title	Hauling Boats to Croatia: Palma, Mallorca to Toulon, France - 9th April 2026
intro	Sean's driving a trailer full of ILCA 6 dinghies for a national sailing team from Palma, Mallorca, down to Split in Croatia, which requires little in the way of justification in order to tag along, seeing as it fits in five countries - Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia and Croatia - in five days. Things get off to an odd start as we're following one of Google Maps' slightly strange routing choices as we walk from Palma airport, where we'd met up - eventually, once Sean's phone actually started working - to the marina at Ca'n Pastilla - a route which involves us dicing with death crossing busy roads, cutting across central resevations and roundabouts, and walking through petrol stations and bleak industrial areas before we arrive at the marina. At this point, we discover that the trailer we should be hauling has already been driven off, but luckily for us and the sailing team it's heading to the same ferry, and wasn't by now on its way to mainland Spain. After swapping the trailers and with only about 15 minutes to spare, we make it to the overnight ferry to Toulon in France, where the epic 900-mile overland journey commences. Before that, we're in Norwich for a bit, and Fred's tagging along for the 4am journey to Stansted airport as he's off to Dublin for a couple of days.
imgp7077	St. Stephen's in Norwich
imgp7078	There's a busker on Gentleman's Walk
imgp7081	The Hoover spares stall in Norwich Market
imgp7082	Market lanes by China Wok
imgp7084	Pigeons on market-stall roofs
imgp7086	Norwich Market
imgp7087	The back of the Sir Garnet pub
imgp7088	An unusual view of Norwich's City Hall
imgp7089	Isobel wanders around by St. Peter Mancroft
imgp7091	Stansted's secret seating area has been moved
imgp7092	Fred and Tamsin hang around waiting for their flight
imgp7093	Building works and the control tower at Stansted
imgp7096	The Ryasnair/Lauda 737 trundles to the gate
imgp7102	A set of aeroplane wheels are unloaded
imgp7109	A field that looks like a rearing horse
imgp7112	There's a queue of planes at Palma
imgp7114	Palma's arrivals area
imgp7116	Palm trees at Palma
imgp7117	Proof of Palma Mallorca airport
imgp7118	We head off across a roundabout
imgp7121	On a hot road in the middle of nowhere
imgp7124	The Autopista de Llevant
imgp7125	Sean checks where we're going
imgp7126	The sight of the sea is most welcome
imgp7127	The sea front at Ca'n Pastilla
imgp7128	On the beach, Platja de Ca'n Pastilla style
imgp7129	A rear view of Ca'n Pastilla
imgp7130	We make it to Club Maritim de Ca'n Pastilla
imgp7131	Sean roams around looking for boats
imgp7132	Sean's on the phone tracking down missing boats
imgp7135	We switch trailers near the ferry port
imgp7137	The other van is ready to drive off
imgp7138	The giant Mega Victoria ferry
imgp7140	Wandering the endless corridors on the ferry
imgp7142	A factory near the ferry port at Alcúdia
imgp7144	The town of Alcúdia
imgp7147	It's party time on the back of the ferry
imgp7148	The ferry's disco bar
imgp7150	Mallorca slowly disappears into the distance
imgp7151	Sean in shades by the Lido Beach Bar
imgp7156	The ferry stops off in Menorca
imgp7157	Menorcan cliffs
imgp7161	There's an intense sunset over Menorca
imgp7164	Time for another beer in the canteen
imgp7167	A view on the deck
imgp7168	Walking the dog on the ferry's top deck
imgp7177	Our cabin in the morning
imgp7178	Breakfast time in the canteen
imgp7179	Sean looks down to the sea
imgp7181	We wait in the sun for a bit
imgp7187	Toulon in the south of France
imgp7188	Toulon's harbour entry light and marker