Bisou de partout: Menorca, Balearic Islands, Spain

We really didn’t know what to expect of Menorca – naturally we had read the Pilot guide to have an idea of where to head for an anchorage for the first night, but geographically we were unprepared for how different it was to the other Balearic Islands.

We had set a course for Ciutadella, on the west coast of Menorca, with a plan to anchor in a neighbouring Cala to the main port, which had been recommended by several people. On approach to the western side of Menorca our first impression was of a low, flat barren rock – over the course of the next three weeks we discovered that the island is remarkable in its variety of landscapes.

Ciutadella is one of Menorca’s two major cities (the other being Mahon, its capital) and has a fairly long but narrow natural harbour. We knew that there would be no space along the town quay or in the marina as they are both filled to capacity, even in the low season, but had been told by several yachties that the nearby Cala Degollador offered good protection and was within walking distance of the Old Town. A large cruise ship, the Seabourn Sojourn, was anchored near the entrance to Ciutadella harbour and was discharging tender after tender of passengers. We had a fairly brisk southwesterly wind and the seas were choppy but as we headed into the Cala, the seas calmed. Immediately we could see that the Cala was much smaller than we initially thought from the charts – there is a rock in the middle of the widest part and only patches of sand within which to anchor. While this Cala might be a good anchorage in northerly or easterly winds, it was not going to be suitable for us that night.

We did drop the anchor and in doing so, for the first time, managed to get the fishing line wrapped around the port propeller and sail drive! We had been so transfixed in getting the sails, down, trying to find a suitable place to anchor and getting anchored, that I had completely forgotten about winding in my fishing line! It was only when Karl noticed my lure floating about 10 metres from the boat that we realised that the line had been severed while anchoring! Luckily the water was warm and clear and I quickly got my fins and mask on, jumped into the water and retrieved the lure. I then spent the next 10 minutes or so cutting and unraveling the fishing line from the propeller. It was really a stroke of luck that we had noticed it so soon after it happened so no damage was done.

We decided that since we were securely anchored, we would have a swim and some lunch before moving on to find a more suitable anchorage for the night – as the winds were still southwesterly and predicted to turn southerly we headed north up the west coast.

Menorca is a fairly small island in comparison with Mallorca and distances are relatively short, so within an hour or so of leaving the Ciutadella area, we had found our perfect anchorage! Cala del Amarrado was spectacular with low-lying cliffs, caves, turquoise water, sandy bottom and calm seas. The wind had picked up and was blowing quite strongly but we had a good holding and ended up being the only boat that stayed the night (there were only two or three other boats in this large Cala when we arrived). This area has no road access, and is only reachable by foot, bicycle, horse or boat – hence the isolation. The amazing thing is that it is really only about 10km from Ciutadella! We had a peaceful night in this beautiful place after exploring the caves with the kayaks and swimming through several of them.

The next morning was a slow start – we had decided to have a ‘big breakfast’ as a treat. This, for us, consists of hotcakes (thin, crepe-like pancakes which Tad makes from scratch from an old Swedish recipe), bacon, fresh orange segments and juice. We even have maple syrup which I have been carefully rationing from our supply purchased in La Rochelle! After breakfast we had planned to hike up one of the cliffs to the top and visit the spooky-looking stone structure at the top (looked a little like a step-pyramid), however, on reaching the shore we discovered our intended access was blocked by a swarm of hornets or wasps and no one was keen to try and climb through that. So we headed back to Bisou and weighed anchor.

Motor-sailing along the northern coast line of Menorca, you are treated to some of the most rugged coastline of the Balearics. Apparently the winds really batter this area in the winter and the ‘step pyramids’ along the coast (of which there are many – these are known as ‘barracas’) are really stone shelters for livestock, built by farmers in the 18^th and 19^th centuries. These are intermingled with stone towers and other stone structures which are centuries older, in various parts of the island. The towers were built as strategic defense watchtowers and planned so that each tower could always see at least two others along the coast. They were able to signal to each other by way of smoke messages and thus provide excellent protection from invasion.

There are multiple Calas along the north coast which we might have stopped in, with sandy beaches and reasonable shelter, but we had another place in mind for our next stop – Fornells.

The large natural harbour of Fornells (pronounced Fornays) has a rich history of its own. With a narrow, north-facing mouth, and a wider basin, it has been used since ancient times as a harbour. Today it is home to a pretty town with white stuccoed buildings, a little harbour and marina and mooring buoys which one can use for a reasonable fee. We chose the latter as the area was peaceful and well-protected from all winds. In fact, we ended up spending 4 nights here as it was the perfect opportunity to rent a car and explore the island with Bisou safely moored on a buoy.

The town is tiny with several restaurants, a supermarket that has basic requirements but not much more, lots of shops, and a chandlery/hardware store/ car rental office all in one! The latter was closed on Monday afternoon when we went to enquire about the possibility of renting a car, and by the time we got in on Tuesday they had no cars left, so we rented for Wednesday and Thursday. Tuesday was therefore spent exploring our immediate area including the Torre de Fornells (tower of Fornells) and the town and surrounding beaches.

The two days we had the car were spent exploring the Mahon area and nearby beaches, and the Ciutadella area and nearby beaches. We found Mahon to be a nicer, calmer city than Ciutadella although both have interesting Old Towns with churches and museums worth visiting. We had lunch in the harbour of Ciutadella, and visited the evening markets at El Mercadol on the way back to Fornells. We also explored the Naveta (stone burial mound) near Ciutadella which was eerily interesting.

While in Mahon, we went to the Marina Menorca office to enquire about a berth or mooring for a couple of nights in order to get Karl to the airport for his flight home, and also for us to provision prior to our departure for Sardinia. The staff were most helpful and offered us a place on one of their floating pontoons, complete with electricity and water for a very reasonable price (our scale of economy has changed drastically from when we left La Rochelle, through Portugal and Spain and the Balearics!) and so we made a booking for three nights.

It was hard to farewell such a pleasant and peaceful harbour as Fornells but move on we must! The winds were changing direction and we wanted to move to a location closer to Mahon so we headed for Isla de Colom where there was another mooring field, but the option to anchor as well if we wished. As it turned out, we were happy to pick up a buoy as the ‘marinero’ offered us a deal – first night full price (EUR 28) and the second night at ½ price! With the wind picking up from the north we felt better about being secured to a buoy.

Once again, the water was warm, crystal clear and there were beaches within swimming distance. There were sandy patches where one could anchor however with the wind direction there was not much shelter. We enjoyed two peaceful nights here and explored the beaches and small town of Es Grau just south of the mooring field.

The day before Karl was due to leave, we motored down to Mahon and took our place on the floating pontoon – one pontoon was practically empty and ours had only two other boats on it! The location was perfect, with a dinghy dock on shore practically right across from the pontoon. We were away from the noise of the restaurants ashore, but close enough to visit the town easily.

Mahon harbour is apparently one of the world’s largest natural harbours – it’s truly beautiful and although there are number of houses along the northern shore (the city is on the southern shore) it doesn’t have the feeling of being overbuilt or crowded. Even when the cruise ships docked at the terminal and the passengers spilled into town, we never felt overwhelmed with people. One of the nicest things about being on the floating pontoon, however, was the opportunity to meet other cruisers. We had interacted with some in the mooring fields and anchorages, but it’s not the same thing. At our pontoon we met a lovely German/Swiss couple, who ironically had been moored beside us at Isla de Colom; we also met a couple with two young children who have a beautiful Antares 44 and who plan to circumnavigate the globe.

After farewelling Karl on the Monday, we settled down to getting Bisou ready for the trip to Sardinia. The weather window looked like being at least several days away so it was a good opportunity to explore Mahon a bit further as well as do some shopping, cleaning and relaxing in between. Our only disappointment with Mahon harbour was the cleanliness of the water – there were several mussel farms alongside the northern shoreline near our pontoon and I am not sure how they can be healthy to eat. The water visibility was next to nil and when I went into the water to take a look at Bisou’s hull and props to see if they needed cleaning, I could scarcely see 30cm in front of me! In addition, there were cruise ships and ferries coming and going daily, and harbour tour boats every hour! Mussels are filter-feeders and would have been feeding on all the ‘muck’ in the harbour! I swam almost every day but always felt the need for a soap-and-water shower afterwards.

Tad made a foray up the mast to check that everything was in order and discovered that it and the lines were filthy! This led to us giving Bisou a good soaping scrub (including the mast, the stays and the lines) inside and out! Our fellow pontoon companions all had the same idea at the same time – the women were doing laundry and hanging it out to dry as soon as the outside of the boats were shiny. It was a busy cleaning day at the pontoon!

Overnight we had a few splatters of rain, but more importantly, the red dust had arrived! We had been warned by locals of this insidious dust that comes from the Sahara (although Tad is convinced it’s local dust from Menorca!) and coats everything – you need to scrub it off quickly as it can stain the white gel coat. We woke the next morning to find a thin layer of dust over everything and so back to the spray hose we went! Wiping down the solar panels, windows, etc. to prevent them streaking.

Believe it or not, the same thing happened overnight again the next night and we had another hosing session the next day! Tad said that he had never washed a boat as many times in such short succession EVER!

Finally, a week to the day that we arrived in Mahon, the winds were predicted to be favourable for our departure to Sardinia. An early morning (6:30am) motor out of the harbour was quiet and uneventful as we set course for the southwest coast of Sardinia.