Is anyone else counting down the days? Do not get me wrong, I love summer here, but August has been absolutely relentless this year. The heat, the traffic on the Ma-1, the anchorages packed gunwale to gunwale with charter boats playing music at midnight.
I keep hearing from people who have been here longer that September is the real golden month. Still warm enough to swim, the embat still blows most afternoons, but the tourist boats thin out and you can actually find a mooring ball at Portals Vells without circling for an hour. Carlos told me once that September is when Mallorca belongs to the Mallorcans again and I have been thinking about that ever since.
I have booked a week off work starting the 14th and the plan is to sail down the south coast, maybe all the way to Colònia de Sant Jordi if the weather cooperates. First time doing anything longer than a day sail on my own (well, with a friend crewing) so I am equal parts excited and terrified.
Anyone else have September sailing plans? Would love to hear what the island is actually like once the August madness dies down.
Sophie you are right, I have said this many times — September is when the island exhales. The tourists leave, the water is still 26 or 27 degrees, and suddenly you can anchor at Cala Varques without someone dropping their hook on top of yours.
For me the best thing about September is the light. That late afternoon sun coming across the Tramuntana when you are sailing back from Sa Dragonera — it turns everything gold. You do not get that quality of light in July or August, the haze is too thick.
If anyone wants a proper September recommendation: take a long weekend and sail up the northeast coast. Cala Agulla, Cala Mesquida, Cala Torta — these places are completely different when the beach bars close and the parasols come down. Anchor overnight and you will have the whole cala to yourself with just the stars and the fish jumping.
Oh this gives me so much hope. This is my first summer here and honestly some days I have wondered what we were thinking moving in August! The idea that it gets quieter and the sailing actually gets better is exactly what I needed to hear.
Carlos those anchorages on the northeast coast sound amazing. I will probably still be on my Competent Crew by then but maybe I can convince someone to take me along as crew for a weekend trip?
Can confirm from the Pollença end — September mornings up here are something else. The bay goes glassy before the breeze fills in around noon and you can practically hear the quiet after the August madness fades. Anna, if you ever fancy a weekend sail up to the northeast corner, there is always room for an extra pair of hands on Freya. No better way to see those anchorages Carlos mentioned than from the water.
September is genuinely my favourite month on the water here. From a charter perspective the boats are in much better shape than they will be at the end of October, the clients tend to be more experienced sailors rather than the holiday-week crowd, and I actually enjoy the turnarounds instead of dreading them.
But selfishly, what I love most is that I get my own sailing back. August is wall-to-wall charters with barely a day off. September the bookings space out and I can take my own boat out to Cabrera or down to Colònia de Sant Jordi without feeling guilty about lost revenue.
Anna, take James up on that offer if you can — sailing the northeast coast in September with someone who knows those waters is worth ten classroom sessions. The Formentor coastline in that golden September light is unforgettable.
James, that is incredibly kind of you — I would absolutely love that! I will have a chat with my husband about a weekend that works and send you a message if that is OK? I promise I am a good listener and I can make a decent Brotzeit for the crew. (That is a packed lunch. Sorry, the German keeps happening.)
Katrin, noted — Formentor in September is now firmly on my bucket list!
Well, here we are — September 1st was Monday and already the difference is obvious. I took the boat out to Portals Vells yesterday evening and there were only three other boats anchored. Three! Two weeks ago you could not find a space there after midday.
Anna, the Brotzeit offer will get you invited on every boat in the marina, trust me. And do not apologise for the German — half the people here switch between three languages mid-sentence. It is just how Mallorca works.
James is right about the Pollença mornings. If you get the chance to sail the northeast in September, take it. The water off Cap de Formentor is that deep blue-green that you only see when the summer sediment has settled and the posidonia is undisturbed. Worth an early start.
Finally catching up on this thread and yes to all of it. I walked down to the marina yesterday evening after work and it was like someone had flipped a switch — half the charter boats are gone, the restaurants along the Paseo Marítimo actually had free tables, and there was this gorgeous golden light over the cathedral that I just stood and stared at for about five minutes like a tourist.
Carlos, you are so right about Portals Vells. I sailed past there in mid-August and it looked like a car park. Three boats sounds like heaven. Might try to get out there this weekend if the forecast holds.
Anna, the Brotzeit offer is genius. I can contribute exactly one skill to any boat I crew on and it is making tea. Very British, very limited, but reliable.
Quick update from the beginner corner — I had my third Competent Crew session yesterday and we sailed out past Illetes in the afternoon. The difference from two weeks ago is unreal. Hardly any charter traffic, the water was this ridiculous turquoise, and our instructor actually let us just drift for ten minutes and enjoy it instead of drilling tacks.
Also James, I spoke with my husband and he is very keen on that weekend sail to the northeast. I will message you properly but probably looking at late September if that works? I have promised him I will know my bowline by then. (I am practising on the kitchen drawer handles, the kids think I have lost it.)
We are BACK! Just got in yesterday evening — flew into Palma from Gatwick, taxi to the marina, boat still in one piece (always a relief).
What a few weeks though. The Menorca crossing was fantastic, had 15 knots on the beam the whole way over which is about as good as it gets. Spent a week pottering around Ciutadella and Fornells — Fornells is just absurdly beautiful, if anyone has not been. Then flew back for my niece’s wedding in Surrey which was lovely but honestly after three weeks on the water, wearing a suit and shoes felt like fancy dress.
Reading through this thread catching up and Carlos you are spot on, September here is just a different island. Walked through the old town this morning and it felt like Palma again instead of a theme park. Cannot wait to get out on the water this week.
Ciao everyone, I am back! Just sailed into Palma this morning after three weeks in Sardinia — left Porto Cervo on Friday, had a long beat into the wind most of the way across but picked up a lovely reach for the last 60 miles once I cleared Menorca.
Reading this thread and nodding along to everything. I love my family and I love Sardinia but I have to be honest — September in Mallorca is something else. I stepped off the boat, walked to the nearest café on the Paseo, and the whole place just felt… calm. No more August chaos.
Tom and Lisa, I see you made it to Menorca and back — Fornells is one of my favourite spots anywhere in the Med. Carlos, I owe you a beer for that tip about Portals Vells being empty again. Going to head over there this weekend to blow the cobwebs off after too many nights in port eating my mother’s pasta.
Welcome back you two! Marco, a beat most of the way from Porto Cervo — that is character-building stuff. What was the sea state like south of Menorca? I have been thinking about doing that crossing in reverse one of these days.
Tom and Lisa, glad the Menorca trip went well. Fornells is special, I spent a week in there back in 2019 and could happily have stayed a month. Did you anchor or take a buoy?
Up here in Pollença the change has been dramatic. Went from fighting for swing room in the bay to having my pick of spots overnight. Had a beautiful solo evening sail on Tuesday — glass calm, nobody around, just the mountains going pink. Almost makes the August madness worth enduring.