To Colonia St Jordi

31st May

It was Saturday morning and once again it had rained overnight. And once again, the rain had dumped a load of sand on us. It really was time to move on and since the sky was brightening and there was no more rain we decided to go. It was a short distance to Colonia de Sant Jordi, our next destination, another of those towns we visited by road at Christmas.

The sea was calm, the wind non-existent and we motored along the coast to Sant Jordi, past pine-topped cliffs and narrow calas, the scenery here rugged and wild, probably bleak in winter. We rounded the headland on the final stretch to Sant Jordi and the countryside suddenly changed: we were looking at a flat plain, none of it much above sea level.

(We have now arrived in Ibiza by the way.)

We anchored off the port, in shallow water, much shallower than we normally like. It was 3.3 meters in places. Tony was not too happy but I hate being on the extreme outside of an anchorage which is where we would have had to move to. And anyway, this was from the man who carefully did not check the depths last week as we swung on the buoy. We stayed where we were and watched the depth gauge for a while before having lunch and going ashore.

Looking at the small chart in the pilot guide and now from our anchorage in the bay, we could see that Sant Jordi was much bigger than I remembered. To one side was a huge urban development, mostly houses but also a number of large hotels. Ahead of us was a large beach and a coastal path that led to a small house on the shore (that I felt sure was a wonderful spot for a restaurant) and on, along the coast and into the distance, sea one side, pine forest the other. We didn't see any of this at Christmas.

But once ashore we immediately recognised the harbour and the immediate surroundings. However, instead of the sleepy town with only a few places open, the town was now buzzing. The restaurants were all doing a roaring trade (it was already 3.30) and I immediately regretted that we had eaten on board, the food smelled good.

We were on a quest to find a supermarket, which we found, only to discover that it was closed and wouldn't open until 4.30... oh well, it gave us an opportunity to look around, explore the town. Nothing much to report there. After the old quarter of Palma, these newer towns in the countryside tend to disappoint us. with their rectilinear street plan and square, unadorned buildings.We stopped for a drink and then to the, now open, supermarket which we were relieved to find was well-stocked.

I am sure that the area around Sant Jordi is very interesting with good walks and plenty of places to visit. For us it was simply an overnight stop, an opportunity to stock up on essential supplies before moving on.

Next morning we awoke once again to rain. More sand.