Ibiza

The island of Ibiza is just a short hop, around 10 nautical miles north of Formentera. While it is best known for its legendary nightlife and famous sunset bars, Ibiza is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognised for both its cultural heritage and rich marine environment. Around its coastline are more than 50 sandy beaches and hidden coves, many with crystal clear turquoise waters.

After passing Ibiza town with many cruise ships and ferries in the port, we arrived at Cala Talamanca. As the surrounding waters are protected, extra care has to be taken to ensure that the Posidonia seagrass is not damaged. We managed to anchor in one of the few sandy patches beneath the surprisingly clear blue water. Some of these underwater plants are believed to be thousands of years old, making them among the oldest living organisms on Earth.

The bay is within walking distance of Ibiza Town, black clouds were threatening stormy weather but it was still very hot, so once the day had cooled a little, we rowed ashore and strolled along the promenade. Hotels lined one side while marinas filled with superyachts stretched along the other.

Reaching the town, we wandered along the seafront and through the bustling streets to the historic old town, Dalt Vila, which is over 2,500 years old. Founded by the Phoenicians around 654 BC, it is considered one of the best preserved Renaissance fortified towns in the Mediterranean.

Passing through the ancient gateway in the city walls, we climbed up to the castle on top of the hill, where we had spectacular views across the town, harbour and surrounding coastline. The traditional architecture of Ibiza is mainly whitewashed houses, thick stone walls and flat roofs which were designed to keep interiors cool during the hot summers.

As we made our way back down through the quiet narrow streets to the main square it was very busy and restaurants were beginning to fill with people enjoying the evening. We found a lovely little bar, perfectly situated for people watching, there were also street entertainers with acrobatics and music. We enjoyed some excellent food and a few drinks before the walk back to the dinghy.

We stayed in the bay for a few days and Paul took the outboard engine apart, drained the fuel and thoroughly cleaned all the components. It started first time afterwards, but unfortunately it still refused to run properly.

We headed back into town and visited several chandleries in search of a small electric outboard to use as a temporary replacement until we could get Ed repaired. On the way, we passed Pacha, one of Ibiza’s famous nightclubs, now eerily quiet after the previous night’s entertainment.

Sadly, nobody had the particular outboard we were looking for in stock, and we were told it would be several weeks before any became available, so we rowed back to ZigZag empty handed. Paul’s arm muscles are certainly getting a good workout!

Our water tanks were beginning to run low, but rather than book into an expensive marina just to fill up, we heard about a marina 6 nautical miles further north that allows visiting boats to moor on the dock and use the water for up to 30 minutes for a fee. That gave us just enough time to refill our tanks and wash some sand off of Ziggy before continuing on our way.

Our next stop was another 13 nautical miles towards the northern end of the island. With hardly any wind, we had to motor the entire way to Racó de sa Talaia. The coastline on this side of Ibiza was far more rugged, with steep hills, dramatic cliffs and rocky headlands.

We anchored in a beautiful little cove sheltered beneath towering cliffs, with just a few houses clinging to the hillside. At first, we had the anchorage entirely to ourselves, but as the afternoon wore on, three more boats arrived to enjoy the peaceful surroundings and exceptionally clear water.

In complete contrast to our few nights close to Ibiza town, this secluded bay, was cut off from the outside world with no internet, phone connection or road access, it felt very remote, being completely out of reach was a peaceful surprise. We did notice a small staircase heading up the rock face which looked like the only access.

With friends, (our regular boat part mules), on their way to meet us in Mallorca, we planned the next step of our journey.