Colonia de Sant Jordi is a very pleasant resort town east of La Rapita with a nice array of restaurants and laidback bars. Often underestimated as a destination, Colonia de Sant Jordi has been slowly reinventing itself as the gateway to the nearby Parque Nacional del Archipielago de Cabrera or Cabrera National Park. Park your yacht in the bay and nip ashore to savour the town’s charms.
For a more in depth look at the nearby Cabrera National Park, make time to visit the Interpretation Centre located in Colonia de Sant Jordi. The Centre was built in 2008 incorporates a fascinating circular talayot – a stone tower typical to the Balearics but probably modelled after the nuraghi found in Sardinia. The Centre contains interactive displays and videos covering the National Parks geology, flora and fauna. Several aquariums display different kinds of marine life that exist within the park. Admission is free. The Centre is open from 1000hrs to 1430hrs and 1500hrs to 1800hrs. Take a guided tour to discover even more.
Although there is a small harbour located in Colonia de Sant Jordi, it is of little use to the average yachtsman as the depths in the harbour are generally too shallow. As I said this is not a popular stop for sailors, which is a shame as the town has a nice “locals” feel to it and a good selection of provisions can be obtained in the town centre.
There are some buoys conveniently located to the north of Colonia de Sant Jordi harbour but these are a random selection of sizes, colours and shapes and there appeared to be some confusion as to who owned them in 2013 so approach using these with caution and be prepared to move if asked.
The bay to the east of the harbour provides a good anchorage but decent holding can be patchy due to weed. For better protection from the often incessant swell try anchoring in the lee of Isla de na Guardia. Beware the reef connecting the islet of Guardia with the coast here.
Cala Galiota to the west of Colonia de Sant Jordi is another good anchorage and is popular with local trip boats for swim stops and BBQ lunches. Approach this bay with caution as parts of the cove shallow quickly.
Further east of Colonia de Sant Jordi between Isla de Guardia, Isla Montana and Isla Pelada there are some more excellent anchorages. Here there is plenty of thick sand for good holding and the swimming buoys are sensibly placed! Follow the example of the local yachts and creep in slowly as close as you dare to get the best protection.
Watch out for outlier rocks that dot the coast around this area when entering the shallow bays and be aware that a shallow reef connects Isla Montana with Playa des Carbo on the “mainland”.