South-West Ibiza

We’ve spent the past week pootling around the South-West coast of Ibiza. For peak season, there has been a distinct lack of crowds here. The drop in tourism thanks to COVID-19 is obviously damaging to local businesses, but we can’t pretend that we’re not enjoying having the place to ourselves in the height of summer.

Anchoring in the pristine bay of Cala Tarida (twice), we explored the cliffside grottos, snorkelled with the fish and enjoyed a few sunset BBQs. We also took the opportunity to scrub the underside of our hull using our new dive compressor, which should help save us from hauling out for a little while longer yet.

In Sant Antoni De Portmany we made a practical stop, picking up our first mooring ball in the process; another little milestone unlocked. We nosied the famous but empty sunset bars of Café del Mar and Café Mambo. We met up with fellow boat families for park dates, and we restocked the boat with provisions and chandlery finds.

And then we tucked ourselves away at the very south of the island in Ses Salines from the notorious mistral - the strong, cold wind that blows in from southern France - as she heralded the start of autumn. We managed to dodge the worst of it and survive our first storm outside of a marina; some more experience under the belt. The following day we celebrated with a little sangria on the beach under the setting sun. It’s been a week of achievements.