Fiesta Time in Mahon

We have been in Mahon for a week, dropping off friends at the airport, waiting for a weather window for the 40-hour sail to Sardinia, and enjoying the Fiesta de Gracia in the old town of Mahon. The guide books rave over Ciutadella and downplay Mahon, but we have enjoyed it more than Ciutadella, too touristy for our tastes.

We are in the Marina Mahon, one of the first and largest marinas in the bay and close to town. The first night here (September rates) is 51 Euros because they charge a flat fee for water and electricity, but every night after that is only 25 Euros. We are berthed along side (not stern-to) on the hammer head and the pontoon is very large, giving us space enough to leave our bikes out on the pontoon. It’s very quiet although there are many restaurants and a small convenient store nearby. We managed to get our bikes into the elevator that takes you up the cliff to the level of the town, and from there it is an easy 5 minute ride into the charming old town.

And if you arrive during the first week of September, you will discover the Fiesta de Gracia, which probably has lots of meaningful history behind it but on the surface appears to be a festival of horses. We head out tomorrow to anchor in the bay and then plan to head over to Sardinia on Wednesday. The weather will be very calm...possibly too calm… but it was the best opportunity in between tramontana events we could find. The genakker is up and ready to roll out since we expect 10 knot winds on a beam reach for most of the trip (prediction: 6 hours of motoring in the early morning, then 24 hours of 8-12 knot winds, then 4-5 hours of motoring again, then some light winds to take us into the coastal area near Alghero, where we will probably lose the wind in the final approach. Stay tuned !)