Mallorca - where would you/could you go in a week?

[crazy4557]

Which model Fairline is she - guessing T40 / T43?
She is a fabulous looking boat in this setting.
Sorry for thread drift

That's a Targa 43.

 

[PEJ]

Just do Palma to alcudia then pay a skipper to drive the boat back to Palma and fly home

Hmm... That is a good idea. Or I suppose you could do a Hurricane style one off night time passage to get back to Palma.

 

[Hurricane]

Motorboat and Yachting April 2014 has just landed on my doormat.

Page 86 to 88 has a report on my last year's Mallorca trip.

 

[oldgit]

That's a Targa 43.

Not my boat...... yes it is a T43.
My real claim to fame was constantly whinging on about the zips on the tent thingy and eventually he gave in and bought a proper boat ie. P46.
Have an arrangement.
In UK we use my boat to creep everywhere at 6 knots in the drizzle and I feed him Shepards pie and cheap beer in my club canteen.
In Majorka,we go long distances at WOT to expensive beach resturants and to make up for that tightwadsisness he has to feed me in the Club Nautico with at least 2 decent bottles of good wine.
Pretty fair deal AFAIAC but he does not seem to appreciate my company sometimes.

 

[Deleted User YDKXO]

Mike, on the one hand you say that marina bookings need to be made, and on the other that weather may be an issue. I presume if you've made a booking in peak season you'll have to pay regardless, and secondly you may be turfed out of where you are even if you can't go on to the next destination cos of the weather as others have already booked the space you're in.

Not knowing Med weather, is it that reliable in August that the above scenario is irrelevant? Also from what you've written in the past, aren't lots of the August visitor prices very high, more so for a cat?

Of course Med weather is much more reliable than the UK in August but its never 100% reliable especially around Menorca and the north coast of Majorca. The mistral occasionally blows out of the Golfe de Lion and whilst its usually weaker over the Balearics than in the Golfe de Lion, it could still blow a F5-F7 which will make anchorages on the north side of Menorca and Majorca untenable and the sea state in channel between Menorca and Majorca somewhat lumpy. The other factor is that the island land masses can modify and accelerate the wind. You really don't want to be cruising on the mountainous north west coast of Majorca in a mistral or indeed a strong southerly because the steep coast accelerates the wind and along that coast, there are few places to hide. The southern section of the Balearics ie Ibiza/Formentera seems to have generally more settled weather but even there I have been caught out on occasions.
With regard to marinas, bear in mind that I left in 2009 so things might be a bit easier now with regard to visitor moorings but when I was in Majorca, I would always try to book ahead and sometimes well ahead. One year I planned to 'do' Menorca for our August holidays and I booked a berth in Mahon in April for a week in August and apparently just got in on time because it was the last berth available! Having said that, I probably wouldn't book a berth now that I've visited Mahon because there are various mooring and anchoring facilities in Mahon. However, as is typical with charter contracts, the OP has to be moored in a marina overnight so he has to book ahead just to be on the safe side and especially as he is in a cat. In Ibiza the mooring situation is stupid in August; there are far more boats than berths and the charges are ludicrous (€375/night for a 15m berth in Ibiza Town in Aug 2009). The marinas didn't seem to operate a booking service when I was there; they just said ring back at 5pm and when you did ring at 5.01pm, they would say all the berths were full. And yes they will chuck you out if you stay beyond your allotted time. By some fluke, one year, we managed to get an overnight berth in Marina Botafoch in Ibiza Town in August but only because we had an engine problem. They reluctantly gave us a berth for 1 night only at some ludicrous price whilst I found a mechanic. The mechanic hadn't arrived by noon so I trotted off to the marina office to beg for another night's stay. They refused point blank and within an hour they'd towed us out of the marina to the nearest anchorage and abandoned us

 

[Monique]

Very factual info from Deleted User...

I would add ... get the charter company to do your bookings.

EXPECT to be on mooring or anchor; not enough berths on the islands.

GL