Santa Ponsa was very pleasant but we didn't swim even though the day was very warm because there were some jellyfish in the water. Our anchorage was extremely peaceful however, in fact much more peaceful than Porte d'Andratx so we need to investigate the restaurants onshore and may stay there again in future. The sunset was magnificent, with mauve and orange hues across the night sky and our barbecue dinner with poached brandied figs and ice cream for dessert was a fitting end to the day.
On August 23rd we arose early enough to see a glorious sunrise and headed off at about 7.00 am., having breakfast on the way. The winds were extremely light but the seas were dead calm, so our motoring trip wasn't too hard to endure. We had the mainsail up to steady the boat and travelled at about 8.5 knots, arriving at our Formentera anchorage 10.5 hours after leaving Santa Ponsa.
Formentera, just south of Ibiza, is a smaller island (small enough to circumnavigate in one day), shaped like the head of a seahorse facing right, with great sandy beaches and incredible aqua water. So many boats and ferries bring people over from Ibiza every day to swim, watch the sunset from the beach bar and then return home again at night. The permanent population is about 5000, mostly involved in the tourist industry, so I guess they have a quiet life in the winter months.
We anchored with many other yachts and motor boats on the north west of the island at Molino de Sal Ses Illetes, a long strip of sandy beach just north of the main town, La Savina and swam in the beautiful clear water. I made some guacomole to have with nachos and smoked salmon for pre-dinner drinks and we enjoyed these while watching the sunset on the water in the distance. Most of the other boats left for the night so we had a very quiet dinner on board - spaghetti carbonara and salad - and fell into bed feeling very tired.
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