There was an organised boat trip during the tournament. A good idea of the organisers to shake up the usual tournament routine. Usually I don’t go to these kind of things, as they are a distraction and are energy consuming, but this time I decided to go. For one, because I really like Mallorca, and two, because I really like the sea.

The first surprise was that I didn’t expect we were going to fly on water (remember you can click on the image for a bigger version):

The second surprise was our guide – silent, yet very expressive:

The trip was along the coast, southward from Arenal. The scenery was captivating, first rocky coastline with some vegetation:

Then we passed by a residential area with its own nooks and crannies:

Followed by private beaches:

Then the big rocks came:

We made our only stop at one beach which it seemed it could only be approached from the sea. I’ve always fancied having a yacht (let’s not be too modest here) and exploring such hidden treasures, like the people who were already there when we arrived:

I imagine that this kind of boat trip must be fantastic in mid-summer, as the idea of the stop is to allow the people on board to have a swim in a very nice place and clean water. Unfortunately it was too cold for me, but not so for the other passengers. Here you can see a mermaid swimming with the fish:

WGM Irina Sudakova

And here definitely not a mermaid:

GM Andrey Sumets (2600+ whale)

The stop lasted for 30 minutes and then we went back. I must add that we had a very experienced captain. He navigated with his feet:

In spite of my initial skepticism, it turned out to be a very pleasant experience. I think it gave me a lot of positive energy and I continued to have a very successful tournament.