This last week we have been getting a taste of Menorcan life: a touch more laid-back and relaxed after the cosmopolitan life in Mallorca, and certainly less wild than the party atmosphere in Ibiza!
Arriving in Menorca after a straightforward passage across from Mallorca, our plans were turned topsy-turvy when we got a call from the harbour in Ciudadela, our intended port of arrival: they were full! Undeterred, we decided to anchor in a pretty bay on the south of the Island – Cala de Son Saura. The pilot books warn of exposure to Southerly winds and swell but with a forecast of Northerly winds, we were happy. The anchorage was quiet, the seas warm and crystal clear, and we had a great few hours enjoying lunch aboard and swimming. Later that afternoon, however, the winds changed and we found ourselves in an increasingly uncomfortable swell. Fortunately, at that moment we got a call from Ciudadela – they had found a space for us after all!. So we returned to plan A and entered Ciudadela.
Ciudadela proved to be a great spot. It is the most ancient harbour in the Balearics, and has beautiful architecture, an old harbour lined with boats, and terrific bars and restaurants round every corner. Needless to say, we sampled a few of the bars and restaurants in our short stay there.
The only downside was the cost of berthing Merryn – €150 per night – ouch!. Consequently, when the winds returned to Northerly, we reluctantly left Ciudadela and returned to Son Saura for a night at anchor back in this lovely bay – curiously now much more crowded with local boats than on our first visit. Clearly the locals had a much better knowledge of the weather conditions and had decided to stay away on our first visit.
The next day we sailed clockwise around the island to the sheltered Cala of Fornells – a beautiful lagoon some 1 x 2 miles across, but entered through a narrow gap in the cliffs, giving almost total protection from the elements outside. We stayed two nights, enjoying both an evening at a local restaurant and an evening eating aboard, and appreciating the most relaxed nights’ sleep we have yet had at anchor!
The calm conditions inside Fornells bay proved to be deceptive! On the 1st of September we left the bay for a passage to Mahon. Almost immediately on leaving the shelter of the bay we hit big seas, rain and some pretty robust winds! Merryn was more than up to the task (perhaps more so than her crew!) and under heavily reefed sails we made a rapid passage to Mahon – one of the largest and safest natural harbours in the world.
Just as we reached the entrance to Mahon, we had to quickly double back to avoid a huge ferry coming out of the narrow approach – there would not have been room for us as well!. Once inside the seas settled and we moored up at the Marina Port Mahon. The last three days have been spent wandering around Mahon, cleaning up the boat, provisioning, and preparing for our next passage – to Sardinia.
