On Sunday we had a 12 hour trip from Alicante to the island Formentera, just south of Ibiza, but for quite a while we were completely under sail, with both the head sail and the main sail up and no motor! The sea was calm so we had n extremely enjoyable trip. We anchored off the west of the island in a cove south of the small town and had a wonderful peaceful night. The sunset was magnificent and we even saw the green flash as the sun disappeared on the horizon. It is a wonderful change not to be seeing multiple apartment blocks and hotels on the shore and to appreciate the dense coverage of stars in the sky.
We had barbecued lamb on board and as it is a little cooler on an anchorage we even coped with cooking vegetables.
Formentera is renowned for the aqua colour of the sea, long sandy beaches and nude bathers, the rich and famous visitors (mostly Italian tourists) - the 'beautiful' people and the peaceful serenity of anchoring there. It is worth a look on Google. We felt like we had finally reached somewhere we really wanted to be after more than 2000 nautical miles of travel.
Yesterday morning we moved to another anchorage north of the town where the long sandy beach lines the shore, the Tuberon bar/cafe/restaurant is nestled in the sand dune and we were near a restaurant where we remember having a very special meal in 2009, at Es Moli de Sal. It was a perfect day at a perfect location. We swam in the aqua blue water (28C temperature), relaxed, read, had a first rate lunch on board, went for a dinghy ride into the bar for a jug of Sangria at about 6.30 pm and watched the beautiful people parade and then were picked up in a rib to be taken to El Moli for dinner. The setting is one of the best in the world, with suitable stylish decor for a restaurant on a cliff and no glass required in the windows. (also worth looking at the photos online). Greg and I shared clams in white wine, Ian had lightly fried anchovies and Michelle had gazpacho and then we shared the dish we fondly remember having with Ginnie Schroder during our last visit to El Moli. A whole fish is baked in an oven dish with sliced potatoes, onions, tomatoes, herbs and white wine and it is magnificent. We were returned to our boat feeling very satisfied with everything about the evening at El Moli.
We are now on our way to Mallorca, our final destination and are sailing once more. What a treat!