Ibiza – Our Beautiful Shelter from a Storm

Ibiza, another one of the Balearic Islands of Spain, is well-known for its lively nightlife and its outposts of major European nightclubs – especially in the towns of San Antonio and Ibiza. But, there are also quiet villages and beautiful sandy coves surrounded by pine-covered hills on Ibiza. We were in search of those during our two week visit in September!

Bright blue summer skies and barely a whisper of wind greeted us at 6 am when we left Port Andraitx on Mallorca. A quiet motor-sail followed for the next 10 hours across the Balearic Sea to our first anchorage on Ibiza at Ses Salines. Little did we know that we dropped anchor on one of the most lively and popular beaches on the island. But, we were looking for a quieter spot – so we were off again early the next morning.

Es Vedrá is a majestic rock that juts into the sky off the west coast of Ibiza. It looked nothing like its mysterious reputation when we first saw it on a sparkling clear blue day. Legends of the island of Es Vedrá include UFO sightings and magnetic instruments gone awry due to the magnetism surrounding this spot. Today the island is still a meeting place for meditation and healing energy.

We just enjoyed the beauty and quiet of a solitary anchorage for a few hours.

Es Vedrá is not a suitable nighttime anchorage, so we sailed easily back to Ibiza and anchored in Cala D’Hort – and still had front row seats to one of Ibiza’s most beautiful natural spectacles!

We continued up the west coast of Ibiza and discovered a jewel of a cove – Cala Portinax with beautiful beaches and a protected swimming area.  Very developed, but pleasant in a busy, summer holiday kind of way. We were able to practice our precision anchoring also.  There were only a few small sandy spots suitable among lots of posidonia, Mediterranean sea grass.

We woke up Sunday morning to predictions of a massive summer storm headed towards the Balearics at the end of the week. Knowing that there are very few marinas on ibiza – we made a few phone calls and luckily found a spot in Marina Santa Eulalia. Ultimately, we were forced to stay in the marina for 7 days – waiting for the weather to pass. Luckily, there were lots of other friendly cruisers there, and the coastal town of Santa Eulalia was adorable.

Before the weather settled in, we were able to explore the town and also nearby Ibiza Town.

A few days after we were settled in at the Marina Santa Eulalia, the forecasted ominous weather hit. We were very uncomfortable for two days or so – happy to be in a marina, despite being a little precarious just outside the seawall.

As soon as the weather broke, we headed across from the Balearic Islands to Cartagena, a coastal town on the mainland of Spain.

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