, which was just a big set of different kinds of Jaccuzzi, rather fun.

So, well washed, we set off back to the boat.  Stop for a drink on the front, and have a local Sangria.  On the boat I start reading a new book.  I miss old Leopold Bloom!  The sun is now out and it is quite a pleasant afternoon.  So we spend a lot of time in the cockpit.

Then out to dinner.  We have chosen a restaurant recommended in the Michelin guide.  It has no rosettes, but does have a very good write up.  And it really comes up to its reputation.  The food is as good as some of the one rosette restaurants we have eaten in.  The service, which is all done by one waitress (but it is a small restaurant with only about 15 people in for the evening), is excellent and friendly.  We have a lovely meal and are now back on the boat.  The wind has dropped and it is a nice quiet evening.  However, the weather forecast for the next two days is for fairly strong winds (5-6) so our original plan of anchoring tomorrow night is looking doubtful.  We will leave in the morning and see how we get on.  At least the wind is predicted to be in the right direction for our next two sails (westerly when we want to go east and vice versa).