We were aiming for a bay called Sa Caixota which provides good protection from Northerly and North Easterly winds since the forecast had a strong blow coming through in a couple of days. There were a few boats in when we arrived, but we found a nice spot under the cliffs to provide good shelter. There isn’t much in the bay apart from one restaurant which is good but expensive – so no, we didn’t go there! The night the strong wind was predicted the bay became busy. Obviously, everybody else had the same idea and we ended up with 30 boats in the anchorage, but thankfully, as an early arrival we had a good spot.

We prepared for the strong winds thoroughly by making sure we had enough anchor chain out (and a bit more for luck), we removed all our flags and ensigns, took down the bimini and spray hood, lashed the dinghy down on deck, stowed away the hydrovane sail, had spotlights ready in the cockpit and the engine ready to go at a moment’s notice. We arranged anchor watches so that one person would be up throughout the night and we prepared flasks of hot water for the overnight drinks and plenty of snacks. The spotlight was useful early on when a large catamaran decided he was going to anchor too close to us and we had to warn him off with a spotlight in the face! After all that thorough preparation, of course, the strong wind never arrived! We had a bit of a blow but nothing of note. However, better to be prepared and not be needed than needed and not prepared.

Although there was not much in the bay itself, the guidance said that we might find a beach to land on a bit further west, so we went there, climbed up a set of steps off the beach and walked round to a small town called Es Cubells. There we found a small convenience store where we topped up with provisions, and more importantly a bar with a stunning view over the bay. The kitchen was closed so we just had to settle for cold beer!

After a few days, a change of scenery was required again, so we set off to the West of the island and arrived in a bay called Cala Tarida. Anchoring here has to be done carefully as there is a lot of sea grass which needs to be avoided. Sea grass or Posidonia oceanica, to give it it’s correct name, is a vital part of the ocean environment, providing shelter for fish nurseries and a large carbon capture capacity. Anchoring in the sea grass destroys the seabed environment and can also get you a large fine if you are caught out; it’s policed quite rigidly and we saw two environment police boats in the bay checking the anchorage. Thankfully, the sea here is very clear and the beds can be seen very easily in the daylight. We anchored in the bay just beyond the swim barrier line and far enough away from the beach clubs to lessen the noise.

You can land people here by dinghy via a boat channel to a large rock in the middle of the beach, but you cannot leave your dinghy there, so yesterday I dropped Simon and Liz off and they ditched the gash and went shopping in the local Spar to top up provisions again.  

While in Cala Tarida I also received the fantastic news that my daughter Clare had given birth to my new grand-daughter, Zoe Catherine Burton. Mother and baby are doing well and brother Luke is very proud of his new baby sister. We celebrated with a glass of fizz and Liz prepared a lovely meal of posh nibbles and steak to mark the occasion.

We are aiming to spend a couple of nights in a marina on the North West coast of Ibiza before setting off for Barcelona later this week. Sadly, they don’t take bookings so we will have to call tomorrow morning to see if they have space. Fingers crossed as we need to top up water.

Nigel the Navigator

View across the bay from above; Cassini 2nd boat from the right (centre of picture)

Celebrating the birth of baby Zoe :-)