Dear Peter, 

My list of restrictions put in place over the last few years which seem to
be designed to discourage nautical tourism, one of the few sectors that is
not in recession.

After the Ciudadela rissaga the mooring of boats on the yacht club
moorings has been discontinued. There are now a couple of moorings available in the
interior of the port at ridiculous prices. I paid 93€ for a 12m boat last
week. The alternative are moorings laid in Cala d’en Busquets, cheaper,
but no electricity and a very dangerous trek over rocks to reach the long walk
into town and the yacht club services. The restaurant owners tell me that
business has been much reduced and that they are afraid that Ciudadela is
now off the map for many yacht owners who came frequently in the past. The
fuel station is open in the mornings, when the frequent arrival of the
ferries and the exaggerated demands of the ill-mannered port personnel
makes filling up impossible, and then closes for siesta when there are no
ferries entering! I know many yachtsmen who never visit Ciudadela these days.

A few years ago I found to my surprise that, after many years anchoring
there, Binidali had been closed to all boats! I made many enquiries to
ASMEN, Costas and Mahon ajuntamiento but all denied any knowledge, only
that it must have been the alcalde’s decision. I was unable to obtain an
audience and resigned myself to using Biniparratx. Now, to my outrage, there are
buoys restricting the space available there too! Who decides these things?
Does any consultation take place? I have never heard of any.

I suppose following complaints from the “Yellow Submarines”, green and red
channel buoys were placed in Cala Teulera to keep anchored boats back.
However, the channel was so absurdly wide that anchoring space has been
severely restricted. Not that it matters now because anchoring has been
forbidden entirely! What madness! And in the rest of the port! Anchoring
only allowed if there are no wildly overpriced moorings available. The
Port Authority policy of putting out all the moorings to tender resulted in the
Yacht club losing all its moorings to big business, who had to bid so high
that they now have to recoup their excesses from yachtsmen. It also means
that the yacht club services are now not available to visitors who have to
use the services on board resulting in detergents and much, much worse
being emptied into the port. The only services available to visiting yachtsmen
are those in the  “temporary” portacabin in Marina Menorca. Que verguenza!!! I
personally know of several yachts that were based here who have
transferred to marinas on the mainland, paying less than half the mooring fees and
getting superb modern facilities.

I hear that the Ciudadela golondrinas have obtained permission to use the
north coast calas as an alternative to those on the south coast. For years
I have put up with the lack of anchoring space in Cala Trebaluger caused by
the golondrina mooring buoys. Woe betide any yachtsman who anchors near to
one of these. Furthermore, they have installed mooring rings on the rocks
and covered the rocks with concrete to make a level landing stage for
their passengers. Will the same fate apply to Cala Algareins? One of the most
important attractions of Menorca is its isolated virgin beaches, some only
approachable by boat. Are we to have these too invaded by mass tourism? I
accept the right of anyone to discover these jewels but their attraction
will be degraded and our yachtsmen will seek other more attractive
destinations.

I have the impression, borne out by other sailors’ opinions, that in some
calas, notably Degollador, Santandria and Blanca, the yellow buoys are
being placed further out each year, reducing the amount of space available to
anchor.

Fornells is a delightful place to stay, but where are the showers?  At the
moment we depend on the good grace of the Bar La Palma, at a price, but
last year the service was withdrawn and now, after a good start, I hear they
are again not available.

I have just obtained a copy of a leaflet describing the ports of the Isla
Baleares. They are all there, even the little port at Cala’n Bosch
but....... where is Mahon? Not a word! Mahon does not exist! You can look
it up on www.portsib.es and see if you can find any mention!

There are some bright spots, the mooring buoys around Isla Colom, free and
patrolled by an obliging monitor, Puerto Addaya, always clean, well
organised, spotless services and friendly staff, the beautiful crystal
clear waters of the calas where the dead hand of officialdom has not yet
reached. But for how much longer?

Please help us to publicise and hopefully change all this before Menorca
becomes a no-go area for nautical activities.

Regards

Bob Parker and potentially many more protesting voices!