Another gentle sail or should we say motor sail to an anchorage close to Moraira, some 55 miles along the coast. Sadly the wind didn't materialise as predicted, if it had it would have been an excellent sail.

The day was hazy and we had cloud cover (for a change) so we didn't see a great deal of the coast until mid afternoon when the haze lifted, just past Benidorm and it's small off lying island of 'Isolote de Benidorm' in time to enjoy the view of a dramatical rock formation that ends with the Punta del Albir lighthouse.

By late afternoon we passed over the Greenwich Meridian line so no more plotting west, but east instead. Bruce wasn't convinced that I would be able to capture the moment on camera, neither was I but amazingly I did! :-)


bang on the money... 00 00.000'E.

Shortly afterwards followed another distinctive headland with an equally impressive rock formation 'Pen de Ifach' with Puerto de Calpe hidden behind. This rock in particular reminded us of Gibraltar.


similar to Gibraltar?

Close to Puerto de Moraira is a small anchorage 'El Rinconet' where it is possible to anchor up to 150m from the shore in sand, rock and weed and it's reported to be reasonably protected from the wind with the exception of S and SE so we dropped anchor in a sandy spot and joined the seven yachts already at anchor for a tranquil night's sleep.

El Rinconet makes an ideal starting point for the 60 mile crossing over to Formentera... we can almost smell the Balearics from here!

We really don't know what to expect when we arrive at the Balearics. Once upon a time it was possible to anchor virtually anywhere but times have changed and anchoring is forbidden in many cala's due to marine conservation and protection. Instead the Spanish have laid a considerable number of buoys that can be booked and paid for online.

We registered on www.cbbasea.com, www.portsib.es and www.en.balearsnatura.com and are now able to reserve and pay online. The downside to booking ahead is that suddenly we have a timescale... pressure & stress. For bookings made via CBBAsea, we have to arrive at the buoy before 6pm and leave by 11am. If we don't arrive by 6pm the buoy can be taken by another yacht and we assume that we may not get a refund!

The direction and strength of the wind is a major consideration when deciding on an anchorage in the Balearics. If the wind changes direction or increases in strength it may make the anchorage uncomfortable or even untenable. With this in mind we will be continually looking at the weather forecast whilst cruising the islands. Without knowing how busy the islands are during the month of June we have decided to pre-book buoys in two cala's on Formentera until we better understand the position.

Total distance this season: 553.36 nautical miles