Information on Porto Colom

Anchored in Porto Colom for 3 days and had our anchoring spot just outside the official port area carefully picked on a sand patch for Posidonia reasons as read below,
for there is a massive ‘no anchoring, Posidonia’ sign hanging down the cliff to the entrance now.

The Story:
On day two, a diver with no apparent jurisdiction or affiliation to any government agency/Posidonia police swam between the boats and forced the apparently annoyed Posidonia police, who patrols the bay, to approach every last one of the boats with claims that everyone was anchoring in Posidonia.

Posidonia police checked our anchor which we played a buoy with, asked if we were anchoring in Posidonia and we answered that we already sent out our own diver to check the position of the anchor which was placed in sand.

Posidonia police guy then said cleared us and drove off. The diver though kept harassing people in the bay all day long that were cleared by Posidonia police.
This whole play the diver saw himself in was somewhere between self-righteous and vigilantism.

In the harbour area itself between the buoys, its forbidden to anchor, port overseer though didn’t drive off any of the many people that did anchor there.

It seems to us that they are really trying hard to squeeze money out of people. Surely not a welcoming place for the sailor on a budget.

What we learned from this:
There are a few spots outside the port area that have both sand and are cleared to anchor by the government Posidonia app, some 5-7 boats might find a spot there, safe from being driven off. If you anchor there, throw it in the sand and make sure it is actually on the sand and mark it.

Check with the Spanish Posidonia app that shows where you are officially cleared to anchor to have something official in hand. Don’t be subject to harassment here!
And don’t be fooled, the cloak of “environmental protection” nowadays goes hand in hand with simple business interests.

Interesting sidenote:
Anchors of local boats seem to do no damage to Posidonia fields and are therefore tolerated by Posidonia police and the diver; anchors of foreign boats though do a lot of damage apparently and need to be dealt with all the way.

Most peculiar considering that transits then have to pay for a buoy after sandy anchoring grounds where suddenly after privatization declared port area not to be anchored in.

There are a few good restaurants along the harbour, the bay was completely protected from the swell.

There is still an anchorage on the east side, between Arenal Gran and Arenal Petit. However, the locals are on a mission to stop sailors from anchoring on seagrass (Posidonia). They have hung banners on the cliff side opposite SA Bateria and a woman drives round in a launch taking photographs of your boat and threatening to call the police. The fact that you have carefully picked a sandy patch and dived to check your anchor is not fouling any seagrass does nothing to quell her ardour.

It is not clear what authority she has if any.

Buoys are available by prior appointment.

Anchored Feb/15 told its not permitted, Moorings ridiculously expensive without justification other than I suppose some are willing to pay, Many similar issues in many previously designated anchored in Balearics, Italy Greece far better in my opinion but I suppose as long as enough willing to pay €100 for a mooring of unknown security, many more anchorages will become mooring only. Very sad indeed.

Posted on behalf of PBurgess:
Porto Colom. June 2014.
Despite there being no formal update from Ports IB or the Mallorcan Government, there is no longer any anchoring in Porto Colom, the anchorages have been replaced by buoys which can be booked for an average 60 euro per night for an 11 to the 12m yacht. Ports IB berths can be booked online in the IB marina for 35 euro per night for a maximum 5-day stay. Club Nautico Berths are on average 100 euro per night.