We left Ibiza bright and early on 23rd June in light winds expecting to use the motor - as we left the wind picked up, we hoisted our spinnaker kept it up for the next 7 hours, 46 miles later and we were on the Western tip of Mallorca.
We spent two nights at our first anchorage - Cala S’Artaxa, Camp de Mar - there was a large hotel that provided the evening entertainment: Live shows that were a combination of ‘Last Night of the Proms’ and Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals - not what we expected, but very pleasant listening from the cockpit!
Apart from the holiday accommodation round the bay, there were also some very exclusive houses literally perched on the edge of the cliffs - they certainly don’t worry about coastal erosion here, even though the evidence of it is very apparent in places!
Find a cliff - build a house! The lower foundation is actually falling into the sea, along with part of the cliff face.
We worked our way around the South of the island to Playa es Dols, San Jordi.
Another holiday spot, but no huge hotels this time. There was a tiny marina
But it was not for us!!!
We did use the fuel pontoon, the water was 1.5m deep which involved lifting both the keel and the rudder. We filled our water tank as well, and crept back out to the deeper water in the anchorage. We later felt very smug when a couple of other yachts ran aground trying to get fuel and water after us!
We got the impression that having a mooring buoy here was not prohibitively expensive!
Well, I suppose it is a boat ...
And you could even go on a Submarine Tour for €12
Sunset - San Jordi Anchorage
After a thoroughly enjoyable few days involving lots of swimming and kayaking round the bay we decided to move on and find another anchorage - we went 25 miles South East and ended up in Cala Gran.
Is this Butlins? We arrived and were immediately surrounded by pedallos, swimmers and snorkellers - not the easiest anchoring conditions we’ve come across!!
One night here was enough - we really were the Goldfish in the Bowl
The next morning was Saturday and we were treated to the astonishing spectacle of a Fishing Boat race - at least that’s what we assumed it was. There was a 10 minute gun, then lots of jostling on the line, a double gun shot and they were off - full speed ahead they fanned out into the great blue yonder! A bit of a relief really, as we were wondering if it was a port blocade!
Approximately 30 boats took part in this event
We passed some of the more laid back contestants, peacefully fishing along the beautiful Mallorcan coastline.
Our final stop in Mallorca was on the Eastern tip - another stunningly beautiful bay, Cala Guya. This one was clearly a major holiday destination for German Tourists - again we were surrounded by pedallos filled to overflowing with German Youths - all very friendly, but not quite what we had in mind so we moved to the far side of the bay where it was much more peaceful.
More of those ferocious rocks, but they do make beautiful caves
So it wouldn’t be fair to leave Mallorca without mentioning one more thing - nudists. Apart from the ‘Butlins Bay’, where the people were way too British for such things, the men take every opportunity to go naked: Naked sailing, swimming, walking along the beaches or just sunbathing. Very few women seem to feel the need to do this, clearly a Man Thing. There were also a significant number of men who jump in the sea, (obviously naked), climb back on board and get out the shower gel for a full scrub down. Personally (being British) I prefer my shower in salt free water!! No photos of any of this, obviously.
And on that note - on to Menorca ...
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