OK so this is my second August in Mallorca and I still haven’t figured out how to function like a normal person when it’s 38 degrees by noon. I finished my Day Skipper back in May when the weather was perfect and now I’m trying to get out on the water as much as possible to keep practising, but honestly some days it feels like stepping into an oven the moment you leave the flat.
I’ve been trying to do early morning sails — leaving Club de Mar around 07:00, back by 11:30 before the worst of it. The sea breeze hasn’t even started by then so it’s mostly motoring out and catching whatever light air there is, which isn’t ideal for practice but at least I’m not melting. By the time the Embat kicks in around 13:00-14:00 and there’s actually decent wind, I’m hiding under the air conditioning in my flat.
How do the rest of you handle peak summer? Do you just embrace the afternoon heat and sail when the wind is best? Any tips for staying cool on board — I’ve been freezing water bottles and draping wet towels around my neck like some sort of soggy ghost but there must be better strategies. Also does anyone else find the marina absolutely dead in August? Half the boats seem to have gone to Menorca or Ibiza.
Sophie, after six summers living aboard in Port de Pollença I have this pretty well dialled in. The trick is to completely restructure your day around the heat rather than fighting it.
I am up at 5:30, coffee in the cockpit while it is still cool, and if I am sailing I try to be off the mooring by 7am. The morning window from about 6 to 10 is genuinely lovely — flat water, soft light, often a gentle offshore breeze. I will do a short sail or motor to a quiet cala for a swim. By 11 I am looking for shade.
The death zone is noon to 4pm. I retreat below, close the companionway hatch cover but leave the forward hatch and dorades open for airflow. A 12V fan pointed at the berth makes all the difference. I read, do chart work, study for my Yachtmaster Ocean theory, or frankly just nap. No shame in the siesta — the Spanish had it right all along.
Then from about 5pm onwards it becomes magical again. The Embat is usually at its best, the light turns golden, and you can sail until 9pm with the sun still up. Some of my best sails of the year happen between 6 and 8 in the evening.
One practical tip — a cockpit bimini is not optional in August. Mine is a full hardtop and it transforms the boat from an oven into a shaded terrace. Worth every euro.
James has it exactly right about restructuring the day. I would add a few things from the charter side since I spend more time on the water in August than anyone probably should.
Hydration is the big one that people underestimate. When you are on deck with the wind in your face you do not feel how much you are sweating. I tell all my clients to drink at least three litres of water a day and to start before they feel thirsty. I keep a big insulated water bottle in the cockpit and refill it constantly. Coconut water is great too for replacing electrolytes if you have been out all day.
For sailing comfort — lightweight UV shirts are far better than sunscreen alone. The long sleeve ones from Gill or Helly Hansen have UPF50 and they breathe well. I basically live in mine from June to September. Saves a fortune on sunscreen and you do not get that horrible sticky feeling on the helm.
Also Sophie, if you can, try sailing on weekdays rather than weekends in August. The difference is remarkable. On a Tuesday afternoon you can find anchorages on the south coast that are practically empty, but the same spots on a Saturday are wall to wall charter boats and gin palaces. The sailing itself is more relaxed too with less traffic to worry about.
Coming from Sardinia I thought I knew Mediterranean heat, but I have to admit this August in Mallorca has been something else. Alcúdia bay turns into a mirror some afternoons — not a breath of wind, the water like glass, and the temperature below decks becomes truly unbearable even with all the hatches open.
I have started doing what James describes — early starts, long lunch breaks in the shade, then back out in the late afternoon when the embat kicks in. The thermal breeze here is incredibly reliable in summer and usually fills in between 1pm and 3pm. Once it builds you can get lovely sailing in 12-15 knots and it is noticeably cooler on the water than on land.
One tip I picked up from the local fishermen in Alcúdia port — a wet cotton t-shirt is better than sunscreen for keeping cool on deck. Obviously you still need sunscreen on your face and arms, but a damp long-sleeve cotton shirt keeps your core temperature down far better than going bare-chested. Sounds counterintuitive but it really works. I also freeze water bottles the night before and they double as cold packs and drinking water as they melt.
My family has lived through Mallorcan summers for three generations and the secret is simple — do not fight it. In August we eat gazpacho, we sleep after lunch, we sail in the morning or the evening, never the middle of the day.
Sophie, your 07:00 starts are exactly right. If you want the best early morning sailing, try heading northwest out of Palma towards Illetes before the charter fleet wakes up. At 07:00 you will have it almost to yourself and there is usually a light land breeze still draining off the Tramuntana foothills. Beautiful flat water. By 09:30 it dies and you motor home before the embat arrives and the bay fills up.
The one thing I would add to what James and Katrin said — keep a wet towel in the cockpit. Drape it over your neck when you are helming. Old fisherman trick, costs nothing, works better than anything from a shop.
I thought I knew what hot summers felt like from Frankfurt but this is a completely different level. My kids love it of course — they would live in the pool if we let them — but I am basically useless between about 13:00 and 17:00.
Carlos, the gazpacho tip is noted. My neighbour in Santa Ponça gave us her recipe last week and it has become our daily lunch. That and about four litres of water each.
Quick update on the heat situation — we had our practical session yesterday morning and even at 08:00 it was already 30 degrees on the dock. By the time we finished at noon I had gone through two litres of water and still felt like a Brötchen in the oven.
James, your tip about the early starts is spot on. I am going to try and convince my instructor to move our sessions even earlier if possible. The kids think I am mad getting up at six but honestly it is the only bearable time of day right now.