S'Espalmador
From CruisersWiki
Contents |
ESPALMADOR
A small privately owned island between Ibiza (Eivissa) and Formentera
Background
After rounding the small Islet to the SW of Espalmador enter the bay favoring the north west side of the bay as there are submerged rocks to the SE. Once in the bay, depths shelve gradually towards the beach.
This is a very popular anchorage. The bay is managed as a marine park and dozens of new moorings have been laid throughout the bay. Day tripper charter tour boats pull up at the SE end of the beach, and consequently the NW end is generally quieter. The moorings are free for day or overnight use so there is really no reason to anchor unless all the moorings are occupied, in which event there is a small anchorage area free of mooring balls.
Although the moorings are free, they can be reserved so make sure you check that your proposed mooring buoy doesn't have a reserved label on it before tieing on. This is a great overnight anchorage. It is almost completely protected from any direction, particularly the SE part of the bay (but see note regarding day trippers above). The bottom is light weed over sand with good holding.
This is a private island and visitors are only allowed on the beach areas, although many make the trek inland to the mud bath (see below). The beach is fine white sand and the water clean and sometimes weedy. During one visit the bay was plagued with small jellyfish. With the exception of another anchorage in the NW corner of Espalmador which we have not yet explored, this is the only protected anchorage on Espalmador or Formentera. There is a marina at Formentera but it is the most expensive we have yet seen in the Med so this bay gets pretty full in season.
There is a designated "swimmers only" zone along most of the beach. There is an area at the SE end of the beach which is used for beaching dinghies and is also used by the tour boats. Despite the swimmers-only zone, most cruisers choose to dinghy to shore at the NW end of the beach. The beach has some gradient to it and perhaps because of this many cruisers anchor their dinghies in knee- deep water and wade in to shore.
This is a completely undeveloped beach with no facilities. You are welcome to stroll along the beach, but the rest of the Island is off-limits. Despite this, there are a number of well trodden trails through the scrub and many visitors make the short hike to the mud salt flats in the middle of the island where the famous "Blue Mud" is found. The mud is reputed to do wonders for the skin and you shouldn't be surprised to find naked blue people wandering around! If indulging in the mud, the usual technique is to daub it on all over, let it dry, then wash it off in the sea. It comes off surprisingly easily and does not stain fabric as far as we can tell. Alan Teed 23:07, 13 December 2007 (MST)
Charts
Submit the chart details that are required for safe navigation.
Radio Nets
Also see Cruiser's Nets
Weather
Local weather conditions?
Sources for Weather forecasts:
Tourism and Things to do Ashore
Tourism
List places of interest, tours, etc.
Fuel, Water, & Electricity
Laundry
Grocery & Supply Stores
Eateries
Internet/WiFi
Available?
Motorbike & Car Rentals
Marine Stores & Facilities
Submit addresses and contact details of marine related businesses that are of interest to cruisers.
Repairs/Yards
Garbage Disposal
?
Transportation
Transportation (local and/or international)
Routes/Passages To/From
Popular passages/routes, timing, etc.
Cruiser's Friends
Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.
Forum Discussions
List links to discussion threads on the Cruiser Log Forum
External Links
Links to relevant websites.
Personal Notes
Personal experiences?
References & Publications
Publications, Guides, etc.
Last Visited & Details Checked (and updated here)
Date of member's visit to this Port/Stop & this page's details validated:
| |
|---|
| | HOMEPAGE | Wiki Contents | Mediterranean | Spain | MedSpain | Balearics | Espalmador | |
.
