Have been meaning to write this since getting back from PP just over a week ago. We’ve always wanted to take one of the many boat excursions around the bay etc. but, for one reason or another, have never got our act together. However, this time, we decided to go for it! Late one afternoon I took a walk along the jetty alongside
Stay and watched the various boats coming back in from their various excursions. Even though it was the last week in September all seemed to be pretty full. I watched on as people got off the boat featuring “Submarine vision” and couldn’t help feeling that the guys disembarking from the top (uncovered) deck had wider smiles than those coming from “below decks”. Guess it’s first come first served! As a result of this I reckoned the Robinson Catamaran trip would be the one to take. Being in the open would be so much more fun, and it wasn’t as if the sun is scorching at this time of year.
Waited to see what the weather was like the next morning. Not a cloud in the sky! Went down to the quayside and bought 2 tickets directly from the boat. (€45 euros for a five and half hour excursion, plus lunch). Setting off at around 10.00 we headed straight across the bay towards Bonaire/Mas Plas, continuing up the coast towards the Victoria peninsula, stopping for a ten minute swim in the dark turquoise waters, the crew suppling masks and snorkels etc. Why go on a submarine view trip when you can get “up close” yourself. On reaching the tip, where there is a military “no go area”, we turned and crossed the mouth of the bay, heading for the Formentor lighthouse. To sail right up to those amazing cliffs and look almost vertically up was incredible. During this part of the trip one of the crew came around with a porron ( one of those conical shaped glass jugs with a long spout!) of sangria. This was going to be fun! After 4-5 seconds of having sangria poured down their gullets from a great height most people were spluttering and choking up ther red stuff. I guessed that surely all you had to do was keep swallowing! Sure enough it was soon my turn. 4 seconds…10seconds…20 seconds! The bloke even had to swap arms because he was getting tired! “Professionaaaal!, professionaaaal!” he shouted, at which point I started laughing. All good things come to an end. Think he was a little cheesed off that I’d polished off so much of his sangria as he completely missed out on offering my wife the chance to do the same!
From underneath the lighthouse we headed back down the peninsula towards Formentor beach. What makes a boat trip complete? Dolphins! The skipper pointed them out, about twenty metres away. Four, possibly five, including a young calf. I’ve been lucky to see dolphins in the wild several times, but it’s something you never tire of. We made a quick stop-off at the jetty on Formentor beach to collect the processed photographs that had been taken of everybody when they came on board in the morning. Then we headed around the corner for another swim in a beautiful secluded bay. Soon after came lunch, and excellent it was, too. Chicken and cold pasta, with various hams and salami, followed by fruit. All washed down with either wine, sangria or soft drinks. Despite there being around 50 of us hungry ‘gannets’ onboard there was more than enough to go around.
After this it was time for a leisurely sail back to PP. Yes, sail!. The wind had picked up sufficiently for the catamaran to up-sail. Meanwhile, the poor crew member who’d been tasked with marrying up the correct photos to the correct couples, was having a torrid time! As soon as he located the correct person about half a dozen other photos blew out of his hand into the Med! He tried again, only for another handful to blow away like confetti! He soon gave up!
Arrived back at the port having felt that we’d had a brilliant day out. I can really recommend it. Another thing, it’s 6-7 euros cheaper per person to buy direct from the boat, rather than from the “no frills excursions” kiosk 100metres away.