JFM is a real gent

[Lozzer]

John

Great pleasure to meet you, thank you for your help truly appreciated.

If you are ever on the Costa del Sol I WILL return the favours for sure.

Regards

Lawrie

 

[jfm]

Hi Lozzer. It was a pleasure to meet you guys too (Background for readers: Lozzer is captaining a brand new Squadron 78. This boat was in build in the Factory in April this year when I was about to sign the order for mine. It has since been delivered and is on its maiden cruise: Costa del Sol, South of France, Menorca, etc. I helped them get a nice berth in Antibes on Mole Sud for this week, and had the pleasure of meeting Lozzer and the delightful owners of the boat for a few beers on board yesterday, in Antibes)

I'll definitely bank that offer of help in the Costa del Sol - for a cruise next year or the year after, and/or on my delivery trip.

I hope rest of your cruise goes well. The boat was looking pretty awesome and brand new

 

[jfm]

Lozzer, we talked about Menorca anchorages and I couldn't remeber the names, and the chartlet we had to hand was a bit small. I'm back at home now and have my big Menorca chart, so I've listed some anchorages below. I already had pics in photobucket so have linked to them. Anyone else who knows Menorca please feel free to chip in some more - Lozzer is off there this week and it's his mission to take the guests to loads of nice places

Mahon itself is lovely. Good fuel berth, opens at 8am, and there can be queues; you might want to tie up there at 6am or late the night before.

My berth in Mahon

Mahon is a proper port. This photo is from my boat while moored on her berth. You look onto a real harbour, not a load of marina pontoons

Entering Mahon in the evening (blinding sun!)

Exiting Mahon in the morning

When you leave Mahon you turn left or right for the N or S coasts of the island, and the choice will ususally be based on where the wind is coming from.

From Mahon going anticlockwise to the N coast:

West side of Isla Colom is nice, 7/10. 39deg 57.8N, 4deg 16.5E


Pudenta is gorgeous, if you want somewhere very quiet, a bit moonscape-ey, no-one at all on the shore. 8/10. 40deg 03.37N, 4deg 10.03E. Also it's good spot to run the jetski, and you can take the jetski round to a shallow inlet/beaches at 40deg 03.37N, 4deg 09.7E. Here is a pic approaching the Pudenta anchorage with a little beach at the top of the anchorage, then a couple of pics looking back at the boat from the little beach

Further on, Pregonda is lovely. 40deg 03.37N 4deg 02.67E. It has some nice sandy beaches that get quite busy but it also has a nice little island with sandy beach that you can tender to - this is a quieter beach because only reachable by boat. Pics below, taken on that island/beach

Now going South from Mahon, clockwise around the island:

I never went there, but people say Isla del Aire is nice. SE corner of Menorca



Cala Porte is busy, with hotels on the cliffs, but a very nice bay. 8/10. Great swimming, totally turquoise. 39deg 52.14N, 4deg07.96E. This has the disco caves in the cliff face on the E side as you enter the anchorage - pic below - if you get to check the nightclub out let me know what it's like!

Further west is Trebeluger 39deg 58.8N, 3deg 59.4. Turquiose water, sandy beach. This is the one with the very laid back nudist beach. Not crowded, because not served by roads. Great spot. There's a river behind the beach which we kayaked up. 9/10. I don't have any pics on photobucket - can find some later



Next, Cala Mitjana 39deg 55.97E, 3deg 58.34E. This is gorgeous, with great sandy beaches. Some boaters complain because the yellow no-anchoring line of buoys is well offshore, but I didn't find it a problem and anchored right on the line. There is some nice cliff diving into the sea on the E side of the bay. Great spot, 9/10. 3 pics below of this bay, and my kids/their mates on the cliff-diving cliffs

Also, just to the east of Mitjana, around to the next bay, there is a tunnel running E-W thru the headland that is hard to see from the sea but if you can find it you can take the tender right through

Next is Cala Galdana. This is the next one along (ie, west of Mitjana). It's the one with the big hotel that I pointed out in your pilot book. I'd give it a miss because of the hotel, though it is ok



Going further west, next you come to Cala Macarella. 39deg 56.15N 3deg 56.3E. Totally gorgeous, 9/10. There were several pics of this in MBY's feature on menorca about 6-9months ago. Very picturesque turquiose anchorage with a couple of beaches. Pic here (which doesn't do it justice)

Finally, Cala Turqueta is also meant to be nice, though I never got there 39deg 55.75N 3deg 54.92E. After this it gets hotelly, and there are roads serving the beaches so it's busy. Then you get to the bottom left hand corner of the island

If you spend the afternoon in these Calas on the South side you have a lovely run back to Mahon in the evening with the sunset over your wake and the cliffs in view

Oops I seem to have turned this into a trip report . Anyway, hope this is helpful!

 

[Firefly625]

yes jfm, indeed it was a trip report, but a nice one & as always one that turns me a nice shade of green.... your old squadie looking very smart.

 

[benjenbav]

Fairline Squadron 58


This is this week's MBY spot the boat isn't it?


Seriously, nice report. The inflatable canoes look good - as previously described.

How much of Mahon is still the British naval port of the eighteenth/nineteenth century? From the pix it looks like the waterfront has been largely changed but maybe not completely.

 

[Lozzer]

Thanks for those JFM, I think we will try and spend some nights at anchor whilst there and those bays look fab.

Off to Monaco now for lunch...

 

[jfm]

Fairline Squadron 58


This is this week's MBY spot the boat isn't it?


Seriously, nice report. The inflatable canoes look good - as previously described.

How much of Mahon is still the British naval port of the eighteenth/nineteenth century? From the pix it looks like the waterfront has been largely changed but maybe not completely.

you're half right. The other half of the answer is a Sevylor Colorado. Seriously good toy; we have a pair of them and lash them on the foredeck when we are using them day to day

Yes Mahon is very noticeably a naval port. It is a very long run in to where the yacht berths are - perhaps 2-3 miles. For the first (east) part of the run in there are lots of military buildings, and there is a big island in the middle with military stuff. Then you see a few holiday villas and stuff, and it only gets really busy at the far west end where the berths are. You don't need a yacht berth becuase there are plenty of free anchorages on the N side where you have the full shelter of the natural harbour. It is a lovely harbour to sail into; really one that you have to do in your sailing career

My list (in no particular order) of the "must helm into in your sailing career" 7 wonder harbours of the world is this, though if anyone knows better please shout (HK, NY, Auckland, Falmouth should maybe be on there?).

1. Mahon
2 Valetta
3 Istanbul
4 Bonifacio
5 Sydney/Harbour Bridge
6 San Francisco/Golden Gate
7 Cork

 

[coliholic]

Excellent post again John, I hear Thomas Cook are looking for freelance travel writers, if you need a few quid to buy odds 'n sods for the boat, I'll put a word in (Daughter works for them).

And re ports you've missed, how about Kings Lynn?

 

[MedDreamer]

Ah happy memories jfm.

We were in Menorca for two weeks at the end of June but boatless. for eleven of those days the weather was just perfect and the sea like a pond - Bloody typical considering that the last time I took my bost there we were stuck in Mahon for 5 days due to the weather.

I'm sat at my desk without access to charts or pilot book so can't remember all the names but here are a few extra spots which spring to mind.

Son Saura, just west of Turquetta is a more open Cala but if Macarella/Turquetta are busy you should find somewhere to anchor a 78 footer. Not an overnight place as its open to the south but lovely water for a day at anchor.

The island you were thinking of off Pregonda is Isla Colom and is a very nice spot.

The north coast has some good anchorages too but you do have to watch the weather on this coast.

Fornells is a good sheltered spot and the port has some of the better restaurants, although none quite as good as they think they are. The bay offers the best shelter on the North coast for overnighting although it is quite shallow so care needs taking.

Nice day anchorage off Son Parc beach, but open to the north so choose with care.

It gets a bit more rugged on the north west corner and again weather needs watching but from memory Cala Morrell is lovely.

 

[petem]

Them's v.big fenders or a v.small girl on the bow!

Pete

 

[jfm]

Excellent post again John, I hear Thomas Cook are looking for freelance travel writers, if you need a few quid to buy odds 'n sods for the boat, I'll put a word in (Daughter works for them).

And re ports you've missed, how about Kings Lynn?

Tee hee. Your daughter should just grab Hurricane's trip reports off here and submit them to TC and claim a bonus. Sorry about Kings Lynn; I will think about it for the next issue of the list. Briefly

 

[jfm]

Ah happy memories jfm.

Yup, all lovely waters. That 3 weeks last summer is my only time there, but I plan definitely to go back, next year probably. I'd like to see Ibiza too; I've never been there but it looked nice in Hurricane's post the other day

You sound like you're missing it. Any plans to venture back to boat/Balearics?. Maybe it's worth your while chartering from Vitesse or someone, to get a quick fix?

 

[jfm]

Them's v.big fenders or a v.small girl on the bow!

Pete

Bit of both Pete

 

[Hurricane]

I've just seen your pics of Mahon.
I seem to have missed the one of the quayside before
This one

Just looked out my old snaps
Two Princesses i(Jenny 7 and Jennywren) in side by side in exactly the same spot as you.
Pic taken last year with a ship load of forumites on board.

Fab place - only 180 miles from our home berth - we must go back again sometime.

 

[jfm]

I've just seen your pics of Mahon.
I seem to have missed the one of the quayside before

Fab place - only 180 miles from our home berth - we must go back again sometime.

Ha! Looks like we got almost the same spot! Great place. Yes I remember your pics from a couple of years ago when you were berthed beside Jenny 7. Mahon is 268nm from my home berth but that's easily do-able in a long (calm)day. I'm definitely going back, probably next summer

 

[MedDreamer]

The weather certainly made me miss having a boat to explore more of the south coast calas but overall still quite happy being a landlubber at the moment.

Keeping the ICC up to date though so we can charter in future if we feel like it

 

[longjohnsilver]

you're half right. The other half of the answer is a Sevylor Colorado. Seriously good toy; we have a pair of them and lash them on the foredeck when we are using them day to day

Yes Mahon is very noticeably a naval port. It is a very long run in to where the yacht berths are - perhaps 2-3 miles. For the first (east) part of the run in there are lots of military buildings, and there is a big island in the middle with military stuff. Then you see a few holiday villas and stuff, and it only gets really busy at the far west end where the berths are. You don't need a yacht berth becuase there are plenty of free anchorages on the N side where you have the full shelter of the natural harbour. It is a lovely harbour to sail into; really one that you have to do in your sailing career

My list (in no particular order) of the "must helm into in your sailing career" 7 wonder harbours of the world is this, though if anyone knows better please shout (HK, NY, Auckland, Falmouth should maybe be on there?).

1. Mahon
2 Valetta
3 Istanbul
4 Bonifacio
5 Sydney/Harbour Bridge
6 San Francisco/Golden Gate
7 Cork

I'd add another 2 to the list. Nowhere imho beats Dartmouth, even though we're now berthed there it it's still the best place I've ever been by sea.
And another special entrance are the twin towers of La Rochelle. Could start a whole new thread...........