The coves of the Balearic Islands are fascinatingly beautiful, but they also
hide great dangers. Navigators accustomed to the safety of the bays of
the eastern Mediterranean or the protected regions of the Ionian Sea must
beware: one must always be prepared for any eventuality, for example that
the wind and the currents may change direction and invade that cove which
seemed so safe at dusk. At that moment, the boat and the crew must be ready
to weigh anchor in the middle of the night. - Information compiled by yachtspeople
for yachtspeople. By Karin Gerhkardt and S.Y. Veligandu...
it is packed. Boats cannot anchor freely, one must drop anchor and use the
stern lines. Navigators who come from the east Mediterranean will feel
at home here. The cove is long and narrow, there is not too much protection;
some friends of ours have experienced for themselves how the cove turns
into a real trap from which they could not have escaped without help when
a strong swell gets up. The scenery is very pretty, although as we have
already mentioned- it is a very crowded spot. There is a restaurant, a
supermarket, even a chemists, apartment complexes, etc.
Caution: When heading towards the islet it is important to beware of the sand banks. Contrary to the ease of manoeuvre offered by Es Trenc, here one has to negociate some very dangerous banks of rocks. There are other anchorage areas east of Colonia de St. Jordi, between the isle of Guardis and the isle of Moltona. But one must also beware of the banks.
This is the main anchorage, but for us it is one of the worst anchorages in
Mallorca. There are layers of rock, slightly covered with vegetation. We
can affirm that we know how to anchor, as that is what we do most of the
time, but here we struggled for 2 hours with all kinds of tricks, without
achieving a satisfactory solution. In the end, the best solution was to
bring out a mooring line from the stern to the buoy free underground. The
main danger is with holiday navigators as, in our experience, they handle
the anchor over confidently, which means that the boat may go adrift at
night. c) It is also possible to anchor port side to the entrance, the
bottom seems to be more sandy. The problem is that there is a Club Med,
therefore in the daytime there are a lot of surfers, 420s, swimmers and
scuba divers.
To get things straight right from the start, the only disadvantage of this
superb natural harbour is that the water has a rather cloudy appearance,
therefore it is not suitable for bathing (at least not for my taste). But
in all other respects it is the ideal spot for anchorage lovers. The bottom
is of black, smelly mud which sticks like concrete. I dont think even a
complete beginner would have any difficulty in achieving a firm hold. We
always anchor port side to the entrance, as we reach very quickly our preferred
depths of 1.2 to 1.5 metres. Boats of greater draught must take care, as
the depth decreases rapidly nearer land. However, if one ever runs aground,
it doesnt matter, the bottom is muddy and there are no rocks. Porto Colom
has helped us to shelter comfortably and safely from more than one storm,
without having to spend a fortune at a marina. Whenever we arrive here
we always have that feeling of having come home. Indeed, one can anchor
anywhere in the cove, either starboard side to or opposite the entrance,
one must decide this for oneself, and it depends on the draught of the
boat. As an alternative, or as a package combined with the night-time anchorage,
another daytime anchorage is...
For lovers of fine sandy beaches, we recommend Cala Anguila. Even
in the winter months, when many beaches are covered in seaweed, we can
find a fine sandy beach here. However, it is a small cove which can only
be used to anchor in the daytime and with the sea absolutely calm, as it
is completely open.
One of the most horrendous
bays is that of Son Servera, i.e. Cala Millor, which after El Arenal
is the flagship of German package tourism. Here we cannot help being amazed
by the sins of the skyscraper age, which devastated any scenery in its
path. From the Cape of Pinar del Reig villas predominate once more, some
of these houses are literally stuck to the cliffs and offer a pretty view
with a certain touch of challenge.
On the route to Cala Ratjada one finds
some coves suitable for anchoring, such as Cala Moll or Cala Pedruscada,
although they are nothing special. Next comes the harbour of Cala Ratjada,
and as a cove for anchoring, to the east of the harbour, an anchorage fairly
well protected against the north and west winds, although the bottom is
covered in seaweed.
The rest of the coast up to Cape Farrutx is very pretty, but it is only suitable for
anchoring in the daytime. As north winds are always blowing, it cannot
be considered as an option for spending the night.
Caution: although the bottom is sandy with
seaweed, there are underwater mounds which arise suddenly, therefore one
should not anchor too near land if one is not familiar with the place.
Due to the seaweed one must ensure that the anchor bites firmly. If you
manage this, the bottom holds well.
Another place for anchoring is the cove below the luxury
Sóller Harbour offers a few moorings
and a good bottom for anchoring, apart from being the only protected harbour
on the whole of the north west coast. We think that the large coves opposite Camp de Mar and Cala
Fornells are too unsafe to spend the night. Not that we have put this
to the test, it is merely intuition. It is well worth making a trip to
Cala Monjo, ideal for scuba diving. In the cove of Penyes Roges is the
new El Toro harbour, which has a rather artificial charm. In the same cove,
at the entrance to the harbour, one can anchor on sand.
An adventure which puts ones nerves on edge is the crossing between the Isle of Toro and the
Bank of Ibiza. The bottom, which is very deep, rises suddenly to a depth
of approximately 2 metres. When going over with the water completely crystal
clear, you suddenly see the rocks right under the bow. Its very pretty,
but it takes your breath away!
Before reaching Palma, passing by Puerto Portals opposite whose luxury marina one may anchor-
and Cala Mayor, there are many possibilities for anchoring, mostly in the
shelter of small isles, ideal in good weather conditions. However, I must
say that for us they are not our first choice, as it is practically impossible
to anchor in peace in this part of the south, completely commercialised
and full of motor boats and enthusiasts of water skiing and other motorised
amusements. Anyway, here it is a question of taste, one must make up ones
own mind.
The
coves which continue to the north to Cala Ratjada are quite pretty with
regard to scenery, but not all have the same charm as Calas de Mallorca.
You have to keep trying out different ones.
Leaving
from Alcúdia, the islet of Aucanada (with lighthouse) offers good possibilities
for anchoring on a good bottom. However, one must bear in mind that there
are some layers of rock, therefore one must not forget the ropes. It is
an ideal place for scuba divers, who can practise their favourite sport
between terra firma and the isle, where the water is not very deep. If
we continue towards Cape Pinar, right behind Cape Menorca, we will find
something very special (when we anchored we were completely alone, unfortunately
our secret has been discovered by the popular glass-bottomed boats and
their trips with paella and sangría, although luckily they do not
stay more than 15 minutes here). We are talking about Coll Baix. It is
an open cove which can only be used in the daytime when the sea is calm.
Between the beach and the water there is quite a steep slope. We ended
up crawling up on all fours. But underwater a truly impressive marine world
opens up. There are even fish... and they let themselves be caught!
The next possibility is beside the harbour, facing the town. However, one must
bear in mind that when there is a mistral, very strong gusts of wind come
down from the mountains. The place we enjoy most is next to the lighthouse,
under the old fortification.
Hotel Formentor
All the anchoring places are unsafe and are more for stopping for a while to
have a swim, unless the weather is completely fine and there is no sign
that it may change. Behind Cape Formentor is a very pretty cove, Cala Figuera,
which is suitable for spending the night if the sea is calm. Everything
else along this coast is spectacularly beautiful but very open. A must
to visit is the most famous cove in Mallorca, Cala Sa Calobra, which
in summer is visited by thousands and thousands of tourists, who get off
the coaches which take them there doing a balancing act along the hairpin
bends of the approach road. Perhaps from the land it has a very spectacular
image due to the bed of the torrent which ends here and the impressive
ravine which houses it. But from the sea I must say that one can find better
and more peaceful coves. But anyway, that is really a question of taste,
like so many other things.
We continue to Cala de Deià (whose beach was the setting for the German
television series "Hotel Paradies"), Cala de Valldemossa (where one
can admire Michael Douglas' property S'Estaca), passing the
hanging gardens of Banyalbufar in the direction of San Telmo. The island
of Dragonera is situated opposite this small fishing village, and
announces its presence some time in advance by the penetrating cries of
the seagulls. There is a huge colony which breeds on the island. Like Cabrera,
it is a nature reserve. On the east side there are two pretty spots for
anchoring, although they can only be used when the sea is calm. Moreover,
the possiblities are limited because there is little room for manoeuvre
and, where necessary, it is better to throw a rope onto land. One can anchor
better and with more space opposite San Telmo, with a good sandy bottom.
We found that the ideal place was between the large beach and the small
one.
We pass by several times and anchor at the front of Andratx Harbour (it is
forbidden to anchor in the dock of the harbour, although some guide books
do not say so, and the fishermen react rather angrily when one invades
their radius of manoeuvre). We also anchor opposite the beach of Santa
Ponça, which is a good alternative to the abusive prices of Santa Ponça
marina.
©
Medien
Service Mallorca S.L. 2002-2007
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