UTC 0600

Starting the motor.  Lifting the anchor.  Leaving towards Formentera. 

What is the best moment to leave the place for another one ?   Good question.  And as for many questions in sailing — there is no simple answer.  On this particular one… I think it is not easy to answer because it is not from the area of rational and logic…  It is just the feeling, which start to grow slowly, and then — at certain moment — is crossing some threshold, and you have to go.  You just know — you have to go… Of course, you consult the weather, friends, etc, etc…

But even if the logical decision is not done yet… You know that you are gone — the passage is waiting for you…

So, our anchor is lifted. The motor slowly pushing the boat from the still sleeping anchorage… ( 8 o’clock local time… )… Raising Sun at the stern… Flat water around… Some signs of some kind of wind  ahead — if binoculars are used… 

And in weather computer and forecasters we trust… 

Why Formentera ?   I’ve said above — the itching feeling to sail somewhere…  In this particular case  — the only defined point is that I have to be back in San Antonio by the end of the week.  I have some people to meet… 

So, any destination around Ibiza would be fine…  It has even come to the point — I decided, when I came to Canajera Island, the most outer point of the harbour, I would decide to turn South ( to Formentera) or North ( to the North East Ibiza coast )….   I turned South…  Ahead about ~20nm of sailing to Northern part of Formentera..

It is not a strong wind… But no complains,  those 5-8 knots may have been missing too… and then we would had been motoring… But we have wind.   It is coming from 130-150 degrees astern, so only main sail is up…  But seems like Eleonora enjoying sailing as much as I do and il moving really good….  The motor was working only for an hour — but even that  mostly for charging the batteries and running watermarker. Now everything is silent, the boat gliding… the Sun rising,  the fish baits are out…  We are all set, and I have nothing to do… 

That has been corrected  promptly.  The fishing boats appeared  just on our course, raising and putting the nets…  So, now our ’straight route to Formentera’  starts to look like a downhill big slalom…  Whatever, as long as we manage to stay away from them. And we did.

What is the point to describe the Sun, the blue water,  the sounds of the wake behind the boat, the passages of the shore line ? Imagine, you are taking the default morning root from your home to the office. What is the point to describe what cars were stopped on the stop lights, people, passing you, the colour of the bus you are taking this particular moment ?  Unless something remarkable and outstanding happens… 

In our case, the remarkable and outstanding was the fact that we were in the Med and we were sailing, not motoring!  In a light wind, we were doing our 5, then 6 knots… And as soon as we turned the Isla Vedra — the most outer South West part of Ibiza — we instantly got the ~12 knots head winds… Just on the edge of the right angle, and we were moving fast all the way to the Formentera….  The only thing to add to it — the photo of our route :

‘Michael, you have to go to visit the Formentera sand beaches!  So nice! So beautiful! ‘ — all people around me have been saying…. 

I’m definitely getting old. And I’m becoming cynical and wise ( I hope… ).

If you have seen the endless white sand beaches on Marie-Galante of Guadeloupe, or the sand dunes on the South of Sardinia… or…  then Formentera is not going to take away your breathe and you are safe.

Yes, nice beaches, yes — nice sand bottom…   It is coming together with the anchorages, packed by all kind of boats,  ferries and cargo going with the interval of 10-15 minutes….  The island protects from the natural swell from the East… But terries and local motor boat traffic — easily compensates that!   In short — it is always depends on what you are actually looking for…

But as any place in the Med, the Formentera has its unique feature — history.  And if you look through the prism of time, you can easily notice that unique feature… 

The first humans arrived so early in the past, that we can easily skip a few chapters of Formentera… 

Then it became the part of the Roman Impire…  Getting famous for its wheat, pine trees, and warriors, whose mastering in shooting stones with slings made them unique and famous….

To degree, it was probably the biggest input of the Islands to mankind development….  And the last time they were producing something really valuable… 

To be fare,  it should be noticed that the islands were changing hands very often during ‘middle centuries part’ of its history… Everyone wanted them — from moors to the South, to vikings on the North… ( And endless crowds of barbarians and pirates of all kinds).  As we know today — the money like tranquility and stability… So, it is kind of ‘logical’  that the island followed the Ibiza path — got de-populated…   Today, the island is trying to live by tourism… That is where all ferries and traffic is coming from…  What the population doing during the off season time — I have no idea… 

Today — as in the past — the Island attracts all kind of boat and boaters:

  

Not only the boats are different, but people and crew on them…  For example, the lovely power boat — if such animal exists — on the picture, under Polish flag:

It has been so noisy and laud that when finally stopped the music, the people around started to applause… ;-) 

The next one… Pay attention to the hight of the mast, and the person on deck:

The mast is already under the regulation of aircraft obstacles, and have a RED anchor light at night…, instead of the regular white… 

The other one,  slick and classy… 

In order to see the latest two above, you really need to be a bit away… otherwise, you will see only parts of them… 

The size, the amount of crew on those boats… Magnificent machines!   

And they even sail! ( Though same times, the shape of the sail is raising some questions… ). 

If you have a nice boat, you should have a nice dinghy for it, right?

The ‘Boats in Black’ :

The small motor boat on the left may be easily a dream or a tool of  James Bond… 

Both boats,  shiny black, with dark ‘asphalt grey’ decks… They indeed look like counter parts of one big system…  The ship and shuttle for/from completely another world ?

 But somehow I’m in doubt that those beauties are capable to deliver what the next boats do:

The friends and happy faces,  visiting your boat:

But enough about the people and their toys!  They just illustrate the Theory of Relativity — the technology, toys, etc…  they have change so much…  and we, humans, have not changed at all at the same time. ;-) 

What we call  ‘formentera ‘ most of the times, are actually two islands,  Espalmador and Formentera.  The small shall straight separates those…. :

You may see above — from the pic bottom, clockwise — Western waters, the most South East tip of Espalmador, Estern waters and Ibiza behind, the end of Formantera…. 

El Espalmador — a private island, which was for sale a few years ago… 25 millions…   Reminds Mark Twain — ‘Buy land, they’re not making it anymore…’ 

Morning… Flat, esmirald transparent water… rising Sun…  quite… No noises…. The first thought — to put the ladder in the water, and go swimming! 

But be careful… Medusas are waiting for you:

Do not underestimate those small creatures… 

Just the thought what they can do to you, wakes me up right away before the coffee… and brings back to our world… so non-fair,  and so wonderful, at the same time! 

( To be continued… )

Talk to you soon,

M.