In many bays around Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, anchoring is generally prohibited with immediate effect. This hits owners and charter sailors hard, as the area is particularly popular for its many small calas, which are ideal for an overnight stay or a swim stop. At least there is an alternative solution.
The magic word is "buoy fields", often moored in rows. This is intended to protect the seagrass meadows, which have already been severely affected. In future, there will be no more kilogrammes of iron cutting through the ground in the affected areas. Instead, long chains and huge concrete bases have been anchored to the bottom of the bays. Muring buoys are attached to them at regular intervals.
Perhaps one or two sailors will even breathe a sigh of relief. Strangely enough, people often trust a foreign mooring line more than their own anchoring skills. However, the good news is that there is no charge for using the buoys. At least not yet. The bad news is that mooring places are limited, so if you arrive too late, you may have to turn away.
The entire measure runs under the project name "Life Posidonia". In total, a good dozen bays are affected. Most of them are located in the south-west of Mallorca. In addition, private buoy fields have existed in other places for several years. Anyone who moors there is asked to pay by the operator.
How to reserve a place in one of the buoy fields, in which bays they have been installed and for how many boats there is room where, can all be read in the latest issue of YACHT (issue 7/2008, available now in newsagents).
Also: Mooring at the anchor ring - we show you how to do it properly and which boats are allowed to use which buoys.
Pascal Schürmann
Editor YACHT
