Lying 5 NM to the south of Mallorca is the archipelago of Isla de Cabrera with numerous off lying islands. The archipelago was declared a National Maritime Park and Terrestial Park in April 1991 by the Spanish government in order to preserve the indigenous plant and animal and bird life that is unique. The island group is therefore a restricted zone which requires a permit to visit. First challenge....getting the permit. After some confusion and help in Porto Cristo, we purchased (or so we thought) 2 nights on a mooring in Puerto de Cabrera.
We had another wonderful sail in light breeze with Code Zero aloft and Trilogy performed effortlessly. Cabrera is a rugged and hilly island, measuring 3 miles in each direction, indented by several deep bays and rising to 172 metres at Alto de Picamoscas. There is an excellent sheltered bay on the northwest side, known as Puerto de Cabrera, which has no port facilities beyond a couple of short jetties. Fifty visitor moorings have been laid and access to many of the other secluded anchorages has also been restricted.
Arriving in the late afternoon, our first trip ashore took us to the marine office and local store which sold drinks and icecreams mainly, however a small sign stated we could order bread for the next day, which we did. We liked the fact that the moorings were well spaced and everyone felt 'on their own' but we didn't like that it was so hot, with very little breeze flowing through Trilogy. It is one of the truly peaceful spots in the Balearics, without jet-skis, water skiers and speedboats, but daily ferries arrive from Palma in summer. We settled into another lovely evening, entertained by all that we could see until the light fell.
It is probable that Isla de Cabrera (Goat Island) and Isla Conejera (Rabbit Island) were inhabited in prehistoric times: traces of an ancient building have been identified and Roman and Byzantine ceramics and coins have been found. There is a magnificent castle overlooking Puerto de Cabrera which is thought to date back to the end of the 14th century and was probably built as a defence against Berber pirates, who were North Aftrican in origin. In the 16th century, the castle was destroyed and rebuilt on more than ten occasions. In the 17th century the number of pirate raids fell due to gradual European control of the Mediterranean. In 1715 Cabrera castle used its artillery for the last time when the fleet that had been sent to quell Mallorca in the War of Succession entered the port. From that time onwards, the castle was occupied by a garrison. During the Peninsula Wars in the early 1800's over 9000 French prisoners were interned on the island, where nearly two thirds died of disease and starvation. Prior to World War 1 the island was privately owned, but it was relinquished to the Spanish government in 1916, for reasons of national defence. In the 1950s the goats were removed and pinewood started to be increased to around 300 hectares today. On Carera agriculture, livestock farming and forestry are almost as old as human settlement.
Our day commenced with a visit ashore to climb the hill to the castle. This gave us a great view of the bay and out to sea. The tender outboard decided to not start on our departure and as no oars were on board, John went over the side to tow us back into shore. Finally the motor started and back to Trilogy for a circumnavigation of the island. Our interest was held all the way, with magnificent rocky cliffs, caves, lighthouse and bird life to observe. We picked up a mooring in Cala Es Borri but after a swim we continued.
On entering Puerto de Cabrera, we waited for a suitable mooring to become available and swam off the stern of Trilogy. Snorkelling around the rocky shore near Trilogy revealed plentiful fish of all sizes and colour in the water, better than anywhere we have previously encountered. Since 1991, fishing permits have been restricted to only the original twenty or so families who had traditionally fished the waters for a living.
At 18:00, Peter, Sue and Ros opted for an 8kms guided walk, up to the peaks and along the ridge lines of the island. Our guide Sylvia was well informed and answered our numerous questions about fauna and flora. The cooling breeze was a blessing as the humidity was high and we had done a lot of climbing on rough and stony four wheel drive tracks. It was well worthwhile as the views were amazing, although Sylvia said the haze was preventing us from seeing Mallorca more clearly. The sun set across the sea while we watched and we felt we had come to understand the topography of Cabrera from the land and sea.
Back at the starting point, we realised Trilogy was no longer on her mooring and was standing off, only a short distance from the jetty. In our absence, Garth and John had witnessed nearly 20 boats being told to move to different moorings and lastly they were informed were could not stay a second night as we did not have a booking. This was a disappointment indeed and no amount of reasoning about our understanding of the paperwork would change officialdom.
At 21:00, with the walkers back on board, Trilogy immediately left the port and sailed for Mallorca. We felt we'd been fortunate to see Isla de Cabrera, but somewhere in the translation we left confused as there were moorings still free. With a very light breeze to cool the air, a sliver of moon, Venus bright and only a faint Jupiter, we slipped away from this beautiful archipelago and returned to Mallorca, and anchored in Cala Caragol.