Formentera and Ibiza

We didn’t stop for long in Formentera because we are trying to move onto Menorca as quickly as possible so we can spend a couple of weeks relaxing, so we sailed over to Ibiza the next day. We left in lovely sunshine and headed towards Espalmador which is a small island (joined by sandbank) just off Formentera. We could see the lighthouse and the cardinal buoy which we need pass but there was another object on the horizon but not on the chart, we initially assumed in was a marker on the end of the island or possibly a large boat anchored off the end of the island.  As we merrily sailed along, we then realised it was a boat but not in the water, it was on the land.  It is one of the ferries which travel from Ibiza to Formentara, someone was having a bad day!

Crash landed ferry off Espalmador!

Winds were light and we had to motor towards Ibiza and the huge ominous looking cumulonimbus cloud that seemed to erupt from the island. As we approached we could heard the most enormous claps of thunder and see forked lightning hitting the hills. 
  

Massive cloud erupting from Ibiza

As we entered the anchorage we had few spots of rain which only made the smell of the pine trees stronger, we quickly got our oilles and prepared for the downpour.  Luckily we managed to just get anchored before we were soaked to the skin. After days at see and the grey clouds overhead we were both were ecstatic to have hot shower and curl up for some hot food before sleeping like babies

Mark sheltering from rain

The sea being beaten to pieces by the rain

Pine trees at head of the Cala Longa on a grey rainy day

The next days were a bit of a blur involving lots of book reading and resting, the Cala was really quiet and by our second night we were alone in the Cala which turned out to be a good thing as we swung around all over the Cala with the strong winds gusting down the valley, we had thought we would have been sheltered! Another one of those sleepless nights worry whether the anchor will hold, it did.  Luckily the wind abated around lunchtime the following day so we could relax again.

Peaceful, pretty Cala Longa, Ibiza

The next couple days flew by without even leaving the boat, we did a few jobs on the boat, read more books, made friends with the local birds (Audouins Gull is one of the rarest gulls in the world with it's distinctive red bill with dark band and yellow tip, it also has wings longer that it's tail where you can see the pretty black and white stripe)  and wondered when our feet would next be on land – it had been over a week since we left Almerimar.

My new pretty friends

Mark up the mast

Beautiful blue sea and pine forest on the hills

Motoring out of the Cala as the sun rises