Anchoring and leaving the boat

[Ferrets]

I'm very new to sailing so apologies if I ask some daft questions to begin with! I'm planning to take the family sailing in Ibiza during the summer but have been warned that moorings are at a premium and may not be available at all. So we aim to anchor in some smaller sheltered bays.

I will have a tender with a small outboard but the question is... If we want to go and explore, maybe go to a restaurant, what do we do with the tender? Isn't it likely to be stolen if we leave it on the beach? Grateful of any advice!

 

[Trident]

You will want to have a padlock and cable for a dinghy in most places in Ibiza . Do check where you plan to anchor though as almost all the Callas in Ibiza and the rest of the Balearics are closed to anchoring this season due to seagrass loss - they released new rules at the beginning of this year and all the best anchorages are now no go zones; Portinax, Benearas, Talamanca, Port Roig etc etc - its pretty much ruined cruising completely as there is almost nowhere left to go except over priced buoys or marinas. Make sure you research thoroughly where you can still go

 

[Ferrets]

Many thanks and good to know. Anywhere left for anchoring? Presumably a similar story for Formentera?

 

[Tim Good]

We have a long Cobra Canle by Abus which can loop through itself and extend quite far. We'd row ashore if close which make stashing the dingy much easier and no worrying about the outboard. If we do have the outboard to secure we'd lock it to the dingy and also via the long cable also.

An alarm padlock which sets off a siren when moved can also be an option.

 

[sailaboutvic]

An alarm padlock which sets off a siren when moved can also be an option.

That's interesting , only problem is in most of the time dinghy are left on the water and these alarms are set off by movement .

 

[Trident]

Yes Formetara is the same as are Mallorca and Menorca - there are still some anchorages on all islands but quite few now and none of the good ones. IIRC even Calla Saona on Formentara is now out of bounds and that was perhaps the best spot in Balearics, though outside Sabina port I think is still ok . If you google you can find a copy in PDF of the notices they issued which have charts for all the islands with the exclusions clearly marked now

 

[Tim Good]

That's interesting , only problem is in most of the time dinghy are left on the water and these alarms are set off by movement .

Yes clearly you don't put it on when the boat is in the water and likely to shackle or move much.

 

[differentroads]

We've been cruising Ibiza and Formentera for five weeks now, anchoring six nights a week and haven't had a problem leaving our dinghy while we are ashore, whether it's been pulled up a crowded beach, anchored off a rocky shore, dragged up a ramp or tied to a swimming zone rope. We row everywhere, so no engine to worry about, but that doesn't seem to worry all the other boaters who seem not to bother about their engines. We only padlocked our dinghy once and then just because we had a chain and padlock with us and for once there was something to padlock it to!

 

[differentroads]

http://www.caib.es/sites/cuidamposidonia/en/posidonia_cartography/ for info and maps of where the Posidonia is and isn't. I downloaded the app because it has offline maps and many of the loveliest anchorages have poor or no phone coverage.

 

[differentroads]

http://www.caib.es/sites/cuidamposidonia/en/posidonia_cartography/ for info and maps of where the Posidonia is and isn't. I downloaded the app because it has offline maps and many of the loveliest anchorages have poor or no phone coverage.

 

[differentroads]

We're currently in our nineteenth anchorage in Ibiza and Formentera since late May. We were told all sorts of tales about it being impossible to anchor here but there are scores of free and hassle free anchorages to choose from. They include some gorgeous wild and remote places along with crammed spots off crowded beaches. You and your family should love it.
We've come across only one anchorage that was 'forbidden' - Cala Salada - and three that had bouys laid that you have to pay for, all in the nature reserve between Formentera and Ibiza. But even there I've seen a nature warden guide a yacht to anchor on a tiny patch of sand among the protected seagrass - Posidonia. The same warden ('vigilante' to locals , Posidonia Police to Brits) checked my anchor in the mooring field of Espalmador and declared herself satisfied. She explained that the Posidonia 'is our coral' and that we have to anchor carefully to not harm it. Fair goes, and I've only had problems finding a patch of sand to anchor on in three anchorages. In those cases the next Cala was only a couple of miles away. Not really a problem.
The anchorage near beaches with restaurants can be very crowded. Spanish and Italian boaters have different expectations of swinging room and personal space than us gringos. I've had to learn to accept it as the price of anchoring where we can get to a supermarket or do some people watching or go out for a meal. But we've also had stunning bays to ourselves overnight, with no boats, houses or even streetlights in view.
The price of overnight marina berths can be eyewatering (we was quoted 145€ for one night in Savina. We're only 10m!) Es Nautic in St Antoni is only 42€, so thats where we go to stock up on food, do laundry, buy fuel, fill up with water and spend a day not being sea gypsies

 

[sailaboutvic]

We're currently in our nineteenth anchorage in Ibiza and Formentera since late May. We were told all sorts of tales about it being impossible to anchor here but there are scores of free and hassle free anchorages to choose from. They include some gorgeous wild and remote places along with crammed spots off crowded beaches. You and your family should love it.
We've come across only one anchorage that was 'forbidden' - Cala Salada - and three that had bouys laid that you have to pay for, all in the nature reserve between Formentera and Ibiza. But even there I've seen a nature warden guide a yacht to anchor on a tiny patch of sand among the protected seagrass - Posidonia. The same warden ('vigilante' to locals , Posidonia Police to Brits) checked my anchor in the mooring field of Espalmador and declared herself satisfied. She explained that the Posidonia 'is our coral' and that we have to anchor carefully to not harm it. Fair goes, and I've only had problems finding a patch of sand to anchor on in three anchorages. In those cases the next Cala was only a couple of miles away. Not really a problem.
The anchorage near beaches with restaurants can be very crowded. Spanish and Italian boaters have different expectations of swinging room and personal space than us gringos. I've had to learn to accept it as the price of anchoring where we can get to a supermarket or do some people watching or go out for a meal. But we've also had stunning bays to ourselves overnight, with no boats, houses or even streetlights in view.
The price of overnight marina berths can be eyewatering (we was quoted 145€ for one night in Savina. We're only 10m!) Es Nautic in St Antoni is only 42€, so thats where we go to stock up on food, do laundry, buy fuel, fill up with water and spend a day not being sea gypsies

I enjoyed reading your posting , you will find tales of no where to anchor and no go country all over the Med , the only country that free and plentiful anchorages you hear is Greece of cause its untrue.
Has full time cruisers we never found problems with finding good anchorages , yes some places is harder then others and you have to do some research before hand, but the Med it littered with thousands of anchorages ,
Regulation are more and more , basically there just too many boats about now and so much damage is being done so we can all expect to see more and more regulation as time goes on .
In popular anchorage you will find it crowed , as I said just too many boats , and it's nothing to do with personally space , it's more that every one looking For a spot , the Italian I think are very good at closing the gap , it's a bit like driving down the motorway , if you leave too much of a gap some one will jump in , so they will park in such a way to not make that possible, on most still night that's fine plenty off fenders and the most that will happen is a little bump as everyone face in different directions no more then when your rafting up ,
it's when there a blow and people start dragging there a problem .
That comes down to knowing how to anchoring and we all have our own ideas on that , million or words have been written on the subject .
I really enjoy reading stuff where people are exploring places and not just going out and sitting in the same doz anchorages year after year and then try and tell others that country X is the only place to be ,
What has encouraged most of us to be cruisers which is a better word then liveaboard is story's we read in our younger days or explorers, so we go out buy a boat to do just that , only to end up on the same spots each year , just like beach goers .
In all the years we cruisers I tried hard to encourage other to try other places and country and the once that do are normally very surprise what they found and what they been missing out on .
Enjoy the rest of your cruiser .

 

[vyv_cox]

La Savina - we also enquired about a berth there, some years ago, as said, eyewatering. But we were also told that this marina is known as the most expensive in the Med in summer. It is a very special place and people are prepared to pay silly money to be there, capitalism at work.

However, it is very cheap in winter when nobody wants to be there. We met a couple we knew in North Wales who lived there in winter but anchored all summer when the price jump took place.

 

[differentroads]

Vic- thanks for those kind and encouraging words. And re. anchoring, I carefully thread my way through an anchorage looking for a patch of sand without rocks or boulders, not too close to adjacent boats and allowing for wind shifts, calculate the appropriate scope, then carefully dig the anchor in using increasing reverse power. Once settled, someone usually comes along next to me, dumps anchor and 20m of chain over the stem and by the time their boat is settled back they are in the dinghy heading for a restaurant or doling out the jetskis and other water toys just to spoil my day. The only time I've reacted was two days ago in Cala Bineras when a 50 foot charter cat manouvred to anchor in the 70 by 70 foot space between me and the neighbouring three boats. Time learning to swear in Spanish loudly and at great length turned out not to be wasted and he did 'vete a la mierde' pretty pronto!

Vyv - We went into the new marina in Savina in the last week of May for what we thought was a steep 45€ a night. When we tried to book in the first week of June it took two phone calls and much repetition before we accepted that they really did say 145€ for the self same berth! The anchorage outside the harbour were suddenly packed with local and foreign liveaboards.

 

[jdc]

I'm sure all the advice given so far is good. But I have personal experience to relate: I have a 'solid' gap dinghy.

I have left it on the beach when not using it for over 20 years. Some of the time it's been in Suffolk, some of the time near Falmouth, some of the time in Scotland, and for a couple of years in Spain, the Canaries, Cape Verde, Brazil, the Guyanas and the Caribbean. I leave the oars tied in with a sail-tie, and the boat is just tied up - no padlock. When ashore for a only few hours it often has the outboard on the transom. In all this time nothing has ever been stolen.

As far as I can tell it's RIBS and powerful outboards (9+ HP)which are stolen so my best advice is to use something else which doesn't have a second-hand value.

 

[stranded]

I'm sure all the advice given so far is good. But I have personal experience to relate: I have a 'solid' gap dinghy.

I have left it on the beach when not using it for over 20 years. Some of the time it's been in Suffolk, some of the time near Falmouth, some of the time in Scotland, and for a couple of years in Spain, the Canaries, Cape Verde, Brazil, the Guyanas and the Caribbean. I leave the oars tied in with a sail-tie, and the boat is just tied up - no padlock. When ashore for a only few hours it often has the outboard on the transom. In all this time nothing has ever been stolen.

As far as I can tell it's RIBS and powerful outboards (9+ HP)which are stolen so my best advice is to use something else which doesn't have a second-hand value.

+1 - 20 years cruising, simple box section padlocked tube to deter unscrewing motor (torqueedo with more expensive 915ah battery l) - never once locked dinghy, never once had any interference with it - and bear in mind, in most places it ain’t the locals you’ve got to worry about...

 

[sailaboutvic]

Like everything else things chance , I know of three dinghy just this year that was stolen from Siracusa but the weirdes one was one US friend who had his dinghy chained to his boat over night woke up to find someone stolen the propeller and his fuel tank .
Once we could leave our boats open and go off now everything need to be kept locked and chained unless one day you find it's gone .

 

[BobnLesley]

...it's RIBS and powerful outboards (9+ HP)which are stolen so my best advice is to use something else which doesn't have a second-hand value.

Definitely true. A couple of years ago back in the Caribbean we were investigating a new rib and outboard and causing looks of horror when we wouldn't even consider the Yamaha Enduro engines, lots of friends telling us that they were the best on the market. Whilst not disagreeing with their opinions, I was aware that whilst perhaps as many as 20% of cruisers in the Caribbean are using the Enduro engines, somewhere nearer 75-80% of all the stolen dinghies were fitted with the Enduro; everyone liked them best, not least the thieves.

Impressed too by Vic's post about looking around for alternative anchorages, in the Med and elsewhere we've been staggered by how often you see an anchorage 'recommended' by the Pilot Books that's full to capacity, but still has yachts circling in the hope of 'squeezing in' somewhere. A review of the charts will often show an alternative within a couple of miles, it may be further from the shops/taverna, but you can always visit those tomorrow once the 'recommended' anchorage has emptied out. Similarly, it might not offer quite such good protection (that after all is why that village grew-up there in the first place) but an 80% anchorage shared with one or two other boats is invariably a safer/better bet than a 90% one shared with fifty!
Another particular bug-bear of mine is when the weather conditions are perhaps 'out of the ordinary' for the area and as a result that 'recommended' anchorage is actually going to be bloody-awful. Yachts will still pile in there because Bruce Van Sant, Chris Doyle or the Gospels according to Saint Rodney said that it was good, then afterwards they'll bitch about their Pilot Books when the wind has 'as forecast' blown in the opposite direction to those that normally prevail.