Fifty shades of blue

Boats and revellers arrive at the Sunset Strip

The winds were against us and a trip down the eastern coast of Ibiza eluded us yet again. With the usual easterly winds forecast we ended up back in Cala Xaracca on the northern tip of Ibiza after a leisurely sail from Mallorca. Unfortunately the swell still found us there and we had a very rolly night which by morning had become untenable so we set off in search of shelter further down the coast. We weren't the only ones as boats kept appearing from the rocky nooks and crannies along the way. As well as the lumpy seas the skies were now getting

Our very own Sunset Strip dinghy landing dock

ominously dark and we just managed to get the sails down before the inevitable squall and downpour. We were now part of a flotilla of boats heading south in search of a safe anchorage and comfortable night which we eventually found in the large San Antonio Bay. As well as a thriving resort it is a huge natural harbour with a couple of marinas and an ever growing mooring field reducing the amount of anchoring space available. We decided to try a new spot and found a much less crowded option just outside the harbour breakwater.

San Antonio sunset

What we didn't realise at the time was it was just in front of Ibiza's famous Sunset Strip, a bustling waterfront stretch known for providing dramatic sunset views with cafes, bars and the inevitable loud music. As sunset approached, the bars and rocks below became host to hordes of revellers cheering the sun as it slipped down beyond the horizon. Parasailors circled above us and we were surrounded by lots of small local boats joining in the fun too. As well as a great nightly vibe there was a very handy jetty for our dinghy making access to town very easy. Cafe Mambo claims to host "the biggest dj's on the planet" and the noisy but fun vibe soon began to wear thin. Having done our chores and shopped until we dropped it was time to go in search of some peace and quiet!

San Antonio anchorage

Es Calo fishing harbour and village

Es Calo fishing harbour and anchorage

Es Calo boat sheds

Es Calo fishing boat

We set off and continued south to the 20km long island of Formentera, Ibiza's laid back sister. This time the winds were favourable and we were able to anchor off the south east corner in the most beautiful turquoise water we had seen in a very long time. We parked ourselves close to the small fishing hamlet of Es Calo which has a small picturesque harbour ringed by timber boat sheds. We seemed to have left many of the super yachts behind and shared this paradise with only a handful of boats. The Lonely Planet reckons the waters here are the most translucent you will ever dive into. They certainly were every shade of blue you could imagine. We enjoyed lovely coastal walks and daily coffees which extended into lunches in the waterside bar. We would have stayed here for the rest of the summer but eventually the inevitable easterly winds returned and we had to leave this special place.

Picnic in the shade!

Rocky coastal walk

Cala Conta anchorage

We motored on round the southern tip of Formentera and anchored in the very popular Cala Sahona on the western coast. We couldn't complain about the colour of the water but there were far too many boats of all shapes and sizes for our liking. Back on Ibiza we found more turquoise waters at another popular bay, Cala Conta, but not a patch on our new found paradise on Formentera. Sadly our summer was coming to an end and we made our way back to the Sunset Strip for one last Lidl shop before heading across to mainland Spain.

We were very sad to leave this incredible blue water behind!