Now that the August crowds have cleared out I wanted to share one of my favourite September routes for anyone looking to make the most of the next few weeks. The south coast from Es Trenc round to Porto Colom is at its absolute best right now — warm water, lighter winds in the morning building to a nice 12-15 knots from the southwest by early afternoon, and anchorages that were impossible to get into four weeks ago.
My usual plan is to leave Palma early, motor down to Es Trenc for a swim stop around mid-morning, then sail east along the coast with the afternoon breeze. Cala Llombards is a beautiful lunch stop if you can get in — the cliffs there are stunning and the water is that ridiculous turquoise colour. From there it is an easy reach to Porto Colom where you can pick up a mooring buoy or anchor in the outer harbour.
The key thing about this stretch in September is the sea temperature. It is still 26-27 degrees so swimming is perfect, but the embat (the thermal sea breeze) is not as strong as July and August which makes the sailing more pleasant and predictable. You also get longer golden hours in the evening — the light on those south-facing cliffs around 7pm is something special.
Anyone else have favourite September routes they want to share? Curious what people are planning now that we have the island back to ourselves.
Carlos, that Cala Llombards to Porto Colom stretch is one of my favourite things to sail in September. I did it with a charter group last year in mid-September and the conditions were textbook — light southwesterly building through the afternoon, flat seas, 27-degree water. We anchored at Cala Sa Nau for lunch and had the whole cove to ourselves.
The one thing I would add for anyone planning this route is to keep an eye on the afternoon thermals once you round Punta de ses Crestes. The wind can funnel between the headlands and jump from 12 to 18 knots quite suddenly, which is fine if you are expecting it but can catch you out with too much canvas up.
Right, I am officially doing this route next weekend. Carlos, your description has been stuck in my head all week and I need that Es Trenc swim stop in my life.
Question — is it realistic as a day trip from Palma or would you recommend overnighting somewhere? I am thinking leave early Saturday, sail the coast, anchor somewhere nice, and come back Sunday. Porto Colom looks like it has decent marina facilities if I chicken out of anchoring overnight on my own for the first time.
Also Katrin, good shout on the wind funnelling past Punta de ses Crestes. That is exactly the kind of local knowledge I would have sailed straight into unprepared.
This sounds absolutely beautiful. I have a probably naive question though — is a route like this something a Competent Crew graduate could realistically do with a more experienced friend, or should I wait until I have more qualifications? I keep reading about these amazing sails and wanting to do them all but I honestly am not sure where my level ends and ambition begins.
Also Sophie, if you do go next weekend and want company for the sail back on Sunday, I would love to tag along as extra crew! I promise I can make a passable bowline now.
OK so I actually did it — left Palma at 7am Saturday, made it down to Es Trenc by late morning. Carlos, you were not exaggerating. The water was ridiculous, like swimming in a postcard. Had the anchor down by 11 and just floated around for an hour.
Carried on east in the afternoon and the wind filled in perfectly around 13:00, got a lovely close reach down to Cala Llombards. Ended up anchoring at Cala Sa Nau for the night because I could not face motoring into Porto Colom in the dark on my own. Slept on the boat for the first time solo and barely slept at all if I am honest — every little noise had me checking the anchor alarm. But I survived and woke up to the most peaceful morning I have had in months.
Sailed back Sunday with about 10 knots from the east, took ages but I did not care. Absolutely doing this again before the weather turns.
Sophie!! You did it! Solo overnight anchoring, that is incredibly brave. I got nervous just reading the bit about the noises at night.
I am so jealous. One day I will do something like this. For now I am still practising my bowline and trying not to mix up port and starboard under pressure.
Sophie, Cala Sa Nau for an overnight — excellent choice. That is one of my favourites on the whole south coast. The holding is good on sand if you tuck in close to the northern side, and the cliffs block the swell from anything except a direct southeasterly.
I just sailed past all of this stretch on Monday coming back from Sardinia and even from a couple of miles out it looked like a different world compared to August. I could actually see the bottom at Es Trenc from the cockpit. In July that whole area was just a wall of motorboats and paddleboards.
If anyone is heading that way soon, the little cala just south of Porto Colom — Cala Marçal — has a decent restaurant right on the beach. Good arròs brut if you want something local.
We actually sailed along the south coast on our way to Menorca and I wish we had stopped! We were so focused on making the crossing in one go that we just kept the south coast to port and watched all these beautiful calas slide past. In hindsight we should have done a night in Cala Llombards or Porto Colom before heading east.
Sophie, your solo trip sounds amazing by the way. Solo overnight anchoring takes proper nerve and you should be chuffed with yourself. Cala Sa Nau is gorgeous — we sailed past it at about 6am and there was one boat in there, might have been you!
Tom and Lisa welcome back! That bit about watching the calas slide past on your way to Menorca made me a tiny bit emotional honestly. One day I will do a passage like that.
Marco, your note about the holding at Cala Sa Nau is really useful — I am building a little list of anchorages with notes from this forum for when I am eventually allowed out without an instructor. My Zettel… sorry, my notebook is getting quite full.