Yacht Zen Again: Ibiza to Mallorca

Thursday, 1 July 2021

Ibiza to Mallorca

Hi everyone,

Overnight we sailed 100nm from Cala Xarraca on Ibiza to Porto Cristo on Mallorca. It started with a very nice 6 hour sail in a fading ESE wind and ended with an 18 hour motor in very light E winds.

Motoring towards the dawn

Here are the plots....

Track

Track Detail

Graphs

And here are the vital stats for the passage…

• Distances/Speeds

• Route Distance = 97nm

• Logged Distance = 81nm (log still under-reading)

• GPS Distance = 101nm

• Duration = 24 hours

• Average speed over ground = 4.2 kt

• Minimum boat speed = 3 kt

• Maximum boat speed = 5 kt

• Weather

• Minimum wind speed = 3.5 kt

• Average wind speed = 8 kt

• Maximum wind speed = gusts to 17 kt

• Apparent wind angle range = 0 to 50

• Seas up to 1m

• 0.3m swell

• Clear skies!

• Engine

• Total = 18 hours

The passage started well at 1000 with a nice ESE breeze and full sail set. It was good to escape another rolly anchorage. Most anchorages in the Balearics seem to be open to the sea. And the Med seems to always have some swell. Winds often die at night, leaving anchored boats to turn beam-on to the swell and roll, roll, roll.

We couldn't hold our desired course with the ESE wind. The track shows how we were pushed north. Then as the morning progressed the wind veered into the SE which lifted us back towards our desired course.

By 1500 the breeze had fallen to 3-6 knots and our boat speed was falling below 3 knots. So on went the donk and we motored quietly along at 1600 rpm. The left over sea abated and by nightfall there was only a low swell remaining.

Mallorca's mountains through the haze

The night sky was spectacular with the Milky Way very prominent. At midnight Jupiter rose and was so bright it cast a 'stairway' on the water. Two hours later the half-moon rose, bright orange while close to the horizon, looking just like a slice of fruit. Saw a few shooting stars too.

We passed through the Freu de Cabrera (the strait between Mallorca and Cabrera) with the moon more or less directly ahead of us. That helped in looking for any fishing floats in the shallower water and happily none were encountered.

Once through the strait we could turn NE and follow the coast. There are many small Calas (bays) along the coast but nearly all are open to the SE and looked rolly. However the ports are better protected.

Passing Porto Colon

Passing one of the many Calas on the SE coast

Porto Cristo seems to be the closest port to eastern Menorca and that's why we chose to stop here. It's a busy port with a marina and lots of tour and private motor boats going in and out. Apparently they stop by mid-evening when it becomes a quiet anchorage. Hoping so! We're anchored in 6m over sand on the W side of the channel, just S of the breakwater. Anchoring on the E side of the channel is obstructed by a large buoyed swimming area.