We spent 7 days sailing around the island of Mallorca, Spain in the Mediterranean Sea, starting and ending in Palma the capital city.
Youtube link to the Mallorca Flotilla Sailing stills image video:-
To view the video select:- https://youtu.be/ops-4AINfIk
Sailing in Mallorca, Spain
We sailed around Mallorca, Spain in July 2018 for a week. The climate was typical mediterranean and ideal for sailing, and just before the very high season part of the Mediterranean summer, when most Europeans take the month of August off as their annual vacation.
A sailing holiday may not be everyone’s cup of tea, however, there is an enormous sense of accomplishment and enjoyment having done a few.
A sailing trip, such as this, would involve high levels of activity, particularly if you are crewing the boat yourself.
There are two types of boat hire, bareboat and flotilla sailing. A professional skipper hire is additionally available for either type of boat hire.
Bareboat charter is yacht charter holiday without a hired skipper, so one or more of the charter guests will be sailing the boat themselves. Sailboat charter on a bareboat yacht either requires a valid licence or proof of sufficient sailing experience. In some countries a second member of the charter needs to have sailing experience, too. Since there is no crew, the charterers of the yacht will also do any required provisioning, cooking, planning of itineraries etc
Flotillas are available for varying skill levels from Easy to Advanced level. Conditions such as wind, tide, distances and mooring methods determine the experience required to sail in each area. You can be as independent as you like, but your Lead Boat Crew are always nearby in case you need any assistance during your trip. They will also recommend the best anchorages, harbours, restaurants and places to visit.
A possible option for sailors who do not have too much experience would be a combination of skippered and bareboat charter. They could hire a skipper to sail the yacht for the first few days and gradually take over until they feel confident to navigate the boat alone. Another possibility would be a flotilla charter with a lead boat and a guide that gives assistance.
If you use a skill scale of “1 - 5” for sailing around Mallorca, we would regard it as a level “three” and this level increases to a “four” the further south you go away from the lee side affect of the island itself.
We started acquiring our sailing expertise by doing a flotilla sailing week back in 2004, around the Ionian Sea in Greece. Sailing in this area during summer is a “one” on the skill scale as there is little or no tide difference and you can time your watch by the wind. It blows between 13.00 and 17.00 each afternoon, otherwise it is relatively benign.
We moved up a notch in experience when we did a flotilla sailing week back in 2013, around the British Virgin Islands, with our two adult children. We have also sailed in a flotilla back in 2016, along the Eastern coast of Mallorca, this we would regard as a “three” on the skill scale. So, we were well acquitted to skipper our own flotilla 41ft yacht around Mallorca in July 2018. As with every skill base, you build up your competency over time. You are never too late to start.
After 7 days sailing we flew directly back to Dublin from Palma Airport.
A sense of Sailing in Mallorca, Spain
The official currency of Mallorca is obviously the Euro.
If you get an opportunity during your travels in Mallorca, to visit Palma, do so, as it is a unique experience in a beautiful southern Spanish city in a coastal setting.
Our general experience of the people from Mallorca, was that they are very friendly and they all seem to have a particular liking for small children. Within the port calls themselves the staff, all Spanish, were courteous and friendly. The taxis are very reasonable and work on a system of a radius from their town of origin. The shops and the restaurants were all clean, up to date and very inviting, with a wide variety of delicious food, especially seafood. The street sellers were non pushy and in no way intimidating. You get a unique perspective of the coastline from the seaward side while sailing.
Recommendations for Sailing in Mallorca, Spain
There is no language barrier, if you speak only English. The vast majority of both young and old speak English.
So it lends itself to undertaking trips that can be self directed. The hire cost of a car when you come ashore is very cheap in comparison to Irish prices.
If you have never done sailing before, think of it like "glamping", for those familiar with glamorous camping terms. Counter-intuitively, the bigger the boat the easier it is to handle but this theory reached its point of diminishing return after boats of 50ft in length.
Generally, all overnight stops are at mooring buoys/anchor or alongside quays.
Overnight mooring costs are not paid in advance and are not included in the overall package cost. Payment can be made at the bar managing the moorings, or usually someone will come out to your boat to take payment. Dockage in marinas typically starts at one Euro per foot per night.
Our must see recommendation for a trip Sailing around Mallorca, Spain.
(1) The actual excitement and freedom of sailing itself, particularly in warm waters with the sun shining in all its splendour, is truly fantastic;
(2) Our second choice would be the availability of numerous excellent and very different ports and beaches;
(3) Our sail down and back to the Isla De Cabrera, a six hour sail each way, was very memorable, entering into the Bay is like a scene from Jurassic Park.
Cost per person, works out at the total cost of the one week boat hire 2,500 Euro divided by the number of passengers on board. The 41ft boat we hired had accommodation for six.
“You should travel away from home, to really appreciate the value of what you have at home, on your return.”
Link to our How to Sail for beginners video, made in Rodney Bay, St Lucia.
General sailing boat tips:-
- No matter how big the boat you hire, space is still at a minimum onboard a boat;
- When food and drink provisioning for a boat trip, try to resist the temptation to over provision on your first day shopping;
- The one provision to spend the higher price on is your water provision. A greater chance that your water will taste nice;
- Not everyone gets sick on a boat trip. For those who do, try getting a combination or all of:- wearing a sailing bracelet; wear a seasickness patch; take medication such as Dramamine or Bonine; eat lots of ginger biscuits;
- Boats do not have a ton of storage space so using soft-sided luggage, like a duffel bag or a soft backpack is recommended;
- Bring along ample cloths pegs for hanging out your cloths to dry;
- Cut back on bringing grooming equipment, but bring a lot more shorts, tee-shirts and underwear;
- Invest in a pair of lightweight waterproof footwear, preferably shoes that float, crocs fit the bill perfectly;
- Attach something recognisable onto your dinghy to make it stand out to you and others amidst a bunch of dinghies that all look the same in the dark;
- Do a thorougher check of all your boat equipment before you leave the initial base port to make sure everything is ship shape and Bristol fashion.
Comments