Wet and windy Menorca

We had a lovely sail from Mallorca to Menorca (60 miles), we are not quite back in the habit of the early starts so leaving at 6.30am was a bit of a struggle.  The first couple of hours were frustrating as we had to motor but the wind filled in and we had a southerly force 3-4 with just a very slight swell so we made speedy progress.  It was a cloudy day and were both in our ollies all day but it was really relaxing and apart from a couple of ferries and a container ship it was uneventful as we sat reading our books.  We had a pod of 5 dolphins join us just after lunch although they didn’t stay for long.  Visibility was good and we could see the island from about 15-20 miles out.  We rounded Punta Prima at 15.30 with yet another lighthouse.

Punta Prima lighthouse

It was quite spectacular entering Mahon harbour with the surrounding fortifications and various islands that are dotted around the harbour.  By 17.00 we were all tied up on a floating pontoon just outside the main town – 2 minutes on daisy dingy to get ashore.

The next couple of days consisted of rain and strong wind so we were glad to be safely moored up but on more than one occasion we were panicking and adjusting lines to prevent us from hitting the pontoon.

Whilst the weather was not too good we visited the Menorca museum which was really interesting. Menorca has an interesting history with prehistoric remains at various locations on the island, it has also been occupied by many civilisations including the Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans and Moors and in more recent history the French, Spanish and British have all occupied due to its strategic position in the Med.

When the sun came out we were able to walk around harbour to various pretty Calas which at this time of year are almost empty but also take in the views of beautiful harbour.

Isla Del Ray - Island in Mahon harbour

La Mola across Mahon Harbour

Cala Font in Mahon Harbour

We were also treated an amazing dinner thanks to Alex & Carol on Kotare, we were the only boats on the pontoon and so nice of them to invite us to dinner. It was really nice to have an opportunity to chat about where we had been and plans for future and take advantage of Carols amazing culinary skills!