Once moored on the guest quay in Alicante we quickly scouted the marina area and appreciated the excellent marina facilities we had there. Electricity, water, marine goods shops, public laundry, baths and fantastic restourants. Last two mentioned we tested immediately. We planned to stay here 3 nights in total. On the next day we had to do servicing and repairs of Aurora while in the evening we were waiting the next crew that was flying from Sofia to Madrid and then coming by a rental car to Alicante. The plan for the second day was to refill the boat and food supplies for the next 2 weeks. On the third day Galin was flying back to Sofia and Vladi was going back to France to sail another catamaran to Greece. 

Just after sunset Radoslav, Georgi and Nikolay have arrived and we were ready to start the welcome party. Our friends from Benidorm  who sailed with me while living in Spain, Kyril  and Miroslav with his wife have also joined us. From the restourant across the street we had a huge pan with paella de mariscos, pulpo gallego, fritura de pescados and few bottles of excellent Spanish wine. Once we were done with the food we were ready to go out. In the marina appart of a columbiane disco there was not much going on in the evening so we fled to the old town and came back in the early hours.

On the next day we hardly got up at 11:00 despite of the boatman who was trying to give sails alert and trying to wake up everybody since 8 o'clock in the morning. Finally we had to rush to a local Carrefour supermarket  for supplies and water. A big hit became a huge Jamon pig leg that we were cutting in pieces on the pier next to the boat. Not an everyday sight in Alicante. By the time the people working in the marina already knew us. We shared our paella with them the previous evening and now everybody knew Aurora and her crew. In the evening we refilled the water and fuel tanks and we were ready to use the quiet weather on the next day to leave for Ibiza. 

Early on the next morning teh security guard called taxi to bring Galin to teh airport for Sofia. Before going into the cab he release our mooring lines and we left the marina in Alicante setting course for Ibiza in a extreme quiet morning and by the evening we were already there. There we warnings for a bad weather on the next and the following days so we decided to continue for Sardinia without stopping in Mallorca passing south of Cabrera. On the next day we got some wind already and we set sails wondering how strong t would become. Luckily we have managed to cross the Bay of Lion in quite favourable weather having rough sea only for half a day. By the time the storm arrived we were entering in the southern most point of Sardinia in fantastic marina near a village called Teluada.

While approaching marina de Teluada I have tried to ring them up on the phone, then tried VHF 10 miles away and 5 miles away with no response. Finally once inside the marina the chief wave at us at the quay pointing where to moor saying his portable VHF works only  2 miles away. He had a dog called Dynamo following him everywhere even running behind his car. The marina had no living soul apart of them two. We have been told that it is the day of the annual carnival and everybody was in the village. We took a quick shower and a local taxi took us to the village. 

It was amazing how much this carnival looked similar to the ones at my home village 2000 miles to the east. We all agreed that in isolated societies in the small villages the millenniums long pagan traditions are preserved. We ended up in the local pizzeria with karaoke were all guests were feasting after the carnival. We were explained that there were no rain at all in Teluada the last 12 months since winds were taking the clouds away. We offered to join our efforts for rain in the carnival rituals of dancing and singing. We were doing quite well untill the only taxi driver in the village came and spiled the party saying he has to bring us back to the boat and go home where his wife is waiting for him. Of course we could always walk 10km back to the boat but we chose not to and around midnight we were in our cabins. A bit later a rain started to pour. The gods were happy with our performance in the village of Teluada. The local inhabitants were so happy that they wanted us to leave one of our crew members in Teluada for good luck, but Aurora had more adventures ahead. So on the next morning we used the fair wind and we have set sails for Sicily but that is another story.