Mallorca, Spain
Cala Pi Anchorage
Not
to be used for navigation
Not
to be used for navigation
DIRECTIONS
After rounding
Cap Blanc, Cala Pi is directly north of you with the smaller Cala Beltran to the
west. The entrance to Cala Pi is straightforward, stay to the middle of
the Cala. The bay quickly narrows into a reserved swimming area and small
beach.
DESCRIPTION
This is a
small popular anchorage and we have seen as many as 7 mid size (40') yachts
crammed in here. The anchorage is protected from all but S winds and it is essential to anchor bow and stern as
we found to our cost when we were awakened in the middle of the night
by a catamaran nudging against us. You have a choice of putting out two anchors, or
tieing the stern off to one of the rocks. The bottom is rock and weed
and the water is very clear. If you plan on overnighting here you should have
a back-up plan in case it is full, or plan to get here early in
the day. The even smaller Cala Beltran is a potential alternative (which we have not
tried) but looks to be only large enough for a couple of boats at best.
We have also seen larger boats anchor outside the bay, probably in 40'+ which
offers reasonable protection from the N and W.
GETTING ASHORE
There is a
designated "swimmers only" zone along most of the narrow beach. To the
west of this is a dinghy channel leading to a rocky area where small fishing
boats are pulled up on tracks out of the water. There is space here to tie
up a dinghy. Note that you will have to clamber over rocks to get to the
beach.
FACILITIES
ASHORE
This is a completely developed beach
with chairs and umbrellas to rent, a shower for swimmers and a small
bar. Because of the high cliffs on either side and an ancient lookout
tower on the eastern cliff, it is very scenic, however the cliffs also put the
beach in the shade for a good part of the day. There are moderately
steep steps up the East side of the Cala to the village at the top.
CLIFF-TOP FACILITIES
There is a small
village of nice holiday villas, a somewhat tacky hotel/restaurant/gift shop, an
abandoned condo project and a mini-grocery store. There is a nice looking
Greek Restaurant just a hundred yards south of the hotel where we had a fairly
good meal at a reasonable price. Take a flashlight if you plan to return
to your dinghy after dark.
