![\"Screenshot\"](\"https:\/\/sailingsymi.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/Affenfelsen.jpg\")
Screenshot<\/span><\/a><\/div>The voyage was almost completely windless, and I knew from our planning that we would have to cover a large part of our route under engine power. However, after the thousands of kilometres we\u2019d covered since leaving America, this didn\u2019t bother me so much; on the contrary, I enjoyed chugging along quietly for a change. After a peaceful night\u2019s sailing, the sun was shining once more on a calm sea; we passed the south-eastern tip near Almer\u00eda and, in the late afternoon, finally dropped anchor in a quiet bay for the first time in ages. The water was wonderfully clear and 27\u00b0. We jumped in and I was finally able to check the underside of the boat with my diving goggles again. I hadn\u2019t done that for a long time. Using a metal spatula, I scraped a layer of barnacles off the propellers. The unevenness created by the barnacles on the brass surfaces causes turbulence as the propeller rotates, which reduces the boat\u2019s speed by up to half a knot. I also noticed that the zinc anodes, which had been newly fitted in Deltaville and are mounted on the propeller shaft to prevent metal corrosion, were almost completely worn down and were now only 3 mm thick. The replacement anodes were quickly fitted.\u2028<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The following night, during the changing of the guard at around 2.00 am, we witness a spectacle unlike anything we have ever seen before. Due to the high water temperature, there is pronounced bioluminescence in the sea. This is a violet, bluish glow emitted by microscopic organisms, triggered by contact with these \u2018creatures\u2019. Simply running your hand through the water is enough to make them glow.
That night, as Symi ploughed through the water, it created violet-blue bow waves that were split into a V-shape by the bows. Some of the waves alongside the boat glowed blue as they passed by. Ahead of the bow, a little way out, we then observed a more intense light and glowing, rippling waves, which were clearly approaching us. We\u2019d never experienced anything like it before. In the middle of the night, there were two dolphins playing. They were enveloped in blue light. This scene immediately reminded us of the landscape and creatures from the Avatar films, \u2018Pandora\u2019. Every time the dolphins surfaced, the sea glowed even more brightly. After an hour, the spectacle was over; apparently the sea temperature had changed and everything was dark and still again. The photos were taken only with an iPhone camera and aren\u2019t perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n
Symis Bug in Blau<\/span><\/a><\/div>Symi mit Delfinen<\/span><\/a><\/div>After that exciting night, we continued our journey northwards along the east coast of Spain. Still no wind, so we were motoring again. In the distance, I spotted a boat that seemed to be heading straight towards us. As the mast was leaning unusually at an angle above the horizon, I took out my binoculars and was horrified to realise that it was a catamaran, with only part of the left hull and the mast visible above the water; the rest of the boat was submerged. That explained the unnatural tilt of the mast. \u2018A distress situation,\u2019 flashed through my mind, and I picked up speed, heading straight for the sinking boat. When we arrived, we recognised an abandoned 54-foot catamaran; an electronic alarm was still beeping. Most of the boat was submerged in bluish water. The hatches in both bow sections were open, but there still appeared to be enough air in the port hull to prevent the vessel from sinking.
Ich nahm Kontakt mit der K\u00fcstenleitstelle von Cartagena auf, beschrieb die Situation und gab die Koordinaten des treibenden Wracks durch. Der freundliche Polizist am anderen Ende der Leitung bedankte sich und mahnte uns nicht zu nahe an das Boot zu fahren und unsere Reise einfach fortzusetzen. Sie w\u00fcrden sich darum k\u00fcmmern. Und wirklich 30 Minuten sp\u00e4ter konnte ich auf meinem Plotter ein SAR (search and rescue) Signal eines Rettungsboots nahe der angegebenen Stelle sehen. Dort montierten sie offensichtlich einen Sender, der das Boot ab nun f\u00fcr die restliche Schifffahrt als treibendes Wrack kennzeichnete und es so auch nachts den Schiffen als Gefahrenstelle darstellte. Es ist ein seltsames Gef\u00fchl, selbst auf einem Boot zu sein und ein anderes zur H\u00e4lfte versunken im Wasser treibend vorzufinden. Was war wohl passiert? Es war ein Charter Boot, recherchierten wir, einer polnischen Charter Firma, das scheinbar zwei Tage vorher in Not geraten war. Warum es gesunken war, erfuhren wir nie. Drogenschmuggel?<\/p>\n\n\n
Kat-1<\/span><\/a><\/div>Kat-2<\/span><\/a><\/div>Autumn in the Mediterranean is a treacherous time, when the weather across Europe shifts from the height of summer to a cooler season. As a result, pressure patterns are not as stable as in summer, and as the first fronts arrive from the west across Central Europe, the winds usually change direction several times a day. Thunderstorms and gales are just as likely as periods of calm. That\u2019s why it\u2019s not so easy to find anchorages that are sheltered from the wind and waves. A spot that lies as calm as a pond when you drop anchor in the evening can turn into a seething cauldron overnight.
At our anchorage for the coming night in \u00c1guilas, we accepted that the afternoon\u2019s waves were still rolling into the bay, making it a bit uncomfortable to moor there; in return, however, we were safe from the wind, which was set to veer north and pick up during the night. This somewhat rocky night also passed, and the next day it was only a five-hour sail to Cartagena Marina, where I\u2019d reserved a berth for two days the day before. We were able to explore Cartagena at a leisurely pace; during the day it was nearly 30\u00b0C and sunny. Cartagena was founded by the Romans and, like all Mediterranean cities, has had a turbulent history marked by numerous conquests and a succession of rulers. We were particularly impressed by the amphitheatre, which could seat 5,000 people and was only discovered in the 1980s when a row of houses in the very centre of the city was demolished. The town has lovely shopping streets and well-maintained Gr\u00fcnderzeit buildings, and struck us as clean and safe. I visited the Maritime Museum whilst Andrea went on a bit of a shopping spree.<\/p>\n\n\n
Amphitheater<\/span><\/a><\/div>On the second day, we did some food shopping and were back out at sea again first thing in the morning. I\u2019d timed our departure so well, thanks to the favourable wind, that we made rapid progress under sail, making the most of the current which flows all the way from Gibraltar into the Mediterranean and swirls ever more vigorously at this corner of the mainland. After an uneventful night, we reached the west coast of Formentera at midday.
It was off-season, mind you, but you wouldn\u2019t have known it here. The beautiful turquoise water off the white beach is, I believe, teeming with hundreds of boats all year round. In fact, only a few long-term sailors, like us, were moored here. The vast majority of motorboats and mega-yachts are chartered, and that doesn\u2019t come cheap. A day on a 15-metre motorboat costs between \u20ac3,000 and \u20ac5,000 plus fuel costs. On one company\u2019s website, they estimated the boat\u2019s fuel consumption at 250 litres per hour. So the costs really add up quickly if you fancy a day of luxury. Money seems to play only a minor role here. Once you\u2019re at anchor, you can arrange for a dinghy from one of the numerous restaurants to pick you up and take you to the jetty. That\u2019s exactly what we did, and as we took our seats on the spacious terrace overlooking the bay and glanced at the other guests at their tables, we realised we were bringing down the average age here a bit. So many young people! Do they all have enough money to afford this? Where\u2019s the economic crisis here? The tables were groaning under the weight of seafood, paellas and wine glasses; mellow chill-out music lulled us perfectly as your gaze wandered down the cliff to the turquoise sea, which was packed with boats. Around eight o\u2019clock in the evening, you can experience a truly incredibly intense orange sunset at its very best here.
We shared a fish, each had a starter and a beer, and paid \u20ac300. It\u2019s not as if we come here every day.
Schwimmen im T\u00fcrkis ist nur ganz nahe am Boot empfehlenswert. R\u00fccksichtslose Motorboot Kapit\u00e4ne rasen mit Riesenwellen im Kielwasser an dir vorbei. Nicht auszudenken, wenn man etwas vom Boot entfernt schwimmen sollte.<\/p>\n\n\n