New Balearic Islands law effective from today.

[MapisM]

Nothing to see with the silly Spanish rules, but yesterday I experienced something which I thought others might be interesting to consider, before anchoring in places with a lot of Posidonia on the seabed.

We went out to a spot which is nice and sheltered, but with a very rocky seabed.
Been there many times, and if there's one problem I ever had with the anchor it was to recover it whenever it got stuck under some rock.
I never, ever reversed to check if it holds - if it goes down on a spot where it doesn't, another rock where it does is always just a few feet away.
So, yesterday I did the same - I deployed 30m or so in 8m of depth, turned off the engines, job done. It was only blowing a very gentle breeze, btw.
But I was shocked to see, in a matter of a few minutes, that we were more than a hundred meters away from where I dropped the hook.

So, time to turn the engines on again, weigh anchor, and shamefully repeat the maneuver.
I was so surprised that the anchor didn't grab something solid in the (relatively) long distance where we dragged, that I half expected the banana swivel to have broken, and I feared to have lost the anchor.
Otoh, what actually happened is that the anchor grabbed a pretty big chunk of Posidonia, down to its roots, which completely covered the fluke of the Delta anchor.
So, what obviously happened is that once fully covered with Posidonia, the anchor couldn't grab anything, and just slowly jumped from one rock to another.

Bottom line, better watch out for Posidonia and not drop the hook on it regardless of any rules!

 

[AndieMac]

Nothing to see with the silly Spanish rules, but yesterday I experienced something which I thought others might be interesting to consider, before anchoring in places with a lot of Posidonia on the seabed.

We went out to a spot which is nice and sheltered, but with a very rocky seabed.
Been there many times, and if there's one problem I ever had with the anchor it was to recover it whenever it got stuck under some rock.
I never, ever reversed to check if it holds - if it goes down on a spot where it doesn't, another rock where it does is always just a few feet away.
So, yesterday I did the same - I deployed 30m or so in 8m of depth, turned off the engines, job done. It was only blowing a very gentle breeze, btw.
But I was shocked to see, in a matter of a few minutes, that we were more than a hundred meters away from where I dropped the hook.

So, time to turn the engines on again, weigh anchor, and shamefully repeat the maneuver.
I was so surprised that the anchor didn't grab something solid in the (relatively) long distance where we dragged, that I half expected the banana swivel to have broken, and I feared to have lost the anchor.
Otoh, what actually happened is that the anchor grabbed a pretty big chunk of Posidonia, down to its roots, which completely covered the fluke of the Delta anchor.
So, what obviously happened is that once fully covered with Posidonia, the anchor couldn't grab anything, and just slowly jumped from one rock to another.

Bottom line, better watch out for Posidonia and not drop the hook on it regardless of any rules!

I hardly think one anchor drag over a seabed covered entirely by smooth, round boulders and thick sea grass constitutes a “shameless” description, I would never have even attempted it, let alone expect it to hold, even eventually.
Bart, on the other hand, drops his 500 kg dreadnaught and 3 tonnes of 1/2 inch chain, never expecting to ever drag

 

[MapisM]

Bart, on the other hand, drops his 500 kg dreadnaught and 3 tonnes of 1/2 inch chain, never expecting to ever drag

That's nothing.
He already impressed me with his attitude when he dived to look for a pair of glasses that fell in the water.
But the fact that eventually he found them is beyond belief. Hat off to him! :encouragement:

 

[AndieMac]

That's nothing.
He already impressed me with his attitude when he dived to look for a pair of glasses that fell in the water.
But the fact that eventually he found them is beyond belief. Hat off to him! :encouragement:

What a great result from the big guy, emptied two scuba air tanks looking for his crew members glasses among long sea grass and boulders. He told me this morning they were located a full arms length inside a rock crevice in 10 metres of water!
I told him ten years ago on the forum he looked like King Neptune, and after seeing him in his “natural environment” over the last few days, I think I may have been close to the truth

 

[aquatom]

Here’s a link for anyone who speaks Spanish or has a bit of time with google translate. It’s got a lot of info about some more restrictions they want to put in place, one restriction being that they want to enlarge the swimming areas in the 3 bays of Portals vells. It sounds like they want to stop boats from entering the 3 bays and restrict us to just the bit in the middle.

https://www.traveler.es/naturaleza/articulos/yates-que-destruyen-posidonia-calvia-mallorca/15662

 

[pan]

Interestingly it is in Conde Nast.... probably the least conservational luxury travel mag out there, usually promoting long haul high value holiday locations.

If all the measures alluded to in the article are imposed, I would expect the nautical sector in the Baleares to shrink by at least 25%, although reports in the Mallorca bulletin suggest package holiday bookings down by 30%, perhaps those in power don't care anyway..... until unemployment rates go through the roof of course :disgust:

Non resident boaters don't have a vote, so the only option to them is to do their boating elsewhere.... Adriatic? I haven't noticed the Baleares Nautical business sector kicking up much of a fuss, but they will be the ones who suffer the most, after all boaters can take their business elsewhere.

 

[Scubaboy79]

Hi all,

Just back from a week on the boat in Mallorca. Saw the weed patrol in Cala Mondrago (in a RIB with the word vigilante on the side) which was all fine as basically there's no weed in Mondrago. Then, the day before yesterday, we (a Princess 62 flybridge) were in anchored in Vells next to two P68s and our anchors were on the sand (I dived down to check), but the chain had drifted over the weed. Next thing, a vigilante RIB arrives (driven by a deadlocked fellow) who told all three boats (including us) that we had 30 minutes to move. He was not rude, but it was not a particularly pleasant encounter. You can imagine the chaos as three large Princesses try to find a new spot in a packed peak of the season Vells.....we gave up and headed to Cala Blanca instead and had a beautiful day/overnight there on anchor with no sign of the weed police......

 

[Hurricane]

Hi all,

Just back from a week on the boat in Mallorca. Saw the weed patrol in Cala Mondrago (in a RIB with the word vigilante on the side) which was all fine as basically there's no weed in Mondrago. Then, the day before yesterday, we (a Princess 62 flybridge) were in anchored in Vells next to two P68s and our anchors were on the sand (I dived down to check), but the chain had drifted over the weed. Next thing, a vigilante RIB arrives (driven by a deadlocked fellow) who told all three boats (including us) that we had 30 minutes to move. He was not rude, but it was not a particularly pleasant encounter. You can imagine the chaos as three large Princesses try to find a new spot in a packed peak of the season Vells.....we gave up and headed to Cala Blanca instead and had a beautiful day/overnight there on anchor with no sign of the weed police......

I Know it is difficult not being there but couldn't you have wound your chain in so that it wasn't touching the weed.
And then much later discretely letting it out again.
Depends on where you were in Vells.

It is beggars belief that they are targeting Vells.
Really makes people feel unwelcome.

 

[MapisM]

It is beggars belief that they are targeting Vells.
Really makes people feel unwelcome.

Maybe it's a strategy.
I recently read that Maiorca has the highest population density among Med Islands (Malta aside).
Almost as much as the UK, and 6 (yes, SIX, not a typo) times Corsica, 4 times Sardinia, 3 times Cyprus.
Who wants to go on holiday in a place as crowded as Piccadilly Circus? :ambivalence:

 

[Scubaboy79]

I Know it is difficult not being there but couldn't you have wound your chain in so that it wasn't touching the weed.
And then much later discretely letting it out again.
Depends on where you were in Vells.

It is beggars belief that they are targeting Vells.
Really makes people feel unwelcome.

With the benefit of logic, that would have been worth a try, but it didn't really feel like a negotiation. It was made clear that we had to move from the spot. When I gently suggested I would move in an hour (hoping he'd disappear), he got out a camera and took a photo of our boat! As I said, it wasn't that he was rude, but it wasn't a hugely pleasant encounter and - perhaps it's me - but I got the sense he didn't really approve of people like us in our big yachts....

 

[pan]

Portals Vells is the prime focus of the 'anti boater' brigade, there is a video on Ultima Hora (local online newspaper) purporting to show that it is grossly overcrowded with boats (although on the video there were less yachts than usual) & they have set up an 'information kiosk' on the beach about Posedonia etc. There is an agenda to try to stop boats anchoring in the bay. A few weeks ago there were 2 Red Cross kayaks checking every boat anchors & moving some, not sure what a charitable organisation was doing actioning something that is not part of their remit !

It has almost become a religous cult & part of the 'leftist' political diversion tactic from the real issues, there is a real sense from the activists that big boats are not welcome, which contradicts how hard the tourist businesses are trying to encourage visitors. It's not about Posedonia, it's about the clash of 'have & have nots'... who have the votes?

 

[Hurricane]

Portals Vells is the prime focus of the 'anti boater' brigade, there is a video on Ultima Hora (local online newspaper) purporting to show that it is grossly overcrowded with boats (although on the video there were less yachts than usual) & they have set up an 'information kiosk' on the beach about Posedonia etc. There is an agenda to try to stop boats anchoring in the bay. A few weeks ago there were 2 Red Cross kayaks checking every boat anchors & moving some, not sure what a charitable organisation was doing actioning something that is not part of their remit !

It has almost become a religous cult & part of the 'leftist' political diversion tactic from the real issues, there is a real sense from the activists that big boats are not welcome, which contradicts how hard the tourist businesses are trying to encourage visitors. It's not about Posedonia, it's about the clash of 'have & have nots'... who have the votes?

That explains a lot - and this present Posedonia issue.

A couple of years ago, we stopped in Vells overnight.
We have done it often - it isn't the best of calas but often comfortable.
On that occasion, we chose a spot near the edge and tied back.
It is a bit anti social with lots of other boats swinging whilst we weren't but we didn't seems to be getting in the way.
A small Spanish yachtie saw us and said that they had been "eyeing up" that idea so decided to take our lead and do the same.

Here is a pic:-

Early afternoon, we were approached by someone on the shore shouting that it is illegal to tie back to the shore.
We were confused but our (now Spanish yachtie friends) defended us against the rude comments from the shore.
The person on the shore said that he was going to phone the police so I rigged a kedge anchor at the shore line so that we weren't technically attached to the shore.
Indeed, an official boat did arrive and there was an argument between the Spanish yacht and the officials.

Our Spanish friends continued to hold their ground.
But then the huge "trip boat" arrived and tied back to his usual place (you can see the landing pads on the shore in the pic above).
The trip boat takes (literally) hundreds of visitors from Palma to their restaurant on the beach.
Our Spanish yachtie friend was to our starboard and got entirely caught up in the trip boat - huge mess of anchors and ropes caught under the trip boat.
To ease the situation, we released our kedge and did the same as the rest of the boats in the bay.
Actually, the trip boat was very humble - they knew that they had caused the problems so they sent out bowls of paella to all those boats affected.

In the evening, I reset our lines ashore and we had a very comfortable night - the pic was taken early in the morning when fewer boats around.

We didn't stay another night.

I put the incident down to the trip boat needing to continue his business but it seems that there are people out there with different ideas.

 

[Scubaboy79]

That explains a lot - and this present Posedonia issue.

A couple of years ago, we stopped on Vells overnight.
We have done it often - it isn't the best of calas but often comfortable.
On that occasion, we chose a spot near the edge and tied back.
It is a bit anti social with lots of other boats swinging whilst we weren't but we didn't seems to be getting in the way.
A small Spanish yachtie saw us and said that they had been "eyeing up" that idea so decided to take our lead and do the same.

Here is a pic:-

Early afternoon, we were approached by someone on the shore shouting that it is illegal to tie back to the shore.
We were confused but our (now Spanish yachtie friends) defended us against the rude comments from the shore.
The person on the shore said that he was going to phone the police so I rigged a kedge anchor at the shore line so that we weren't technically attached to the shore.
Indeed, an official boat did arrive and there was an argument between the Spanish yacht and the officials.

Our Spanish friends continued to hold their ground.
But then the huge "trip boat" arrived and tied back to his usual place (you can see the landing pads on the shore in the pic above).
The trip boat takes (literally) hundreds of visitors from Palm to their restaurant on the beach.
Our Spanish yachtie friend was to our starboard and got entirely caught up in the trip boat - huge mess of anchors and ropes caught under the trip boat.
To ease the situation, we released our kedge and did the same as the rest of the boats in the bay.
Actually, the trip boat was very humble - they knew that they had caused the problems so they sent out bowls of paella to all those boats affected.

In the evening, I reset our lines ashore and we had a very comfortable night - the pic was taken early in the morning when fewer boats around.

We didn't stay another night.

I put the incident down to the trip boat needing to continue his business but it seems that there are people out there with different ideas.

Ooh yes you're in prime trip boat mooring territory there! We have learned where those enormous day trip catamarans like to deposit their passengers and avoid anchoring in those areas - it's the same in Cala Mondrago.....they honk their horns and insist any yachts in the way move to allow them to pass. Not easy when you're anchor is down and in a packed Cala.....

 

[julians]

Tying back to the land/using a kedge Anchor in a bay as busy as portals vells is a bit selfish/antisocial as you do end up taking a significant amount of sea space because you don't swing with the other boats.

But in your case you were right next to where the trip boats do the same thing, so everyone would've been avoiding being in that area anyway because of the trip boats coming and going. I don't Anchor anywhere near that bit of sea because of the trip boats.

 

[MedDreamer]

According to the leaflet handed out by the marina office, the whole bay outside Cala D’Or marina is now a red zone with anchoring totally banned but when we were out there in a couple of weeks ago there were a number of boats of all sizes anchored in both Cala Gran & Cala D’Or. Think we saw a vigilante RIB one day in Mondrago but other than that no real evidence of anything different.

 

[jrudge]

In Cala Dor now. Not seen this. Cala gran has some sand. Today windy and a pita as most places you can’t go

 

[MedDreamer]

At 26ft we can still get to most places ?. Apparently despite the sand Cala Gran is officially designated a no anchor zone, according to the official leaflet at least.

 

[petem]

At 26ft we can still get to most places ��. Apparently despite the sand Cala Gran is officially designated a no anchor zone, according to the official leaflet at least.

What official leaflet is that?

 

[MedDreamer]

This one, although I think this one may be outdated now as I can’t see Cala D’Or on it.

https://media.superyachtnews.com/uploads/library/decret_posidonia cartografia-2018.pdf

Issued by the Balearic government, I think most marinas will have copies.

 

[Hurricane]

In Cala Dor now. Not seen this. Cala gran has some sand. Today windy and a pita as most places you can’t go

Whitelighter is on his way.
We had a discussion on the weather last night.
Our recommendation was to arrive at Dragonera no earlier than 10:00 this morning to miss the bigger swell.
It is an improving situation anyway.
We saw him and family in the bar last night - kids fed - eating late.
We reckoned that it would be a dark crossing - the most dangerous navigation bit would be the pots her around SC and the long fishing line markers off Mallorca.
But he should have been approaching Mallorca with some early daylight.

I think his plan is to go straight to Cabrerra.
Arrival sometime this afternoon.
The forecast shows that it should be sheltered in Cabrerra.

He is going to text me when he arrives safe and sound.